The report highlighted several characteristics of top-ranked law enforcement agencies that could apply as well in other agencies.
For example, it cited the FBI for “making sure there are a range of resources available to employees, including help from psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers and even a chaplain. The peer support aspect of the employee assistance program trains employees on how to offer support to colleagues.”
“The FBI has been proactive in seeking to deal with workplace concerns. The bureau, for example, has advisory committees set up to discuss issues raised by employees and to recommend changes. The bureau also conducts its own in-house leadership and employee surveys,” it added.
Also important is work-life balance, it said, which can be enhanced “by reducing the number by reducing the number of hours employees are permitted to work, providing adequate staffing levels, and offering a variety of programs to support the well-being of employees.”
The report also looked at three survey questions relating to communication with employees and found that of the 12 agencies, the only four to score better than the government-wide average on those questions were also the four that placed the highest on the best places to work ranking.
Leaders need to address communication with employees in a strategic way or else employees “may not be clear on priorities, key changes, or events that may affect the organization and their work,” with a negative impact on operations, it added.
