GovExec Daily

On March 15, 2020, then-Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget Russ Vought sent a memo calling for all DC-area federal agencies to offer maximum telework. The memo did not have a timeframe in mind for maximum telework.

Two years later, many public servants are still working remotely. COVID-19 variants have come and gone. A push to develop a vaccine turned into a push to get as many Americans vaccinated as possible. Despite case numbers, states are removing mask mandates and, during the State of the Union, President Joe Biden promised feds will be back to in-person work.

To mark the anniversary of the memo, GovExec Daily looked back at two years of the pandemic's effects on the lives of federal employees, managers and the world.

Join GovExec Daily on Clubhouse on March 17 to discuss the two years of COVID-19 telework!

https://www.clubhouse.com/event/PAJB88nO?utm_medium=ch_event&utm_campaign=vlrzJwsaX-VcmRCrWGPctA-105697

Government modernization has never been more important than it is now. With online services becoming the norm and data flowing like water, governments need to move from the old ways of mission delivery, including improving online customer service, applications and software.

Tom Nieto is the Chief Operating Officer of Accela, a company designing and delivering government software. He joined the podcast to discuss government-as-a-platform.

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Join GovExec Daily on Clubhouse on March 17 to discuss the two years of COVID-19 telework! https://www.clubhouse.com/club/govexec-daily-group?utm_medium=ch_club&utm_campaign=vlrzJwsaX-VcmRCrWGPctA-103059

Access to timely, reliable, and identifiable epidemiological data is vital to positive health outcomes for any population. Over the past few years, though, epidemiological data collection has been flawed between tribal epidemiology centers and federal agencies, affecting Native communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a new report, GAO found that these issues with information sharing could have devastating health outcomes for these communities.

Alexandra Kelley is a reporter Nextgov. She joined the show to discuss tribal epidemiological centers' access to health data.

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Join GovExec Daily on Clubhouse on March 17 to discuss the two years of COVID-19 telework! https://www.clubhouse.com/club/govexec-daily-group?utm_medium=ch_club&utm_campaign=vlrzJwsaX-VcmRCrWGPctA-103059

The two years of the pandemic's shift to telework have changed the way public servants do their jobs. As agencies transition more to a hybrid environment, feds and managers will have to learn to adjust to a new work environment and new ways to communicate with one another.

As part of Government Executive and Nextgov's Future of Work event recently, GovExec Executive Editor Tanya Ballard Brown spoke to Rob Shriver, who is Associate Director for Employee Services at the Office of Personnel Management. In this episode, Tanya interviews Shriver about the ways that agencies are moving hybrid work environments at agencies.

For five years, the Merit Systems Protection Board was without a quorum, leaving thousands of current and former federal employees in limbo, unable to receive a decision on their challenges against adverse personnel actions like whistleblower retaliation cases and unfair firings. But, the MSPB is functional now, after the Senate approved two of President Biden's three nominees last week.

Dan Meyer is an attorney and Managing Partner of Tully Rinckey's D.C office. Before the Merit Systems Protection Board, he has successfully represented special agents and law enforcement personnel. He joined the show to discuss MSPB and its role in feds' lives.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has capsized the world's political order and the United States has not gone unscathed in the process. With NATO and alliances with Russia's neighbors, America's leaders have to navigate the situation deftly. More granularly, the federal government is working to get federal employees, service members and other Americans in Ukraine to safety as Russia strafes cities as part of its campaign.

GovExec reporters Courtney Bublé and Eric Katz joined the podcast discuss the latest on the war.

The COVID-19 crisis has presented a series of challenges for public servants and their managers. Despite President Joe Biden's endorsement of in-office work for feds lately, telework and hybrid work are here to stay. Managers have to find ways to continue to lead their teams and find new ways to communicate, collaborate and learn in this new environment.

Steven L. Katz held legal and management positions in the Senior Executive Service during the Clinton administration, served in the Clinton White House, and consulted across many other agencies. He is the author of the book Lion Taming: Working Successfully With Leaders, Bosses, and Other Tough Customers. He has led training for leadership and management development across the government and possesses degrees in anthropology, history and law. He joined the podcast to discuss a post he wrote on GovExec.com headlined "Managing Effectively From Afar: Lessons From Anthropologists During the Pandemic."

After reports that the former president destroyed documents, the House Oversight and Reform Committee is expanding its investigation into the state of records from Donald Trump's administration. Late last month, committee chairwoman Rep Carolyn Maloney sent a letter to the National Records and Archives Administration for more information on the Trump administration's records management.

Natalie Alms is a staff writer at FCW covering federal technology policy, service delivery, customer experience and the government's tech workforce. She joined the podcast to discuss the Oversight Committee's investigation.

Last month, President Joe Biden nominated Ketanji Brown Jackson to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. Jackson, a judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, is the first Black woman nominated to serve on the high court. Her confirmation hearings are expected to be contentious, with her race and gender as flash points. Dr. Emerald Christopher-Byrd is an Assistant Professor of Women & Gender Studies at the University of Delaware. She is the author of the upcoming book Unfit for Marriage: Black Women and the Marriageability Debate. Her research focuses on the socio-political position of Black women in the United States. She joined the podcast to discuss Jackson's path to the Supreme Court.

This month marks the second anniversary of nationwide pandemic lockdowns and the OMB maximum telework memo for federal employees. In those two years, many federal employees have switched to remote work and stayed there, with the Biden administration advising agencies to explore hybrid work. But, some members of Congress are trying to force a pre-pandemic work situation with some bills in Congress that would bring feds back to offices soon.

GovExec senior reporter Erich Wagner covers the federal workforce. He joined the show to discuss the return to offices and other pay and benefits stories that he has been following.