2016 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey Results

  1. Interpretation of Results: The 2016 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) offers unique insights into federal employees’ perceptions of employee satisfaction, engagement and workforce management.  Treasury values its employees and respects workplace perceptions.  The results of the FEVS are reviewed and analyzed to determine patterns and themes to identify Treasury’s strengths and challenges, and are used to guide improvement efforts.
     

    The 98-item survey includes 71 items that measure federal employees’ perceptions about how effectively agencies manage their workforce, 13 items specific to work/life programs usage and 14 demographic items.  The survey includes eight topic areas:

    • Personal Work Experiences
    • Work Unit
    • Agency
    • Supervisor/Team Leader
    • Leadership 
    • Satisfaction
    • Work/Life Programs
    • Demographics

    The 2016 FEVS results reflect:

    • 35 survey items had positive ratings of 65% or more (strengths)
    • 9 survey items had negative ratings of 35% or more (challenges)
    • No survey items increased or decreased by 5 percentage points or more since 2015

      (See attached results for the specific corresponding survey item numbers above.)
     

    The 2016 FEVS results show an increase in positive response rate in 67 out of 71 questions (or 94.4 percent).  Treasury employees continue to remain committed to the mission, are willing to give extra to get the job done,  are proud of the quality of their work, and feel that their supervisors treat them with respect  as evidenced by the five items with the highest positive scores shown below:

    • 94% Positive- When needed I am willing to put in the extra effort to get a job done. (Q. 7)
    • 88% Positive- The work I do is important. (Q. 13)
    • 88% Positive- I am constantly looking for ways to do my job better. (Q. 8)
    • 85% Positive- How would you rate the overall quality of work done by your work unit? (Q. 28)
    • 84% Positive- My supervisors treat me with respect. (Q49)
       

    Treasury employees also had positive responses to questions regarding their immediate supervisors. The questions below indicate employees trust their supervisors and feel they are respected and supported by them.

    • 84% Positive- My supervisor treats me with respect. (Q. 49)
    • 80% Positive- My supervisor listens to what I have to say. (Q. 48)
    • 77% Positive- Overall, how good a job do you feel is being done by your immediate supervisor? (Q. 52)
    • 72% Positive- I have trust and confidence in my supervisor. (Q. 51)
    • 71% Positive- Supervisors in my work unit support employee development. (Q. 47)
       

    Employees provided high negative responses in the areas of pay, resources and empowerment demonstrating opportunities for Treasury to improve.

    • 48% Negative - Pay raises depend on how well employees perform their jobs. (Q. 33)
    • 41% Negative - I have sufficient resources (for example, people, materials, budget) to get my job done. (Q. 9)
    • 41% Negative - How satisfied are you with your opportunity to get a better job in your organization? (Q. 67)
    • 39% Negative – My work unit is able to recruit people with the right skills. (Q. 21)
    • 37% Negative – I believe the results of this survey will be used to make my agency a better place to work. (Q. 41)
       
  1. How the survey was conducted: The 2016 FEVS was administered within Treasury April 26 – June 7, 2016 by email by the Office of Personnel Management.
  2. Description of sample: The 2016 survey was administered to all eligible employees, defined as full- or part-time, permanent, non-seasonal employees onboard as of October 31, 2015.
  3. Survey items and response choices: All survey items and response choices required by 5 CFR 250.302 are included in the 2016 Survey and are included in the attached 2016 Treasury Survey Results.
  4. Number of employees surveyed, number responded, and representativeness of respondents: The Department of the Treasury achieved a response rate of  55.9% with 45,497 out of  81,402 eligible employees responding.  Treasury’s 2015 response rate was 61.5% with 51,700 out of   84,043 eligible employees responding. Table 1 below shows the representativeness of respondents.
     

Table 1- Representativeness of Respondents

Category

Respondents

    Non-Supervisor

74%

    Team Leader

9%

    Supervisor

11%

    Manager

4%

   Senior Leader

2%

    Male

41%

    Female

59%

    Yes

9%

    No

91%

    White

69%

    Black or African American

20%

    Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

1%

    Asian

6%

    American Indian or Alaska Native

1%

    Two or more races

4%

 

AES Treasury - 2016