Management Principles

Republican Governors Blast Biden for Infrastructure Labor Plan

They’re at odds over a proposal calling for contractors to agree to project-specific labor standards on federal job sites.

  • By Daniel C. Vock

Managers, Err On The Side Of Too Much Communication

COMMENTARY | It's better for managers to give employees too much communication than too little, researchers report.

  • By Futurity

The Perks of Positivity May Depend on Race and Culture

The supposedly universal benefits of positivity may not generalize across races, research indicates.

  • By Futurity

For State Transportation Agencies, a Long Road To Increase Diversity

DOTs have often lagged when it comes to filling jobs with women and people of color. With a new emphasis on equity in the sector, there are signs that may finally be changing.

  • By Daniel C. Vock

Government Leadership and the Power of Mindfulness

By teaching themselves to move beyond impulsive reactions, executives can become more thoughtful—and more effective.

  • By Andrew Feldman and Marc Margolius

How Employee Well-Being May Improve With a 4-Day Workweek

A new Gallup poll takes a look, but also finds that worker engagement doesn't necessarily rise by shaving a day from the standard full-time schedule.

  • By Andre Claudio

Forest Service Rushes to Hire Enough Firefighters Ahead of Wildfire Season

Stakeholders warn shortages again threaten the Biden's administration's approach to combatting the fires.

  • By Eric Katz

5 Things Women Job Seekers Want

Women want better pay and work-life balance but also value working in diverse organizations, among other factors, a new Gallup poll reveals.

  • By Andre Claudio

How Managers Can Become More Effective Leaders

A new report from Gallup identifies seven leadership traits found among managers of high performing teams, and offers tips for how to develop these skills.

  • By Andre Claudio

NYC Faces Fiscal Disaster if Officials Think They Can Do It All

COMMENTARY | Undisciplined management and a spending spree in Mayor Eric Adams’ upcoming fiscal year 2023 budget will set the city back.

  • By Ana Champeny

Employers Aggressively Recruiting Workers Not Seeking New Jobs

The increase in remote work has led to “boundary-less” recruiting, giving companies access to a larger pool of candidates, a new report shows.

  • By Andre Claudio

Making the Case for State Infrastructure Czars

A leading consultancy is backing the Biden administration’s idea that states should have a lead person to help navigate programs in the new infrastructure law.

  • By Daniel C. Vock
Featured eBooks
Road and Transit Infrastructure Trends
Federal Recovery Funds at the State and Local Level
Infrastructure at a Turning Point

5 Ways to Overcome the Hiring and Retention Crisis Without Raising Pay

Higher salaries alone are unlikely to be a cure-all for public sector workforce shortages. Some states and localities are experimenting with other approaches for attracting and keeping employees.

  • By Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene

Colorado May Soon Be the First State to Guarantee Lawmakers 12 Weeks of Paid Parental Leave

Such formal parental leave policies are extremely rare in statehouses. That’s changing as more women and young people serve in public office.

  • By Barbara Rodriguez, The 19th

Women-owned Businesses More Adversely Impacted By Pandemic

Covid-19 affected women-headed firms disproportionally mainly because stay-at-home orders and school and day care closures resulted in “unpaid” jobs at home, a new paper shows.

  • By Andre Claudio

Abusive Bosses Often Blame Workers for Poor Performance When Their Biases May Be the Problem

About one in seven workers say their managers are abusive, whether it involves ridicule or a failure to provide credit when it’s due.

  • By Sandy Hershcovis, Zhanna Lyubykh , Nick Turner and Jennifer Bozeman , The Conversation

Easing the Transition to a Long-term Hybrid Workplace

A new Gallup report based on thousands of survey responses over the past two years offers insights into evolving preferences and practices with remote work.

  • By Andre Claudio

An Emphasis on Brilliance Creates a Toxic Workplace Atmosphere That Discourages Women

COMMENTARY | A focus on raw intellectual talent may unintentionally create a cutthroat workplace. New research suggests women’s preference to avoid that environment may contribute to gender gaps in some fields.

  • By Andrea Vial , The Conversation

6 Steps Public Employers Can Take to Retain Workers

COMMENTARY | State and local governments are teetering on the brink of a workforce crisis. But there are actions leaders can employ to prevent workers from walking out the door.

  • By Rivka Liss-Levinson

To Retain Women, Workplaces Need To Fight Burnout

Pandemic burnout is leading to devastating consequences for women, and it could set gender equality back a generation, a sociologist warns.

  • By Melissa De Witte, Futurity

Why I Left My Local Government Job

COMMENTARY | Earlier this year, I celebrated five years in local government. Two days later, I worked my last day there.

  • By Jenny Kosek