NARA Publishes 2010 Employee Viewpoint Survey Results
Press Release · Monday, July 12, 2010

Washington, DC

The results of the 2010 Employee Viewpoint Survey (EVS) conducted by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management were published today. The EVS was designed to measure Federal employees’ perceptions about how effectively agencies are managing their workforces.

In announcing the results, Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero said, “The enormous response to the survey indicates that Archives employees want to be heard and that they feel that their opinions are important to the agency. This is a crucial first step in addressing the issues facing us today. I am committed to ensuring that we have a supported and motivated workforce and I will be working with employees throughout the year to make that happen.”

Following are highlights from the results of the National Archives 2010 survey:

• Promising and new for 2010, the National Archives leads the government-wide average by 5.2 %, with 49.7 % of employees believing the results of this survey will be used to make our agency a better place to work.
   
• 82.3% of National Archives employees participated in the survey, as compared to 62% in 2008. The average response government-wide is 52%.
   
• The majority of National Archives employees continue to like the work they do, believe the work they do is important, feel a sense of personal accomplishment from their work, and know how their work relates to the agency’s goals and priorities.
   
• The National Archives continues to receive high marks in the area of performance management and awards. 72.3% of National Archives staff agree that their performance appraisal is a fair reflection of their performance and 83% feel they are held accountable for achieving results. 75.6% of National Archives employees indicated that in their most recent performance appraisal, they understood what was required of them to be rated at different performance levels. This is 7.8% higher than the government-wide average. Additionally, 51.9% of National Archives employees indicated that awards in their work unit depend on how well employees perform their jobs – 8.4% higher than the government-wide average.
   
• National Archives staff continues to express trust and confidence in their immediate supervisors, feel that they support employee development, and understand staff’s needs to balance work and family issues. However, only 37.3% responded positively to the statement, “In my organization, leaders generate high levels of motivation and commitment in the workforce”.
   
• National Archives employees continue to express concern regarding their opportunities to get a better job in their organization (41% negative response rate). Positive responses to this question (35.8 %) are 5.9% below the government-wide average.
   
• 58.1% of Archives respondents indicated that they can disclose a suspected violation of any law, rule or regulation without fear of reprisal. This represents an increase of 6.5% from the 2008 survey results.
   
• Fewer National Archives employees feel that the people they work with cooperate to get the job done. Positive responses to this item were down 11.2% from 2008, and are below the government-wide average by 3.3%.
   
• National Archives positive responses decreased by 7.5% from 2008 on the item “Policies and programs promote diversity in the workplace (for example, recruiting minorities and women, training in awareness of diversity issues, mentoring).”

Following are areas where the National Archives continues to lag behind the rest of the Federal government:

• Knowledge management. 47.4% of National Archives respondents indicated that their training needs are assessed. National Archives positive responses are 6.4% lower than the government-wide average. In addition, the National Archives positive responses were 6.8% lower than the government-wide average on the item “Employees in my work unit share knowledge with each other” and 10.5% lower than the government-wide average on the item: “Managers promote communication among different work units (for example, about projects, goals, and needed resources).”
   
• Health and safety. Approximately 65% of National Archives employees feel they are protected from health and safety hazards on the job. This response rate is lower than the government-wide average by approximately 11%. Also, the National Archives positive responses were 11% lower than the government-wide average on the item “My organization has prepared employees for potential security threats.”
   
• Diversity. Over half of National Archives respondents believe their supervisors and team leaders are committed to a workforce representative of all segments of society. However, the National Archives positive responses to the items of “Policies and programs promoted diversity in the workplace (for example, recruiting minorities and women, training in awareness of diversity issues, mentoring)” trail the government-wide average by 10.5% and “Managers, supervisors, and team leaders work well with employee’s of different backgrounds” remain 7.6% lower than the government-wide average.
   
• Employee’s overall satisfaction with their jobs, training, pay, and organization. An average of 56.4% of National Archives employees indicated a positive response to a series of four questions designed to measure overall satisfaction with their jobs, training,pay and organization. The response rates for these questions are lower than the government-wide average by 7.5%. In addition while 56.7% of employees recommend their organization as a good place to work, this trails the government-wide average by 13%.

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For press information, contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at 202-357-5300.

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