The Associated Press
Dec 16, 2008
The board of trustees for the Naval Academy is hoping to boost efforts to attract minority students.
The Board of Visitors, which includes members of Congress, is in the process of drafting a letter to Congress pointing out the importance of recruiting top-notch minority candidates through the congressional nomination process.
Over the past year, the academy has approached 23 members of the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to discuss the academy’s goal of attracting more minorities.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/12/ap_naval_academy_diversity_121508w/
Showing posts with label Diversity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Diversity. Show all posts
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Feature Article: Hidden Talent
By Alyssa Rosenberg arosenberg@govexec.com
Government Executive October 1, 2008
Removing obstacles for workers with disabilities is about more than ramps and readers - it's about tapping the skills agencies need.
The National Security Agency headquarters in Fort Meade, Md., is one of the most buttoned-down facilities in the nation. When I arrived at the first checkpoint one morning in late July to conduct interviews, the guards summoned a Hummer in case I tried to make a run for it while they searched for my name on a clearance checklist. But for people with disabilities seeking jobs, the complex might be one of the most accessible places in government.
http://www.govexec.com/features/1008-01/1008-01s3.htm
Government Executive October 1, 2008
Removing obstacles for workers with disabilities is about more than ramps and readers - it's about tapping the skills agencies need.
The National Security Agency headquarters in Fort Meade, Md., is one of the most buttoned-down facilities in the nation. When I arrived at the first checkpoint one morning in late July to conduct interviews, the guards summoned a Hummer in case I tried to make a run for it while they searched for my name on a clearance checklist. But for people with disabilities seeking jobs, the complex might be one of the most accessible places in government.
http://www.govexec.com/features/1008-01/1008-01s3.htm
OPM issues guidelines for discrimination and retaliation cases
By Alyssa Rosenberg arosenberg@govexec.com
October 6, 2008
The Office of Personnel Management has published new best practices for handling disciplinary actions prompted by discriminatory behavior or retaliation against whistleblowers.
The advice, compiled in a Sept. 30 report <http://www.opm.gov/publications/NoFearReport-Sep08.pdf> , is based on interviews with officials at agencies that held employees accountable in whistleblower and anti-discrimination cases in 2006, and received top leadership ratings on the 2006 Federal Human Capital Survey. OPM did not name the agencies consulted.
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/1008/100608ar1.htm
October 6, 2008
The Office of Personnel Management has published new best practices for handling disciplinary actions prompted by discriminatory behavior or retaliation against whistleblowers.
The advice, compiled in a Sept. 30 report <http://www.opm.gov/publications/NoFearReport-Sep08.pdf> , is based on interviews with officials at agencies that held employees accountable in whistleblower and anti-discrimination cases in 2006, and received top leadership ratings on the 2006 Federal Human Capital Survey. OPM did not name the agencies consulted.
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/1008/100608ar1.htm
Friday, August 22, 2008
Equal employment report shows mixed success
By Alyssa Rosenberg
August 21, 2008
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reported a decrease in discrimination claims filed governmentwide during fiscal 2007 in its annual federal workforce survey released Tuesday.
Agencies have reduced their average claims processing time by 12 days since fiscal 2006, but they've paid out more money to employees who filed discrimination claims. And many agency leaders were not receiving the required briefings or directly overseeing the work of their equal employment opportunity directors.
"I look forward to seeing continued improvement in workforce diversity and complaint processing," EEOC Chairwoman Naomi Earp said.
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0808/082108ar1.htm
August 21, 2008
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reported a decrease in discrimination claims filed governmentwide during fiscal 2007 in its annual federal workforce survey released Tuesday.
Agencies have reduced their average claims processing time by 12 days since fiscal 2006, but they've paid out more money to employees who filed discrimination claims. And many agency leaders were not receiving the required briefings or directly overseeing the work of their equal employment opportunity directors.
"I look forward to seeing continued improvement in workforce diversity and complaint processing," EEOC Chairwoman Naomi Earp said.
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0808/082108ar1.htm
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Defense Department Commemorates 60 Years of Armed Forces Integration
By Army Staff Sgt. Michael J. Carden
Aug. 6, 2008
As the Defense Department commemorated the 60th anniversary of the armed forces’ integration today at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said the observance is a reminder of “how far we’ve come toward living up to our founding ideals and how far we still have to go.”
