SAVE Award 2011 Ideas

Telework is championed as a winning solution to improving morale and efficiency in the government work place --employers benefit from more efficient use of time by employees, decreased costs of facilites, and an incentive to recruit and retain employees who might be otherwise tempted to work for the private sector; employees benefit by having an easier commute, decreased personal commuting costs, and less time in traffic... more »

The government is wasting money paying sky-high fees on airline tickets to send employees to a 2-5 day training/seminar. On top of that, the government is also paying for lodging, per diem, and other unnecessary expenses. Instead, the government should incorporate the use of technology to provide training and hold conferences through platforms such as Skype. This will eliminate fees and expenses associated with booking... more »

The pager system especially for physciains is an outdated system that no longer serves a purpose especially when almost all of us have cellular phones or smartphones. Eliminate the pager system and work phones and allow employees to use their own mobile phones.

Only provide Government Furnished Equipment (Blackberry for example) and service to Sr. Leaders. All others who require a device per the agencies distribution policy should be reimbursed based on their GS level.

Purchase of the device, maintenance, service and repair become the responsibility of the employee and the service provider, and not the agency.

Aside from becoming a more efficient way to address the communication... more »

I had an idea that we should have a easy way for the public, young and old, to participate and utilize their ears and eyes and cell phones in the battle of terrorism, TEXTING. When a passenger sees an abandoned bag or something untoward in the terminals or restrooms or someone acting strange, they could text their concern.

I suggest a local number, publicly displayed in each terminal, that would be the number to text... more »

I believe we can save money by reducing electronic "clutter". I challenge my colleagues (and anyone who reads this) to only send emails per day. Make a phone call. Stop by someone's desk. Have a video conference call. If you are limited to sending ten emails per day, I predict the content should become more meaningful, communication will improve, you will experience a positive difference in your workplace relationships,... more »

Most companies that create websites for easier access to information also have a link that allows you to “chat” with a company representative. I am unaware of any assistance like that through any of the federal government websites. Most website company representatives are available to “chat” 24/7 to assist the public, although there are companies that only offer the “chat” certain times of the day. I would like to... more »

By using our Video telecommunications System or Microsoft Office Communicator for Live meetings, we can reduce travel costs for training significantly. Instead of having employees travel to one designated area for a certain training, the training facilitators can offer the training via V-tel or Office Communicator. This would eliminate having to spend money on airfare, baggage fees, taxi, shuttle bus, hotel stay, parking,... more »

Every day, thousands of veterans miss their appointments because pre-calls are not made to remind them. Voicemails go unanswered because call-center employees are busy trying to make as many reminder calls as they can. This has led to decreased efficiency and an increase in overtime hours. The call center has historically been one of the most inefficient parts of the VA, albeit an integral one.

The use of an automated... more »

Every year, hundreds of new Social Security Administration employees travel to Falls Church, VA or St. Louis, MO for training. This costs the administration around $6,000 per trainee. In each of our offices we have a IVT (Video Technology) room. My suggestion for the President is to cut our travelling expenses by holding live video training in our own offices. Learning material can be sent to each trainee from their own... more »