Overall, the annual Best Places to Work survey of federal employees showed an improvement in job satisfaction and engagement across the federal workforce, with NASA maintaining its top spot for the 12th consecutive year. The survey, which covers 532 federal agencies, including large, midsize, and small agencies, is produced by the Partnership for Public Service and the Boston Consulting Group. It is closely watched in Washington D.C., where the federal government plays a central role in the city’s operations. The rankings have been released since 2003, with agencies like NASA and the Government Accountability Office consistently ranking at the top.
While NASA and the Government Accountability Office topped the list in their respective categories, the Social Security Administration remained in last place among large agencies. The Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development saw declines in their scores for the second consecutive year, placing them near the bottom in their categories. On the smaller agency scale, the Export-Import Bank of the United States was at the bottom, while the Federal Bureau of Prisons scored the lowest among subcomponents. These rankings provide insight into the overall morale within various federal agencies.
One agency that showed significant improvement in job satisfaction and engagement was the Department of Homeland Security, which saw the most improvement among large agencies. The department, with around 260,000 employees, has historically struggled with morale issues due to its wide-ranging responsibilities, including responding to natural disasters and border patrol. While the survey did not specify the reasons for the agency’s improvement, it is speculated that Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’s leadership style and policies, such as increased pay raises for frontline workers at the Transportation Security Administration, may have contributed to the positive shift in rankings.
A notable post-pandemic development highlighted in the survey was the popularity of telework among federal government employees. Teleworked fulltime employees registered the highest scores in job satisfaction and engagement, indicating that remote work is as popular in the federal sector as it is in the private sector. Nearly 54% of federal employees reported having a hybrid work schedule, while 14% teleworked fulltime and 32% went into their job site daily. These figures were consistent with the previous year’s data, suggesting a continued trend towards remote work in the federal workforce.
Overall, the survey results indicate that federal employees are generally more satisfied and engaged in their work compared to previous years. Agencies like NASA and the Government Accountability Office continue to rank highly, showcasing a positive work environment within these organizations. The improvement in morale at agencies like the Department of Homeland Security reflects the impact of leadership and policies on employee satisfaction. The popularity of telework among federal employees further reinforces the importance of flexible work arrangements in promoting job satisfaction and engagement in the workforce.