The Defense Department began breaking down the barriers of race at the close of World War II in 1945. The military had just returned from fighting in Europe and the Pacific, yet black Americans who served with distinction still faced the bigotry of Jim Crow laws, he said.
“The treatment of patriots as second-class citizens was a sharp contradiction that gave impetus to change,” he continued.
Many measures against discrimination were taken to implement that change. There were public negotiations and tough speeches by civil rights activists. President Harry S. Truman signed executive orders mandating fair practices in the federal government and equality and fair treatment within the armed forces, Gates said. \
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=50715
Aug. 6, 2008
As the Defense Department commemorated the 60th anniversary of the armed forces’ integration today at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said the observance is a reminder of “how far we’ve come toward living up to our founding ideals and how far we still have to go.”
The Defense Department began breaking down the barriers of race at the close of World War II in 1945. The military had just returned from fighting in Europe and the Pacific, yet black Americans who served with distinction still faced the bigotry of Jim Crow laws, he said.
“The treatment of patriots as second-class citizens was a sharp contradiction that gave impetus to change,” he continued.
Many measures against discrimination were taken to implement that change. There were public negotiations and tough speeches by civil rights activists. President Harry S. Truman signed executive orders mandating fair practices in the federal government and equality and fair treatment within the armed forces, Gates said. \
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=50715
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Disabled employees make up less than 1 percent of the federal workforce
By Alyssa Rosenberg
July 25, 2008
Disabled employees represent 0.92 percent of the federal workforce, a decrease of nearly 15 percent since 1997.
"There are laws and regulations [on] the need to go out and hire and recruit people with disabilities," said Equal Employment Opportunity Commissioner Christine Griffin, who announced the new statistics on Wednesday at Two Percent by 2010, a conference in Washington. "We have more of a hook, frankly. Our hook is that we actually have laws and regulations that say to the federal government, you need to do a good job in this area. And frankly, despite these laws, we're doing a terrible job."
Griffin and other leaders called on the federal government to set a goal of increasing the representation of disabled people in the workforce to 2 percent by 2010. The three Cabinet-level departments with the highest number of disabled workers are Treasury with 1.73 percent, Veterans Affairs with 1.49 percent and Education with 1.36 percent. Those departments with the fewest disabled employees are Homeland Security with 0.42 percent, Justice with 0.39 percent and State with 0.36 percent.
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0708/072508ar1.htm
July 25, 2008
Disabled employees represent 0.92 percent of the federal workforce, a decrease of nearly 15 percent since 1997.
"There are laws and regulations [on] the need to go out and hire and recruit people with disabilities," said Equal Employment Opportunity Commissioner Christine Griffin, who announced the new statistics on Wednesday at Two Percent by 2010, a conference in Washington. "We have more of a hook, frankly. Our hook is that we actually have laws and regulations that say to the federal government, you need to do a good job in this area. And frankly, despite these laws, we're doing a terrible job."
Griffin and other leaders called on the federal government to set a goal of increasing the representation of disabled people in the workforce to 2 percent by 2010. The three Cabinet-level departments with the highest number of disabled workers are Treasury with 1.73 percent, Veterans Affairs with 1.49 percent and Education with 1.36 percent. Those departments with the fewest disabled employees are Homeland Security with 0.42 percent, Justice with 0.39 percent and State with 0.36 percent.
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0708/072508ar1.htm
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
President Truman Championed Military Integration
By Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service
July 23, 2008
The idea that President Harry S. Truman would integrate the armed forces in 1948 was counterintuitive.
Truman, after all, was the product of a segregated society in Missouri. He served as an artillery captain in the segregated World War I Army. He had a reputation as a machine politician who didn’t rock the boat.
There was really nothing in his biography to suggest he would champion integration.
Yet less than four months before the 1948 presidential election, Truman signed Executive Order 9981.
“It is hereby declared to be the policy of the president that there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin,” the July 26, 1948, executive order read in part.
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=50561
July 23, 2008
The idea that President Harry S. Truman would integrate the armed forces in 1948 was counterintuitive.
Truman, after all, was the product of a segregated society in Missouri. He served as an artillery captain in the segregated World War I Army. He had a reputation as a machine politician who didn’t rock the boat.
