best places to work snapshot satisfaction with performance-based rewards and...

8/12/2019 Best Places to Work Snapshot Satisfaction With Performance-Based Rewards and Advancement-[2013.06.19]

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PARTNERSHIP FOR PUBLIC SERVICE | JUNE 2013 1

BEST PLACES TO WORK IN THEFEDERAL GOVERNMENT ANALYSIS

SATISFACTION WITHPERFORMANCE-BASED REWARDS

AND ADVANCEMENT

2012SNAPSHOT

The Big Picture

In the current climate of pay freezes, budget reductionsand furloughs, it has become more challenging and moreimportant for federal leaders to use a variety of ways toreward and recognize high-performing employees.

With pay perceived as an issue outside a federal managers

direct control and because of steadily declining employeesatisfaction with their compensation 1, executives need tond other ways to motivate workers and reward goodperformance. This can mean helping individuals iden-tify better jobs in the organization, basing promotionson merit, providing training opportunities that can leadto advancement, giving individuals new opportunities toexcel and offering recognition for doing a good job.

In this analysis of 2012 Best Places to Work in the FederalGovernment data, the Partnership for Public Service andDeloitte examined federal employee satisfaction withperformance-based rewards and advancement in theiragenciesthe category that measures whether workersfeel that they are rewarded and promoted in a fair andtimely manner for their performance and innovativecontributions to the workplace.

The results are unsettling.

1 Federal employee satisfaction with pay has dropped for three con-secutive years in the Best Places to Work rankings.

Government-wide Results

Federal workers rated performance-based rewardsand advancement last out of the 10 workplace catego-ries included in the Best Places to Work rankings, with ascore of 43.4 on a scale of 100. This means that just fourof 10 employees believed that they will be rewarded orpromoted for doing good work. This troubling nding

is compounded by data showing performance-basedrewards and advancement has been the lowest rated Best

Places to Work category since 2005. In addition, this scoredropped 2.5 points between 2011 and 2012.

DECREASE FROM 2011 SCORE

PERCENT OF EMPLOYEES BELIEVE THATTHEY WILL BE REWARDED OR PROMOTEDFOR DOING GOOD WORK


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The ratings for the performance-based rewards andadvancement category are based on a series of six ques-tions dealing with employee perceptions of fair perfor-mance appraisals, rewards and recognition for doing agood job, creativity and innovation, merit-based promo-tions and opportunities for employees to get better jobswithin the organization (see Figure 2). The questions come

from the Office of Personnel Managements 2012 FederalEmployee Viewpoint Survey, which is used to create the

Best Places to Work rankings.

Within this category, federal employees gave the highestmarks on the question dealing with performanceappraisals. Sixty-seven percent of employees believedthat their appraisals fairly reected performance, aperception that is at variance with how employees thinkmanagers actually award promotions and recognizeaccomplishments.

The results stemming from these reviews left onlythree of 10 employees satised with their opportuni-ties to advance and feeling that promotions are based onmerit. In short, the Best Places to Work data suggest thatemployees believed that opportunities to excel and growin the federal government were shrinking for them. Thedissatisfaction may rest in part with the fact that theremay be limited opportunities for promotion and thatsome promotions are based primarily on length of serviceas employees move up the career ladder from new hire tofull-performance level.

In response to survey questions, only four of 10employees said they were rewarded for providing high-quality products, and were satised with the recognitionthey received for doing a good job. And only 36 percentbelieved that creativity and innovation are rewarded intheir agencies.

FIGURE 1 Government-wide performance-based rewardscore trends

How satised are you with your opportunity toget a better job in your organization? -

My performance appraisal is a fair reection of my performance

Promotions in my work unit are based on merit

Employees are recognized for providing

high quality products and services

Creativity and innovation are awarded

How satised are you with the recognitionyou receive for doing a good job?

