2007 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government Rankings

Date: April 19, 2007
Location: Marriott at Metro Center, Washington, D.C.

Who’s #1? Whether you are talking about college football teams or the colleges themselves, these days it seems like everybody is gunning for the top spot in one set of rankings or another. Everyone loves to earn bragging rights over their peers, and thanks to a new set of rankings, this now applies to a category of organizations not normally associated with competition – federal agencies.

This April, the Partnership for Public Service and American University’s Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation (ISPPI) released the 2007 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government rankings – the third installment of an ongoing series that was launched in 2003.  They are the most comprehensive and authoritative ranking and analysis of employee satisfaction in the federal government.

Drawing on data from the Office of Personnel Management’s Federal Human Capital Survey, the Partnership and ISPPI ranked agencies and subcomponents using an index score that measures overall employee satisfaction. Nearly 221,000 federal workers from more than 280 federal organizations responded to the survey.

Among the most noteworthy findings: the 2007 government-wide employee satisfaction and engagement score is virtually unchanged since 2005. On average, employee satisfaction and engagement increased from 2005 in 41 percent of all federal organizations. The highest-scoring “best in class” workplace categories are, in order, employee skills/mission match, teamwork, pay and benefits, and work/life balance. Likewise, in 2007, two categories—performance-based rewards and advancement, and employee skills/mission match—had higher scores than in 2005.

Although the overall federal government score still falls below the average for the private sector, one-third of all federal organizations received higher scores than the private sector average, up from just one in eight two years ago. Federal employees are also more likely than workers in the private sector to say their work relates to the organization’s mission, their supervisors are supportive in balancing work and life issues, and the people they work with cooperate to get things done.

In 2003, the Best Places to Work rankings helped to create much-needed institutional incentives for agencies to focus on workforce issues and provided government managers and leaders with a roadmap for boosting employee engagement. This year’s rankings serve as an important measure of the progress that has been made.

For some agencies, that improvement is dramatic. The Department of Justice has been the biggest mover since 2003, with a 21 percent increase. The most improved large agency is the Social Security Administration, increasing its index score from 60.6 in 2005 to 66.5 in 2007. Both of these agencies showcase an impressive improvement. In addition to the public rankings, each agency and each subcomponent receive an individualized report that provides an in-depth overview and personalized assessment of its results.

Rounding out the list of top five places to work in the federal government are the:

1. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
2. General Accounting Office
3. Securities and Exchange Commission
4. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
5. Department of Justice

These organizations vary significantly in size, mission, location and demographic composition, but each represents the future of the federal civil service: where effective and inspiring managers successfully lead their teams to achieve goals.

The public release of this year’s Best Places to Work rankings was held at the Marriott at Metro Center in Washington, D.C.  A panel discussion about the new rankings and the state of public service in America featured Dale Klein, Chairman, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Deidre Lee, Deputy Director of Operations, FEMA, George Staples, Director General Foreign Services/HR Director, U.S. Department of State, and Reg Wells, Deputy Commissioner for Human Resources, Social Security Administration.

It was moderated by Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership, and Bob Tobias, director of ISPPI. The Best Places to Work in the Federal Government rankings have been featured in U.S. News & World Report and on www.usnews.com.

For more information about the Best Places to Work rankings, including 10 workplace dimensions such as effective leadership and work/life balance, please visit bestplacestowork.org.

Event photos by Doug DeMark Photography

 

© 2007 Partnership for Public Service