Member since 2 years ago
25 ideas posted
17 comments 296 votes
23 votes
There are too many GS-14 & GS-15 positions and these supervisors/managers actually supervise/manage far too few employees. The ration of supervisor needs to get back to a more reasonable number. Probably some GS-13 positions could go too!
10 votes
Since 9/11 many non-DOD and non-DHS offices have seen reductions in staff levels but have remained in the same office spaces with numerous empty desks and cubicles. Adjust and align office space to reflect the new staffing levels.
8 votes
USe google ads to generate revenue for the federal government. With the huge number of websites we have, this could help in balencing the budget.
And it is April 1st!
11 votes
If this system is to have a point system for the people who contribute ideas it should be based on the votes their idea gets and not on the number of votes that the person casts for an idea. It has become little more than a time waster for some government employees who vote for thousands of ideas here so they can be higher up on the list. Points generated that way are nothing more than an ego boost and a pretty shallow ...more »
If this system is to have a point system for the people who contribute ideas it should be based on the votes their idea gets and not on the number of votes that the person casts for an idea. It has become little more than a time waster for some government employees who vote for thousands of ideas here so they can be higher up on the list. Points generated that way are nothing more than an ego boost and a pretty shallow one at that. Whoever dreamed that idea needs to reexamine it in future years. What could have had a lot of value is now a time waster and makes it more difficult to separate the nuggets from the gravel.
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13 votes
Require all Grant Requests to be submitted in electronic format that is searchable by currently available to the federal government software. This allows employees to save time and thus money as the various agencies would be able to absorb attrition losses without a loss of service. Many agencies do this now but it must be extended to all programs.
11 votes
There are numerous great ideas here and while all this is aimed at the Federal govenment, there are many ideas that have applicability on state governments. By sharing we could make all government more efficient, help to reduce taxes in all states and help the economy move forward for all Americans.
29 votes
There was a recent GAO study that found a number of federal employees who were drawing SS Disability payments while working a full time federal job. In some instances hundreds of thousands of fraudulent funds had been collected. In addition to crimnal charges, these employess should have been summarily fired!
16 votes
With all the talent in the federal government between advanced degrees and military veterans with training/instructional backgrounds it would seem that we could do much of our leadership and management training with federal employees as long as we didn't restrict them to their own agency. Of course, some managers might not like the idea of getting management training from a non-supervisor who holds a graduate degree, ...more »
With all the talent in the federal government between advanced degrees and military veterans with training/instructional backgrounds it would seem that we could do much of our leadership and management training with federal employees as long as we didn't restrict them to their own agency. Of course, some managers might not like the idea of getting management training from a non-supervisor who holds a graduate degree, teaches part-time for a university and was a Master Training Specialist in the military before they became a Fed and have to wait their turn before they can move into management.
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10 votes
While this is good for big picture cost savings that cross agency lines, there is also huge potential savings for individual agencies by adopting a similar system inside the agency so that ideas from the rank and file actually make it up to the highest levels. Too many mid-level managers are afraid to change anything or even forward a change because of the "that is the way we have always done it here" mentality. If ...more »
While this is good for big picture cost savings that cross agency lines, there is also huge potential savings for individual agencies by adopting a similar system inside the agency so that ideas from the rank and file actually make it up to the highest levels.
Too many mid-level managers are afraid to change anything or even forward a change because of the "that is the way we have always done it here" mentality.
If you keep doing what you have always done, you will keep getting what you have always gotten.
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8 votes
Put an end to retirement from Federal Service below the age of 62. The idea of paying someone what they would have gotten in SS benefits from 55-57 (depending on year of birth) until 62 when they start drawing real SS is a cost we can start saving right away with congressional action. Very few jobs are so physically demanding that a Federal Employee can't work until 62 or even later. This doesn't need more than a 2 ...more »
Put an end to retirement from Federal Service below the age of 62. The idea of paying someone what they would have gotten in SS benefits from 55-57 (depending on year of birth) until 62 when they start drawing real SS is a cost we can start saving right away with congressional action. Very few jobs are so physically demanding that a Federal Employee can't work until 62 or even later. This doesn't need more than a 2 year grandfather clause and as I'm 53 I'm willing for it to affect me and I'll be happy to work until 62 or even later.
The 55/57 were ages from a period long ago and it is about time that the number was adjusted to reflect reality.
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17 votes
Posted in direct opposition to those postings that advocate otherwise. Veterans bring a wealth of experience and maturity to the workplace in addition to a well established work ethic. Some agencies likely have too many such as DOD but there are many other agencies that have less than 10 percent of their workforce as veterans. For those veterans who are also retired from the military, the time they spend in federal ...more »
Posted in direct opposition to those postings that advocate otherwise. Veterans bring a wealth of experience and maturity to the workplace in addition to a well established work ethic. Some agencies likely have too many such as DOD but there are many other agencies that have less than 10 percent of their workforce as veterans. For those veterans who are also retired from the military, the time they spend in federal service before they are retirement eligible is limited and therefor have a lower pension but bring a lot of experience iand good management skills to the position.
