FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 1, 2010
Contact: Sarah Howe
202-775-9111
PARTNERSHIP FOR PUBLIC SERVICE RELEASES 2010 BEST PLACES TO WORK IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT RANKINGS, BESTPLACESTOWORK.ORG
WASHINGTON – The nonprofit Partnership for Public Service today released the 2010 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government rankings. The rankings measure employee satisfaction and are based on a survey of more than 263,000 federal workers at 290 federal agencies and subcomponents.
“The Best Places to Work rankings are an important tool in improving federal employee commitment and satisfaction,” said Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service. “When agencies are badly managed and workers are dissatisfied, the public suffers.”
The Partnership for Public Service honored the top 10 large, top five small and four most improved Best Places to Work agencies today in Washington, D.C.
Top honors for large agencies go to:
- Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- Government Accountability Office
- Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
- Smithsonian Institution
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Social Security Administration
- Department of State
- General Services Administration
- Department of Justice
- Intelligence Community
Top honors for small agencies go to:
- Surface Transportation Board
- Overseas Private Investment Corporation
- Congressional Budget Office
- Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
- Peace Corps
Most improved of the 31 large federal agencies ranked is the Department of Transportation, increasing its score by 15.8 percent and moving up in the rankings from 30 (out of 30) in 2009 to 26. The Department of Treasury also has a significant score increase of 8.2 percent, moving up from a 2009 ranking of 17 to 12 in the large agency rankings. Biggest movers among the 34 small agencies include the Federal Labor Relations Authority, with a 250 percent increase, moving from 32 (out of 32) in 2009 to 20 in the new rankings, and the Federal Communications Commission, with an increase of 23.6 percent, moving from 28 to 21.
According to the Best Places to Work analysis, employee satisfaction is at an all-time high of 65 out of 100, a 7.4 percent jump from 2003 when the rankings were first released, with 68 percent of agencies improving their index score since the last rankings in 2009. The primary drivers are effective leadership and a belief by employees that their skills are well-suited to their agency’s mission.
The Partnership for Public Service works with American University’s Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation and the Hay Group to produce the rankings.
“The Best Places to Work analysis is an important benchmark for every agency that wants to increase productivity,” said Professor Robert Tobias, director of American University’s Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation and Key Executive Leadership Programs at American University's School of Public Affairs. “Those agencies who are increasing their scores are improving employee engagement which then directly leads to increased agency productivity.”
The rankings represent an in-depth look at the views of federal employees during the Obama administration. Agencies are ranked in three categories: large (2,000 or more employees), small or subcomponent, and in 10 workplace categories, including leadership, work/life balance, and pay.
The Best Places to Work analysis notes that employees in the private-sector continue to be more satisfied with their jobs, organizations and supervisors than their counterparts in the federal government.
“The rankings are important because they provide an early warning sign for agencies in trouble,” said Stier. “And, they provide a mechanism to hold agency leaders accountable for the health of their organizations and a roadmap for better agency management.”
The complete Best Places to Work rankings are available at bestplacestowork.org. Visitors can access trend analysis, demographic data and all 10 workplace categories, as well as generate custom reports and conduct side-by-side comparisons for up to three agencies.
The rankings are compiled by the Partnership for Public Service and American University’s Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey. The Best Places rankings were first produced in 2003, and again in 2005, 2007 and 2009.
The Partnership for Public Service is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working to revitalize our federal government by inspiring a new generation to serve and by transforming the way government works. To learn more, visit ourpublicservice.org.
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The Partnership for Public Service is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to revitalize our federal government by inspiring a new generation to serve and by transforming the way government works.
