2021 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey Results

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 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to better understand how we are doing as it relates to employee engagement and overall employee satisfaction in the workplace.

OPM administered the 2021 OPM FEVS to a sampling of eligible USDA employees, instead of the full 100,000+ population of eligible USDA employees as has been typical in recent years. OPM made this change to reset the timing of the FEVS administration to the spring (the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the typical schedule). This change eased the administrative burden of conducting two surveys in quick succession. OPM will administer the 2022 OPM FEVS at USDA during the week of May 30, 2022.

More information about the FEVS can be found on the OPM website.

Per the Annual Employee Survey (AES) regulations (5 CFR Part 250; Subpart C - Employee Surveys), USDA is posting our 2021 FEVS results. This brief provides an assessment of the results and highlights our employee engagement improvement strategy.

Interpretation of USDA’s Results:

OPM administered the 2021 OPM FEVS between November 1, 2021, and December 3, 2021, to a sampling of eligible full-time and part-time permanent USDA employees. The 2021 OPM FEVS administration at USDA yielded a response rate of 46.4%, outpacing the Government-wide and Very Large Agencies’ response rates by approximately 13% and 17%, respectively.

Table 1: USDA vs. Government-wide FEVS Response Rates

Fiscal Year	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
USDA Response Rate	64%	55%	51%	46%	46%
Government-wide Response Rate	46%	41%	43%	44%	34%
Very Large Agencies	41%	37%	39%	41%	29%

USDA’s 2021 OPM FEVS results were relatively unchanged compared to 2020. USDA, as a whole, largely remained steady across each of the FEVS indices, except for the “Employee Engagement – Supervisors” sub-index, which increased by nearly three percent, and the “Global Satisfaction” index, which decreased by nearly five percent compared to the 2020 FEVS.

The 2021 OPM FEVS results are reported across three key indices—Employee Engagement, Global Satisfaction, and Performance Confidence. The Employee Engagement Index consists of three sub-indices: Leaders Lead, Supervisors, and Intrinsic Work Experience. Performance Confidence is a new index on the 2021 OPM FEVS, which is defined as the measurement of an employee’s perception of their work unit being capable of performing in essential ways and having a positive future. The following tables show USDA’s 2017 through 2021 FEVS results across all three key indices, including an analysis of how USDA performed when compared to Government-wide and Very Large Agencies’ 2021 results.

Table 2: USDA FEVS Index Scores (2017—2021)

FEVS Indices	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Global Satisfaction	67%	62%	60%	64%	59%
Employee Engagement: Overall	68%	65%	65%	69%	70%
Employee Engagement: Leaders Lead	54%	49%	49%	55%	55%
Employee Engagement: Intrinsic Work Experience	73%	71%	70%	74%	73%
Employee Engagement: Supervisors	77%	76%	76%	79%	82%
Performance Confidence	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	86%

Table 3: 2021 FEVS Indices Results Compared to Government-wide and Very Large Agencies

FEVS Indices	USDA	Very Large Agencies	Government-wide
Global Satisfaction	59%	63%	64%
Employee Engagement: Overall	70%	70%	71%
Employee Engagement: Leaders Lead	55%	59%	60%
Employee Engagement: Intrinsic Work Experience	73%	73%	73%
Employee Engagement: Supervisors	82%	79%	80%
Performance Confidence	86%	84%	85%

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 2021 FEVS Results - (Excel)

USDA’s Employee Engagement Improvement Strategy:

The Office of Human Resources Management (OHRM) and its Office of Employee Experience (OEX) are responsible for leading USDA’s FEVS improvement efforts and the initiatives currently 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 the Secretary and Deputy Secretary’s FY2022 priority to “Make USDA a Best Place to Work.”

This includes ongoing meaningful employee engagements and listening to feedback; partnership with 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 determining a USDA-wide engagement strategy for maximum organizational effectiveness and enhancements.

In June 2021, USDA re-established the Department-wide FEVS Champions Community of Practice (CoP) comprised of representatives from all Mission Areas, agencies, and staff offices. USDA leads monthly meetings with the CoP. In July 2021, USDA re-instituted and re-invigorated the Department-wide FEVS Action Planning and Improvement Requirement. The FEVS Action Planning process identifies the top areas for improvement Department-wide based on the FEVS results and requires all agencies and offices to develop action and improvement plans focused on those areas. Agencies and staff offices have since conducted employee-driven problem solving within the action plans, working with employees to co-create solutions to organizational challenges.

Earlier this year, the Department also submitted its Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Plan to the White House. The DEIA Plan captures many of our efforts highlighted here and recognizes that in order to be a healthy, inclusive and equitable organization, it must address the results of the FEVS and concerns employees have shared. USDA continues to focus on strategies to strengthen and improve Employee Engagement and Global Satisfaction within the Department. As USDA continues to use survey results to support improvement strategies, both at the Departmental and the agency and office levels, to foster a culture of inclusion that supports all workers and allows each to contribute to their fullest potential. 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 in order 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 its employees’ involvement in Making USDA a Best Place to Work.