NASA remains most-liked agency, while gov't-wide satisfaction drops

Top five among large agencies:

• #1: NASA (84.3/100 satisfaction score)
• #2: Department of Health and Human Services (74.3)
• #3: Intelligence Community (71.9)
• #4: Department of Commerce (70.6)
• #5: Department of Veterans Affairs (68.4)

😔 The bottom five:

• #13: Department of the Navy
• #13: Department of State
• #15: Department of Justice
• #16: Department of Homeland Security
• #17: Social Security Administration

Between the lines: DHS moved out of last place for the first time in 10 years. Their satisfaction rating still dropped, but the Social Security Administration’s rate dropped even more, putting them in last place.

The big picture: Overall satisfaction across agencies dropped again — to 63.4 points last year, down 5.6 points since 2020.

• Driving that decline includes satisfaction in pay dropping from 61.2 points to 55.9 points, in addition to unhappiness with managers.
• “The role of the leader cannot be understated here,” said Brooke Bollyky, partner at Boston Consulting Group. “Leaders need to apply a new set of skills,” including managing “dispersed teams.”

The bottom line: “This year’s rankings point to a troubling two-year decline in employee engagement, a clear warning signal that leaders across government need to urgently and proactively address,” said Max Stier, CEO of the Partnership for Public Service.

One big drop: Workplace satisfaction at the FDIC dropped to a rating of 68.5 from 77. It’s an even steeper decline from 2020, when the score was 82.5.