2022 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government® Rankings

Overall Rankings

Rankings by Category

Please note: Scores and rankings for some agencies and subcomponents in the DEIA workplace categories were updated on May 24, 2023 to address a previous error in calculations. The Best Places to Work government-wide index score, as well as agencies’ respective index scores and rankings remain unchanged. The data and rankings for the other 11 workplace categories also remain unchanged.

The Partnership for Public Service and Boston Consulting Group present the 2022 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government® rankings.

The full rankings include 17 large, 27 midsize and 30 small agencies as well as 432 subcomponents. Data is also included on employee views relating to 12 workplace issues that affect employee engagement and satisfaction.

The index score is calculated using a proprietary weighted formula that looks at responses to three different questions in the federal survey. The more the question predicts intent to remain, the higher the weighting.

I recommend my organization as a good place to work. (Q. 43)  
Considering everything, how satisfied are you with your job? (Q. 68)  
Considering everything, how satisfied are you with your organization? (Q. 70)

Explore another category:

The Effective Leadership category measures the extent to which employees believe leadership at all levels of the organization generates motivation and commitment, encourages integrity and manages people fairly, while also promoting the professional development, creativity and empowerment of employees.

While this category has been included in every Best Places to Work cycle, it was changed for the 2020 cycle to include additional leadership questions. For that reason, scores should not be compared for the years prior to 2020.

The 2022 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey included the following definitions:

Senior Leaders: The heads of departments/agencies and their immediate leadership team responsible for directing the policies and priorities of the department/agency. May hold either a political or career appointment and typically is a member of the Senior Executive Service or equivalent.
Managers: Those in management positions who typically supervise one or more supervisors.
Supervisors: First-line supervisors typically responsible for employees’ performance appraisals and leave approval.
Team Leaders: Individuals who provide employees with day-to-today guidance on projects, but do not have supervisory responsibilities or conduct performance appraisals.
Non-Supervisor: Anyone who does not have supervisory responsibilities.

I can disclose a suspected violation of any law, rule or regulation without fear of reprisal. (Q. 8)
Supervisors in my work unit support employee development. (Q. 46)
My supervisor listens to what I have to say. (Q. 48)
My supervisor treat me with respect. (Q. 49)
I have trust and confidence in my supervisor. (Q. 50)
Overall, how good a job do you feel is being done by your immediate supervisor? (Q. 52)
In my organization, senior leaders generate high levels of motivation and commitment in the workforce. (Q. 55)
My organization’s senior leaders maintain high standards of honesty and integrity. (Q. 56)
I have a high level of respect for my organization’s senior leaders. (Q. 60)
How satisfied are you with your involvement in decisions that affect your work? (Q. 65)
How satisfied are you with the information you receive from management on what’s going on in your organization? (Q. 66)

The empowerment subcategory under Effective Leadership measures the extent to which employees feel empowered with respect to work processes and how satisfied they are with their involvement in decisions that affect their work.

How satisfied are you with your involvement in decisions that affect your work? (Q. 65)

The senior leaders subcategory under Effective Leadership 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.

The 2022 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey included the following definitions:

Senior Leaders: The heads of departments/agencies and their immediate leadership team responsible for directing the policies and priorities of the department/agency. May hold either a political or career appointment and typically is a member of the Senior Executive Service or equivalent.
Managers: Those in management positions who typically supervise one or more supervisors.
Supervisors: First-line supervisors typically responsible for employees’ performance appraisals and leave approval.
Team Leaders: Individuals who provide employees with day-to-today guidance on projects, but do not have supervisory responsibilities or conduct performance appraisals.
Non-Supervisor: Anyone who does not have supervisory responsibilities.

In my organization, senior leaders generate high levels of motivation and commitment in the workforce. (Q. 55) My organization’s senior leaders maintain high standards of honesty and integrity. (Q. 56) I have a high level of respect for my organization’s senior leaders. (Q. 60) How satisfied are you with the information you receive from management on what’s going on in your organization? (Q. 66)

The supervisors subcategory under Effective Leadership measures employee opinions about their immediate supervisor’s job performance, how well supervisors give employees the opportunity to demonstrate leadership skills, and the extent to which employees feel supervisors support employee development and provide worthwhile feedback about job performance.

While this category has been included in every Best Places to Work cycle, it was changed in 2020 to include additional leadership questions. For that reason, the current scores should not be compared with scores prior to 2020.

The 2022 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey included the following definitions:

Senior Leaders: The heads of departments/agencies and their immediate leadership team responsible for directing the policies and priorities of the department/agency. May hold either a political or career appointment and typically is a member of the Senior Executive Service or equivalent.
Managers: Those in management positions who typically supervise one or more supervisors.
Supervisors: First-line supervisors typically responsible for employees’ performance appraisals and leave approval.
Team Leaders: Individuals who provide employees with day-to-today guidance on projects, but do not have supervisory responsibilities or conduct performance appraisals.
Non-Supervisor: Anyone who does not have supervisory responsibilities.

Supervisors in my work unit support employee development. (Q. 46)
My supervisor listens to what I have to say. (Q. 48)
My supervisor treats me with respect. (Q. 49)
I have trust and confidence in my supervisor. (Q. 50)
Overall, how good a job do you feel is being done by your immediate supervisor? (Q. 52)

The Mission Match category measures whether employees identify with the mission of their organization, believe their work is important and appreciated, and feel a sense of accomplishment from performing their job.

My work gives me a feeling of personal accomplishment. (Q. 3)
My job inspires me. (Q. 85)
The work I do gives me a sense of accomplishment. (Q. 86)
I feel a strong personal attachment to my organization. (Q. 87)
I identify with the mission of my organization. (Q. 88)
It is important to me that my work contributes to the common good. (Q. 89)

The Pay category measures how satisfied employees are with their compensation.

