Profiles in Improvement • Best Places to Work in the Federal Government

2021 was a difficult year for federal employees, who navigated a change in administration and transitioned back to the office. But agencies worked hard to improve in all categories of employee engagement and satisfaction.

We talked to a subset of agencies that improved their scores or ranking in selected categories in order to identify best practices, new ideas and strategies for success. Although these agencies represent a small fraction of those that improved, others can apply these successes to create a better employee experience.

Return to the Office

The COVID-19: Return to the Office category measures the extent to which employees feel that their organization provided clear communication, guidance and support around the transition to hybrid or in-person work, and how employees assess their agency’s prioritization of safety during this transition.

Work/Life Balance

The Work–Life Balance category measures the extent to which employees consider their workloads reasonable and feasible, and managers support a balance between work and life.

Effective Leadership: Senior Leaders

The Effective Leadership senior leaders subcategory measures the level of respect employees have for senior leaders, satisfaction with the amount of information provided by management and perceptions about senior leaders’ honesty, integrity and ability to motivate employees.

Recognition

The Recognition category measures the extent to which employees feel they are recognized for their performance and innovative contributions to their workplaces.

Acknowledgements

The Partnership would like to thank teams from the following agencies for their contributions to these profiles:

Department of Commerce
Department of Education
- Office of the General Counsel
Department of Health and Human Services
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Department of Homeland Security
- Office of Intelligence and Analysis
- Science and Technology Directorate
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Department of State
Export-Import Bank of the United States
General Services Administration
- Office of the Chief Financial Officer
- General Services Administration IT
- Office of Government-wide Policy
- Office of Human Resources Management

National Science Foundation
- Office of Budget, Finance and Award Management
- Directorate for Computer & Information Sciences & Engineering
- Directorate for Engineering
Securities and Exchange Commission
U.S. International Development Finance Corporation