Who cares if your agency is a Best Place to Work? You
should.
In September 2010, the Partnership for Public Service (PPS) and
American Universitys Institute for the Study of Public Policy
Implementation (ISPPI) announced its latest rankings for the Best
Places to Work in government. The rankings are a comprehensive and
authoritative rating and analysis of employee satisfaction and
commitment in the federal government.
The 2010 rankings are the latest edition of this ongoing series,
following the 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2009 versions. The latest
results reveal that em ployee satisfaction increased in 68 percent
of federal organizations. The highest scoring workplace categories
are employee skills and mission match, teamwork, pay and benefits,
and training and development.
The rankings are compiled by the U.S. Office of Personnel
Managements (OPM) Federal Human Capital Survey, which analyzes
results of employee satisfaction across 278 federal agencies and
subcomponents (see Figure 1). Since the 2009 rankings, overall
employee satisfaction increased 2.4 percent, from 61.8 to 63.3,
with 71 percent of agencies improving. Agencies are ranked in three
categories: large (2,000 or more employees), small, or
subcomponent. They also are ranked in 10 workplace categories,
including leadership, work-life balance, and pay and benefits.
For the second consecutive time, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC) topped the list, followed closely by the U.S. Government
Accountability Office (GAO), the National Aeronautics & Space
Administration (NASA), and the U.S. Department of State.
How do these performers manage to rank so high? The answer rests
with how employees feel about their senior leadership, how well
they think their agencies share information with workers, and the
training and other development opportunities their agencies provide
employees.
Although there is a general improvement in job satisfaction over
the past two years, the survey of 212,000 workers reveals that the
government consistently lags behind the private sector in several
important measures of worker contentmentmost significantly,
leadership skills of superiors and the openness and willingness of
leaders to help employees advance in their careers.
Only 48 percent of employees report being satisfied with the
information they receive from managers about what is happening
within organizationsa number that trails the private sector by 18
percent. Overall, 66 percent of federal workers say that their
immediate supervisors are doing a good job, which is 8 percent less
than their counterparts in the private sector.
Figure 1
2010 Federal Human Capital Survey
Overall Index Scores
Why the Rankings Matter
America faces high unemployment, a growing federal budget deficit,
war in Afghanistan, ongoing military engagement in Iraq, an aging
population, long-term energy needs, environmental issues, and a
host of other daunting challenges. Federal employees make a
positive difference in the lives of Americans and play a vital role
in addressing demanding and pressing national matters. The need for
qualified, competent, and engaged employees is urgent to provide an
effective federal government capable of tackling such issues.
Satisfaction and commitment are two necessary ingredients in
developing high performing organizations and attracting and
retaining top talent. The Best Places to Work rankings are a
valuable tool for recognizing the importance of federal employee
satisfaction and ensuring it is a top priority for government
managers and leaders. When agencies are badly managed and workers
are unhappy, a low level of engagement and poor performance often
follow. Ultimately, the public suffers.
The rankings provide a mechanism to hold agency leaders accountable
for the health of the organizations they run, asserts The
Partnership for Public Service.They also offer a roadmap for better
management and provide an early warning sign for agencies in
trouble. Had Congress or government leaders paid attention to the
2003 Best Places to Work survey, for example, they would have found
that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was last in the
employee rankings. That was two years before FEMAs inept response
to Hurricane Katrina, but at the time, few noticed.
Shining a spotlight on the Best Places to Work rankings has brought
attention to the need for effective talent managementa skill that
leaders at all levels need to accomplish critical missions. After
analyzing discrete results department by department, it is easy to
see that employee satisfaction, engagement, and commitment are
necessary ingredients to attract, develop, and retain a high
performing workforce. In this age of nanosecond communication and
employee expectations, stakes are high to build and maintain a
productive and efficient organization responsive to both citizen
and public employee interests and concerns.
Since the rankings were fi rst released in 2003, they have helped
create institutional incentives that focus on key workforce issues
and provided managers and leaders with a measurement for improving
employee engagement. Federal human capital professionals have
reported that the Best Places to Work rankings have heightened
awareness among senior leaders and spurred reform of workplace
practices.
Improvement over the Long Term
Like any other measure, the Best Places to Work survey can be
gamed. However, agencies and departments seeking nothing more than
improving in the rankings make the same mistake as people who focus
solely on the scale when trying to become fi t. Organizations that
desire long-term performance improvements must build a solid
foundation on human capital management principles and best
practicesand forget about the rankings. Rather than aim for a
20-position leap in one year, they should seek gradual and
permanent improvements over several years.
Th is point is illustrated by taking a closer look at the
top-ranked NRC and GAO. It is signifi cant that both agencies
improved their scores even though they were already top-ranked. If
either had simply maintained their previous index score, they would
have NRC and GAO remain committed to long-term improvement and stay
focused on effective leadership, and in particular, senior
leadership.
According to the analysis, two other key factors inuencing
satisfaction is a belief among employees that their skills are
well-suited to their agencys mission, as well as satisfaction with
pay. Although work-life balance and job security are also
important, clearly, directing attention to long-term talent
management is fundamental.
Having competent and effective leaders who instill trust and
connect the agencys mission to each employees job is critical to
becoming a Best Place to Work. Long-term talent management is as
fundamental to employee satisfaction as work-life balance and job
security. These factors will be more valued now that President
Obama has imposed a two-year salary freeze on a majority of the
federal workforce. Th e impact of the freeze will be important when
observing the next rankings. Stay tuned.