A new report from the Partnership for Public Service shows that federal employees’ satisfaction with federal leadership is on the decline.
The satisfaction with leadership score in 2012 was 52.8 on a scale of 100, indicating a decline of 2.1 points over 2011, the first such decline since the Best Places to Work rankings were published in 2003. The score reflects decreased levels of employee satisfaction with all four elements included in the effective leadership category used in the rankings— senior leaders, supervisors, empowerment and fairness.
The decline in government-wide leadership scores break down as follows:
| 2012 Government Wide Score | Point Change (2011-2012) | |
|---|---|---|
| Effective Leadership | 52.8 | -2.1 |
| Empowerment | 45.8 | -2.7 |
| Fairness | 53.0 | -1.3 |
| Senior Leaders | 46.7 | -2.6 |
| Supervisors | 62.3 | -1.6 |
The Partnership for Public Service offers the following conclusion about the declining leadership scores:
The negative trends in federal leadership that are appar- ent in the 2012 Best Places to Work scores should be a call to action. Federal employees today are living in an environment of great uncertainty given budgetary constraints, pay freezes and staffing cutbacks, and at the same time feel less empowered to do their jobs and are less satisfied with the way their senior leaders are handling their agencies. Given the current environment, sustained attention to improving leadership is not a luxury, but a necessity.
