Top Trends

Each year’s Best Places rankings provide a valuable snapshot of current conditions in our federal workforce. With four sets of rankings dating back to 2003, the 2009 rankings also provide key insights into short- and long-term trends in workplace conditions both at the government-wide and agency level.

Compared to the 2007 rakings, the government-wide index score is up from 61.8 to 63.3, a 2.4 percent increase. This bump comes after a leveling off from 2005 to 2007. Since 2003, the overall score is up 4.6 percent from an original score of 60.5.

Looking at individual federal organizations, 71 percent saw their ratings increase from 2007 to 2009. More specifically, 79 percent of large agencies, 65 percent of small agencies and 70 percent of subcomponents enjoyed an increase.

Of the 10 workplace dimensions included in Best Places, all 10 improved from 2007. By contrast, only two government-wide scores on the dimensions increased from 2005 to 2007. “Support for Diversity” saw the biggest increase, moving up 4.4 percent. Ninety-three percent of large agencies reported improvements in this category. “Employee Skills/Mission Match” had the smallest increase, but it began as the highest scoring dimension, and it continues to hold the top spot by a significant margin.

For the fourth time in a row, “Effective Leadership” is the main driver of employee satisfaction and commitment. Although federal employees graded their leaders a little bit higher – up 2.3 percent since 2007 – leadership continues to be one of the lowest-rated workplace dimensions.

Out of all 74 questions asked as part of the Federal Human Capital Survey, which serves as the foundation of the Best Places rankings, the percentage of favorable responses significantly improved roughly two-thirds of the time. Only five questions saw a significant decrease. Those questions were about satisfaction with supervisor support for work/life balance, options for alternative work schedules, performance appraisals, vacation time, and leave for illness or family care.

Participation in the Federal Human Capital Survey was down from an all-time high in 2007. More than 212,000 federal employees responded to the most recent survey, compared to 221,000 two years earlier. The new participation numbers are still considerably higher than 2005, which covered 248 organizations and 150,000 employees.

Biggest Movers

Among large agencies, the biggest climber since 2007 was the Small Business Administration, which improved its score by 30 percent. SBA’s movement is particularly notable considering it was at the bottom of the 2007 rankings. The other biggest gainers during this two-year period 2007 include the Office of Personnel Management – up 14 percent – and the Department of Homeland Security – up 13 percent.

Using 2003 as the benchmark, the Justice Department and the State Department have climbed the furthest. Justice has improved its score by 19.7 percent, moving into the top 10. State’s score is up 17.1 percent, and it now ranks as one of the top five large agencies.

Among small agencies, the Federal Maritime Commission (+28 percent), Commodity Futures Trading Commission (+22 percent) and the National Endowment for the Arts (+19 percent) improved their scores the most over the past two years.

There are also some dramatic improvements among agency subcomponents. Within the Department of Homeland Security, the Office of the Undersecretary for Science and Technology nearly doubled its 2007 score, raising it 88 percent. At the Department of Health and Human Services, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration improved 45 percent. The Inspector General’s Office at the Interior Department was up 32 percent.

Not all federal organizations were able to improve their scores. Among large agencies, the Securities and Exchange Commission had the largest drop since 2007, with a 7.9 percent decline. Notably, the SEC was the only large agency whose score dropped by more than 2 percent.

 

© 2009 Partnership for Public Service