Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey Results

Employees Influencing Change

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

2015 Agency Management Report

United States Office of Personnel Management OPM.GOV/FEVS #FEVS
Table of Contents

About This Report ..................................................................................................................................................................................2

A Brief Guide .........................................................................................................................................................................................3

Respondent Overview............................................................................................................................................................................5

Top 10 Positive & Negative Items...........................................................................................................................................................6

Engagement Index .................................................................................................................................................................................7

Benchmarks ......................................................................................................................................................................................7

Component Scores............................................................................................................................................................................7

Trends ...............................................................................................................................................................................................9

Global Satisfaction Index .................................................................................................................................................................... 11

Benchmarks ................................................................................................................................................................................... 11

Component Scores......................................................................................................................................................................... 11

Trends ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 13

The New IQ Index................................................................................................................................................................................ 15

Benchmarks ................................................................................................................................................................................... 15

Component Scores......................................................................................................................................................................... 15

Trends ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 17

Decision Aid: Increases........................................................................................................................................................................ 19

Decision Aid: Decreases....................................................................................................................................................................... 23

Decision Aid: No Change..................................................................................................................................................................... 24

Work/Life Programs............................................................................................................................................................................. 25

Special Topic: Engagement.................................................................................................................................................................. 27

Appendix A: Item Results and Benchmarks......................................................................................................................................... 28

Appendix B: Work/Life Programs & Demographic Results ................................................................................................................... 34
About This Report 2

About This Report

The 2015 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) provides employees with the opportunity to influence 

change in their agencies by submitting feedback about their work environment, leadership and many other aspects 

of the organization. The FEVS also provides agency leaders with unique insight into workforce issues and trends, 

and helps them to identify problem areas as well as maintain positive aspects of the agency.

The 2015 Agency Management Report (AMR) was designed to help agency leaders identify these issues and take 

action to improve them, and it also highlights agency successes that should be acknowledged. Please feel free to 

share these successes and areas for improvement with your employees.

When reviewing your results, please keep the guidelines below in mind. These guidelines were created to organize 

your survey results in a way that is easier to digest and interpret.

Understanding Your Results

Percent Positive

The sum of two positive categories (e.g., Strongly Agree/Agree)

Percent Negative

The sum of two negative categories (e.g., Strongly Disagree/Disagree)

Percent Neutral

The neutral category (e.g., Neither Agree nor Disagree)

Identifying Strengths, Challenges and Neutral Findings

65 percent positive or higher is considered a strength

35 percent negative or higher is considered a challenge

30 percent neutral or higher suggests uncertainty, presenting an opportunity for communication 

between managers and staff

Identifying Increases and Decreases

Movement up or down since the previous year is another important piece of information to consider when 

examining your results. Any increase or decrease in results can be important; however larger increases or decreases 

(generally 3 or more percentage points) may be a result of significant changes taking place within the agency and 

should be examined. Increases indicate positive change that should continue to be reinforced. Decreases, especially 

in areas considered mission critical, may call for appropriate action to prevent further decline.
3

A Brief Guide to Using Your Agency Management Report

This section provides suggestions on how to use your FEVS results and includes examples for taking action to help 

your agency meet its strategic human capital management goals.

Getting Started

Agencies receive many FEVS reports each year, so it can be confusing to know where to start. One suggested 

starting point is to adopt a strategy based in an action planning framework. This means looking for improvements 

you have made in previous years while also examining areas of decline. To help you get started, several steps are 

outlined below, including references to sections of the Agency Management Report (AMR) that you may find 

useful in helping you to focus on the most critical issues.

Step 1: Use Your AMR to Identify Areas for Improvement

Your AMR provides the tools that can be useful in analyzing your results to find issues most critical to your agency. 

One way to identify issues is to compare your agency’s 2015 results to last year. The Decision Aid - Decreases 

section provides a quick way to view all of your results that have decreased since 2014. There are many ways to 

look at your results, and the following sections of the AMR can be valuable resources in illustrating the state of 

your agency:

Respondent Overview

The Respondent Overview provides a quick snapshot of some interesting demographic results from the respondent 

population. It offers valuable insight into the makeup of who is responding in your agency and can help inform 

and guide your recruiting and retention efforts. For example, this section allows you to better understand the ratio 

of seasoned employees who may be preparing for retirement to newer employees. It is important to keep in mind 

that this is a survey respondent overview, and these percentages may not match up exactly to your agency’s total 

population characteristics.

Top 10 Positive and Negative Items

Not only does this section display a brief overview of noteworthy results (for use in leadership briefings, 

agency communications, etc.), it also allows you to quickly determine if there are any underlying themes in 

the way employees responded to certain items. For example, your agency may want to prioritize issues around 

communication if multiple survey items related to this subject reside in the Top 10 Negative Items list.

Indices

The Engagement Index, Global Satisfaction Index, and New IQ provide agencies with consistent metrics for measuring 

progress toward objectives. Benchmarks are included to provide insight into how your agency compares to others, 

and to encourage information sharing between agencies. For example, some of the top ranking agencies in the 

Engagement Index may have suggestions on things that have and have not worked to engage their employees. 

This year, each index also includes a display of trends for each agency component, going as far back as 2012 

when available.

A Brief Guide to Using Your Agency Management Report
4

A Brief Guide to Using Your Agency Management Report (continued)

Decision Aid

This section is useful in helping you easily identify the most critical issues in your agency as well as recognize 

where your agency has improved since 2014. The Decision Aid is divided into three sections to help you focus your 

attention on improvements and declines in your results since last year:

Increases: Contains all items that increased since 2014

Decreases: Contains all items that decreased since 2014

No Change: Contains all items that did not change since 2014

Appendix A and Appendix B

The appendices give you an opportunity to more thoroughly understand your workforce by displaying item-level 

results. Appendix A shows how well your agency scored relative to others in the government. Scanning the graphs 

can indicate how your agency is generally performing as well as help you identify particularly strong or weak areas. 

Appendix B shows a full breakdown of the Work/Life Program results as well as demographic items to provide a 

more in-depth summary than in the Respondent Overview and Work/Life sections.

Step 2: Develop Your Goals for Improvement

To develop your goals for improvement, you should consider issues that are most critical to your agency and how 

these issues relate to your strategic goals. It is also important to focus on issues that will provide both short-term, 

visible, measurable results, and those that will require long-term perspective.

Step 3: Identify Your FEVS Team

This is a crucial step, as your team can make or break your efforts to improve areas of concern and keep strengths 

strong. It is important that each member of your team is actively engaged in the process and supports its goals. 

Identifying your team is not just limited to personnel selection. It also includes identifying and pulling together 

your available resources while being aware of staff interests, capabilities, and agency budget and resources.

Step 4: Develop Your Plan for Action

Once your team has identified its goals, you should develop a list of actions that must be taken to reach these 

goals. You might also consider soliciting employee input on your plan. Assign staff responsibilities for each action 

and keep in mind timeframes. Tasks should include start dates, end dates, and measurable milestones. Make sure 

you get approval for the actions you must take to achieve your agency goals. Remember that leadership buy-in, 

engagement, and communication is critical to your success.

Step 5: Implement Your Plan

There are many ways to publicize and communicate your intentions to employees, such as all-hands meetings, 

announcements, intranet/web updates, and social media, to name a few. After your plan is communicated and 

you have leadership support, you are ready to launch the plan. Communicating early and often ensures staff and 

leadership are well-informed.

