Federal workers feel less engaged in their jobs for the 2nd year in a row: 'It's heading in the wrong direction'
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- The "2022 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government" report was released Wednesday.
- Federal employees feel generally less engaged in their jobs for the second year in a row.
- "It's heading in the wrong direction," the head of the Partnership for Public Service said.
The nation's civil workers feel less engaged at their jobs for the second year in a row, with the lowest levels recorded among younger employees who could one day become top agency leaders, according to a new report released Wednesday by the nonpartisan nonprofit Partnership for Public Service.
The 2022 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government report, based on surveys of more than 880,000 workers across 506 federal agencies and subcomponents, found an average employee engagement score of 63.4 out of 100 — a 1.1-point decrease from 2021 and the second consecutive annual downtick. Insider obtained an early copy of the report.
The average is concerning, and a sign that the Biden administration must do more to boost employee morale and create better work environments, said Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service.
"It is not a good number," Stier said. "And two years declining is a problem. It's low to start with and it's heading in the wrong direction."
Among the 17 large federal agencies, employees at the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration recorded the lowest engagement scores, each in the 50s.
At the top of the list, NASA ranked first for the 11th year based on an engagement score of 84.3, followed by the Department of Health and Human Services at 74.3, and the slew of agencies that make up the Intelligence Community at 71.9.
"What the federal government offers is extraordinary mission commitment," Stier said. "Whether they're at NASA and they care about space, or they're at the Department of Homeland Security and they care about keeping us safe from domestic attacks, they're in each of their agencies because they care about mission, but what they aren't getting is the best leadership that enables them to perform their jobs in the best way possible."
The decline in employee engagement came as the federal government was still grappling with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, new remote and return-to-work policies, rising inflation, as well as the rollout of major legislative policies, such as the bipartisan infrastructure package, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the CHIPS Act.
"There's all kinds of more demand being put on these federal employees. That said, good leaders were able to improve engagement," Stier said. "It should not be one or the other. In fact, over the longer term, focusing on the employee engagement will actually improve the chances of better delivery of all these services."
The "big message" is that the Biden administration needs to prioritize their employees' well-being as "it's fundamental to keeping the promises that they've made," Stier said.
The issue is particularly worrisome, Stier said, for younger federal workers aged 30 to 39, who reported the lowest engagement and satisfaction score of 59.5. By comparison, workers aged 60 and over registered the highest average at 71.6, according to the report.
The data revealed that "many younger workers value more the ability to have more say and control over what it is that they're doing in the way that they're doing it," Stier said, adding that agency leaders should pay attention to the group and their needs.
A new category in the annual survey, which started in 2003, was to rank how agencies are meeting employee needs in diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility. White employees recorded a score of 72.6, which was 4.4 points more than what people of color reported. LGBTQ+ employees registered 63.1, and employees with disabilities averaged at 64.2.
"Again, I think the purpose here is to really provide a roadmap for leadership to recognize where they need to be investing to create a better experience for all their employees," Stier said.
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