FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 12, 2003

NASA, NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION, GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION, OMB AND EPA RISE TO THE TOP IN FIRST “BEST PLACES TO WORK IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT” RANKINGS

Washington, D.C. – A diverse array of federal agencies – from those charged with space exploration to environmental protection to ensuring government workers are properly equipped to do their jobs – rose to the top of the first-ever “Best Places to Work in the Federal Government” rankings, released today by the Partnership for Public Service and American University's Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation (ISPPI).

“Best Places to Work” is a ranking of federal government organizations that draws from the opinions of more than 100,000 federal employees who responded to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's Federal Human Capital Survey, administered last year. 

The report provides a ranking of 28 cabinet departments and independent agencies and nearly 200 subagencies on overall employee satisfaction, as well as in ten work environment categories including effective leadership, performance-based rewards and advancement, family-friendly culture, and benefits. 

“Best Places to Work” was created by the Partnership for Public Service and American University's ISPPI to promote excellence and improve performance within federal agencies by creating a baseline for measuring employee commitment and engagement, and to provide a guide to job-seekers and inspire them to work for the federal government. 

According to federal employees, the top 10 federal agencies to work for are:

1) NASA

2) National Science Foundation

3) Office of Management and Budget

4) General Services Administration

5) EPA

6) Office of Personnel Management

7) U.S. Air Force

8) Department of Interior and Department of Commerce (tie)

10) Department of the Army

"I'm very pleased that NASA ranks number one in the first-ever federal employee rankings of the best places to work in the federal government,” said NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe.  “This ranking confirms what I see every day.  The dedicated men and women of NASA are highly motivated to be working at an agency that is producing cutting-edge technology and advancing exploration and discovery throughout the air and space frontier."

Federal subagencies across the nation also received accolades from their employees.  The top 10 federal subagencies to work for are:

1) NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Al.

2) NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Tx.

3) NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

4) EPA's Denver field office and NASA's Kennedy Space Center (tie)

6) EPA's Seattle field office

7) EPA's San Francisco field office

8) Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms

9) NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va. and GSA's Federal Supply Service in Arlington, Va. (tie)

“Our goal is a federal government that values high performance and attracts and retains elite talent.  To that end, employee satisfaction is a critical piece of the solution,” said Max Stier, president of the Partnership for Public Service.  “Government needs objective measuring tools to chart its progress in creating effective organizations, and that's the real value of these rankings.”

“For the first time, agency leaders will see firsthand what drives employee satisfaction: a workplace with quality leadership, a clear mission and goals, and a sense of collaboration and teamwork,” said Bob Tobias, director of American University's ISPPI.  “Armed with this knowledge, federal agencies can lay the groundwork for change.”

“Best Places to Work” is based on a statistical model created by CFI Group, an international consulting firm specializing in employee and customer satisfaction data.  For more details on the methodology, visit www.bestplacestowork.org.

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© 2007 Partnership for Public Service