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132 votes
Many agencies still use a dedicated person in the GS-5-7 range to be a time keeper when it is fully possible to do this via WEB based TA. In the private sector I didn't have a time keeper, the supervisor verified time of his/her employees and I certified. This is an old position that can be done away with and the position removed from federal service. It is time to get managers back to doing their job which is managing ...more »
Many agencies still use a dedicated person in the GS-5-7 range to be a time keeper when it is fully possible to do this via WEB based TA. In the private sector I didn't have a time keeper, the supervisor verified time of his/her employees and I certified. This is an old position that can be done away with and the position removed from federal service. It is time to get managers back to doing their job which is managing the work and time of their employees and WEB TA is the tool for them to use in doing this.
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12 votes
A buy out is nothing more than a goodby kiss to someone who was going anyway and was just waiting to collect a retirement bonus. With proper management the older, retirement eligible workers can be made to go if they are unproductive. If they still produce, keep them!
9 votes
For those federal buildings that utilize a boiler to produce hot water or generate heat, consider using a co-generation gas turbine that provides heat while also generating electricity. The electricity generated would reduce the power buy saving money and the boiler would still heat the water or air as needed.
14 votes
Replace the battery powered lights in stairwells of federal buildings and military facilities (including ships) with LED spots. Brighter light and longer lasting due to lower battery drain. Not really a budget issue because we shouldn't need them all that often but when we do . . .
It will mean a very long time between bulb changes though!
13 votes
For small Federal buildings, with small SSA field offices and Post Office buildings being likely candidates, install solar powered air conditioners or heat pumps to use free energy to cool and or heat the building. If used in conjunction with Passive House technology there would never be another case of a federal building being shut down due to a power outage.
7 votes
With the huge amount of lighting on a US Navy Warship, converting them to LED Bulbs would save a huge amount of energy when the ship is inport, the ship would have to carry a lot fewer spares because they last a lot longer. Some ships are actually running into energy issues due to addition of electrical/electronic equipment after the ship was built. This would reduce the load and prevent mission limitation or costly ...more »
With the huge amount of lighting on a US Navy Warship, converting them to LED Bulbs would save a huge amount of energy when the ship is inport, the ship would have to carry a lot fewer spares because they last a lot longer. Some ships are actually running into energy issues due to addition of electrical/electronic equipment after the ship was built. This would reduce the load and prevent mission limitation or costly refit of ship's generators.
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17 votes
Submit all paperwork drafted for review and signature via e-mail using the MS-Word comment and track changes feature. It reduces the amount of paper used, reduces wear and tear on the printer and makes the communication between supervisor and employee much clearer.
12 votes
There are many ideas here that focus on non-budget or efficiency ideas like congressional pensions, congressional salaries and veterans preference. These are non-issues to making our government more efficient and should be deleted from the mix. Besides, it shows just how short-sided some federal workers are and how they don't get the message as to what the boss wants: Cost savings and efficiency!
8 votes
Public housing funded by HUD money uses operating funds to buy oil for heat in the winter, primarily in New England. By shifting to All Weather Heat Pumps (capable of 200 % efficiency at -25) this will reduce funds spent on oil and will allow Public Housing funding to be reduced without loss of program support. This would be of particular use to small Public Housing Authorities that lack the size to enter into a energy ...more »
Public housing funded by HUD money uses operating funds to buy oil for heat in the winter, primarily in New England. By shifting to All Weather Heat Pumps (capable of 200 % efficiency at -25) this will reduce funds spent on oil and will allow Public Housing funding to be reduced without loss of program support. This would be of particular use to small Public Housing Authorities that lack the size to enter into a energy conservation contract with a large company.
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12 votes
Passive house technology is several times more efficient than LEED standards and if all new buildings were built to Passive House standards the cost of heating and cooling of them would go down significantly. As an example, a traditional house uses 5 times as much as a passive house and this savings can be extended to federal buildings.
12 votes
Waterless urinals have been proven in use and should replace all the flushing toilets in federal buildings. This will save on waste water generation and use less water and thus save costs in two areas.
38 votes
Begin installing LED lighting to reduce electrical consumption and thereby reduce the heat generation inside federal buildings and thereby reduce Air Conditioning costs in warmer climates. Increased use of LED bulbs will drive costs down and enable more Americans to use them and save energy.
14 votes
Currently housing discrimination complaints can be filed through HUD or USDA's Rural housing Program. This process should be consolidated through one office, HUD's office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. As it stands now, this means we have two offices doing the same thing. Eliminate the redundancy and locate all work in one office and we could reduce a few federal workers.
237 votes
Drop ALL the other hiring, application and job annoucement systems except for USAJOBS. There is AVUE, the army, the navy and more. Why are we paying for redundent systems, maintenance and upkeep. By putting it all under one system we could even allow HR to search resumes and solicit applications. The US Government needs to hire the very best so why do we create additional hoops for applicants to jump through or have ...more »
Drop ALL the other hiring, application and job annoucement systems except for USAJOBS. There is AVUE, the army, the navy and more. Why are we paying for redundent systems, maintenance and upkeep. By putting it all under one system we could even allow HR to search resumes and solicit applications. The US Government needs to hire the very best so why do we create additional hoops for applicants to jump through or have numerous systems for them to find, set up and apply through?
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