FORT BELVOIR, Virginia –
Defense Logistics Agency employees view their organization more favorably than employees of many other Defense Department or federal government agencies, according to survey results released in early October.
The
Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey is administered by the Office of Personnel Management each year. The 2015 results were released Oct. 6. More than 1,700 DLA employees took the survey – out of a random sampling of about 5,000 who received it – earlier in 2015.
Eighty-five percent of DLA respondents understood how their work relates to the agency’s goals and priorities, and 83 percent said they believe they are held accountable for achieving results.
The DLA-specific results show the agency is “on the right track to meet the ‘People and Culture’ goals the DLA director put out in his
2015-2022 DLA Strategic Plan, particularly the objective to ‘Foster an environment and organizational culture where DLA employees are valued and high-performing,’” DLA Human Resources Director Brad Bunn wrote in an Oct. 7 blog post.
Bunn noted that DLA’s survey results showed a slight positive uptick from the 2014 FEVS results. In addition, DLA’s 2015 results were more positive than federal government averages on 78 of 84 survey items.
In particular, DLA scored favorably in the areas of telework and health and wellness programs. Eighty-six percent of DLA employees who responded to the survey said they are satisfied with the agency’s telework program, compared to 73 percent of DoD respondents. And 93 percent of DLA respondents indicated they are satisfied with the agency’s health and wellness programs, compared to 83 percent of DoD respondents.
“Responses like these highlight DLA’s emphasis on employees achieving a healthy balance between their work and home lives,” Bunn wrote. “This reflects positively on our commitment to remaining an employer of choice within the federal government.”
DLA’s results also reflect favorably on another objective from the “People and Culture” goal area, “Fortify Workforce Resiliency.” Bunn wrote that officials are working on an agency wide effort to ensure resources are in place to help the workforce cope with adversity.
“Our positive trend over several years of survey results highlights the resilience of DLA employees,” he wrote. “The survey results tell us that you have remained committed to your jobs, the mission and our customers during many years of turbulence and uncertainty.”
Still, the news from the survey report wasn’t all positive. Two areas that identify opportunities for improvement fall under performance management. Only 28 percent of respondents believe that steps are taken to deal with poor performers, and 35 percent said that differences in performance are recognized in a meaningful way.
“Similar to most agencies, our employees were less positive about opportunities for promotion, as well as whether we’re hiring the right skills in our workforce,” Bunn wrote. “We’ve got some work to do to address these perceptions.”
Each year, FEVS results inform the annual ranking of Best Places to Work, as compiled by the Partnership for Public Service. DLA Human Resources officials will also use the FEVS to validate results of the DLA Culture Survey, which is scheduled for spring 2016.
“Areas that have consistent results between the two surveys reinforce each other and help us more definitively identify our strengths and weaknesses,” Bunn wrote. “This, in turn, helps us prioritize efforts to improve our organizational culture through a robust Culture Action Planning process.”