Step 6: Monitor and Evaluate the Results

In addition to measuring your progress along the way and evaluating the success of your plan, it is important that 

you communicate progress toward goals and final outcomes. Communicating during the entire process provides 

transparency which can add to staff engagement.

A Brief Guide to Using Your Agency Management Report
5

Respondent Overview

The Unique Characteristics of Federal Energy Regulatory 

 Commission Respondents

The figures below provide a snapshot of your survey participants. Except 

for military status and race, the most frequently selected response choice 

for each demographic item is highlighted in the first figure. The second 

figure displays the total FEVS respondent breakdown by generation. 

Please be aware that these results are based on survey respondents, which 

may differ from the total employee population.

Military Service

9 %

Male

58 %

Agency Tenure of 

11+ Years

39 %

10

Advanced Degrees 

(Post-Bachelor’s)

65 %

Pay Grades 13 to 15

76 %

Minorities

31 %

Generations

 2% Traditionalists (born 1945 or earlier)

 37% Baby Boomers (born 1946 – 1964)

37% Generation X (born 1965 – 1980)

 24% Generation Y (born 1981 or later)

Note: The sum of percentages may not add to 100 due to rounding.

FERC Response Rate

 73% (996 out of 1,357 

employees responded)

Field Period: April 27, 2015 – June, 5, 2015

Overall 2014 response rate: 66%

Component Response Rates

 95% Office of Energy Infrastructure Security

 87% Office of Energy Policy and Innovation

 82% Office of Enforcement

 79% Office of Electric Reliability

 79% Office of the Executive Director

 75% Office of the Secretary

 72% Office of Energy Projects

 71% Office of General Counsel

 68% Office of Administrative Litigation

 66% Office of Energy Market Regulation

 61% Office of Administrative Law Judges 

& Dispute Resolution

 58% Office of External Affairs

 56% Chairman and Commissioner Office

Agency results have a margin of error of +/- 1%

Please refer to Appendix B for the full list of demographic item results.

Respondent Overview
6

Top 10 Positive & Negative Items

The figures below highlight the top 10 positive and negative results from the survey to help you quickly identify the 

most positive and most negative aspects of the organizational environment. Use this snapshot as a quick reference 

or overview of your FEVS results. For more in-depth analysis, use this section in conjunction with the Decision 

Aid to help you narrow down the most important areas to work on improving and/or maintaining in the coming 

year. The text box at the bottom of this page also contains some tips for taking action to improve negative items. 

Highest Percent Positive Items

 97% When needed I am willing to put in the extra effort 

to get a job done. (Q. 7)

 91% My supervisor treats me with respect. (Q. 49)

 91% In the last six months, my supervisor has talked with 

me about my performance. (Q. 50)

 91% I am constantly looking for ways to do my job 

better. (Q. 8)

 90% How would you rate the overall quality of work 

done by your work unit? (Q. 28)

 90% My supervisor supports my need to balance work 

and other life issues. (Q. 42)

 88% The work I do is important. (Q. 13)

 88% My supervisor listens to what I have to say. (Q. 48)

 88% Employees are protected from health and safety 

hazards on the job. (Q. 35)

 87% My agency is successful at accomplishing its 

mission. (Q. 39)

Highest Percent Negative Items

 34% Pay raises depend on how well employees perform 

their jobs. (Q. 33)

 29% In my work unit, steps are taken to deal with a poor 

performer who cannot or will not improve. (Q. 23)

 27% In my work unit, differences in performance are 

recognized in a meaningful way. (Q. 24)

 26% How satisfied are you with your opportunity to get a 

better job in your organization? (Q. 67)

 25% Creativity and innovation are rewarded. (Q. 32)

 24% Awards in my work unit depend on how well 

employees perform their jobs. (Q. 25)

 23% Promotions in my work unit are based on merit. (Q. 22)

 20% In my organization, senior leaders generate high levels of 

motivation and commitment in the workforce. (Q. 53)

 20% Employees have a feeling of personal empowerment 

with respect to work processes. (Q. 30)

 20% My training needs are assessed. (Q. 18)

Top 10 Positive & Negative Items

Tips for Taking Action

It can be difficult to know where to start when looking at items with high percent negative ratings. A helpful suggestion is to group items 

together with common themes and determine if there is a larger category you can target for improvement. For example, if you notice there are 

several high percent negative items related to communication with supervisors, understanding of job expectations, and fairness of performance 

appraisals, then it may be a good idea to target the performance management process as an area for improvement in your agency.
7

Engagement Index

Because the FEVS is an assessment of organizational climate, the Engagement Index does not directly evaluate an 

employee’s level of engagement. Therefore, instead of measuring “states” of engagement such as focused attention 

and dedication to completing assignments, this index concentrates on factors that lead to an engaged workforce 

(e.g., supporting employee development, communicating agency goals).

Below, you can see where your agency’s Engagement Index score ranks (out of 37 departments/large agencies, 

where Army, Army Corps of Engineers, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Other Defense agencies/activities 

are rolled into Department of Defense) and how it compares to the governmentwide average. The names of 

the highest-ranked agencies are listed to facilitate the sharing of information, such as best practices. The U.S. Office 

of Personnel Management (OPM) has also created the Unlock Talent website (https://www.unlocktalent.gov) to 

share resources and help with interagency communication.

Engagement Benchmarks

rank

1 78% FTC, NASA, OMB

rank

4 FERC 76%

rank

5 75% NRC

64% Governmentwide

This table displays the Engagement Index score for each component in your agency as well as the scores for the 

three engagement factors, which can facilitate information-sharing within your agency.

Engagement Component Scores

Leaders Lead Supervisors

Intrinsic Work 

Experiences

 2015

Engagement 

Index

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 70 84 75 76

Office of General Counsel 88 95 87 90

Ofc of Admin Law Judges & Dispute Resolution 77 86 83 82

Office of the Secretary 79 78 84 80

Office of Energy Market Regulation 77 87 75 80

Office of Electric Reliability 72 83 68 74

Leaders Lead: Employees’ perceptions of leadership’s integrity as well as leadership behaviors such as communication and workforce motivation. (Q. 53, 54, 56, 60, and 61)

Supervisors: Interpersonal relationship between worker and supervisor, including trust, respect, and support. (Q. 47, 48, 49, 51, and 52)

Intrinsic Work Experiences: Employees’ feelings of motivation and competency relating to their role in the workplace. (Q. 3, 4, 6, 11, and 12)

Engagement Index
8

Engagement Index (continued)

Leaders Lead Supervisors

Intrinsic Work 

Experiences

2015

Engagement 

Index

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 70 84 75 76

Office of Energy Projects 64 84 74 74

Office of Energy Policy and Innovation 74 77 68 73

Office of Enforcement 64 79 72 72

Office of the Executive Director 61 79 71 71

Office of Energy Infrastructure Security 66 78 66 70

Office of External Affairs 60 70 77 69

Office of Administrative Litigation 46 77 65 63

Engagement Index
9

Engagement Index (continued)

To provide more information on employee engagement at lower levels, the table below includes engagement 

trends back to 2012 (if available) for your components, as well as the overall agency and governmentwide trends 

for comparison. Please note that depending on organizational structure in previous administrations not all 

components may trend back to 2012.

Engagement Trends

Engagement Index

2012201320142015

Governmentwide

65. 64. Decreased from 2012. 63. Decreased from 2013. 64. Increased from 2014.

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

70. 73. Increased from 2012. 74. Increased from 2013. 76. Increased from 2014.

65 64 63 64

70 73 74 76

Engagement Component Trends

Engagement Index

201220132014

2015

Office of General Counsel

76. 83. Increased from 2012. 87. Increased from 2013. 90. Increased from 2014.

