The Department of Homeland Security is once again the worst place to work in the federal government, at least when it comes to employee engagement and job satisfaction.
The agency scores at the bottom of both surveys, according to new data released by the Obama administration on Tuesday.
The government’s Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey is released each year to measure attitudes among federal workers. DHS has ridden the bottom of the survey for the last few years, but DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson nonetheless praised the small improvement seen in the agency.
“I have said many times that, this year, morale will improve,” he said. “Hopefully, these improved results are the beginning of a new, upward trend.”
Johnson was noting the 3-point increase in employee engagement seen at DHS, compared to a smaller, 1-point increase across the entire government.
Still, DHS is in the basement, with an overall score of 56 percent on employee engagement. That ties DHS with the Broadcasting Board of Governors.
The Department of Veterans Affairs, Small Business Administration and Department do a little better, and round out the bottom five agencies.
Across the entire government, just 65 percent of federal workers say they are engaged, a little under two-thirds.
DHS also contains the least-satisfied federal workers when it comes to happiness and salary. It’s the only agency that scores under 50 percent, and comes in a 49 percent, a 2-point increase.
The VA, BBG and SBA are also in the bottom five on “global satisfaction,” along with the National Archives and Records Administration.
