2016 Employee Viewpoint Survey U.S. Department of Labor

Introduction

In accordance with Section 1128 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004, the U.S. Department of Labor posts annual employee surveys describing employee engagement and global satisfaction as well as leadership and management practices. The Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) measures employee perspectives and perceptions of the work environment focused on four additional themes: Leadership & Knowledge Management; Results-Oriented Performance Culture; Talent Management; and Job Satisfaction.

Survey Administration, Sample Size, Response Rate

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) administered the EVS between April 28, 2016, and June 9, 2016, to all eligible (N = 15,089) full-time and part-time Department of Labor (DOL) employees. A total of 11,262 surveys were completed, yielding a response rate of 74.6 percent, which was slightly lower than the previous year’s rate of 76.5 percent, but outpacing the government wide response rate for the last three years.

Demographics

Of the completed surveys, 37 percent were completed by employees located at DOL headquarters (the staff of which make up 31 percent of the workforce), while 63 percent were completed by employees in DOL field offices (the staff of which make up 69 percent of the workforce). Other respondent demographics:

• Gender: 48 percent women; 52 percent men
• Race: 69.8 percent White; 20 percent African American; 5.4 percent Asian; 1 percent American Indian/Alaska Native; 0.4 percent Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander; 3.5 percent two or more races
• Ethnicity: 10.9 percent Hispanic/Latino
• Persons with Disabilities: 16 percent
• Supervisory Level: 70 percent non-supervisor; 8.7 percent team leader; 13.3 percent supervisor; 6 percent manager; 1.8 percent executive
• Pay Grade: 0.1 percent Federal Wage System; under the General Schedule - 3.6 percent Entry Level (GS 1-6), 52.8 percent Mid-Level (GS 7-12), and 41.5 percent Senior Level (GS 13-15); 0.2 percent Senior Level (SL); and 1.3 percent Senior Executive Service
• Federal Tenure: 10.6 percent 3 or less years; 35 percent 4-10 years; 26 percent 11-20 years; 28 percent more than 20 years
• Age: 4.7 percent 29 and younger; 21.4 percent 30-39; 25.1 percent 40-49; 31.9 percent 50-59; 16.7 percent 60 and older

2016 DOL Survey Results

Overall results — DOL's FY 2016 EVS scores were more positive than FY 2015 scores. DOL's percent positive scores were higher than the government-wide average on 73 of total survey items. Thirty-seven survey items were identified as "strengths," with positive responses of 65 percent or higher. Two items were identified as "challenges," defined as percent negative responses of 35 percent or higher. DOL's 2016 results showed improvement with all indexes for employee engagement: global satisfaction, talent management, leadership and knowledge management, and results-oriented performance culture. DOL's overall index scores for Employee Engagement, Global Satisfaction, Leadership & Knowledge Management, Results-Oriented Performance Culture, and Job Satisfaction improved by 2 percentage points; and Talent Management improved by 3 percentage points.

Comparison with FY 2015 Results — DOL's 2016 results show increases of 2 percentage points or more on 44 survey items. DOL achieved considerably higher positive response scores on:

• item 84: How satisfied are you with the following Work/Life programs in your agency? Elder Care Programs (+5.7);
• item 34: Policies and programs promote diversity in the workplace (for example, recruiting minorities and women, training in awareness of diversity issues, mentoring.) (+5.7); and 
• item 18: My training needs are assessed.  Considering everything, how satisfied are you with your pay (+4.7)

FY 2016 Strengths: DOL's top five positive response scores were:

• item 7: When needed, I am willing to put in the extra effort to get a job done (96 percent);
• item 13: The work I do is important (91 percent);
• item 8: I am constantly looking for ways to do my job better (90 percent);
• item 16: I am held accountable for achieving results  (87 percent); and
• item 12: I know how my work relates to the agency’s goals and priorities (87 percent).

These high scores mirror the dedication and teamwork of DOL employees to address DOL's mission to foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.

The Department still seeks higher positive response scores from its workforce and continues to implement strategies toward improving communication, training, leadership and innovation within each DOL agency. DOL will work diligently to identify opportunities for improvement, address employment barriers and workforce concerns, and develop an environment of excellence that supports all our workers and allows each to contribute to their fullest potential. DOL will continue to use survey results to support the development and implementation of improvement strategies.