Methodology

The Partnership for Public Service and the Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation created the Best Places to Work rankings to provide a comprehensive and authoritative rating of employee satisfaction across the agencies and their subcomponents in the federal government.

The data used to develop these rankings was collected by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in its most recent Federal Human Capital Survey, completed in the summer of 2006. This survey was distributed to a stratified random sample of over 390,000 executive branch full-time permanent employees, making it the largest survey of federal employees ever undertaken. The survey achieved a response rate of 57 percent, resulting in a final sample of over 221,000 employees. The agencies included in the study account for 97 percent of the executive branch workforce.

Working with the consulting firm Hay Group, the Partnership for Public Service and the Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation created a statistical model to transform this raw survey data into specific measures of workplace satisfaction. We created the overall Best Places to Work index plus composite scores for each of ten work environment categories. We then used this information to calculate the results for each agency and subcomponent, as well as demographic groups in these organizations. Finally, we performed statistical analysis for each of the 283 federal agencies and subcomponents to identify the relationship between the ten workplace satisfaction dimensions and the overall Best Places to Work index score for each organization.

The Best Places to Work index score is calculated based on three different survey questions related to job satisfaction, weighted according to a statistical analysis developed by Hay Group. See below for the full list of questions included in the Best Places to Work index and workplace categories.

We rated and ranked all agencies and subcomponents with 100 or more employees, with a few exceptions.Agencies with at least 2,000 full-time permanent employees are included in the “large agency” category.

We gathered the snapshot data for each agency or subcomponent from OPM’s FedScope database or directly from the individual agency or subcomponent. All current workforce information is from fiscal year 2006, except for demographic data, which is only available from 2004.

In a few cases, survey results were available for the questions we used to calculate the employee satisfaction index, but not for the demographic groups or the workplace environment categories. We assigned “no data” to those areas where data were not available.

2004-2006 FHCS Question Comparison and Dimension Key

#	Question
	Best Places to Work Index
8	I recommend my organization as a good place to work
60	Satisfaction with Job
62 (W)	Satisfaction with organization
	Employee Skills/Mission Match
5	My work gives me a feeling of personal accomplishment
6	I like the kind of work I do
18	My talents are used well in the workplace
19 (W)	I know how my work relates to the agency’s missions and goals
20	The work I do is important
	Strategic Management
11	The workforce has the job-relevant knowledge and skills necessary to accomplish organizational goals
14	My work unit is able to recruit people with the right skills
15	The skill level in my work unit has improved in the past year
40	Managers review and evaluate the organization’s progress towards meeting its goals and objectives
	Effective Leadership
9	Overall, how good a job do you feel is being done by your immediate supervisor/team leader
13	Sup./team leaders in my work unit provide empl. with the opp. to demonstrate their leadership skills
24 (W)	Employees have a feeling of personal empowerment and ownership of work processes
31	Discussions with my supervisor/team-leader about my performance are worthwhile
36	I have a high level of respect for my organization’s senior leaders
37	In my organization, leaders generate high levels of motivation and commitment in the workforce
38	My organization’s leaders maintain high standards of honesty and integrity
43	Complaints, disputes or grievances are resolved fairly in my work unit
44	Arbitrary action, personal favoritism and coercion for partisan political purposes are not tolerated
46	I can disclose a suspected violation of law, rule or regulation without fear of reprisal
48	Supervisors/team leaders in my work unit support employee development
54	Satisfaction with involvement in decisions that affect work
55	Satisfaction with the information received from management on what’s going on in the organization
	Teamwork
1	The people I work with cooperate to get the job done
51	Managers promote communication among different work units
52	Employees in my work unit share their knowledge with each other
	Support for Diversity
33	Sup./team leaders in my work unit are committed to a workforce representative of all segments of society.
34	Policies and programs promote diversity in the workplace.
35	Managers/supervisors/team leaders work well with employees of different backgrounds
	Performance-Based Rewards and Advancement
22	Promotions in my work unit are based on merit
25	Employees are rewarded for providing high quality products and services to customers
26	Creativity and innovation are rewarded
30	My performance appraisal is a fair reflection of my performance
56	Satisfaction with recognition received for doing a good job
58	Satisfaction with opportunity to get a better job in organization
	Training/Development
2	I am given a real opportunity to improve my skills in my organization
3	I have enough information to do my job well
50	My training needs are assessed
59	Satisfaction with the training received for present job
	Pay and Benefits
61	Satisfaction with your pay
63	Satisfaction with retirement benefits
64	Satisfaction with health insurance
	Family-Friendly Culture and Benefits
70	Satisfaction with child care subsidies
71	How satisfied are you with work/life programs
72	Satisfaction with telework/telecommuting
73	Satisfaction with alternative work schedules
	Work/Life Balance
12	My supervisor supports my need to balance work and family issues
16	I have sufficient resources (for example, people, materials, budget, etc.) to get my job done
17	My workload is reasonable

 

 

© 2007 Partnership for Public Service