According to the Merit Systems Protection Board, there is a link between the level employees are engaged, its term for how they feel about their jobs and prospects, and various agency outcomes.
It said that just one-third are engaged, a bit less than half are somewhat engaged, and 17 percent are not engaged at all.
By MSPB’s definition, engagement entails pride in work and place of work, satisfaction with leadership, opportunity to do well, satisfaction with recognition, growth potential and the perception of a positive work environment.
In a new report, "The Power of Federal Employee Engagement," MSPB said federal supervisors play a big role in the level that employees are engaged.
It said first level supervisors who are successful in communicating job expectations, making good use of their employees’ skills and abilities, appropriately rewarding and recognizing employees, and treating employees with respect while valuing their opinions will lead a work force that is more highly engaged.
It also said that employees who perceive that their supervisors possess good management skills are more engaged than those who do not. Of those employees who are engaged, 87 percent agreed or strongly agreed that their supervisors had good management skills.
On the other hand, of employees that are not engaged, just 14 percent agreed or strongly agreed supervisors have good management skills.
