2024 EPA Employee Viewpoint Survey Summary
2024 EPA Employee Viewpoint Survey Summary
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management administers the Employee Viewpoint Survey, an annual organizational climate survey of the federal workforce to provide agencies a snapshot of how their employees view their current work environment and help inform future agency actions. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency views EVS results as crucial and ongoing input into our agency-wide human capital planning processes supporting the agency’s mission to protect human health and the environment.
Methodology
OPM administered the 2024 EVS from the week of May 14 through June 28, 2024, to eligible EPA employees (all permanent and temporary employees onboarded as of November 18, 2023). Of the 15,125 surveys administered, 9,366 were completed, a 62% response rate.
Interpretation
OPM included five indices in 2024 and added dimension scores for the first time. All dimensions and sub-dimensions scored above the 65% strength threshold. The agency also outperformed last year’s all-time high scores, ranking even higher for Employee Engagement (81%), Global Satisfaction (77%), Performance Confidence (91%) and the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Index (80%). The Employee Experience Index increased from its debut score last year of 82% to 84% this year. The table below shows the EVS index results for 2024.
| 2024 EVS Index | Percentages | Comparison to 2023 Results |
|---|---|---|
| Employee Engagement Index | 81% | Increase of 2% |
| Global Satisfaction Index | 77% | Increase of 2% |
| Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Index | 80% | Increase of 1% |
| Performance Confidence Index | 91% | Maintained |
| Employee Experience Index | 84% | Increase of 2% |
The Employee Engagement Index measures workforce conditions supporting engagement and comprises 15 items grouped into three subindices: Leaders Lead, Supervisors and Intrinsic Work Experience.
The Global Satisfaction Index combines four items assessing employees’ satisfaction with their job, pay and organization, plus their willingness to recommend their organization as a good place to work.
The Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Index comprises 13 items grouped into four subindices, capturing agency practices related to DEIA.
The Performance Confidence Index combines five items assessing employees’ perception of their work unit’s ability to achieve goals and produce work at a high level.
The Employee Experience Index combines 5 items assessing employees’ interpretation of their interactions with the organization.
In 2023, OPM introduced Performance Dimensions. Dimensions are common organizational characteristics defined by how employees experience organizational policies and management practices. These dimensions are made up of groups of EVS items and help to interpret the survey results by combining employee perspectives on organizational and work unit performance. This year, unlike previous iterations of the survey, these dimensions were assigned a score. The scores for the 2024 EVS dimensions are in the table below.
| 2024 EVS Dimensions | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Employee-Focused | |
| 1. Employee Development | 76% |
| 2. Employee Voice | 66% |
| 3. Employee Welfare | 83% |
| 4. Work-Life Support | 78% |
| Agile | |
| 1. Autonomy | 73% |
| 2. Innovation | 74% |
| 3. Resilience | 71% |
| Goal-Oriented | |
| 1. Accountability | 92% |
| 2. Goal Clarity | 86% |
| 3. Performance Feedback | 82% |
| 4. Recognition | 66% |
| Foundations | |
| 1. Communication | 68% |
| 2. Cooperation | 89% |
| 3. Customer Responsiveness | 78% |
| 4. Merit Principles | 72% |
| 5. Performance Resources | 80% |
2024 Strengths
OPM defines strengths as those EVS items with a positive response score of 65% or higher (Strongly Agree and Agree on a 5-point Likert scale). EPA results identified 81 strengths from this year’s EVS 90 core items. The top six strengths are shown below:
- It is important to me that my work contribute to the common good. (96.6%)
- Employees in my work unit contribute positively to my Agency’s performance. (93.8%)
- My supervisor holds me accountable for achieving results. (93.0%)
- My supervisor supports my need to balance work and other life issues. (92.1%)
- Employees in my work unit produce high-quality work. (92.0%)
- My supervisor treats me with respect. (92.0%)
EPA-Specific Items
EPA includes eight Agency-Specific Items in the EVS since 2016. All ASI positive responses increased from 2023. The following table shows the agency-specific items, their respective positive scores (Strongly Agree and Agree on a 5-point Likert scale) for 2024 and the percentage point change from 2023.
| Agency-Specific EVS Items | 2024 Positive Score | Change from 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Managers in my office make effectively managing their people a priority. | 70.0% | +2.3% |
| My office’s top-level management team is aware of the challenges that can affect my work. | 61.4% | +2.6% |
| In my organization, employee feedback is incorporated into supervisors’ annual performance reviews. | 43.4% | +2.3% |
| Senior leaders in my organization actively work to eliminate barriers to productivity that I face in my daily job. | 47.8% | +2.3% |
| In our work culture, people feel free to raise dissenting opinions without it having a negative impact on their careers. | 61.9% | +3.5% |
| I have access to the technology I need to do my job effectively. | 80.5% | +0.6% |
| My supervisor supports my career planning and advancement. | 81.4% | +2.3% |
The final ASI is worded differently where a Strongly Agree or Agree would not be desirable.
| Agency-Specific EVS Items | 2024 Positive Score | Change from 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| My office’s processes have a negative impact on my work output. | 29.8% | +0.5% |