Do you work with or know a federal employee who has made a particularly noteworthy contribution to the public good? Then ’tis the season to put in a nomination for the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals (Sammies) at servicetoamericamedals.org. The deadline is Jan. 17. The medals, given out by the Partnership for Public Service, span eight categories, including career achievement; science and environment; and homeland security and law enforcement. Three main criteria will be used in choosing the winners: On-the-job innovation; commitment to public service and impact of their work on meeting the needs of the nation, the…
Browsing: Partnership for Public Service
Two key themes emerged at this morning’s Town Hall with top Obama administration officials in honor of Public Service Recognition Week: First, the public often doesn’t understand or appreciate all the things federal employees do for them. And second, that’s partly because a hostile or indifferent press corps only appears interested in federal workers when they throw extravagant Vegas conferences or hire a couple of prostitutes. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Health and Human Services Director Kathleen Sebelius, and acting General Services Administration head Dan Tangherlini spoke with news anchor Cokie Roberts at the Partnership for…
Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., is usually numbered among the federal workforce’s best friends on Capitol Hill. But this morning, he evidently decided it was time for a little tough love. When feds get a new assignment, they “hire a consultant,” Moran told participants at a Partnership for Public Service event. “They don’t take it on themselves.” “We’ve got too many people, even in managerial positions, who are protecting their comfort zone,” he continued. “I’m really discouraged because these are good people that can do far more than they are attempting to accomplish. They’re worth more than they really give themselves…
It’s that time of year again. Starting today, the Partnership for Public Service is accepting nominations through Jan. 18 for the annual public service awards, known as the Sammies. The awards recognize civilian federal employees who have shown commitment to service and have made significant contributions in their fields. Call to Service and Career Achievement are among the eight nomination categories. Last year’s winners included two National Institutes of Health scientists whose research led to new cervical cancer vaccines, and an IRS employee, who developed the eFile system that drastically reduced the time it takes to provide tax refunds.
If there were ever a time for the federal government to recognize the value of new approaches and ideas, this would be it. But at most major federal agencies, fewer than half of employees believe that’s actually happening, according to a survey analysis released today by the Partnership for Public Service. The two exceptions were NASA and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, where more than 60 percent of respondents agreed that “creativity and innovation are rewarded.” At the three military services and 23 agencies, however, the comparable ratios were below 50 percent and at a couple—including the Transportation Department and the…
The deadline to nominate your favorite public servants for a Service to America Medals award has been extended to Feb. 7. This year’s awards include a new management excellence medal category for a top employee who shows superior leadership or management. Federal employee of the year, career achievement and call to service are among the other categories. You can submit your nominations here.
I’m at the release event for the Partnership for Public Service’s 2009 “Best Places to Work” report, which measures employee satisfaction at agencies across the government. We’ve got a quick summary of the results, and you can view the whole survey (which contains lots of interesting data) here. One interesting point: OMB director Peter Orszag just gave a quick speech, and he said this about the survey results: We will be looking to include the results in the fiscal year 2011 budget process, because we should not just let this be a report that generates a one-day news story. It…
The Council for Excellence in Government, a nonprofit group that advocates for improving the government, announced today that it is shutting down on Feb. 15. Most of the Council’s programs and staff will be absorbed into the Partnership for Public Service. John Macomber, chair of the Council’s Board of Trustees, released a statement today that blamed the recession: For more than 25 years, the Council has enjoyed a reputation for leadership and innovation and has served as a catalyst for constructive change at all levels of government. However, the current economic climate has made it extremely difficult to raise the…
Samuel Heyman, the founder of the Partnership for Public Service, received the Presidential Citizens Medal in a White House ceremony today. Heyman founded the nonprofit in 2001 to try to improve the federal government and promote it as a good place to work as the Baby Boomer generation prepares to retire. The citation Bush awarded Heyman reads: As a lawyer, public servant and philanthropist, Samuel Heyman has acted on his steadfast devotion to our nation. By encouraging young leaders to answer the call of public service, he has helped promote a vibrant federal work force. The United States honors Samuel…
The Partnership for Public Service released a report this morning containing advice for the next president from chief human capital officers. The Partnership surveyed 54 CHCOs, and their deputies, and solicited opinions on several topics: pay scales, telework, and the effectiveness of their HR staffs, to name a few. (The complete report, in PDF form, is here.) Two of the most interesting conclusions: First, a clear majority of the respondents favored eliminating the General Schedule pay scale; just 14 percent thought it should be retained: Second, more than half of the respondents view their human resources staffers largely as “transaction…