The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) measures employees' perceptions of whether, and to what extent, conditions characteristic of successful organizations are present in their agencies. The FEVS serves as a tool for employees to share their perceptions in many critical areas including their work experiences, their agency, and their leadership. The FEVS is an important tool for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to better understand how we are doing as it relates to employee engagement and overall employee satisfaction in the workplace.
More information about the FEVS can be found on the OPM website.
OPM administered the 2022 FEVS to all non-political, full-time, and part-time permanent, and intermittent Federal employees onboard as of November 2021.
Per the Annual Employee Survey (AES) regulations (5 CFR Part 250; Subpart C - Employee Surveys), USDA is posting our 2022 FEVS results. This brief provides an assessment of the results and highlights our employee engagement improvement strategy.
Interpretation of USDA’s Results:
The 2022 OPM FEVS was a census conducted at USDA for 8 weeks starting the week of May 30th and closing on July 15th. OPM sent 86,568 USDA employees a survey invitation and 43,332 employees responded, resulting in a final adjusted response rate of 50.06%. Notably, the 2021 and 2022 FEVS surveys were administered within 6 months of each other, closer in time than the customary 12-month interval. Despite the close administration of both the 2021 and 2022 FEVS, USDA saw a nearly 4% increase in its 2022 FEVS final adjusted response rate when compared to 2021 (46.40%) – outpacing Very Large Agencies and Government-wide percentages by double digits.
Table 1: USDA vs. Government-wide FEVS Response Rates
|
Fiscal Year |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
USDA Response Rate |
64% |
55% |
51% |
46% |
46% |
51% |
|
Government-wide Response Rate |
46% |
41% |
43% |
44% |
34% |
32% |
|
Very Large Agencies |
41% |
37% |
39% |
41% |
29% |
35% |
The 2022 OPM FEVS results are reported across four indices: 1) Employee Engagement, 2) Global Satisfaction, 3) Performance Confidence, and 4) Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA). The Employee Engagement Index consists of three sub-indices: Leaders Lead, Supervisors, and Intrinsic Work Experience. The DEIA index is new to the 2022 OPM FEVS. The index is designed to align with Executive Order 14035: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce and consists of four sub-indices: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility. It measures an employee’s perception of the work environment relative to recruitment, retention, and promotion, and aims to break down barriers to advancement and development opportunities.
USDA’s 2022 OPM FEVS results were relatively unchanged across each of these compared to 2021, except for the “Employee Engagement – Leaders Lead” sub-index (56.41%), which increased by 1% compared to the 2021 score (55.40%). However, the Leaders Lead sub-index continues to be the lowest-scoring Employee Engagement sub-index. It also remains below the 65% positive response rate strength threshold. Conversely, the Employee Engagement - Supervisors” Index (81.86%) was the highest.
The following tables show USDA’s 2017 through 2022 FEVS results across all four key indices, including an analysis of how USDA performed compared to Government-wide and Very Large Agencies’ 2022 results.
Table 2: USDA FEVS Index Scores (2017—2022)
|
FEVS Indices |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Global Satisfaction |
67% |
62% |
60% |
64% |
59% |
59% |
|
Employee Engagement: Overall |
68% |
65% |
65% |
69% |
70% |
70% |
|
Employee Engagement: Leaders Lead |
54% |
49% |
49% |
55% |
55% |
56% |
|
Employee Engagement: Intrinsic Work Experience |
73% |
71% |
70% |
74% |
73% |
73% |
|
Employee Engagement: Supervisors |
77% |
77% |
76% |
79% |
82% |
82% |
|
Performance Confidence |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
86% |
84% |
|
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA): |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
71% |
|
DEIA: Diversity |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
75% |
|
DEIA: Equity |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
67% |
|
DEIA: Inclusion |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
76% |
|
DEIA: Accessibility |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
68% |
Table 3: 2022 FEVS Indices Results Compared to Government-wide and Very Large Agencies
|
FEVS Indices |
USDA |
Very Large Agencies |
Government wide |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Global Satisfaction |
59% |
61% |
62% |
|
Employee Engagement: Overall |
70% |
70% |
71% |
|
Employee Engagement: Leaders Lead |
56% |
59% |
59% |
|
Employee Engagement: Intrinsic Work Experience |
73% |
72% |
73% |
|
Employee Engagement: Supervisors |
82% |
79% |
80% |
|
Performance Confidence |
84% |
83% |
84% |
|
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA): |
71% |
69% |
69% |
|
DEIA: Diversity |
75% |
70% |
70% |
|
DEIA: Equity |
67% |
64% |
65% |
|
DEIA: Inclusion |
76% |
74% |
75% |
|
DEIA: Accessibility |
68% |
66% |
67% |
The FEVS results, paired with employee feedback collected throughout various USDA employee engagement events over the past year and the OPM Pulse Surveys, provide us with critical employee experience insights that are shaping USDA’s short- and long-term employee engagement strategy and initiatives.
USDA 2022 FEVS Results (XLSX, 8.2 MB)
USDA’s Employee Engagement Improvement Strategy:
USDA’s Office of Human Resources Management (OHRM) leads USDA’s FEVS improvement efforts and the work underway to improve our “Best Places to Work in the Federal Government” ranking according to the Partnership for Public Service on employee satisfaction, engagement, and morale – all of which support and inform USDA’s 2022-2026 Strategic Plan (PDF, 9.6 MB) and priority to “Make USDA a Best Place to Work.”
These efforts include ongoing meaningful employee engagements and listening to feedback; partnering with USDA’s Employee Resource Groups; reviewing and analyzing data to identify USDA's strengths and challenges; communicating results of surveys and outcomes of our actions and activities to all levels within the Department; providing guidance for the completion of Agency Employee Engagement Action Plans; and implementing a USDA-wide engagement strategy for maximum organizational effectiveness and enhancements.
OHRM manages USDA’s FEVS Champions Community of Practice (CoP), comprised of leadership and representatives who are points of contact from all of USDA’s 29 Mission Areas, agencies, and staff offices. The FEVS Champions CoP’s purpose is to collaborate across the Department, share best practices, and develop strategies to improve our collective FEVS results. Additionally, USDA’s FEVS Champions CoP will continue close collaboration and partnerships with other Departmental groups such as the USDA Employee Resource Groups and the Unions to promote employee engagement, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.
USDA leadership is committed to improving employee engagement throughout our agencies and offices and encourages all employees to get involved to “Make USDA a Best Place to Work.”
If you have any questions, please contact the USDA Employee Experience Team (EmployeeExperience@usda.gov).