Ofc of Admin Law Judges & 

Dispute Resolution

No data available for 2012 84. 73. Decreased from 2013. 82. Increased from 2014.

Office of the Secretary

80. 76. Decreased from 2012. 69. Decreased from 2013. 80. Increased from 2014.

Office of Energy Market Regulation

66. 74. Increased from 2012. 76. Increased from 2013. 80. Increased from 2014.

Office of Electric Reliability

68. 68. No change from 2012. 73. Increased from 2013. 74. Increased from 2014.

76 83 87 90

84 73 82

80 76 69 80

66 74 76 80

68 68 73 74

Engagement Index

201220132014

2015

Office of Energy Projects

70. 68. Decreased from 2012. 72. Increased from 2013. 74. Increased from 2014.

Office of Energy Policy and Innovation

79. 77. Decreased from 2012. 77. No change from 2013. 73. Decreased from 2014.

Office of Enforcement

69. 71. Increased from 2012. 69. Decreased from 2013. 72. Increased from 2014.

Office of the Executive Director

71. 76. Increased from 2012. 69. Decreased from 2013. 71. Increased from 2014.

Office of Energy Infrastructure Security

No data available for 2012 89. 70. Decreased from 2013. 70. No change from 2014.

70 68 72 74

79 77 77 73

69 71 69 72

71 76 69 71

89

70 70

Engagement Index
10

Engagement Index (continued)

Engagement Index

2012201320142015

Office of External Affairs

No data available for 2012 80. No data available for 2014. 69. Decreased from 2013.

Office of Administrative Litigation

58. 56. Decreased from 2012. 60. Increased from 2013. 63. Increased from 2014.

80 69

58 56 60 63

Engagement Index
11

Global Satisfaction Index

The Global Satisfaction Index is a combination of employees’ satisfaction with their jobs, their pay, and their 

organization, plus their willingness to recommend their organization as a good place to work. The Global Satisfaction 

Index score for your agency, the highest scoring agencies, and the governmentwide average are displayed below, 

along with your agency ranking (out of 37 departments/large agencies, where Army, Army Corps of Engineers, 

Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Other Defense agencies/activities are rolled into Department of Defense).

Global Satisfaction Benchmarks

rank

1 76% NASA

rank

2 75% OMB

rank

3 FERC 74%

rank

3 74% NRC

60% Governmentwide

This table shows the Global Satisfaction Index score for each component in your agency as well as the scores for all 

four satisfaction factors.

Global Satisfaction Component Scores

Job

Satisfaction

Pay

Satisfaction

Organization 

Satisfaction

Recommend 

Organization

2015

Global 

Satisfaction 

Index

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 75 65 75 81 74

Office of General Counsel 91 65 94 94 86

Office of Energy Market Regulation 81 72 80 85 80

Office of the Secretary 79 67 85 86 79

Office of Electric Reliability 75 77 73 80 76

Office of Energy Projects 75 73 73 79 75

Office of Energy Policy and Innovation 74 66 74 78 73

Office of the Executive Director 71 61 68 76 69

Office of Energy Infrastructure Security 62 65 66 79 68

Job Satisfaction: Considering everything, how satisfied are you with your job? (Q. 69)

Pay Satisfaction: Considering everything, how satisfied are you with your pay? (Q. 70)

Organization Satisfaction: Considering everything, how satisfied are you with your organization? (Q. 71)

Recommend Organization: I recommend my organization as a good place to work. (Q. 40)

Global Satisfaction Index
12

Global Satisfaction Index (continued)

Job

Satisfaction

Pay

Satisfaction

Organization 

Satisfaction

Recommend 

Organization

2015

Global 

Satisfaction 

Index

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 75 65 75 81 74

Global Satisfaction Index

Office of Enforcement 63 52 69 79 66

Ofc of Admin Law Judges & Dispute Resolution 69 47 73 75 66

Office of External Affairs 83 63 53 63 66

Office of Administrative Litigation 60 39 50 63 53
13

Global Satisfaction Index (continued)

To provide more information on global satisfaction at lower levels, the table below includes trends back to 2012 

(if available) for your components, as well as the overall agency and governmentwide trends for comparison. 

Please note that depending on organizational structure in previous administrations not all components may trend 

back to 2012.

Global Satisfaction Trends

Global Satisfaction Index

2012201320142015

Governmentwide

63. 59. Decreased from 2012. 59. No change from 2013. 60. Increased from 2014.

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

68. 70. Increased from 2012. 71. Increased from 2013. 74. Increased from 2014.

63 59 59 60

68 70 71 74

Global Satisfaction Component Trends

Global Satisfaction Index 2012 2013 2014 2015

Office of General Counsel

71. 78. Increased from 2012. 82. Increased from 2013. 86. Increased from 2014.

Office of Energy Market Regulation

62. 71. Increased from 2012. 74. Increased from 2013. 80. Increased from 2014.

Office of the Secretary

74. 79. Increased from 2012. 78. Decreased from 2013. 79. Increased from 2014.

Office of Electric Reliability

67. 67. No change from 2012. 76. Increased from 2013. 76. No change from 2014.

Office of Energy Projects

71. 71. No change from 2012. 71. No change from 2013. 75. Increased from 2014.

Global Satisfaction Index 2012 2013 2014 2015

Office of Energy Policy and 

Innovation

84. 72. Decreased from 2012. 79. Increased from 2013. 73. Decreased from 2014.

Office of the Executive Director

69. 72. Increased from 2012. 67. Decreased from 2013. 69. Increased from 2014.

Office of Energy Infrastructure 

Security

No data available for 2012 72. 67. Decreased from 2013. 68. Increased from 2014.

Office of Enforcement

67. 66. Decreased from 2012. 63. Decreased from 2013. 66. Increased from 2014.

Ofc of Admin Law Judges & 

Dispute Resolution

No data available for 2012 74. 68. Decreased from 2013. 66. Decreased from 2014.

71 78 82 86

62 71 74 80

74 79 78 79

67 67 76 76

71 71 71 75

84

72 79 73

69 72 67 69

72 67 68

67 66 63 66

74 68 66

Global Satisfaction Index
14

Global Satisfaction Index (continued)

Global Satisfaction Index 2012 2013 2014 2015

Office of External Affairs

No data available for 2012 66. No data available for 2014. 66. No change from 2013.

Office of Administrative Litigation

54. 45. Decreased from 2012. 52. Increased from 2013. 53. Increased from 2014.

Global Satisfaction Index

66 66

54 45 52 53
15

The New IQ Index

The New IQ stands for the New Inclusion Quotient. The New IQ is based on the concept that individual behaviors 

repeated over time will create habits necessary for inclusiveness. It consists of 20 questions that relate to inclusive 

work environments. These 20 questions are grouped into five Habits of Inclusion: Fair, Open, Cooperative, 

Supportive, and Empowering. The New IQ Index score for your agency, the highest scoring agencies, and the 

governmentwide average are displayed below, along with your agency ranking (out of 37 departments/large 

agencies, where Army, Army Corps of Engineers, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Other Defense agencies/

activities are rolled into Department of Defense).

New IQ Benchmarks

rank

1 74% NASA

rank

2 70% FTC 

rank

3 FERC 69%

rank

3 69% NRC, OMB

57% Governmentwide

This table shows the New IQ Index score for each component in your agency as well as the scores for all five habits 

of inclusion.

