NTEU PRESS RELEASE: FDIC Tops the List of Best Federal Workplaces; SEC and DHS Lose Ground

11/16/2011

 11/16/11, Washington, D.C. — Despite increased workloads, employee satisfaction at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has improved as a result of workplace improvements secured by the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), which represents about 6,200 FDIC employees nationwide.

The FDIC has not only soared to the top spot on the survey of “Best Places to Work in the Federal Government,” but it was also the most improved agency moving up from third place in 2010 with an 8.5 percent increase.

“NTEU has worked closely with FDIC management to ensure employee morale remained high even as workers continue to deal with rising workloads in connection with the banking crisis,” said NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley. Gains NTEU secured include improvements to the FDIC’s pay-for-performance system, as well as work-life benefits such as telework programs and flexible schedules. NTEU has also negotiated a compensation package to keep FDIC pay competitive with the private sector and help the agency recruit and retain the highly-skilled workforce it needs.

The ‘best places’ rankings, released today by the Partnership for Public Service, measure federal employee job satisfaction and commitment based on responses from more than 276,000 federal workers at 308 federal agencies and subcomponents. The report generates scores based on data from the Office of Personnel Management's Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) experienced a significant drop in its rankings. Kelley attributed the significant drop at the SEC to instances where agency leadership was not listening to the voices of employees and not working closely with NTEU to implement changes.

Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reprised its place as one of the lowest ranked federal agencies in the ‘Best Places to Work Survey’, a result that will continue to be repeated unless the agency works with frontline employees and their representatives to make meaningful improvements, said the leader of the union representing thousands of DHS employees.

“Clearly, DHS is not answering these repeated alarms to listen to its workforce and make concrete changes to solve workplace problems and ensure the success of its critical national security mission,” said President Kelley.

DHS—comprised of six components including Customs and Border Protection—slipped to 31st place in employee satisfaction from 28th place in 2010. In addition to its overall ranking, DHS landed at or near the bottom of all surveyed agencies in 14 workplace categories including employee skills and mission match, effective leadership, performance-based awards and advancement, pay, teamwork and family-friendly culture and benefits.

Overall, the 2011 survey results show a decline in government-wide employee satisfaction from 2010 figures, which President Kelley attributed to the unrelenting barrage of attacks on federal workers. “Federal employees have had to endure a two-year pay freeze, threats of a government shutdown, agency budget reductions and proposals to further cut their pay and benefits,” said Kelley. “It is hardly a surprise that this hostile climate has taken a toll on the workplace satisfaction of these employees who, day in and day out, perform so many critical tasks for Americans.”