OPM has again asked agency management to support the conduct of the annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, which will be sent out in two phases starting in late April with six weeks to reply in each case.
“While survey results have varied from year to year, the strength of the FEVS continues to be the consistent, reliable and actionable information it provides the federal government, each agency, and lower level offices within each organization,” OPM said in a memo to agencies. “Your collective efforts in conveying to each and every employee the importance of their feedback to you, and how it will drive improvements in your agency, is the first step towards obtaining effective and meaningful FEVS results.”
Although the OPM memo did not specifically address that issue, the call for support typically has been interpreted as meaning that employees should be allowed to fill out the survey during working time—along with expressing commitment to hearing what employees have to say and that management intends to make changes based on what is learned from their responses.
The strongest positive views typically involve whether respondents are willing to put in extra effort to get the job done, feel that their work is important, constantly look for ways to do their job better, and like the kind of work they do. The strongest negative views typically involve whether pay raises depend on how well employees perform their jobs, whether steps are taken to deal with employees who cannot or will not improve, and whether differences in performance in their unit are recognized in a meaningful way.
Also, there is substantial variation by agency, with some consistently ranking high and others consistently ranking low.
