This spring, the Obama Administration is launching the first Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, where both part time and full time federal employees can express how satisfied they are with their jobs. This data will be used by the Partnership for Public Service to make reports such as the “Best Places to Work in Government”report.
OPM Director John Berry expects 1.8 million federal workers to take the survey.
“While a Governmentwide census will not be conducted every year, having large numbers of respondents will allow agencies the opportunity to analyze results and develop action plans at lower levels in the organization this year,” Berry said in a memo distributed last Friday.
What do you think about the satisfaction survey? Do you think it will help improve your agency?
All federal workers to be quizzed on satisfaction
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I don’t think surveys to get an idea of employee satisfaction could hurt, though I don’t know how much of a difference it will make, either. There should be some sort of reward for the agencies that do well, sort of like how if a states drinking age is 21 they lose highway funding. I’m not saying negatively penalize, but give an incentive through rewards.
I’ve always enjoyed flipping through the Best Places to Work, and know that its been a great resource for friends looking at employment options. However, I wonder what impact these reports have had on participating agencies to date. Any ideas out there? While the potential is huge, I don’t see how expanding the survey population will make a major difference, unless there is a big shift in how these reports are used within the government.
We have been doing these surveys since my agency was created and we consistently score among the lowest-rated agencies. Management is not overly concerned because there is no accountability linked to the results. Employees are getting more skeptical each year because nothing seems to be changing. To be effective, management must implement changes which link back to specific issues raised in the surveys. This is not being done.