TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2010
KLMNO
S THE FEDERAL WORKER Postal Service freezes administrator hiring
8,000 positions affected in move to stem losses with $3.5 billion in cuts
by Ed O’Keefe The cash-strapped U.S. Postal
Service is freezing hiring and pro- motions for all administrative po- sitions at post offices, field offices and its Washington headquarters until further notice as it tries to stave off further losses from slumping revenue and mail vol- ume. The decision affects about
washingtonpost.com Q.
What’s it like during these dog days? Does the pace of your office or your workload slow down the way life on Capitol Hill does when Congress takes its summer recess? E-mail your answer to
federalworker@washpost.com and include your full name, home town and the agency for which you work. We may include your response in Friday’s Washington Post. When answers are
particularly sensitive, we will consider a respondent’s request to withhold full identification.
Online federal benefits calculators
Federal retirement: www.
opm.gov/retire/tools/ calculators/ballpark/menu. asp This calculator projects
retirement benefits under federal retirement systems. It also has links for calculating how much of an annuity will be tax-free and how much tax to have withheld.
Social Security: www.ssa. gov/planners/
calculators.htm This site features a Social Security benefit estimator for those who will be eligible under that system, which includes most current federal
employees. It also has links to other calculators.
— Eric Yoder JASON REED/REUTERS
President Obama embraces Roberto “Bobby” Barrera, the national commander of the Disabled American Veterans, during the organization’s national convention in Atlanta. The president spoke to the group about veterans issues as well as the drawdown of U.S. troops in Iraq. Story, A8.
Federal workers help pick SAVE award finalists
Online voting reveals best of 18,000 money-saving ideas
by Lisa Rein
In just two weeks, federal work- ers came up with 18,000 ideas to save the government money and help it operate more efficiently, from switching to smaller, fuel- saving vehicles at the Pentagon to allowing early retirement for un- productive employees. And workers have voted these ideas up or down 164,000 times during the same period on a Web site created by the Office of Man- agement and Budget, a twist in President Obama’s second annual SAVE award.
Other suggestions include con-
verting parking lots at military bases to solar-panel fields that would heat government build- ings, requiring double-sided printing at all agencies, rescind- ing calling cards for government- issued BlackBerrys and eliminat- ing the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission (“since U.S.-Japan relations are good”). Like the solar-panel fields,
many ideas involve saving the en- vironment (although maybe not a lot of money): sweeping dirt from sidewalks and driveways outside government buildings instead of wasting water to flush them, and closing nuclear plants “so we don’t have to worry about nuclear waste.” “It’s been extremely exciting to see people’s reactions and enthu-
FED FACES VA nurse manager champions hospital mission
Chris Redwood Nurse manager, Medical Intensive Care Unit, Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Best known for: Being a change agent at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington, where he has taken steps to im- prove nursing quality in the hos- pital’s intensive care unit. This has involved implementing a shared governance model, which enables his staff of 60 nurses to have a voice in determining nurs- ing standards and quality of care. Government service: Redwood has spent nearly nine years car- ing for our nation’s wounded sol- diers and veterans. He began his government nursing career at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, where he helped in-
VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTER
Navy veteran Chris Redwood oversees a staff of 60 nurses.
jured men and women who served during Operation Endur- ing Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He has been a nurse manager at the VA Medical Cen- ter since 2008.
Biggest challenge: Influencing the “naysayers” in a way that helps them to realize their poten- tial and to value the operation and mission of the VA hospital. Quote: “The Navy brought a lot home for me. It honed my skills and made me a better, more com- passionate clinician. It was the place that put me on the map as a health-care provider, husband and father. With my job at the Washington VA hospital, I want- ed to do something at the leader- ship level to have an impact on health care and on our military.” — From the Partnership for Public Service
For more on Redwood, go to
washingtonpost.com/fedpage. Send your nominations for Federal Faces to
fedfaces@washpost.com.
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siasm,” said Jean B. Weinberg, a spokesman for the budget agency, which is running the project. The author of the winning idea, to be chosen next month, will pre- sent it to the president in a one- on-one meeting in the Oval Of- fice. Last year, Nancy Fitchner, a
program support clerk at the VA Medical Center in Grand Junc- tion, Colo., told the president that veterans should be permitted to take home leftover medications that would otherwise be discard- ed.
The Department of Veterans
Affairs is labeling medications for patients to take home at a hand- ful of test sites. When the pro- gram is expanded to all VA med- ical centers next year, it will save an estimated $3.8 million a year.
All federal employees were eli- gible to submit an idea. Using the tally of votes as a guide, OMB staff will narrow the best ideas to four. That list will be open to the public for “American Idol”-style online voting. Last year the budget office shared the most promising pro- posals with agencies to include in their budget plans, and agencies across government adopted 20 of the ideas. The Department of Homeland
Security, for example, is changing the default setting for its payroll payments to electronic from pa- per, saving about $4 million. The Air Force is changing its cell- phone plan contracts to save $2 million over five years, OMB officials said.