There was really nothing in his biography to suggest he would champion integration.
Yet less than four months before the 1948 presidential election, Truman signed Executive Order 9981.
“It is hereby declared to be the policy of the president that there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin,” the July 26, 1948, executive order read in part.
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=50561
Historian Charts Six Decades of Racial Integration in U.S. Military
By Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service
July 23, 2008
July 26 marks the 60th anniversary of President Harry S. Truman’s executive order that integrated the U.S. armed forces.
Conrad Crane, director of the U.S. Army Military History Institute at Carlisle Barracks, Pa., said the order recognized a basic tenet of warfare.
“When your life depends on your buddy, the color of their skin tends to become less important; it’s how good they are,” he said.
The order came five years before the Supreme Court’s decision in Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education that struck down the idea of “separate, but equal” and ushered in integration of American schools.
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=50560
July 23, 2008
July 26 marks the 60th anniversary of President Harry S. Truman’s executive order that integrated the U.S. armed forces.
Conrad Crane, director of the U.S. Army Military History Institute at Carlisle Barracks, Pa., said the order recognized a basic tenet of warfare.
“When your life depends on your buddy, the color of their skin tends to become less important; it’s how good they are,” he said.
The order came five years before the Supreme Court’s decision in Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education that struck down the idea of “separate, but equal” and ushered in integration of American schools.
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=50560
Pentagon Official Calls Integrated Military ‘Model of Diversity’
By John J. Kruzel, American Forces Press Service
July 22, 2008
The U.S. armed forces have exemplified racial diversity since integrating 60 years ago, but further efforts are necessary to diversify military leadership, a Pentagon official said today.
On July 26, 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed an executive order that led to racial equality among servicemembers. Six decades later, the Defense Department now boasts a diverse work force of roughly 3 million employees.
“The military has been a model for the nation,” Clarence Johnson, DoD’s principal director and director of civilian equal employment opportunity, said in an interview. “Other institutions look at us and see what programs that we’re putting in place.”
Johnson, a former Air Force colonel, said diversity of the services creates a wider talent pool to recruit from, and allows for a more productive and prepared force.
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=50571
July 22, 2008
The U.S. armed forces have exemplified racial diversity since integrating 60 years ago, but further efforts are necessary to diversify military leadership, a Pentagon official said today.
On July 26, 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed an executive order that led to racial equality among servicemembers. Six decades later, the Defense Department now boasts a diverse work force of roughly 3 million employees.
“The military has been a model for the nation,” Clarence Johnson, DoD’s principal director and director of civilian equal employment opportunity, said in an interview. “Other institutions look at us and see what programs that we’re putting in place.”
Johnson, a former Air Force colonel, said diversity of the services creates a wider talent pool to recruit from, and allows for a more productive and prepared force.
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=50571
Agencies to boost efforts to hire more disabled employees, report says
By Alyssa Rosenberg arosenberg@govexec.com
July 22, 2008
The federal government is missing an opportunity by not reaching out more aggressively to people with disabilities to replace retiring employees, according to a report released on Monday by TMP Worldwide, a recruitment advertising firm.
"Public sector agencies lag seriously behind in recruiting and retaining people with disabilities," wrote report authors Mark Harvard and John Bersentes. "To call this result perplexing is -- at the least -- an understatement....Research has demonstrated that the typical individual with a disability is a more engaged, more loyal and more technologically adept employee than the average worker in the general population."
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission found in 2006 that the number of disabled federal employees fell from 1.18 percent in 1996 to 0.94 percent 19 years later. Disabled employees often are not found in senior leadership positions: only 0.46 percent of the Senior Executive Service was disabled in 2006.
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0708/072208ar1.htm
July 22, 2008
The federal government is missing an opportunity by not reaching out more aggressively to people with disabilities to replace retiring employees, according to a report released on Monday by TMP Worldwide, a recruitment advertising firm.
"Public sector agencies lag seriously behind in recruiting and retaining people with disabilities," wrote report authors Mark Harvard and John Bersentes. "To call this result perplexing is -- at the least -- an understatement....Research has demonstrated that the typical individual with a disability is a more engaged, more loyal and more technologically adept employee than the average worker in the general population."