FIGURE 2

Percentage of positive government-wide results on performance-based rewards and advancement questions

46.2

-

-

-

-

-


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Private-sector Comparison

The federal government lags behind the private sectoron two questions related to performance-based rewardsand advancement for which comparable data is available.When asked about the recognition they receive for doinga good job, private-sector employees were more posi-tive than federal employees, rating their organizations9 points higher. Private-sector employees rated theiropportunities to get better jobs within the organization14 points higher than government workers, representingone of the biggest disparities between the two sectors.

Satisfaction Varies by Pay Level

In some cases, employees at different levels of organi-zations had varied perceptions of the workplace, withperformance-based rewards and advancement rated morepoorly by employees on the lower end of the pay scale.Among all pay categories in the General Schedule (GS) paysystem, GS 13-15 employees were the most satised withperformance-based rewards and advancement. The leastsatised were employees under the Federal Wage System, 2 with GS 1-6 employees scoring only 0.2 points higher.

2 The Federal Wage System is a pay-setting system that covers federalblue-collar employees who are paid by the hour.

TABLE 1 Satisfaction with performance-based rewards scoresand advancement by GS level

PAY CATEGORY

PERFORMANCE- BASEDREWARDS AND

ADVANCEMENT SCORE SAMPLE SIZE

Federal Wage System 2

GS -

GS -

GS -

SES SL ST Other

Government-wide

TABLE 2 Performance-based rewards and advancementhighest and lowest ranked agencies

LARGE AGENCIES

HIGHEST 2012 SCORE

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Intelligence Community

Department of Commerce

LOWEST

Department of Transportation

Department of Veterans Affairs

Department of Homeland Security

MID-SIZE AGENCIES

HIGHEST 2012 SCORE

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

Federal Trade Commission

Nuclear Regulatory Commission

LOWEST

National Archives and Records Administration

Broadcasting Board of Governors

Securities and Exchange Commission

SMALL AGENCIES

HIGHEST 2012 SCORE

Surface Transportation Board

Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service

Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board

LOWEST

International Boundary and Water Commission

Federal Maritime Commission

Office of the U S Trade Representative

Agency Rankings on Performance-based Rewards and Advancement

Mirroring the government-wide trend, 15 of 19 largeagencies experienced a drop in satisfaction with perfor-mance-based rewards and advancement. The largeagencies with the highest rankings were the NationalAeronautics and Space Administration (59.8), the Intel-ligence Community (52.7) and the Department ofCommerce (52.7). The lowest-ranked large agencies were the

Department of Veterans Affairs (39.1) and the Depart-ment of Homeland Security (35.8).

For mid-size agencies, the Federal Deposit InsuranceCorporation (60.1), the Federal Trade Commission (60.0),and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (57.5) registeredthe highest scores for performance-based awards and


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advancement, while the lowest-ranked agencies in thiscategory were the National Archives and Records Admin-istration (38.3), the Broadcasting Board of Governors (37.2)and the Securities and Exchange Commission (35.4).

Among the small agencies, the Surface TransportationBoard (70.3), the Federal Mediation and ConciliationService (61.5) and the Defense Nuclear Facilities SafetyBoard (59.8) had the highest ratings on this issue, whilethe International Boundary and Water Commission(37.8), the Federal Maritime Commission (34.0) and theOffice of the U.S. Trade Representative (31.1) were ratedpoorly by their employees.

Some agencies bucked the trend and showed improvedemployee satisfaction with performance-based rewardsand advancement, including the Office of Managementand Budget, up 10 points; the Federal Mediation andConciliation Service, up 6 points and the National CreditUnion Administration, up 3 points.

Conclusion

Federal leaders and managers operating within theconnes of a pay freeze and budget reductions face asignicant challenge in keeping their employees satis-ed, committed and motivated to provide qualityservices. With limited ability to increase compensationor to provide other monetary rewards, managers mustrethink how they dene rewards and recognition. Thiscould involve a number of low-cost or even cost-freesteps, including greater acknowledgement for doing agood job, opportunities for career development, greaterresponsibilities and new experiences.

