Management Principles

Staffing Challenges Spur Another Look at Four-Day Workweeks

School districts think shorter weeks could attract more teachers, while one Colorado city hopes they can help address chronic staffing shortages at its police department.

  • By Elizabeth Daigneau

Celebrating Public Service—and Public Servants

COMMENTARY | Government is asked to solve our toughest and most intractable problems. That’s why we need to celebrate the people who make a difference through government service.

  • By Bob Lavigna

The Montana Legislator's Censure Shows That American Standards of Political Decorum Are Failing

COMMENTARY | The move violates the spirit of legislative rules set by none other than Thomas Jefferson, one of the founders of this country, more than 200 years ago. Those rules were written to protect minority views.

  • By Alauna Safarpour, The Conversation

States Vote to End Subminimum Wage

Advocates for people with disabilities see progress in leveling pay and ending work segregation.

  • By Rachel Gottlieb

Can Performance Pay Help States and Cities Hang onto the Best and Brightest?

After years in which compensation tied to performance was considered a “failed experiment,” workforce pressures are bringing it back to the table again.

  • By Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene

State & Local Roundup: Top Counties Return to Pre-pandemic Populations

Plus: Seattle gig workers get paid sick leave; Chicago and Wisconsin go to the polls; California’s insulin experiment hits a bump; Big gaps in electric vehicle ownership; and more news you can use from around the country.

  • By Daniel C. Vock, Molly Bolan and Elizabeth Daigneau

Tips to Ensure Governors Start Off on the Right Foot

A recent report offers new officeholders guidance on how to hit the ground running.

  • By Daniel C. Vock

An Attack on Auditor Independence Jeopardizes One State’s Fiscal Future

The Iowa Senate passed a bill that severely limits its auditor’s access to critical documents. The ramifications could be severe.

  • By Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene

Data-Based Decision-Making Is Flawed When the Data Is Flawed

There are many reasons the quality of state and local data can be poor. Using that information can lead to unfortunate results.

  • By Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene

What Keeps Public Employees In Their Jobs? It’s Not Just Pay

There are several factors more important than money in reducing staff turnover among government workers, a new study shows.

  • By Gordon Abner and Hyunkang Hur

Diversity of US Workplaces Is Growing in Terms of Race, Ethnicity and Age – Forcing More Employers to Be Flexible

COMMENTARY | Employers need good strategies to hire and retain more workers of color and older workers. The mandatory diversity training and requisite skills tests many of them now rely on don’t measure up.

  • By Adia Harvey Wingfield, The Conversation

How to Transform the Public-Sector Workforce

COMMENTARY | Enact a strategy that embraces people, purpose, growth and learning in your organization.

  • By Neena Kovuru
Featured eBooks
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How One State Is Excelling at Process Improvement

Every week Nebraska is contacted by other states to learn how it is saving staff time, streamlining projects and delivering better customer services. Here’s why.

  • By Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene

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