Is It Business as Usual Now That the Shutdown Is Over?

Federal workers have returned to their posts and the business of government has begun again after two long weeks of uncertainty—and no little anxiety.  Despite the palpable relief on the part of the federal workforce, is it really possible to move forward as if there has been no impact on employee engagement or morale?  

Over the course of the last few weeks, a number of commentators have discussed the impact that the shutdown and the accompanying vilification of the federal workforce has made on federal worker morale.  It would be a mistake for managers to fail to acknowledge the strain on worker morale. 

Indeed, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, 82 percent of participants in a random public survey said the budget dispute leading to the shutdown damaged that workforce’s morale.

Joe Davidson addresses this issue in his recent article, “The Shutdown Is Over, But Federal Employee Morale Still Suffers,” in The Washington Post’s Federal Diary column about the federal workplace.

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