During the massive snow storms that paralyzed the D.C. area in the winter of 2009-2010, many feds stayed productive through telework, cutting an estimated $30 million per day out of the potential lost productivity, according to the Office of Personnel Management.
Since that winter, telework legislation has passed that stands to increase the number of feds authorized to telework, over the the next several years. But what about this winter? While the long-range forecast suggests that another round of crippling snows are unlikely this year, it's always possible, and even lesser accumulations can be disruptive.
Last winter, not everyone who wanted to telework was able to. Some lacked the needed equipment, and others ran afoul of agency policies that prevented them.
What are your observations? Have things opened up? If snow keeps large numbers of workers home, will more be able to log in from home and get their jobs done?
Posted on Dec 06, 2010 at 7:01 PM0 comments
People often ask if there are any “tricks” to writing a successful Federal 100 award nomination, and indeed there are. I will write about those in coming days. But first let’s focus on step one: Identifying a nominee who truly is deserving.
Make no mistake about it: The bar is high. People do not win the award for doing their jobs. They don’t win for doing their jobs well. They could top performers and still not be award-worthy.
No, Federal 100 award winners are people who have gone above and beyond their job description. That doesn’t mean the judges are looking for folks who have set up cots in their stairwell at work so that they didn’t waste time in the commute (although one of last year’s winners did just that).
But in one way or another, they have stepped up when they saw the need, or when the opportunity was forced upon them. In some cases, you might say, people are lucky to get the opportunity, but it takes more than luck to rise to an occasion.
Award winners also tend to do work that really makes a difference. In identifying a nominee, consider how things might be different if the person had not risen to the occasion. That little game of “what if” not only helps identify potential award winners but also positions you to write a good nomination -- a point I will address in the next post.
The tricky part, in many cases, is distinguishing the effort of an individual from the work of a team. Every year I hear from people who insist that they cannot single out one person from their colleagues. It’s hard to argue with that. But it also means that it’s not a good fit for the Federal 100 awards.
Stay tuned for more tips. And remember, the nomination deadline is Dec. 17. You can fill out the online nomination form here.
Posted on Nov 18, 2010 at 7:01 PM0 comments
Depending on which political commentators you pay attention to, the election Tuesday is going to either shift the fundamental dynamics of our government with Republicans regaining power in Congress, or hand the too-confident tea party movement an unexpectedly humiliating defeat.
It's more likely that the results will be in the middle, with some wins and losses for each party. But it is entirely possible that Republicans could take the majority in the House of Representatives.
What's your prediction? How do you think the election will turn out, and what are the implications for federal IT and procurement? Comment below and share your thoughts.
Posted on Oct 29, 2010 at 7:01 PM6 comments