New IQ Component Scores

Fair Open Cooperative Supportive Empowering

2015

New IQ Index

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 58 68 67 86 68 69

Office of General Counsel 66 82 82 93 80 80

Ofc of Admin Law Judges & Dispute 

Resolution 59 79 70 81 77 73

Office of Energy Market Regulation 58 69 73 88 68 71

Office of Electric Reliability 61 69 66 88 62 69

Office of the Secretary 53 61 73 79 77 69

Office of Energy Projects 58 65 66 86 67 68

Fair: Are all employees treated equally? (Q. 23, 24, 25, 37, and 38)

Open: Does management support diversity in all ways? (Q. 32, 34, 45, and 55)

Cooperative: Does management encourage communication and collaboration? (Q. 58 and 59)

Supportive: Do supervisors value employees? (Q. 42, 46, 48, 49, and 50)

Empowering: Do employees have the resources and support needed to excel? (Q. 2, 3, 11, and 30)

The New IQ Index
16

The New IQ Index (continued)

The New IQ Index

Fair Open Cooperative Supportive Empowering

2015

New IQ Index

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 58 68 67 86 68 69

Office of Energy Policy and Innovation 56 69 72 81 63 68

Office of Energy Infrastructure Security 68 71 49 86 56 66

Office of Enforcement 53 64 61 83 67 66

Office of the Executive Director 53 65 60 84 64 65

Office of External Affairs 50 57 40 76 62 57

Office of Administrative Litigation 47 47 52 80 57 57
17

The New IQ Index (continued)

To provide more information on the New IQ at lower levels, the table below includes trends back to 2012 

(if available) for your components, as well as the overall agency and governmentwide trends for comparison. 

Please note that depending on organizational structure in previous administrations not all components may 

trend back to 2012.

New IQ Trends

New IQ Index

2012201320142015

Governmentwide

57. 56. Decreased from 2012. 56. No change from 2013. 57. Increased from 2014.

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

62. 65. Increased from 2012. 66. Increased from 2013. 69. Increased from 2014.

New IQ Component Trends

New IQ Index

2012201320142015

Office of General Counsel

68. 73. Increased from 2012. 76. Increased from 2013. 80. Increased from 2014.

Ofc of Admin Law Judges & 

Dispute Resolution

No data available for 2012 70. 58. Decreased from 2013. 73. Increased from 2014.

Office of Energy Market Regulation

58. 65. Increased from 2012. 67. Increased from 2013. 71. Increased from 2014.

Office of Electric Reliability

63. 63. No change from 2012. 69. Increased from 2013. 69. No change from 2014.

Office of the Secretary

70. 68. Decreased from 2012. 65. Decreased from 2013. 69. Increased from 2014.

New IQ Index

2012201320142015

Office of Energy Projects

62. 62. No change from 2012. 65. Increased from 2013. 68. Increased from 2014.

Office of Energy Policy and 

Innovation

72. 67. Decreased from 2012. 69. Increased from 2013. 68. Decreased from 2014.

Office of Energy Infrastructure 

Security

No data available for 2012 85. 62. Decreased from 2013. 66. Increased from 2014.

Office of Enforcement

63. 65. Increased from 2012. 64. Decreased from 2013. 66. Increased from 2014.

Office of the Executive Director

62. 67. Increased from 2012. 62. Decreased from 2013. 65. Increased from 2014.

57 56 56 57

62 65 66 69

68 73 76 80

70

58

73

58 65 67 71

63 63 69 69

70 68 65 69

62 62 65 68

72 67 69 68

85

62 66

63 65 64 66

62 67 62 65

The New IQ Index
18

The New IQ Index (continued)

New IQ Index

2012201320142015

Office of External Affairs

No data available for 2012 74. No data available for 2014. 57. Decreased from 2013.

Office of Administrative Litigation

52. 52. No change from 2012. 55. Increased from 2013. 57. Increased from 2014.

The New IQ Index

74

57

52 52 55 57
19

Decision Aid: Increases

Identifying Increases Since 2014

The items in this section are sorted by greatest to smallest increase in percent positive ratings. The items are sorted 

to allow you to quickly and easily identify where your agency has made the greatest improvements since last year.

Using the Legend Icons

The legend icons provide context for interpreting these results. While these items have improved, some may still 

be considered challenges (35% or more negative) or others may have reached the 65% or more positive mark and 

become new strengths this year. The legend icons help to highlight areas in need of continued focus and areas that 

have been successfully improved and should be celebrated.

60 Items Increased Since 2014

Strength

These items are 

65 percent positive 

or higher

Caution

These items are 

30 percent neutral 

or higher

Challenge

These items are 

35 percent negative 

or higher

New Strength

These items became 

a new strength 

in 2015

2014

Positive

2015 

Positive

2015 

Neutral

2015 

Negative

Increase 

Since 2014

I believe the results of this survey will be used to make my agency a better place 

to work. (Q. 41) 55 62 23 15 +7

Creativity and innovation are rewarded. (Q. 32) 41 48 27 25 +7

Promotions in my work unit are based on merit. (Q. 22) 50 56 21 23 +6

Policies and programs promote diversity in the workplace (for example, recruiting 

minorities and women, training in awareness of diversity issues, mentoring). (Q. 34) 64 70This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

This became a new strength in 2015.

22 8 +6

How satisfied are you with the recognition you receive for doing a good job? (Q. 65) 60 65This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

This became a new strength in 2015.

18 17 +5

My organization’s senior leaders maintain high standards of honesty and integrity. (Q. 54) 70 75This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

16 10 +5

How satisfied are you with the policies and practices of your senior leaders? (Q. 66) 57 62 23 15 +5

How satisfied are you with your involvement in decisions that affect your work? (Q. 63) 62 67This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

This became a new strength in 2015.

17 16 +5

Prohibited Personnel Practices are not tolerated. (Q. 38) 74 78This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

14 8 +4

Discussions with my supervisor about my performance are worthwhile. (Q. 44) 69 73This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

14 14 +4

Decision Aid: Increases
20

Decision Aid: Increases (continued)

Decision Aid: Increases

2014

Positive

2015 

Positive

2015 

Neutral

2015 

Negative

Increase 

Since 2014

My performance appraisal is a fair reflection of my performance. (Q. 15) 72 76This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

13 12 +4

I am given a real opportunity to improve my skills in my organization. (Q. 1) 72 76This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

12 12 +4

In my work unit, steps are taken to deal with a poor performer who cannot or will not 

improve. (Q. 23) 38 42 28 29 +4

The skill level in my work unit has improved in the past year. (Q. 27) 62 66This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

This became a new strength in 2015.

25 9 +4

How satisfied are you with the training you receive for your present job? (Q. 68) 60 64 22 14 +4

In my work unit, differences in performance are recognized in a meaningful way. (Q. 24) 43 47 26 27 +4

Overall, how good a job do you feel is being done by the manager directly above your 

immediate supervisor? (Q. 60) 71 75This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

15 10 +4

Arbitrary action, personal favoritism and coercion for partisan political purposes 

are not tolerated. (Q. 37) 64 68This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

This became a new strength in 2015.

17 15 +4

Employees are recognized for providing high quality products and services. (Q. 31) 61 65This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

This became a new strength in 2015.

19 16 +4

I have trust and confidence in my supervisor. (Q. 51) 77 80This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

11 9 +3

I feel encouraged to come up with new and better ways of doing things. (Q. 3) 60 63 17 20 +3

My talents are used well in the workplace. (Q. 11) 64 67This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

This became a new strength in 2015.

15 18 +3

Considering everything, how satisfied are you with your pay? (Q. 70) 62 65This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

This became a new strength in 2015.

