[caption id=”attachment_88537″ align=”aligncenter” width=”512″] FILE This April 28, 2014 file photos shows the Phoenix VA Health Care Center in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)
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In results that no one should find surprising, a new employee survey finds that overall morale at the Veterans Affairs Department is down.
According to the 2014 Federal Employee Viewpoint survey, 64 percent of respondents reported being content with their job overall, down from 66 percent last year. Satisfaction with the department as a whole was worse, with 53 percent of respondents saying they were satisfied with the VA compared to 55 percent in 2013.
The survey asked if the VA’s leaders “maintain high standards of honesty and integrity.” Just 44 percent of workers agreed with this statement, down from 49 percent the year before. Only 37 percent said they were satisfied with the policies and practices of the VA’s senior leaders.
The number of respondents who said they felt a “high level of respect” for their organization’s top tier also fell four percentage points from 2013 to 2014, from 50 percent to 46 percent.
About six months ago, the Veterans Affairs Department became embroiled in a widespread patient scheduling scandal that outraged Americans nationwide. As details came out, it revealed a horrifying story of secret wait lists, executive greed and veterans dying while awaiting care from the dysfunctional agency.
The story dominated the news cycle and the declining morale among employees as a result is unsurprising.
But despite the low marks in some areas and the revelation of the scandal, the survey did find that most employees seemed to still believe in the mission of the VA and to care about their work.
About 92 percent of respondents agreed that what they do is important. Eighty-five percent of respondents said they enjoyed their work and 92 percent supported the statement: “I am constantly looking for ways to do my job better.”
