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FederalDaily - February 23, 2006

Dependent Care and Teleworking

The General Services Administration (GSA) completed a study this month analyzing the impact of telework for employees responsible for dependent care. GSA found that teleworking improved morale and dependent care circumstances, but managerial perception could be a significant hurdle. Some federal managers are concerned that employees would exploit telework opportunities to care for dependents. But in a survey of 863 teleworkers with dependent care responsibilities, 60 percent acknowledged several positive impacts to job performance, including higher morale, better job performance and reduced stress. The study also found that allowing telework options for those with dependent care responsibilities improved retention and reduced the use of sick leave. GSA made several recommendations for federal agencies, including:

clarifying how teleworking can be used to balance dependent care and work responsibilities;

supporting managers to understand and promote the work-life balance provided by teleworking; and

developing policies aimed at addressing the use of teleworking in dependent care situations.

Questionable Homeland Security Funding Decisions

Over the weekend Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., announced his displeasure that New York City did not receive federal homeland security funding for additional anti-terrorism police or police overtime costs, but the state of Texas received federal funds to pay for a trailer for the October Mushroom Festival. Weiner said federal homeland security dollars have gone to initiatives such as:

$7,348 to Ohio for 11 bulletproof vests for dogs;

$29,995 to South Dakota for a paging system for the state agricultural fair;

$30,000 to Texas for a trailer for the October Mushroom Festival; and

$30,000 to Indiana for a truck for a county employee to commute to work.

“We’ve got to fight for every homeland security dollar, or we’ll lose them to bulletproof vests for Fido,” Weiner said. “That means a comprehensive approach, at every level, and never taking your eye off the ball.”

U.S. Intelligence Reclassifying Documents

Since 1999, the CIA, Department of Defense (DoD) and other government agencies have been reclassifying previously declassified documents, according to a report published Tuesday by the George Washington University National Security Archive. Over the past six years, the government removed approximately 9,500 documents totaling 55,000 pages from the National Archives Records Administration (NARA) at the University of Maryland in College Park, Md., the report said. In 1999, the Department of Energy inadvertently released documents related to a Chinese nuclear espionage scandal, leading to a congressional amendment allowing the reclassification of all documents related to the case. Since then, the CIA, DoD, military services and the Department of Justice reviewed documents released to NARA, concerned that other documents were improperly released. Subsequently, the agencies reclassified numerous public documents. The report alleges that questions remain over the validity of the initiative. For the National Security Archive report, visit www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB179/index.htm.

New Web Site for Military Families

A new Web site at MilitaryConnection.com was launched on Jan. 27 with the goal of providing resources to military families. There are links to hospitals, schools, news, state tax boards, yellow pages, a military pay calculator and a “virtual mall.” The site also provides options for help on resumes and advice for what to do at a job interview. Coupon providers have space on the site, as well, with links to places where families can print out coupons and take them to their local commissaries and exchanges. In its “virtual job fair,” the site contains links to defense contractors, law enforcement agencies, health care companies and possible employers. MilitaryConnection.com makes money by selling ads to companies who seek a military audience. The Web site was launched by Debbie Gregory, a recruiter who spent six years working as a print advertiser for Defense Department-contracted base newspapers.