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A DHS component’s consistently employee engagement score, as reflected in the annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey and the best places to work in government rankings, reflects issues with the employees’ shared “sense of mission” as well as with leadership and communication, GAO has told a Senate Committee.
GAO noted that the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office ranked last among more than 400 agency subcomponents in the Partnership for Public Services places to work ranking in 2019, and eighth from the bottom in the 2020 rankings.
It said the office examined the reasons through listening sessions and other steps and found that “one cause was different cultures within the predecessor offices that merged under CWMD. For example, CWMD officials said one of these offices coordinated with physicists and law enforcement officials and focused on detection and prevention; another coordinated with public health officials and focused on preparedness and response. As a result, some employees had difficulty understanding how their missions should mesh under the new structure.”
Similarly, employees said that frequent changes in leaders, each with their own vision “contributed to confusion about their mission.”
GAO credited the agency with taking steps to improve employees’ understanding of their mission for example by instituting town hall meetings in which employees share how they help accomplish mission. However, it added that “real change in improving employee engagement usually takes multiple years.” In the recently released rankings for 2021, the office was tenth from the bottom.
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