With talk of an impending government shutdown, many are concerned about the impact on federal employees and personnel. Regrettably, this is not CMF's first experience with shutdowns, and we have an insider perspective on its ill effect on congressional operations. Putting aside the waste of paying federal employees NOT to work (the most recent government shutdowns cost taxpayers $4 billion), let's consider the impact on congressional employees. Congressional staff are often already living paycheck to paycheck, and during a shutdown would be put on furlough, receiving no pay for the duration of the shutdown. Here are a few ways congressional managers can mitigate the negative impact on congressional staff:

• Consider designating all employees as "essential." This is a practice some offices have employed during shutdowns, and while it may not be in keeping with the "spirit" of the shutdown, there is nothing to prevent congressional managers from exercising this option. This strategy has a few advantages. First, telling an employee that they are not essential is a proven strategy for killing morale. Moreover, since the legislative branch is "essential" for reopening the government, one could argue that congressional employees are necessary to pass the required legislation to get government working again.
• Consider paying annual bonuses in September. If you are going to furlough employees keep in mind that there is no guarantee that this shutdown will be short. The shutdown of 1995 lasted 21 days and every congressional employee furloughed missed at least one paycheck. This hardship was quite real, especially since the most junior and lowest paid staff were the most likely furloughed and deemed "non-essential." One way to lessen this impact is to offer annual bonuses in the September 30 paycheck. It might require accelerating the decision-making process of how bonuses will be allocated – yet the benefit in job retention and morale would be huge.

Finally, if the administrative offices of the Congress follow past procedure of government shutdowns, they will instruct managers to insist that furloughed employees NOT do any work. However, this does not mean you have to cut off all communications, and you definitely should not. Periods of uncertainty at work are challenging to employees, and the best way to combat this is to OVER-communicate with your staff. Scheduling fun virtual activities or simply keeping staff informed of emerging developments in the budget negotiations is permissible and advisable.