Fed Workers Unhappy with Lack of Leadership

Given that rank and file federal workers may be best positioned to assess what type of leadership we have in government, that they are “increasingly dismayed by what they see as weak leadership across government” based upon a new survey should be far from reassuring for good government types.

The survey “finds employees’ job satisfaction at its lowest point since Congress required the first workplace appraisal 11 years ago.Despite continued positive feedback at some agencies and improving morale at others, just 56.9 percent of employees are happy with their jobs and would recommend their agencies as places to work….”

It’s also somewhat ironic and perhaps worth noting that many private sector workers view government workers as having it pretty good when it comes to salaries, benefits, job security and a host of other real or perceived benefits often not found in the private sector today.

A steady drop in employee satisfaction is underscored this year by a three-point decline, to 42.4 percent, in confidence in the workplace stratum from Cabinet secretaries to mid-level managers. This poses challenges for President Obama as he pursues an immigration overhaul, tax reform, rules to limit greenhouse gas emissions linked to climate change, and other policies in his last two years in office.

For example, the Department of Homeland Security, the agency tasked with providing administrative relief and work permits to as many as 3.7 million undocumented parents and 300,000 children, ranked at the bottom of large agencies for a third year running, with employee satisfaction and commitment at 44 percent.

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