Considering everything, how satisfied are you with your pay? (Q. 69)

The Teamwork category measures the extent to which employees believe they communicate effectively with others both inside and outside their team, creating a friendly work atmosphere and producing high-quality work products.

The people I work with cooperate to get the job done. (Q. 14)
Managers promote communication among different work units (for example, about projects, goals and needed resources). (Q. 58)

The Innovation category measures employee perceptions of efforts to improve the way work is done at their agency, including their own personal motivation to promote change and the support and rewards they receive for promoting new ideas.

I feel encouraged to come up with new and better ways of doing things. (Q. 2)

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

My workload is reasonable. (Q. 5)
My supervisor supports my need to balance work and other life issues. (Q. 47)

The DEIA category measures employees’ perceptions regarding how committed their agency is to the tenets of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility. The 2022 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey included the following definitions for each of the components:

Diversity: The practice of including the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, cultures and beliefs of the American people, including underserved communities.

Equity: The consistent and systematic fair, just and impartial treatment of all individuals, including individuals who belong to underserved communities that have been denied such treatment.

Inclusion: The recognition, appreciation and use of the talents and skills of employees of all backgrounds.

Accessibility: The design, construction, development and maintenance of facilities, information and communication technology, programs, and services so that all people, including people with disabilities, can fully and independently use them.

My organization’s management practices promote diversity (e.g., outreach, recruitment, promotion opportunities). (Q. 71)
My supervisor demonstrates a commitment to workforce diversity (e.g., recruitment, promotion opportunities, development). (Q. 72)
I have similar access to advancement opportunities (e.g., promotion, career development, training) as others in my work unit. (Q. 73)
My supervisor provides opportunities fairly to all employees in my work unit (e.g., promotions, work assignments). (Q. 74)
In my work unit, excellent work is similarly recognized for all employees (e.g., awards, acknowledgements). (Q. 75)
Employees in my work make me feel I belong. (Q. 77)
Employees in my work care about me as a person. (Q. 78)
I am comfortable expressing opinions that are different from other employees in my work unit. (Q. 79)
In my work unit, people’s differences are respected. (Q. 80)
I can be successful in my organization being myself. (Q. 81)
I can easily make a request of my organization to meet my accessibility needs. (Q. 82)
My organization responds to my accessibility needs in a timely manner. (Q. 83)
My organization meets my accessibility needs. (Q. 84)

The DEIA Diversity subcategory measures the commitment of an agency and its supervisors to create a workplace that promotes diversity through recruitment, promotion and development opportunities.

My organization’s management practices promote diversity (e.g., outreach, recruitment, promotion opportunities). (Q. 71)
My supervisor demonstrates a commitment to workforce diversity (e.g., recruitment, promotion opportunities, development). (Q. 72)

The DEIA Equity subcategory measures whether employees perceive their agency’s workplace practices as fair, just and impartial for all individuals, including those from underserved communities.

I have similar access to advancement opportunities (e.g., promotion, career development, training) as others in my work unit. (Q. 73)
My supervisor provides opportunities fairly to all employees in my work unit (e.g., promotions, work assignments). (Q. 74)
In my work unit, excellent work is similarly recognized for all employees (e.g., awards, acknowledgements). (Q. 75)

The DEIA Inclusion subcategory measures whether employees perceive that they and their colleagues are valued and can freely express their opinions, and that their differences are respected.

Employees in my work make me feel I belong. (Q. 77)
Employees in my work care about me as a person. (Q. 78)
I am comfortable expressing opinions that are different from other employees in my work unit. (Q. 79)
In my work unit, people’s differences are respected. (Q. 80)
I can be successful in my organization being myself. (Q. 81)

The DEIA Accessibility subcategory measures the perceived capability and willingness of agencies to meet individuals’ accessibility needs so that all employees can fully and independently use the agency’s facilities, information and communication technologies, programs and services.

I can easily make a request of my organization to meet my accessibility needs. (Q. 82)
My organization responds to my accessibility needs in a timely manner. (Q. 83)
My organization meets my accessibility needs. (Q. 84)

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

Employees are recognized for providing high-quality products and services. (Q. 35)
How satisfied are you with the recognition you receive for doing a good job? (Q. 67)

The Work Unit subcategory under Performance measures the extent to which employees believe their work unit produces high-quality work and contributes to the agency’s overall performance.

Employees in my work unit contribute positively to my agency’s performance. (Q. 20)
Employees in my work unit produce high-quality work. (Q. 21)

The Agency subcategory under Performance measures the extent to which employees believe their entire agency is achieving its mission.

My agency is successful at accomplishing its mission. (Q. 37)

The Transparency subcategory under Performance measures how informed employees feel about the expectations and goals their leadership sets for them, their teams and their agencies.

I know what my work unit’s goals are. (Q. 25)
I have a good understanding of my organization’s priorities. (Q. 38)
My supervisor provides me with constructive suggestions to improve my job performance. (Q. 53)
My supervisor provides me with performance feedback throughout the year. (Q. 54)

The Customer Service category measures how employees perceive their agency’s responsiveness to customers, including whether efforts are made to meet the needs of customers and improve the customer experience.

Employees in my work unit meet the needs of our customers. (Q. 19)
Employees in my work unit consider customer needs a top priority. (Q. 31)
Employees in my work unit consistently look for ways to improve customer service. (Q. 32)

Large Agencies

Midsize Agencies

Small Agencies

Agency Subcomponents

Rank	Agency	2022	2021

Quartile Key

Lower Quartile (0-25%)

Below Median (25-50%)

Above Median (50-75%)

Upper Quartile (75-100%)