Support for Career Development

Provide training and developmental opportunitiesfor employees to help them reach their full poten-tial, including in-house training provided by otheremployees.

Offer employees more opportunities to participatein cross-functional projects, rotations or develop-mental assignments between units or in more inter-esting and challenging tasks.

Expose employees to new roles or experiencessuch as taking them to senior leadership meetingsor including them in budget discussions to provideinsights into agency operations and to bring themface-to-face with top executives.

Provide employees with greater autonomy andempower them to take ownership of their work.

Assign work that plays to an individuals strengths,providing a greater opportunity for success andpersonal satisfaction.

Increase opportunities that drive development,such as identifying an existing problem outside anemployees daily work experience and asking theindividual to lead a team to solve it.

Tangible Recognition

Make available benets other than increased pay

or bonuses such as telework, alternate work sched-ules, or time-off awards to recognize deservingemployees.

A simple and sincere thank you can go a long way.Acknowledge the work employees accomplishthrough verbal praise after projects are completed,or thank them with handwritten notes when theyput in extra effort and time to get the job done.

Personally check-in regularly with employees tounderstand their jobs, their challenges, and takemore time to get to know them.

Meaningful Communication

To help employees better understand the jobadvancement and selection process, give realisticfeedback on their potential for promotion in theorganization and what they can do to improve theiropportunities.

If promotional opportunities are limited due to a atorganizational structure or the absence of higher-level positions, let deserving employees know thatyou are willing to help them nd opportunitiesoutside of the organizationand then follow-

through. When there is a promotional opportunity avail-

able, be clear what the organization is looking forin competitive candidates and, after a selection ismade, offer to talk to unsuccessful candidates aboutwhy they were not selected.


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TABLE 3 Large agency performance-based rewards and advancement rankings

RANK AGENCY

2012 PERFORMANCE-BASED REWARDS ANDADVANCEMENT SCORE

POINT CHANGE(2011-2012)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Intelligence Community N A

Department of Commerce

Department of State -

Department of the Treasury -

Environmental Protection Agency -

Department of Health and Human Services -

Department of the Navy -

Department of Justice -

Department of the Interior -

Department of the Air Force -

Department of the Army -

Social Security Administration -

Office of the Secretary of Defense Joint Staff Defense Agenciesand Department of Defense Field Activities

-

Department of Labor -

Department of Agriculture -

Department of Transportation

Department of Veterans Affairs -

Department of Homeland Security -


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TABLE 4 Mid-size agency performance-based rewards and advancement rankings

RANK AGENCY



Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation -

Federal Trade Commission -

Nuclear Regulatory Commission -

National Credit Union Administration

Federal Communications Commission -

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission -

Office of Personnel Management -

General Services Administration -

U S Agency for International Development

Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency -

National Science Foundation -

Department of Energy

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission -

Small Business Administration -

Department of Education -

Department of Housing and Urban Development -

National Labor Relations Board -

National Archives and Records Administration -

Broadcasting Board of Governors -

Securities and Exchange Commission

Government Accountability Office N A N A

Smithsonian Institution N A N A


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TABLE 5 Small agency performance-based rewards and advancement rankings

RANK AGENCY



Surface Transportation Board -

Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service

Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board -

Office of Special Counsel N A

National Endowment for the Humanities -

Federal Labor Relations Authority -

Peace Corps

Office of Management and Budget

Overseas Private Investment Corporation -

Selective Service System

National Transportation Safety Board -

Merit Systems Protection Board -

Consumer Product Safety Commission -

National Endowment for the Arts

Railroad Retirement Board

National Gallery of Art

Commodity Futures Trading Commission -

U S International Trade Commission -

Pension Benet Guaranty Corporation -

Federal Election Commission -

Corporation for National and Community Service -

Export-Import Bank of the United States -

Millennium Challenge Corporation -

Federal Housing Finance Agency -

International Boundary and Water Commission

Federal Maritime Commission -

Office of the U S Trade Representative -

Congressional Budget Office N A N A

Farm Credit Administration N A N A

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