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission found in 2006 that the number of disabled federal employees fell from 1.18 percent in 1996 to 0.94 percent 19 years later. Disabled employees often are not found in senior leadership positions: only 0.46 percent of the Senior Executive Service was disabled in 2006.
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0708/072208ar1.htm
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Military assault victims face tough recovery
By Kimberly Hefling - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Jul 22, 2008 10:59:27 EDT
YORK, Pa. — It took Diane Pickel Plappert six months to tell a counselor that she had been raped while on duty in Iraq. While time passed, the former Navy nurse disconnected from her children and her life slowly unraveled.
Carolyn Schapper says she was harassed in Iraq by a fellow Army National Guard soldier to the extent that she began changing clothes in the shower for fear he’d barge into her room unannounced — as he already had on several occasions.
Even as women distinguish themselves in battle alongside men, they’re fighting off sexual assault and harassment. It’s not a new consequence of war. But the sheer number of women serving today — more than 190,000 so far in Iraq and Afghanistan — is forcing the military and Department of Veterans Affairs to more aggressively address it.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/07/ap_sexualassault_072108/
Posted : Tuesday Jul 22, 2008 10:59:27 EDT
YORK, Pa. — It took Diane Pickel Plappert six months to tell a counselor that she had been raped while on duty in Iraq. While time passed, the former Navy nurse disconnected from her children and her life slowly unraveled.
Carolyn Schapper says she was harassed in Iraq by a fellow Army National Guard soldier to the extent that she began changing clothes in the shower for fear he’d barge into her room unannounced — as he already had on several occasions.
Even as women distinguish themselves in battle alongside men, they’re fighting off sexual assault and harassment. It’s not a new consequence of war. But the sheer number of women serving today — more than 190,000 so far in Iraq and Afghanistan — is forcing the military and Department of Veterans Affairs to more aggressively address it.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/07/ap_sexualassault_072108/
Friday, July 11, 2008
Troops need more language skills, experts say
By Cristian Hernandez - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Jul 11, 2008 13:09:55
Every service member needs some minimum foreign language skills before deploying — but that capability could require an extensive change in language and cultural training that would have to start long before they enter the military, a House subcommittee was told Wednesday.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/07/military_foreignlanguages_071008w/
Posted : Friday Jul 11, 2008 13:09:55
Every service member needs some minimum foreign language skills before deploying — but that capability could require an extensive change in language and cultural training that would have to start long before they enter the military, a House subcommittee was told Wednesday.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/07/military_foreignlanguages_071008w/
Study: Gays don’t undermine unit cohesion
The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Jul 8, 2008 10:19:03 EDT
WASHINGTON — Congress should repeal the "don’t ask, don’t tell" law because the presence of gays in the military is unlikely to undermine the ability to fight and win, according to a new study released by a California-based research center.
The study was conducted by four retired military officers, including the three-star Air Force lieutenant general who in early 1993 was tasked with implementing President Clinton’s policy that the military stop questioning recruits on their sexual orientation.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/07/ap_gays_military_070708/
Posted : Tuesday Jul 8, 2008 10:19:03 EDT
WASHINGTON — Congress should repeal the "don’t ask, don’t tell" law because the presence of gays in the military is unlikely to undermine the ability to fight and win, according to a new study released by a California-based research center.
The study was conducted by four retired military officers, including the three-star Air Force lieutenant general who in early 1993 was tasked with implementing President Clinton’s policy that the military stop questioning recruits on their sexual orientation.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/07/ap_gays_military_070708/
Program aims to help sex assault victims
The Associated Press - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Jul 8, 2008 5:32:25 EDT
WICHITA FALLS, Texas — In a women’s restroom at Sheppard Air Force Base, a pink poster features two wine glasses and a sobering message.
"You may not be the only one looking to have a good time. Watch your glass; you never know what someone might put in it."
The poster gives information about date-rape drugs and a phone number for the base’s sexual assault hotline. The program includes training classes and is similar to those at all military academies and Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine bases worldwide.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/07/ap_sexualassault_program_070708/
Posted : Tuesday Jul 8, 2008 5:32:25 EDT
WICHITA FALLS, Texas — In a women’s restroom at Sheppard Air Force Base, a pink poster features two wine glasses and a sobering message.
