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By: FEDweek StaffThe annual report on the best places to work in government says that while overall the federal government lags the private sector on measures of employee engagement, there are some bright spots on the federal side.
“On a positive note for the government, 84.1% of federal employees said the people they work with cooperate to get their jobs done compared to 78.0% in the private sector, a 6.1 point difference. The surveys also show that 67% of federal employees are satisfied with their pay compared to 54% in the private sector, a 13-point difference in favor of the government,” it said.
Also, agencies earned an overall score of 86.1 on a first-time measure of support for employees during the pandemic—well above the overall employee engagement score of 69.
“This positive response included employee opinions on whether their organizations supported their mental and physical well-being during the pandemic (88.6); whether they received the resources they needed to do their work (88.6); whether their agencies were able to successfully deliver on their missions in the midst of the crisis (85.8); and whether they had leaders who communicated effectively and prioritized their welfare (81.4),” it said.
“The 2020 Best Places to Work data paints a picture of agencies that demonstrated agility and found creative ways for employees to successfully deliver on their missions in mostly remote settings while giving them the flexibility to meet their personal needs,” it said.
“This experience provides a unique opportunity for President Joe Biden and his administration to build on the lessons of the past year by placing a heightened focus on engaging employees and by addressing their workplace concerns, critical factors necessary for a well-functioning government,” it said. “The response to the pandemic also provides a pathway for the future of federal work that could involve greater reliance on telework, enhanced use of technology for internal operations and for the improved delivery of services to the public.”
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