Federal Employees Work Satisfaction Continues to Decline
Federal employees were overall less satisfied and less engaged in their jobs last year, according to the 2021 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) results released last week.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) recent report illustrated that employee engagement fell by 1 point to 71 out of 100, while employee satisfaction fell 5 points to 69 out of 100, across the federal government.
A certain amount of engagement and satisfaction declines may be linked to the fact that agencies are planning, or have already begun, the process of returning federal workers back to traditional work sites. Moreover, OPM delivered the survey just as agencies began exploring ways to implement hybrid work environments on a more permanent basis, likely influencing results.
Compensation may also have an adverse effect on the global satisfaction index. During the 2021 fiscal year, federal employees received a 1 percent pay increase with no locality pay increase amid soaring inflation rates. Pay satisfaction fell by six points last year, from 67 points in 2020 to 61 points in 2021.
The response rate across federal agencies also decreased notably, from 44 percent in 2020 to 34 percent in 2021.
In part, the drop in survey responses can be attributed to OPM changing its survey schedule and timing for a second straight year: the survey was delayed from its usual spring deployment to September in 2020, but not sent until November 2021. OPM also solicited responses for only five weeks instead of the traditional six.
In a letter accompanying the report, Director Kiran Ahuja praised the federal workforce's resilience amid the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that decreases in engagement and morale mirror industry trends. Additionally, she cautioned observers against drawing sweeping conclusions based on the survey's impact on the pandemic.
“Federal employees are deeply motivated by their commitment to public service,” noted Director Ahuja, “The FEVS survey results highlight their resilience in the face of two years of unprecedented challenges, and show how they found creative solutions and leveraged workplace flexibilities to continue delivering results.”
Federal agencies continued to earn high marks on most questions directly related to the pandemic, with three quarters reporting that leaders were committed to employees' health and safety, and 84 percent saying their immediate supervisors were. However, only 62 percent of federal employees said that senior leaders communicated effectively about reentry plans.
