Employees continue to value effective leadership over pay as a key driver of workplace satisfaction, according to the Partnership for Public Service’s Best Places to Work rankings for 2012.
The rankings this year show broad decline across all categories tracked, with overall satisfaction with pay declining 4.1 percent, following a 3.9 percent decline the prior year, while satisfaction with rewards and advancement also fell 2.5 percent in 2012.
However, while some declines can be attributed to pay freezes it appears poor management has played a role. As with years past effective leadership was the leading factor for employee satisfaction and commitment and it continues to be one of the lower-rated workplace categories with a score of 52.8 out of 100.
Among the leadership categories tracked, scores for supervisors were higher than those for senior leaders, fairness or empowerment overall.
The supervisory category measures opinions about immediate supervisor job performance, whether employees feel they are given opportunities to demonstrate leadership skills, and whether supervisors are seen to support employee development and provide useful feedback. Scores ranged from a low of 56 percent with favorable views at the Department of Veterans Affairs, up to 76 percent at NASA.
Leadership scores fell throughout the government – with the exception of the Department of Health and Human Services, Transportation and NASA – with the most significant declines at the Department of Justice which saw a 4.2 percent drop, and VA which saw a 3.9 percent decline.