reinl@washpost.com
8,000 positions, including admin- istrative, marketing and legal jobs and 2,000 vacancies for postmas- ters who manage post offices, the Postal Service said. The average salary for the jobs is about $65,000 to $70,000. The freeze does not affect delivery, customer service or transportation jobs. Of- ficials did not rule out eliminating the frozen positions. “This is about managing the size of the organization and mak- ing sure we match resources to workload,” said Anthony J. Ve- gliante, USPS executive vice presi- dent for human resources. “As the organization shrinks, it all shrinks, not just the part that de-
livers the mail.” Bob Rapoza, president of the
National Association of Postmas- ters of the United States, said the decision means letter carriers and clerks are temporarily filling va- cant postmaster and supervisor jobs, taking them away from proc- essing mail deliveries. “Freezing the management po- sitions that are part of moving the mail just makes no operational sense,” Rapoza said. “We’re not go- ing to save money in the long term and it’ll certainly deteriorate service in the short term.” The freeze should save the Post-
al Service as much as $30 million per quarter and is part of $3.5 bil-
lion in cost cuts before the end of the Postal Service’s fiscal year on Sept. 30. The mail agency has cut about 200,000 positions in the past decade through attrition, with more than half of the cuts made in the past four years. The freeze was announced last week on the day before lawmak- ers said they will block efforts to end Saturday mail deliveries. But the decision is more about saving money and adjusting the size of the Postal Service workforce, Ve- gliante said. “It’s an ongoing process, prob- ably something we should be do- ing every day,” he said.
ed.okeefe@washingtonpost.com
Speaking to the wounded about winding up war
On Leadership: The Federal Coach 6Excerpt from
washingtonpost.com/fedcoach
The nonprofit Partnership for Public Service and The Washington
Post’s On Leadership site jointly produce the Federal Coach, hosted by Tom Fox, director of the partnership’s Center for Government Leadership.
The goal is to “engage, inspire and learn from you, the federal
worker, whether you are a new hire, a contractor or a manager at the highest level.”
Last week’s questions come from federal managers and supervisors. Please continue sharing your ideas and questions by e-mailing me at
fedcoach@ourpublicservice.org.
Be direct, specific with troublemakers
Q.
What are some strategies for leaders dealing with subordinates undermining their authority? — FDA supervisor (GS-14)
Uncomfortable conversations, especially ones with a subordinate who is undermining your authority, are always difficult. To help you through the conversation, here are three discussion points to guide the resolution of this situation. First, get to the root of the
behavior. During your conversation, ask whether they’re aware that their behavior is negatively affecting you and the team. If they do not recognize their impact, give them specific examples about events that have made you or others on the team uncomfortable. Next, ask about what might be motivating the behavior. Are they trying to be funny? Are they gossips? Do they not respect you? Regardless of whether they’re intentionally being disruptive, you need to make them aware that their actions are unacceptable, because they’re detrimental to the team. Although it can be unpleasant to be so direct, you don’t want any misinterpretation about the acceptable behaviors that contribute to a high-performing team. You should be as specific as possible without compromising your team’s trust. Finally, plan regular follow-up with the employee to reinforce the good behavior and be sure to identify specific examples if the bad behavior returns. Don’t wait. If the problem reappears, catch them for a quick conversation immediately afterward to help process the lessons in real time.
How does one keep spirits up in the face of a boss with a negative attitude? Is there a way to let him know that he is losing credibility?
— HHS manager (GS-15)
Unless you can offer input through a 360-degree assessment — an anonymous survey of a leader’s supervisor, peers and direct reports — you’ll need to address the issue with your supervisor directly. I’ve spoken with hundreds of
federal leaders, and there’s one thing everyone agrees on: The most effective leaders are positive leaders. A leader’s attitude sets the tone for the entire office, and while we all have good and bad days, the best leaders know when — and with whom — it’s appropriate to vent.
USAID seeks to expand media in Afghanistan A mobile phone service to give
Afghan residents free, customized daily news reports is among projects the United States intends to fund to help stabilize and rebuild the country. Fine Print, A13
Begin by asking your
supervisor for ideas on how the team can improve morale. Building on his ideas, you might suggest your own, including an authentic, positive expression of his appreciation for the team’s efforts.
If this gentle approach does not work, you can try being more direct while remaining diplomatic. You don’t want to say, “Your bad attitude is killing the team.” Instead, suggest that your team complete a climate survey, or use your agency’s “Best Places to Work in the Federal Government” rankings, as a way to draw your supervisor into a discussion about the tone he sets for the office. Rather than focusing on his negativity, emphasize the need for positivity.
I’m interested in becoming a member of the Senior Executive Service. What suggestions do you have for a front-line supervisor in a small agency who’s looking to gain a greater understanding of the agency’s management and operations?
— Anonymous
To become an SES, you’ll need to demonstrate that you possess all five of the government’s Executive Core Qualifications: leading change, leading people, results drive, business acumen and building coalitions. It seems that you’re asking specifically about business acumen, which is the ability to manage your team’s resources strategically including human, financial and information technology. As you consider how to
advance as a government leader, consider moving around your agency or even among agencies. There’s no substitute for gaining a firsthand understanding of the various roles required to run an agency. An added bonus is the personal relationships that you’ll build with your new colleagues who can help you get things done.
Of course, you don’t always need to take another job. Consider pursuing a temporary detail to another agency, as well as joining a government-wide task force. You’ll gain new insights, improve collaboration and be well positioned to drive real change in government.
Visit On Leadership at views.
washingtonpost.com/leadership/ fedcoach
There are three weekly installments: Mondays: “Getting Ahead” — advice on “leading up.” Wednesdays: “View From the Top Floor” — interviews with federal leaders. Fridays: Answering questions about navigating the federal workforce terrain.
B3
Judicial nominees move slowly through Senate Although President Obama is on track to have his second Supreme Court appointee approved, his progress with lower-court appointments is moving more slowly. The Federal Page, A13
Joe Davidson is away. Federal Diary will resume when he returns.
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