NRC RANKED BEST PLACE TO WORK IN THE 

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR SECOND TIME 

 For the second time in a row, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has been ranked as the 

top place to work among large federal agencies. The 2009 Best Places to Work in the Federal 

Government rankings were announced today by the Partnership for Public Service and the 

American University Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation. The NRC was 

awarded first place in 2007 and maintained the highest ranking this year, too. 

 The NRC, along with others, was recognized in a ceremony today in Washington, D.C., 

where NRC Commissioner and former Chairman Dale E. Klein accepted the award on behalf of the 

agency. Dr. Klein said, “This is a very great honor for all the remarkable men and women at the 

NRC who are committed to our mission of protecting people and the environment. Maintaining this 

number one ranking for two consecutive surveys is an unprecedented accomplishment that is the 

result of our managers’ and staff’s hard work and commitment to meeting the challenge, and thus 

succeeding in staying on top.” 

 Incoming Chairman Gregory B. Jaczko, who asked Klein to represent the agency at the 

ceremony added, “The challenge now is to build on this impressive record and see if we can achieve 

a ‘hat trick’ by further improving our performance on behalf of the American people. This really is 

a great place to work and our employees should take pride in this accomplishment.” 

 The NRC has recruited hundreds of additional employees over the past few years to help 

review 17 applications the agency has received for new reactor licenses. The workforce now totals 

about 3,800 employees, with half of the staff having been at NRC for less than six years. With this 

expansion, the agency has developed innovative ways to maintain an employee-friendly workplace 

and cohesion of its headquarters staff in Rockville, Md., who are now in four different locations. 

 

The Best Places to Work rankings are the most comprehensive and authoritative rating and 

analysis of employee engagement in the federal government. They are compiled by the Partnership 

using data from the Office of Personnel Management’s biannual, government-wide Federal Human 

Capital Survey. The survey measures employees' perceptions of whether, and to what extent, 

conditions characterizing successful organizations are present in their agencies. This year 212,000 

federal employees responded to the survey. 

NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 

Washington, D.C. 20555-0001 

E-mail: opa.resource@nrc.gov

Site: http://www.nrc.gov

No. 09-087 May 20, 2009
 Agencies are ranked by the Partnership according to factors that create a positive work 

environment. These factors include effective leadership, work-life balance, training, and pay and 

benefits. All demographic groups in NRC who completed the survey ranked the agency number 1 in 

all factors. 

 Details of the survey can be found at: http://www.bestplacestowork.org. 

### 

NOTE: Anyone wishing to take photos or use a camera to record any portion of a NRC meeting should contact 

the Office of Public Affairs beforehand. 

News releases are available through a free listserv subscription at the following Web address: 

http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html. The NRC homepage at www.nrc.gov also offers a SUBSCRIBE 

link. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web site.