SmartPulse — our weekly reader poll in Smartbrief on Workforce — tracks feedback from leading managers and HR practitioners. We run the poll question each Wednesday in our e-newsletter.
Last week, we asked: Do you agree with President Barack Obama’s plan to freeze wages for 2 million federal workers for two years?
- Yes – 84%
- No – 16%
It seems as though I’m with the minority on this question. There is so much desire to have the government share the pain of the private sector that we are willing to support initiatives that will only save about 2 billion dollars in its first year (a paltry number considering their workforce is 2 million strong). Thoughtful dialogue needs to take place about the size of the federal government workforce for certain, but this token measure will do little to stem the long term budget woes of the federal government.
Lance Haun is community director for ERE.net, the main guy over at Rehaul.com and a member of the SmartBrief on Workforce Advisory Board.