Worst Government Agency Defends Title

Friday, May 22, 2009

When it comes to finishing in last place in the U.S. government’s “The Best Places to Work” survey, the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) is a repeat champion. Once again, the independent federal agency responsible for handling labor issues involving government employees and their unions ranked at the bottom of the biennial survey that tells where, and where not, to work in the halls of Washington.

 
FLRA not only finished last in 2009, but also 2007 and 2005, with bottom-feeding scores that left no doubt why it brings up the rear each time. For instance, those agencies considered the best places to work usually receive scores in the 80s, and most of the poorer performing departments have scores in the 50s or maybe even the 40s. This year the FLRA couldn’t even break into the 20s, coming in at a 19.5 (though to be fair, the 2009 score did represent improvement after receiving an 18.1 in 2007).
 
The survey, conducted by the Partnership for Public Service and American University’s Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation, asks workers to rank their office in a wide range of areas, from teamwork to leadership to salaries. The highest marks that FLRA received fell in the 60s, for employee skills/mission match, teamwork, and pay and benefits. For the most part, however, employee feedback resulted in scores below 50, with the lowest mark of 13.5 reserved for “effective leadership” of FLRA bosses.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
 
The Best Places to Work: Federal Labor Relations Authority (Partnership for Public Service and American University’s Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation)
The Best Places to Work: Overall Index Scores for Employee Satisfaction and Commitment (Partnership for Public Service and American University’s Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation)

Comments

Leave a comment