While the science underlying the still-nascent field of quantum information science (QIS) is well established, timelines for other key milestones in the development of QIS remain big question marks – with none bigger than the development of a QIS tech workforce that can meet increased demand for the technology in the coming years. […]

Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., whose northern Virginia congressional district is home to a multitude of Federal government employees, is working on legislation that would aim to overturn last week’s controversial White House executive order that would create a new classification of Federal employees in policy-making positions and make it easier to hire and fire them. […]

An executive order (EO) released on October 21 creates a new classification in the Federal workforce for career professionals in “policy-making” positions, with provisions that could make it easier to hire and fire employees and prevent them from joining unions. […]

The White House has finalized adjustments to Federal employee disciplinary procedures that will assist agencies in carrying out Executive Order 13839 – signed in 2018 – and shrink the timeline under which managers can take disciplinary steps against employees. The final rule issued by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) updates current regulatory language   commensurate […]

Communication, collaboration, and coordination are being touted as the keys to success for teleworking during the coronavirus pandemic, but the best frameworks for cyber defense in these modern times may end up coming from old teachings. […]

The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) has released results of a two-part survey that found most GPO employees were satisfied with IT support and top leadership’s communication in keeping them informed during the COVID-19 pandemic. […]

The White House issued an executive order on October 5 directing several Federal agencies to create a Coronavirus Mental Health Working Group. The group is charged with mounting an “all of government” response to “mental-health conditions induced or exacerbated” the coronavirus pandemic, including issues related to suicide prevention. […]

In a discussion about creating more diversity in the field of cybersecurity, Department of Agriculture CISO Venice Goodwine encouraged cyber professionals not to let anyone put them in a box, to invest in themselves, and to be deliberate in their career decisions. […]

A new report from the Greater Washington Partnership revealed that employers in the National Capital Region that responded to their survey plan to have 72 percent of their employees return to the office by summer 2021, but a third of those respondents are still unsure of their reopening plans that far in advance. […]

In hopes of creating a coherent strategy for growing and sustaining the Federal cyber workforce, the Cyberspace Solarium Commission released a new white paper with recommendations on improving government pay flexibility and implementing more upskilling programs. […]

While the COVID-19 pandemic has had wide-ranging effects on the Federal workforce, one positive impact has been to boost the efficiency of Federal agency employees in how they approach their day-to-day duties, said Bryan Ware, Assistant Director for Cybersecurity at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). […]

Deputy Federal CIO Maria Roat asserted at the Billington Cybersecurity Summit that the Federal government is using a DevSecOps approach to integrate security into every aspect of modernization, but she insisted that the workforce must be cyber ready to be entirely secure. […]

Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., released a statement today on the General Services Administration (GSA) Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) report that found the Public Buildings Service (PBS) did not always receive timely notice of positive COVID-19 test results from building occupants or provide timely notification of positive COVID-19 cases. […]

The telework landscape has changed what the future of the Federal workforce could look like, pushing Fed IT leaders to prioritize new hiring initiatives and embrace the benefits of working from home. […]

A new report released August 26 from the Partnership for Public Service recommends data-driven hiring and innovative talent management to maintain a strong Federal workforce and overcome mission-critical skills gaps. […]

Officials at the General Services Administration (GSA) have started internal discussions on the impact that pandemic-driven employee telework may have on longer-term uses of government office buildings and other facilities, said Beth Anne Killoran, GSA’s Deputy CIO, at an August 26 event organized by Association for Federal Information Resources Management (AFFIRM). […]

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) should help agencies analyze employee feedback data to uncover effective strategies for increasing retention of military veterans that the agencies hire. […]

With a growing cyber workforce gap, Federal agencies need to get creative as they work to shore up their cyber defenses. What skillsets are most valuable for incoming cyber workers? And how can Federal agencies find talent in surprising places and nurture the talent they already have? […]

A group of six Democratic senators led by Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, introduced legislation on July 29 to establish labor task forces that would provide Federal workers with an outlet to express needs for personal protective equipment (PPE) and establish health precautions for returning to the workplace. […]

House Government Operations Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., is helping to lead the charge for a 3 percent Federal pay raise in Fiscal Year 2021 budget legislation. […]

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) identified cybersecurity as one of the high-risk mission critical occupations that the Federal government lacks, and is helping agencies create action plans to bolster cyber workforces, according to its July 2020 President’s Management Agenda (PMA) update. […]

A May 2020 report from the Federal CIO Council on the future of the government IT workforce makes 10 new recommendations to improve the 21st century work environment, including better recognition for employees doing a good job and revamping the hiring process. […]

General Services Administration (GSA) Deputy CIO Beth Killoran said at a May 7 GSA webinar that the agency is looking ahead to the “potential opportunity” to boost the Federal government’s IT workforce after the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. […]

Several senators from both parties are calling on the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to use existing authorities to provide hazard pay to Federal government employees working on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. That proposed hazard pay would total a 25% increase in those workers’ current salaries. […]

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) are prepping Federal agencies to start sending employees back to the office, as outlined in a memo released today. […]

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) updated its language around the essential status of IT and operational technology employees and contractors in version 3.0 of its Guidance on Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers for the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, released today. […]

Despite the impacts of the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak on the job market and various transitions to telework, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is pressing on with online recruitment webinars.  […]

As the country settles in for the long haul of teleworking and social isolation, the goal becomes maintaining your sanity and staving off cabin fever. […]

Simplified workflows and modernized systems are changing the way Federal agencies meet their missions, and ServiceNow is leading the way to a more service-focused government. […]

In a recent report, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) would be able to improve and diversify its workforce through improved data collection and analysis capabilities. […]