16 19 +3

Considering everything, how satisfied are you with your organization? (Q. 71) 72 75This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

16 10 +3

Employees in my work unit share job knowledge with each other. (Q. 26) 82 85This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

8 7 +3

Managers support collaboration across work units to accomplish work objectives. (Q. 59) 68 71This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

16 14 +3

Overall, how good a job do you feel is being done by your immediate supervisor? (Q. 52) 79 82This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

11 6 +3

Supervisors in my work unit support employee development. (Q. 47) 75 78This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

13 9 +3

I recommend my organization as a good place to work. (Q. 40) 78 81This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

13 6 +3

In my organization, senior leaders generate high levels of motivation and commitment 

in the workforce. (Q. 53) 56 59 21 20 +3

Awards in my work unit depend on how well employees perform their jobs. (Q. 25) 51 54 22 24 +3

Employees have a feeling of personal empowerment with respect to work processes. (Q. 30) 55 58 22 20 +3
21

Decision Aid: Increases (continued)

Decision Aid: Increases

2014

Positive

2015 

Positive

2015 

Neutral

2015 

Negative

Increase 

Since 2014

How satisfied are you with your opportunity to get a better job in your organization? (Q. 67) 43 46 28 26 +3

Managers promote communication among different work units (for example, about 

projects, goals, needed resources). (Q. 58) 61 64 19 17 +3

In the last six months, my supervisor has talked with me about my performance. (Q. 50) 88 91This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

5 4 +3

I have enough information to do my job well. (Q. 2) 81 83This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

9 8 +2

I can disclose a suspected violation of any law, rule or regulation without fear 

of reprisal. (Q. 17) 68 70This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

20 10 +2

My training needs are assessed. (Q. 18) 57 59 21 20 +2

I know what is expected of me on the job. (Q. 6) 81 83This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

9 8 +2

Senior leaders demonstrate support for Work/Life programs. (Q. 62) 76 78This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

13 9 +2

My supervisor listens to what I have to say. (Q. 48) 86 88This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

7 5 +2

In my most recent performance appraisal, I understood what I had to do to be rated at 

different performance levels (for example, Fully Successful, Outstanding). (Q. 19) 66 68This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

15 17 +2

My supervisor provides me with constructive suggestions to improve my 

job performance. (Q. 46) 68 70This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

18 13 +2

The people I work with cooperate to get the job done. (Q. 20) 84 86This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

9 5 +2

I have a high level of respect for my organization’s senior leaders. (Q. 61) 71 73This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

16 11 +2

I am held accountable for achieving results. (Q. 16) 81 83This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

12 5 +2

My supervisor treats me with respect. (Q. 49) 90 91This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

5 4 +1

Considering everything, how satisfied are you with your job? (Q. 69) 74 75This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

14 10 +1

The work I do is important. (Q. 13) 87 88This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

7 4 +1

Supervisors work well with employees of different backgrounds. (Q. 55) 76 77This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

14 9 +1

My supervisor provides me with opportunities to demonstrate my leadership skills. (Q. 43) 75 76This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

13 11 +1

My supervisor is committed to a workforce representative of all segments of society. (Q. 45) 75 76This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

20 4 +1

How satisfied are you with the information you receive from management on what’s 

going on in your organization? (Q. 64) 63 64 21 15 +1
22

Decision Aid: Increases (continued)

Decision Aid: Increases

2014

Positive

2015 

Positive

2015 

Neutral

2015 

Negative

Increase 

Since 2014

Pay raises depend on how well employees perform their jobs. (Q. 33) 35 36 29 34 +1

Managers review and evaluate the organization’s progress toward meeting its 

goals and objectives. (Q. 57) 67 68This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

20 12 +1

The workforce has the job-relevant knowledge and skills necessary to accomplish 

organizational goals. (Q. 29) 84 85This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

9 6 +1

Managers communicate the goals and priorities of the organization. (Q. 56) 68 69This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

18 13 +1

My supervisor supports my need to balance work and other life issues. (Q. 42) 89 90This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

6 4 +1

My work unit is able to recruit people with the right skills. (Q. 21) 68 69This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

18 12 +1

My work gives me a feeling of personal accomplishment. (Q. 4) 74 75This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

14 12 +1
23

Decision Aid: Decreases

Identifying Decreases Since 2014

The items in this section are sorted by greatest to smallest decrease in percent positive ratings. The items are sorted 

to allow you to quickly and easily identify where results have dropped since last year.

Using the Legend Icons

The legend icons provide context for interpreting these results. When identifying the most critical decreases to 

focus on, it is important to check if these decreases are also identified as challenges (35% or more negative) or if 

they were previously identified as strengths that have fallen below the 65% or more positive threshold.

5 Items Decreased Since 2014

Strength

These items are 

65 percent positive 

or higher

Caution

These items are 

30 percent neutral 

or higher

Challenge

These items are 

35 percent negative 

or higher

Past Strength

These items are no 

longer a strength 

in 2015

2014

Positive

2015 

Positive

2015 

Neutral

2015 

Negative

Decrease 

Since 2014

Employees are protected from health and safety hazards on the job. (Q. 35) 90 88This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

10 2 -2

Physical conditions (for example, noise level, temperature, lighting, cleanliness in the 

workplace) allow employees to perform their jobs well. (Q. 14) 84 82This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

10 7 -2

When needed I am willing to put in the extra effort to get a job done. (Q. 7) 98 97This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

2 1 -1

My workload is reasonable. (Q. 10) 75 74This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

13 13 -1

I like the kind of work I do. (Q. 5) 83 82This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

13 5 -1

Decision Aid: Decreases
24

Decision Aid: No Change

Identifying Items That Have Not Changed Since 2014

Your percent positive results for these items have not changed since last year. These are items that your agency is 

maintaining, which can be either a positive, neutral, or negative finding. For example, an item with low percent positive 

results over several years is a strong indication of a need for focused action. You may also want to consider changing 

or updating your approach to addressing these issues if the item has been the focus of attention in the past. On the 

other hand, a trend of stable, high percent positive ratings is a finding that should be celebrated. Look at these items 

individually to determine whether there may be areas of concern for your agency.

Using the Legend Icons

The legend icons provide context for interpreting these results. While these items have not increased or decreased, 

they still may be causes for celebration or concern depending on the percent positive, negative, and neutral ratings.

6 Items Did Not Change Since 2014

Strength

These items are 

65 percent positive 

or higher

Caution

These items are 

30 percent neutral 

or higher

Challenge

These items are 

35 percent negative 

or higher

2014

Positive

2015 

Positive

2015 

Neutral

2015 

Negative

Change 

Since 2014

I am constantly looking for ways to do my job better. (Q. 8) 91 91This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

8 2 0

I have sufficient resources (for example, people, materials, budget) to get my job done. (Q. 9) 71 71This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

14 16 0

I know how my work relates to the agency’s goals and priorities. (Q. 12) 87 87This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

8 5 0

How would you rate the overall quality of work done by your work unit? (Q. 28) 90 90This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

8 2 0

My organization has prepared employees for potential security threats. (Q. 36) 84 84This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

12 4 0

My agency is successful at accomplishing its mission. (Q. 39) 87 87This item is 65 percent positive or higher.

10 3 0

Decision Aid: No Change
25

Work/Life Programs

Employee Ratings of Workplace Flexibilities

Work/Life Programs are critical to ensuring employees can effectively balance the demands of the workplace with 

responsibilities in their personal lives. In addition to being an important recruitment and retention tool, effective 

work/life programs decrease the burden on employees and help them to focus on the important work they do. 

