SAVE Award 2011 Ideas

College interns come in every year. They are given "special" "professional" projects to introduce them to how the agency works. We have experienced and well educated employees who are not given these same opportunities to work on professional projects. Most of the college interns never return to the agency, so it is a loss of money, time, and resources. Special offices have to be set up for them, and staff has to expend... more »

Encourage employees to choose the lowest hotel rate below the Per Diem by giving them 10% of the amount below the Per Diem. Example, if the Per Diem is $200 and the final hotel bill is $100, the traveler would receive 10% of the amount below the Per Diem - $10.

Where parking is at a premium for many VHA employees at their duty stations, it would seem reasonable to incentivize employees to car-pool, use public transportation, or purchasing more fuel efficient automobiles used for driving to work. Encouraging VHA employees to seek better, more efficient modes of transportation, and sharing rides with one another would save money, promote healthy living, be more "green", and support... more »

If you are covered or can be covered by someone else then there should be an incentive paid to the employee not to enroll in federal health insurance. Offer 100.00 a month to employees who do not use the federal insurance.

Force all non-contract, non-acquisitions, non-essential personnel to take one year away from their federal positions every six years. One of the biggest issues in the federal workforce is a persistent complacency on the part of a significant minority of workers. This complacency slows government operations, erodes Agency morale, and stirs resentment among the general public, particularly among the majority of Americans... more »

TELE-WORK

President Jimmy Carter curved oil usage by dropping the speed limit and requesting that citizens lower (in winter) and raise (in summer) their thermostats. Something so small made a difference, today the US has the technology to save unimaginable amounts of energy and money by promoting tele-work. I did see a memo where President Barack Obama demanded tele-work for those employees who can, however that... more »