Employees of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission have it pretty good, it seems — at least according to a new report.
The NRC topped the list of “Best Places to Work in the Federal Government” rankings the D.C.-based Partnership for Public Service compiles every other year.
“I think that one of the things is that we are an open communication agency,” said NRC Chairman Dale Klein in a phone interview Thursday. “Our culture of communication is good among our employees and we listen to what they have to say rather than just lecturing.”
NRC also strives to maintain a balance between its employees’ work and personal life, letting them take advantage of such things as flex time and on-site physical fitness centers.
Also in the top five large agencies were, in order, the Government Accountability Office, the Securities and Exchange Commission, NASA and the Department of Justice.
GAO, which moved up from fourth place last survey, has adopted looser telecommuting policies and incentives such as student-loan aid to attract employees, GAO Administrator David Walker said in a statement.
“Today, GAO’s employees’ classification and compensation are more directly tied to their skills, knowledge and performance,” Walker said.
The rankings take into account such factors as management, training and development, pay and effective teamwork. Employee satisfaction improved the most at the Social Security Administration, rising almost 10 percent. The survey found employee satisfaction increased from the last survey in 41 percent of all federal organizations and in 37 percent of large agencies. The U.S. Small Business Administration had the lowest score of the ranked large agencies for the second time, earning 30th place on the list. The Department of Homeland Security ranked 29th. The rankings draw from the Office of Personal Management’s 2006 Federal Human Capital Survey. DHS spokesman Larry Orluski said since the agency learned of the survey results, it has implemented a new performance management system and begun looking more closely at things like recruitment and retention. In a statement, SBA spokeswoman Christine Mangi said the results partially had to do with staff and budget cuts. The administration has held additional training sessions and it plans to introduce broader career development support.