"You may not be the only one looking to have a good time. Watch your glass; you never know what someone might put in it."
The poster gives information about date-rape drugs and a phone number for the base’s sexual assault hotline. The program includes training classes and is similar to those at all military academies and Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine bases worldwide.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/07/ap_sexualassault_program_070708/
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Sun sheds light on telework savings
NetworkWorld (6/30/08)
Sun has been expanding its telecommuting ranks through its Open Work program for a decade, and today nearly 19,000 employees (56 percent of Sun's population) work from home or in a flexible office. With that experience comes plenty of knowledge -- about which jobs are best suited for teleworking, which technologies make it work, and how to train home-based employees and their managers.
<http://gove-media.com/portal/wts/ccmcfOaB-Caqk8k6wd8dbrAzj0c>
Sun has been expanding its telecommuting ranks through its Open Work program for a decade, and today nearly 19,000 employees (56 percent of Sun's population) work from home or in a flexible office. With that experience comes plenty of knowledge -- about which jobs are best suited for teleworking, which technologies make it work, and how to train home-based employees and their managers.
<http://gove-media.com/portal/wts/ccmcfOaB-Caqk8k6wd8dbrAzj0c>
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Study says women veterans lead nonvets in pay
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Jun 19, 2008 8:03:25 EDT
A newly released analysis of the earning power of veterans appears to show that women veterans benefit more in post-service earnings compared to women who have never served than male veterans do when compared to men who have never served.
A U.S. Census Bureau comparison of veteran and nonveteran earnings, based on 2005 information, shows that female veterans earn an average of $4,945 per year more than nonveteran females while the salary difference is just $2,248 per year for male veterans when compared to males who never served in the military.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/06/military_womenveterans_earnings_061808w/
Posted : Thursday Jun 19, 2008 8:03:25 EDT
A newly released analysis of the earning power of veterans appears to show that women veterans benefit more in post-service earnings compared to women who have never served than male veterans do when compared to men who have never served.
A U.S. Census Bureau comparison of veteran and nonveteran earnings, based on 2005 information, shows that female veterans earn an average of $4,945 per year more than nonveteran females while the salary difference is just $2,248 per year for male veterans when compared to males who never served in the military.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/06/military_womenveterans_earnings_061808w/
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Anthropologists lend military insight into customs, values of foreign cultures
By Greg Grant ggrant@govexec.com
April 25, 2008
Small teams of social scientists and anthropologists working with American units to map the "human terrain" in Iraq and Afghanistan and use "soft power" to engage local populations have saved lives and are an important tool in nation building, according to military officials.
In today's irregular wars, "battlefields are often civilian neighborhoods" where American troops face an "indistinguishable mix" of enemy fighters and innocent civilians, said Andre van Tilborg, deputy undersecretary of Defense for science and technology, at a hearing on Thursday before the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities. Social scientists can help provide the cultural knowledge that could mean the difference between gun battles and peaceful outcomes in troops' daily interaction with foreign cultures, van Tilborg said.
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0408/042508g1.htm
April 25, 2008
Small teams of social scientists and anthropologists working with American units to map the "human terrain" in Iraq and Afghanistan and use "soft power" to engage local populations have saved lives and are an important tool in nation building, according to military officials.
In today's irregular wars, "battlefields are often civilian neighborhoods" where American troops face an "indistinguishable mix" of enemy fighters and innocent civilians, said Andre van Tilborg, deputy undersecretary of Defense for science and technology, at a hearing on Thursday before the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities. Social scientists can help provide the cultural knowledge that could mean the difference between gun battles and peaceful outcomes in troops' daily interaction with foreign cultures, van Tilborg said.
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0408/042508g1.htm
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Tribe eyes its own medal of honor for vets
By Felicia Fonseca - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Apr 21, 2008 6:41:44 EDT
The leader of the Navajo Nation Council wants to recognize all honorably discharged Navajo veterans with a special medal adorned with bow and arrows and geometric shapes that represent tribal ceremonies performed on warriors returning from battle.
The Dine Nation Medal of Honor would be similar to the Congressional Medal of Honor but with a different meaning, Council Speaker Lawrence Morgan said.
