The president of the Partnership for Public Service, Max Steir, recently told the House homeland security management subcommittee that the department is improving in key areas that reflect employee satisfaction.
This is particularly important for the department because it consistently ranks at or near the bottom in workforce satisfaction measures.
According to Stier, 58 percent of those department employees surveyed say they would recommend their organization as a good place to work, up from 51 percent just two years ago, while 62 percent say they are satisfied with their job, the highest positive response ever from DHS employees. Further, almost half said they are satisfied with their organization, up from 44 percent in 2006.
Still, the percentage of employees saying their leaders generate high levels of motivation and commitment in the workforce increased from 27 percent in 2006 to just 34 percent in 2008.
Stier traced three workplace categories as the most significant to the improvements: leadership, employee skills and mission match, and strategic management.
He recommended that OPM conduct the federal human capital survey on an annual basis, rather than every other year, and release the data sooner to put better information in the hands of leaders and Congress.
Stier called for more learning and development opportunities for DHS employees and improving the department’s rotation program to create a more cohesive department.
Further, Congress should drive leadership enhancement and development programs for DHS employees, ensure that the department has the resources and personnel necessary to fulfill its mission, and encourage an oversight approach that is constructive and designed to identify and fix potential problems before those problems become failures, he said.
Stier also recommended that Congress review the number of positions filled by political appointees to determine whether each is needed and whether the department would benefit from filling some politically appointed positions with career civil servants.