Among the many downward trends in the annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey in recent years is one that has not drawn attention, the MSPB has said: declining satisfaction with recognition.
“Employees who believed that their effort would result in higher performance and that they would receive recognition for that performance were more likely to perform well,” it said in a recent newsletter. “Appreciation and recognition for a job well done are more than a matter of courtesy. Unfortunately, the trend in federal employees’ experience of recognition is not positive.”
Satisfaction with on-the-job recognition has dropped each year since fiscal 2010 from 52.2 percent to just 44.6 percent in 2014, it said.
“Federal employees may continue to struggle to find recognition and appreciation in the current environment. This makes it all the more important for agency leaders to take steps to recognize and defend the value added by their agency and the employees who keep it running,” it said.
It said leaders should:
• Reaffirm the value of the agency’s mission and how employees contribute to its accomplishment.
• Regularly recognize employees for their contributions and express appreciation for what they do.
• Emphasize the agency’s successes.
• Set realistic standards about what employees can achieve with the available resources.
•Advocate for the workforce and for investments in employee development and recognition.