“This medal is something that our Navajo veterans can have as an appreciation long into the future,” Morgan said. But some Navajo veterans say the medal would be a waste of money and would belittle the U.S.’s highest award for valor in action.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/ap_navajo_041808/
Posted : Monday Apr 21, 2008 6:41:44 EDT
The leader of the Navajo Nation Council wants to recognize all honorably discharged Navajo veterans with a special medal adorned with bow and arrows and geometric shapes that represent tribal ceremonies performed on warriors returning from battle.
The Dine Nation Medal of Honor would be similar to the Congressional Medal of Honor but with a different meaning, Council Speaker Lawrence Morgan said.
“This medal is something that our Navajo veterans can have as an appreciation long into the future,” Morgan said. But some Navajo veterans say the medal would be a waste of money and would belittle the U.S.’s highest award for valor in action.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/ap_navajo_041808/
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Diversity lacking among agencies' senior ranks, say lawmakers
By Alyssa Rosenberg arosenberg@govexec.com
April 4, 2008
Lawmakers sharply criticized the Office of Personnel Management and agencies for failing to advance diversity in the Senior Executive Service at a joint hearing of the House and Senate's federal workforce subcommittees on Thursday.
"Despite the outreach and federal requirements, agencies just haven't been up to the task of promoting diversity in the senior ranks in a way that is convincing," said Rep. Charles Gonzalez, D-Texas. "Members of our communities can no longer wait for agencies to wake up and discover that they need to include diversity in their succession planning. Agencies by themselves cannot and will not do it."
The lawmakers expressed dismay at a Government Accountability Office report that found the number of African-American men in SES positions fell from 5.5 percent in October 2000 to 5 percent in September 2007. The same report found that the representation of women and minorities in the SES, and in General Schedule levels 14 and 15 -- employees most likely to become senior executives -- had increased since 2000.
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39705&dcn=todaysnews
April 4, 2008
Lawmakers sharply criticized the Office of Personnel Management and agencies for failing to advance diversity in the Senior Executive Service at a joint hearing of the House and Senate's federal workforce subcommittees on Thursday.
"Despite the outreach and federal requirements, agencies just haven't been up to the task of promoting diversity in the senior ranks in a way that is convincing," said Rep. Charles Gonzalez, D-Texas. "Members of our communities can no longer wait for agencies to wake up and discover that they need to include diversity in their succession planning. Agencies by themselves cannot and will not do it."
The lawmakers expressed dismay at a Government Accountability Office report that found the number of African-American men in SES positions fell from 5.5 percent in October 2000 to 5 percent in September 2007. The same report found that the representation of women and minorities in the SES, and in General Schedule levels 14 and 15 -- employees most likely to become senior executives -- had increased since 2000.
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39705&dcn=todaysnews
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Generations are in sync on quality of work life, says panel
By Brittany R. Ballenstedt
Despite some well-documented generational differences, baby boomers and millennials essentially need the same thing from their federal jobs: strong leadership and flexible pay.
To combat the retirement wave now cresting in agencies and retain a diverse workforce, the federal government needs to focus on leadership, pay and hiring reform, panelists said Tuesday at a breakfast sponsored by Government Executive.
Chris Myers Asch, one of the architects behind a proposal to create a public service academy, said agency human resource leaders should not consider the wants of generations X and Y unrealistic. "We treat the millennials and Gen-Xers as these alien breeds coming in," he said. "If [other generations] think about what they want now and what they wanted when they started working, it's the same kinds of things. The only difference is we have the technology now to do those things."
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39600&dcn=e_gvet
Despite some well-documented generational differences, baby boomers and millennials essentially need the same thing from their federal jobs: strong leadership and flexible pay.
To combat the retirement wave now cresting in agencies and retain a diverse workforce, the federal government needs to focus on leadership, pay and hiring reform, panelists said Tuesday at a breakfast sponsored by Government Executive.
Chris Myers Asch, one of the architects behind a proposal to create a public service academy, said agency human resource leaders should not consider the wants of generations X and Y unrealistic. "We treat the millennials and Gen-Xers as these alien breeds coming in," he said. "If [other generations] think about what they want now and what they wanted when they started working, it's the same kinds of things. The only difference is we have the technology now to do those things."
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39600&dcn=e_gvet
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