| SPA’s Tobias reveals best places to work in government BY ADRIENNE FRANK The Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service are the best places to work in the federal government according to a survey of more than 221,000 workers conducted by AU’s Robert Tobias, director of the Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation, and the Partnership for Public Service. The results of the 2007 survey—which rank more than 280 federal agencies and subcomponents in such categories as leadership, teamwork, pay and benefits, and work-life balance—were announced last Thursday during a luncheon at a downtown hotel. More than 200 people turned out for the event, which honored the top large agencies, small agencies, and federal subcomponents. “The whole idea of employee engagement is to make the workplace more productive,” said Tobias “We are pleased to offer this benchmark that will provide agencies the information they need to attract the best and brightest career seekers in the public service.” The Nuclear Regulatory Commission tops the list of the best large agencies—those with 2,000 or more full-time, permanent employees. The Government Accountability Office, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the Department of Justice round out the top five. The Social Security Administration—ranked seventh among large agencies—is the most improved large organization, increasing its score by nearly 10 percent from 2005. The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service is the best small agency. The Merit Systems Protection Board, the Office of Management and Budget, the National Science Foundation, and the Millennium Challenge Corporation are also among the best small organizations—those with at least 100 but no more than 2,000 employees. The Federal Housing Finance Board—No. 16 among small agencies—is the most improved in that category, up by almost 18 percent from 2005. The survey, conducted every two years, also reveals that employee satisfaction and engagement increased from 2005 in 41 percent of agencies. Asian and Hispanic employees reported the highest levels of satisfaction, as did women and employees under the age of 40. Despite such encouraging findings, however, the survey “also raised red flags for areas of concern,” according to Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service. For example, the Small Business Administration, the lowest-ranked agency in 2005, remains at the bottom of this year’s list. Also, the Department of Education—ranked 28th among the 30 large agencies—saw its score decline by 3.5 percent this year. The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s score also dropped by nearly 13 percent from 2005, placing it 211th out of 222 federal subcomponent organizations. Tobias said the “spread” between such low-ranking agencies and the top organizations is widening, which indicates that “the best places to work are getting better and those at the bottom are getting worse.” The complete list of rankings is available at
www.bestplacestowork.org. |