Your agency’s work/life program participation and satisfaction results are displayed in the following figures.

Telework Trends

FERC

0

25

50

75

2012 2013 2014 2015

100

Governmentwide

100

75

50

25

2012 2013 2014 2015

0

FERC. 2012. 

PARTICIPATING 60%.

FERC. 2013. 

PARTICIPATING 69%. 

INCREASE FROM 2012.

FERC. 2014. 

PARTICIPATING 72%. 

INCREASE FROM 2013.

FERC. 2015. 

PARTICIPATING 80%. 

INCREASE FROM 2014.

60

69 72

FERC. 2012. SATISFIED 79%. 80 FERC. 2013. SATISFIED 83%. 

INCREASE FROM 2012.

FERC. 2014. SATISFIED 83%. 

NO CHANGE FROM 2013.

FERC. 2015. SATISFIED 87%. 

INCREASE FROM 2014.

79 83 83 87

GOVERNMENTWIDE. 2012. 

PARTICIPATING 25%.

GOVERNMENTWIDE. 2013. 

PARTICIPATING 26%. 

INCREASE FROM 2012.

GOVERNMENTWIDE. 2014. 

PARTICIPATING 29%. 

INCREASE FROM 2013.

GOVERNMENTWIDE. 2015. 

PARTICIPATING 31%. 

INCREASE FROM 2014.

25 26 29 31

GOVERNMENTWIDE. 2012. 

SATISFIED 73%.

GOVERNMENTWIDE. 2013. 

SATISFIED 76%. INCREASE 

FROM 2012.

GOVERNMENTWIDE. 2014. 

SATISFIED 77%. INCREASE 

FROM 2013.

GOVERNMENTWIDE. 2015. 

SATISFIED 78%. INCREASE 

FROM 2014.

73 76 77 78

Satisfied

Participating

Telework Status

FERC

80% 

Telework

19% 

Do Not 

Telework

G’wide

31% 

Telework

69% 

Do Not 

Telework

I telework 3 or more days per week

FERC

3%

GOVERNMENTWIDE.

5%

I telework 1 or 2 days per week

FERC

43%

GOVERNMENTWIDE.

11%

I telework, but no more than 1 or 2 days per month

FERC

14%

GOVERNMENTWIDE.

4%

I telework very infrequently, on an unscheduled or short-term basis

FERC

20%

GOVERNMENTWIDE.

11%

I do not telework because I have to be physically present on the job

FERC

1%

GOVERNMENTWIDE..

32%

I do not telework because I have technical issues

FERC

<1%

GOVERNMENTWIDE.

5%

I do not telework because I did not receive approval to do so, 

even though I have the kind of job where I can telework

FERC

3%

GOVERNMENTWIDE.

20%

I do not telework because I choose not to telework

FERC

15%

GOVERNMENTWIDE.

12%

Note: The sum of percentages may not add to 100 due to rounding.

Work/Life Programs
26

Work/Life Programs (continued)

Work/Life Program Participation and Satisfaction

Alternative Work Schedules (AWS)

Participation.

77%

Satisfaction. 

98%

Health and Wellness Programs (for example, exercise, medical screening, quit smoking programs)

Participation.

45%

Satisfaction. 

93%

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Participation. 

11%

Satisfaction. 

79%

Child Care Programs (for example, daycare, parenting classes, parenting support groups)

Participation. 

5%

Satisfaction. 

89%

Elder Care Programs (for example, support groups, speakers) Participation. 

3%

Satisfaction. 

71%

Telework

Participation.

80%

Satisfaction. 

87%

Participation

Satisfaction

Note: The Work/Life program satisfaction results include only employees who indicated that they participated in the program.

Work/Life Programs
27

Special Topic: Engagement

With the continued emphasis on employee engagement across the Federal Government, this section provides a 

more in-depth analysis of the conditions that lead to engagement. The Engagement Index is broken down by three 

demographic categories: generations, agency tenure, and the five most common occupational series in your agency 

in 2015. This year, trend results back to 2012 are also included. This section will help you determine if parts of your 

workforce are lacking the conditions needed for engagement, which can help guide attention to specific groups. 

For example, if newer employees have lower scores on the Engagement Index, you might consider the possibility 

that this group does not know what is expected of it on the job (Q. 6).

Generations

Engagement Index

2012 2013 2014 2015

Traditionalists 72% 71% 82% 85%

Baby Boomers 67% 70% 72% 74%

Generation X 75% 76% 74% 76%

Generation Y 68% 73% 77% 80%

Note: The method of 

calculating generations 

was changed in 2015 and 

applied to previous years, 

which accounts for any 

discrepancies between 

previous results and those 

displayed here.

Agency Tenure

Engagement Index

2012 2013 2014 2015

Less than 4 years 74% 79% 81% 83%

4 to 10 years 67% 69% 70% 73%

11 or more years 69% 73% 75% 77%

Occupational Series

Engagement Index

2012 2013 2014 2015

General Business & Industry 68% 74% 73% 74%

General Attorney 74% 80% 84% 85%

Civil Engineering 66% 61% 64% 69%

Electrical Engineering 72% 69% 73% 76%

Economist 63% 65% 76% 79%

Special Topic: Engagement
28

Appendix A: Item Results and Benchmarks

For each item, your agency’s percent positive response is shown on a 0 to 100 scale, with the triangular arrow indicating 

where your agency falls. The gray bars represent the range of scores for the 37 departments and large agencies surveyed, 

where Army, Army Corps of Engineers, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Other Defense agencies/activities are 

rolled into Department of Defense.

To understand how well your agency performed compared to others, focus on the location of the triangle within the 

gray bar. If the triangle is toward the right side of the bar, then your agency was above average on that item. If it is 

at the right edge of the bar, then you had the highest percent positive response for that item. Additionally, you can 

numerically compare your percent positive to the governmentwide average listed to the right of each item.

Item Benchmarks

2015 

G’wide

My Work Experience

 ‡1. I am given a real opportunity to improve my skills 

in my organization.

Low 46%; Your Agency 76%; High 82%.

61%

 2. I have enough information to do my job well.

Low 59%; Your Agency 83%; High 84%.

70%

 3. I feel encouraged to come up with new and better ways of 

doing things.

Low 39%; Your Agency 63%; High 79%.

56%

 ‡4. My work gives me a feeling of personal accomplishment.

Low 56%; Your Agency 75%; High 84%.

70%

 5. I like the kind of work I do.

Low 76%; Your Agency 82%; High 90%.

83%

 6. I know what is expected of me on the job.

Low 73%; Your Agency 83%; High 85%.

79%

 7. When needed I am willing to put in the extra effort 

to get a job done.

Low 93%; Your Agency 97%; High 98%.

96%

 8. I am constantly looking for ways to do my job better.

Low 85%; Your Agency 91%; High 94%.

90%

 9. I have sufficient resources (for example, people, materials, 

budget) to get my job done.

Low 35%; Your Agency 71%; High 71%.

46%

 ‡10. My workload is reasonable.

Low 45%; Your Agency 74%; High 74%.

57%

 ‡11. My talents are used well in the workplace.

Low 43%; Your Agency 67%; High 71%.

58%

 ‡12. I know how my work relates to the agency’s goals and priorities.

Low 72%; Your Agency 87%; High 91%.

82%

0 Low High 100

FERC

76%

83%

63%

75%

82%

83%

97%

91%

71%

74%

67%

87%

Note: Items included on the Annual Employee Survey are noted by a double dagger (‡).

