Agencies ordered to probe employee satisfaction

This year, federal agencies will begin asking employees if their work gives them a feeling of personal accomplishment, if they have trust and confidence in their supervisors and if they are satisfied with their paychecks.

These questions, and 37 others, were prescribed by the Office of Personnel Management last week in a Federal Register announcement about the requirement for a new annual survey of federal employees.

Grouped in five categories -- personal work experiences; recruitment, development and retention; performance culture; leadership; and job satisfaction -- the questions are designed to publicly assess employee attitudes and compare results between agencies.

The regulations go into effect Jan. 1. Agencies must complete the surveys by the end of 2007 and post them on their Web sites by May 1, 2008. Although similar surveys have been around for a long time -- the Merit Systems Protection Board conducts one every few years, the Clinton administration took on several surveys through its National Partnership for Reinventing Government and OPM itself completed a large survey in 2004 -- this study is the first to be dictated by law.

Congress passed the requirement as part of the fiscal 2004 National Defense Authorization Act, the same law that created the Defense Department's new National Security Personnel System.

The new survey is the first of its kind to be conducted every year.

John Palguta, vice president for policy and research at the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C., that lobbied Congress to require the survey, said that in the year since Hurricane Katrina struck, "people are coming to understand more than before that in order for government to be effective, it needs to have not only talented and well-qualified employees, but it needs to have engaged employees."

The survey, Palguta said, will find out if employees buy into the missions of their agencies, and will allow organizations like his, which produces an annual federal "Best Places to Work" ranking based on survey results, to draw long-term conclusions about agencies' progress.

OPM's 40 questions are required, but agencies can add questions if they choose. The required questions ask employees to gauge the degree to which they agree or disagree with statements such as: "My supervisor supports my need to balance work and family issues," "My workload is reasonable" and "I know how my work relates to the agency's goals and priorities."

The survey also will ask, "How satisfied are you with the policies and practices of your senior leaders?" and "How satisfied are you with your opportunity to get a better job in your organization?"

There are also five demographic questions, in addition to the 40 survey questions, which agencies with over 800 employees must ask.

Palguta said he hopes the surveys foster competition between agencies to improve employee satisfaction.

John Crum, deputy director of the MSPB, said his organization will continue its surveys, which are tailored to specific research projects, but may provide analysis for agencies based on the new studies.