An annual federal employee survey shows overall satisfaction, but also shows signs of growing discontent.
Federal employees have remained resilient and positive during these challenging times facing the government, according to the 2012 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS), conducted between April and June 2012. The 2012 survey (first conducted in 2002) had the highest response ever with 687,687 employees participating across 82 federal agencies.
The survey found that 80 percent of employees like their jobs, and understand how it fits into the big picture agency goals and priorities. As for engagement, 66 percent of employees report being positively engaged with their agencies.
However, some areas are trending negatively. Compared with last year, the percentage of employees willing to recommend their agency as a good place to work declined from 69 percent to 67 percent; job satisfaction declined from 71 percent to 68 percent; and satisfaction with the organization declined from 62 percent to 59 percent.
"Our nation's public servants have sent a clear signal that all is not well," says Max Stier, president and CEO of Partnership for Public Service, a not-for-profit, nonpartisan organization. "The two-year pay freeze, budget cuts, and ad hoc hiring freezes are taking their toll; and this is a red flag."
Based on the results of the FEVS and additional survey data from nine agencies plus the Intelligence Community, the Partnership for Public Service and Deloitte each year honor the five top-ranked Best Places to Work agencies in each grouping—large, midsize, and small—as well as the most improved agencies and subcomponents.
The 2012 rankings are based on responses from federal workers in 362 federal agencies and subcomponents, and represent 97 percent of the 2.1 million-person federal workforce.
The agencies also are ranked by 10 workplace categories, including effective leadership, strategic management, employee skills and mission match, pay, and teamwork. Data also are available on demographic groups, including race and ethnicity, age, and gender.
The most improved agency overall was the Office of Management and Budget, with a 13.3-point increase. The agency with the lowest overall score was the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
Here are the top three best agencies to work for in each size category:
Large: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Intelligence Community, and the Department of State.
Midsize: Federal Deposit Insurance Commission, the Government Accountability Office, and (tied) the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Smithsonian Institution.
Small: Surface Transportation Board, the Congressional Budget Office, and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.
The complete rankings are available at www.bestplacestowork.org.