Appendix A: Item Results and Benchmarks
29

Appendix A: Item Results and Benchmarks (continued)

Item Benchmarks

2015 

G’wide

 ‡13. The work I do is important.

Low 84%; Your Agency 88%; High 95%.

90%

 ‡14. Physical conditions (for example, noise level, temperature, 

lighting, cleanliness in the workplace) allow employees to perform 

their jobs well.

Low 49%; Your Agency 82%; High 88%.

66%

 ‡15. My performance appraisal is a fair reflection of my performance.

Low 58%; Your Agency 76%; High 81%.

69%

 16. I am held accountable for achieving results.

Low 70%; Your Agency 83%; High 90%.

81%

 17. I can disclose a suspected violation of any law, rule or regulation 

without fear of reprisal.

Low 47%; Your Agency 70%; High 78%.

61%

 ‡18. My training needs are assessed.

Low 36%; Your Agency 59%; High 72%.

52%

 ‡19. In my most recent performance appraisal, I understood what 

I had to do to be rated at different performance levels (for 

example, Fully Successful, Outstanding).

Low 51%; Your Agency 68%; High 82%.

68%

My Work Unit

 ‡20. The people I work with cooperate to get the job done.

Low 66%; Your Agency 86%; High 92%.

73%

 ‡21. My work unit is able to recruit people with the right skills.

Low 30%; Your Agency 69%; High 73%.

42%

 ‡22. Promotions in my work unit are based on merit.

Low 20%; Your Agency 56%; High 57%.

33%

 ‡23. In my work unit, steps are taken to deal with a poor performer 

who cannot or will not improve.

Low 20%; Your Agency 42%; High 44%.

28%

 ‡24. In my work unit, differences in performance are recognized in a 

meaningful way.

Low 23%; Your Agency 47%; High 49%.

33%

 25. Awards in my work unit depend on how well employees 

perform their jobs.

Low 29%; Your Agency 54%; High 60%.

40%

 26. Employees in my work unit share job knowledge with each other.

Low 67%; Your Agency 85%; High 88%.

73%

 27. The skill level in my work unit has improved in the past year.

Low 44%; Your Agency 66%; High 66%.

53%

 28. How would you rate the overall quality of work done by your 

work unit?

Low 73%; Your Agency 90%; High 95%.

82%

82%

76%

83%

70%

59%

68%

86%

69%

56%

42%

47%

54%

85%

66%

90%

Note: Items included on the Annual Employee Survey are noted by a double dagger (‡).

88%

Appendix A: Item Results and Benchmarks

0 Low High 100

FERC
30

Appendix A: Item Results and Benchmarks (continued)

Item Benchmarks

2015 

G’wide

My Agency

 ‡29. The workforce has the job-relevant knowledge and skills 

necessary to accomplish organizational goals.

Low 55%; Your Agency 85%; High 86%.

69%

 ‡30. Employees have a feeling of personal empowerment 

with respect to work processes.

Low 29%; Your Agency 58%; High 67%.

43%

 31. Employees are recognized for providing high quality products 

and services.

Low 31%; Your Agency 65%; High 73%.

47%

 ‡32. Creativity and innovation are rewarded.

Low 24%; Your Agency 48%; High 66%.

37%

 ‡33. Pay raises depend on how well employees perform their jobs.

Low 14%; Your Agency 36%; High 53%.

21%

 34. Policies and programs promote diversity in the 

workplace (for example, recruiting minorities and women, 

training in awareness of diversity issues, mentoring).

Low 46%; Your Agency 70%; High 78%.

56%

 ‡35. Employees are protected from health and safety hazards 

on the job.

Low 54%; Your Agency 88%; High 94%.

76%

 ‡36. My organization has prepared employees for potential 

security threats.

Low 61%; Your Agency 84%; High 86%.

76%

 37. Arbitrary action, personal favoritism and coercion for partisan 

political purposes are not tolerated.

Low 34%; Your Agency 68%; High 72%.

51%

 38. Prohibited Personnel Practices are not tolerated.

Low 52%; Your Agency 78%; High 84%.

66%

 39. My agency is successful at accomplishing its mission.

Low 58%; Your Agency 87%; High 93%.

73%

 40. I recommend my organization as a good place to work.

Low 45%; Your Agency 81%; High 83%.

63%

 41. I believe the results of this survey will be used to make 

my agency a better place to work.

Low 32%; Your Agency 62%; High 62%.

39%

Appendix A: Item Results and Benchmarks

85%

58%

65%

48%

36%

70%

88%

84%

68%

78%

87%

81%

62%

Note: Items included on the Annual Employee Survey are noted by a double dagger (‡).

0 Low High 100

FERC
31

Appendix A: Item Results and Benchmarks (continued)

Item Benchmarks

2015 

G’wide

My Supervisor

 ‡42. My supervisor supports my need to balance work and other 

life issues.

Low 67%; Your Agency 90%; High 91%.

78%

 43. My supervisor provides me with opportunities to demonstrate 

my leadership skills.

Low 57%; Your Agency 76%; High 81%.

65%

 ‡44. Discussions with my supervisor about my performance are 

worthwhile.

Low 54%; Your Agency 73%; High 76%.

63%

 45. My supervisor is committed to a workforce representative of all 

segments of society.

Low 57%; Your Agency 76%; High 81%.

67%

 46. My supervisor provides me with constructive suggestions to 

improve my job performance.

Low 55%; Your Agency 70%; High 73%.

61%

 ‡47. Supervisors in my work unit support employee development.

Low 53%; Your Agency 78%; High 86%.

64%

 48. My supervisor listens to what I have to say.

Low 70%; Your Agency 88%; High 89%.

76%

 49. My supervisor treats me with respect.

Low 77%; Your Agency 91%; High 91%.

81%

 50. In the last six months, my supervisor has talked with me 

about my performance.

Low 65%; Your Agency 91%; High 94%.

77%

 ‡51. I have trust and confidence in my supervisor.

Low 60%; Your Agency 80%; High 84%.

67%

 ‡52. Overall, how good a job do you feel is being done by your 

immediate supervisor?

Low 62%; Your Agency 82%; High 84%.

70%

Leadership

 ‡53. In my organization, senior leaders generate high levels of 

motivation and commitment in the workforce.

Low 25%; Your Agency 59%; High 67%.

39%

 54. My organization's senior leaders maintain high standards of 

honesty and integrity.

Low 37%; Your Agency 75%; High 80%.

50%

 ‡55. Supervisors work well with employees of different backgrounds.

Low 52%; Your Agency 77%; High 80%.

63%

 ‡56. Managers communicate the goals and priorities of the 

organization.

Low 44%; Your Agency 69%; High 76%.

59%

90%

76%

73%

76%

70%

78%

88%

91%

91%

80%

82%

59%

75%

77%

Note: Items included on the Annual Employee Survey are noted by a double dagger (‡).

69%

0 Low High 100

FERC

Appendix A: Item Results and Benchmarks
32

Appendix A: Item Results and Benchmarks (continued)

Item Benchmarks

2015 

G’wide

 ‡57. Managers review and evaluate the organization's progress 

toward meeting its goals and objectives.

Low 42%; Your Agency 68%; High 75%.

59%

 58. Managers promote communication among different work units 

(for example, about projects, goals, needed resources).

Low 36%; Your Agency 64%; High 70%.

51%

 59. Managers support collaboration across work units to accomplish 

work objectives.

Low 39%; Your Agency 71%; High 75%.

54%

 60. Overall, how good a job do you feel is being done by 

the manager directly above your immediate supervisor?

Low 45%; Your Agency 75%; High 78%.

57%

 ‡61. I have a high level of respect for my organization's senior leaders.

Low 38%; Your Agency 73%; High 77%.

51%

 62. Senior leaders demonstrate support for Work/Life programs.

Low 37%; Your Agency 78%; High 82%.

53%

My Satisfaction

 ‡63. How satisfied are you with your involvement in decisions that 

affect your work?

Low 37%; Your Agency 67%; High 69%.

50%

 ‡64. How satisfied are you with the information you receive from 

management on what's going on in your organization?

Low 34%; Your Agency 64%; High 69%.

47%

 ‡65. How satisfied are you with the recognition you receive for doing 

a good job?

Low 34%; Your Agency 65%; High 66%.

47%

 ‡66. How satisfied are you with the policies and practices of your 

senior leaders?

Low 28%; Your Agency 62%; High 67%.

41%

 ‡67. How satisfied are you with your opportunity to get a better job 

in your organization?

Low 25%; Your Agency 46%; High 50%.

35%

 ‡68. How satisfied are you with the training you receive for your 

present job?

Low 38%; Your Agency 64%; High 71%.

52%

 ‡69. Considering everything, how satisfied are you with your job?

Low 52%; Your Agency 75%; High 79%.

65%

 ‡70. Considering everything, how satisfied are you with your pay?

Low 47%; Your Agency 65%; High 70%.

57%

 71. Considering everything, how satisfied are you with your 

organization?

Low 39%; Your Agency 75%; High 78%.

56%

68%

64%

71%

75%

73%

78%

67%

64%

65%

62%

46%

64%

75%

65%

75%

Note: Items included on the Annual Employee Survey are noted by a double dagger (‡).

0 Low High 100

FERC

Appendix A: Item Results and Benchmarks
33

Appendix A: Item Results and Benchmarks (continued)

Item Benchmarks

2015 

G’wide

Work/Life Programs

 72. Have you been notified that you are eligible to telework? (See Appendix B)

 73. Please select the response below that best describes your current teleworking situation. (See Work/Life section)

 74 - 78. Do you participate in the following Work/Life programs? (See Work/Life section and Appendix B)

 79 - 84. How satisfied are you with the following Work/Life programs?*

 79. Telework

Low 64%; Your Agency 87%; High 90%.

78%

 80. Alternative Work Schedules (AWS)

Low 80%; Your Agency 98%; High 98%.

89%

 81. Health and Wellness Programs (for example, exercise, medical 

screening, quit smoking programs)

Low 71%; Your Agency 93%; High 93%.

80%

 82. Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Low 66%; Your Agency 79%; High 90%.

75%

 83. Child Care Programs (for example, daycare, parenting classes, 

parenting support groups)

Low 49%; Your Agency 89%; High 90%.

72%

 84. Elder Care Programs (for example, support groups, speakers)

Low 57%; Your Agency 71%; High 95%.

66%

Appendix A: Item Results and Benchmarks

0 Low High 100

FERC

87%

98%

93%

79%

89%

71%

* The Work/Life program satisfaction results include only employees who indicated that they participated in the program. 
34

Appendix B: Work/Life Programs & Demographic Results

Appendix B displays more detailed Work/Life Program results for your agency. It also includes the demographic 

characteristics of your agency’s survey respondents. Use the Work/Life results to gain an understanding of how your 

Work/Life Programs are utilized and rated. The demographic results can be useful in planning, recruiting, and training 

activities in your agency.

 2015

Percentages

Work/Life Programs

Have you been notified that you are eligible to telework?

Yes, I was notified that I was eligible to telework 93

Yes, I was notified that I was not eligible to telework 3

No, I was not notified of my telework eligibility 2

Not sure if I was notified of my telework eligibility 2

Do you participate in the following Work/Life programs? Alternative Work Schedules (AWS)

Yes 77

No 22

Not Available to Me 1

Do you participate in the following Work/Life programs? Health and Wellness Programs (for example, exercise, 

medical screening, quit smoking programs)

Yes 45

No 51

Not Available to Me 4

Do you participate in the following Work/Life programs? Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Yes 11

No 87

Not Available to Me 2

Do you participate in the following Work/Life programs? Child Care Programs (for example, daycare, parenting 

classes, parenting support groups)

Yes 5

No 88

Not Available to Me 7

Do you participate in the following Work/Life programs? E lder Care Programs (for example, support groups, speakers)

Yes 3

No 89

Not Available to Me 8

Appendix B: Work/Life Programs & Demographic Results
35

Appendix B: Work/Life Programs & Demographic Results (continued)

Demographic Results

Where do you work?

Headquarters 88

Field 12

 What is your supervisory status?

Non-Supervisor 62

Team Leader 19

Supervisor 11

Manager 4

Senior Leader 4

Are you:

Male 58

Female 42

 Are you Hispanic or Latino?

Yes 6

No 94

Are you:

American Indian or Alaska Native <1

Asian 7

Black or African American 16

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander <1

White 73

Two or more races (not Hispanic or Latino) 4

 What is the highest degree or level of education you have completed?

Less than High School <1

High School Diploma/GED or equivalent 1

Trade or Technical Certificate 1

Some College (no degree) 6

Associate's Degree (e.g., AA, AS) 2

Bachelor's Degree (e.g., BA, BS) 25

Master's Degree (e.g., MA, MS, MBA) 38

Doctoral/Professional Degree (e.g., Ph.D., MD, JD) 27

Note: Demographic results are unweighted.

Appendix B: Work/Life Programs & Demographic Results

 2015

Percentages
36

Appendix B: Work/Life Programs & Demographic Results (continued)

What is your pay category/grade?

Federal Wage System 0

GS 1-6 <1

GS 7-12 18

GS 13-15 76

Senior Executive Service 4

Senior Level (SL) or Scientific or Professional (ST) 1

Other 1

How long have you been with the Federal Government (excluding military service)?

Less than 1 year 3

1 to 3 years 14

4 to 5 years 11

6 to 10 years 26

11 to 14 years 11

15 to 20 years 6

More than 20 years 28

 How long have you been with your current agency (for example, Department of Justice, Environmental Protection Agency)?

Less than 1 year 4

1 to 3 years 18

4 to 5 years 12

6 to 10 years 27

11 to 20 years 16

More than 20 years 23

 Are you considering leaving your organization within the next year, and if so, why?

No 73

Yes, to retire 3

Yes, to take another job within the Federal Government 11

Yes, to take another job outside the Federal Government 9

Yes, other 4

 I am planning to retire:

Within one year 2

Between one and three years 8

Between three and five years 9

Five or more years 81

Note: Demographic results are unweighted.

Appendix B: Work/Life Programs & Demographic Results

 2015

Percentages
37

Appendix B: Work/Life Programs & Demographic Results (continued)

 Do you consider yourself to be one or more of the following?

Heterosexual or Straight 86

Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual or Transgender 3

I Prefer Not to Say 11

What is your US military service status?

No Prior Military Service 92

Currently in National Guard or Reserves 1

Retired 1

Separated or Discharged 7

Are you an individual with a disability? 

Yes 6

No 94

What is your age group?

25 and under 1

26-29 8

30-39 30

40-49 20

50-59 24

60 or older 16

Appendix B: Work/Life Programs & Demographic Results

Note: Demographic results are unweighted.

 2015

Percentages
United States

Office of Personnel Management

Planning and Policy Analysis

1900 E Street, NW

Washington, DC 20415

www.opm.gov/FEVS