GovernmentExecutive.com

Federal employees are more pleased with their benefits, and view them as more valuable and competitive with the private sector, than they did several years ago, according to new survey results released by the Office of Personnel Management.

The 2006 employee benefits survey, released Friday, indicated that employees' satisfaction with benefits has increased overall since 2004, when the first such questionnaire was distributed.

The latest survey was administered to a random sample of 2,000 federal employees in August 2006, and sought to assess attitudes about the importance, adequacy, value and competitiveness of federal benefit programs. The target population included almost equal numbers of employees with three or more years of federal service and new hires who had less than three years of service. Of the 2,000 canvassed, 850 participated.

Respondents answered a 59-item questionnaire regarding the government's 10 benefit programs, including its 401(k)-style Thrift Savings Plan, employee health benefits, retiree health benefits, retirement annuities, life insurance, long-term care insurance and flexible spending accounts.

The portion of respondents who rated benefits as important increased by an average of 3 percentage points since 2004 across all programs. Those who said benefits are adequate increased by 4 percentage points; the portion grading benefits as valuable increased by 5 percentage points; and the group that said benefits are competitive with the private sector increased by 7 percentage points.

"This survey reinforces the importance of providing quality benefits to employees to ensure the federal government can continue to attract an effective civilian workforce," said OPM Director Linda Springer.

The TSP, employee health benefits, retiree health benefits and retirement annuities consistently received the highest ratings in importance and value. Additional programs that are not available to all employees -- telework, child care subsidies and health and wellness -- received lower ratings for importance and value.

"Just as OPM believed it was important to launch a new dental and vision benefits option last year to meet employees' needs, we are committed to continuing to search for ways to help the federal workforce better manage their overall health care, plan for their financial futures and assist in other areas," Springer said.

The benefits survey was similar to portions of OPM's federal workforce survey, designed to gauge employees' perceptions of their jobs and views on management challenges. That broader survey also measured employees' satisfaction with pay and benefit programs, and found the government's time-off policies among the best-liked.

COMMENTS

• Robert M. said it. I am continually amazed that not only do small select special interest groups appear to rule congress but are now considered to be the voice of the majority. With 850 responses out of a possible 2,713,200 (as of 30 Sept 04 and IAW the Federal Civilian Workforce Statistics, The Fact Book, 2005 Edition), that equates to approximately 3 workers in every 10,000; and the opening line reads: “Federal employees are more pleased with their benefits” Okay, let’s consider the possibility that such a small cross section could carry any significance; 50 percent of those selected to participate weren’t even on career status. Is that representative of federal employees? And who, may I ask, would expect THEM to object or complain anyway? Half of the survey’s participants are still keeping their heads down awaiting career status and just being dang thankful to have a job at all. I will concede that this MAY be indicative of the overall feelings, what with the (until) recent performance of the TSP, some regular worriers have been reassured. Perhaps asking what most influenced their opinion may have shed some light. The structure of the questions often influences the answers in a survey. With NSPS looming, perhaps another question asked should have been: “Do you expect to keep through out your career the benefits that you currently have?” Still, IMHO, the answer received would have varied greatly between career and career conditional respondents. As with the TSP, considering that internet and intranet access is almost ubiquitous among federal employees I again ask why a larger, more inclusive and representative survey was not be taken. Tip off Posted June 13, 2007 1:32 PM
• This OPM "survey" seems like little more than a propaganda tool. First of all: how does a sample size of two thousand represent an accurate cross section of nearly four million federal employees? Of that less than fifty percent responded. Why didn't the other's respond? Did they have time to respond? Were the surveys even sent to the correct Email addresses? The results don't mention how many surveys didn't even get to their destinations as is almost always the case for some portion of those sent. The survey itself is asking for a comparison of benefits. How many federal employees had something to compare with? Unless they previously had positions in the private sector equivalent to what they currently do, how would they know if the current benefits are better? If the survey results were negative, would we have been told? The report doesn't show a scientific process. How did OPM calculate the margin of error for such a small representative sample? It appears to be conducted so as to guarantee that brand "A" comes out better than brand "B". There certainly wouldn't have been any confidentiality. The survey doesn't seem to mean anything. But, that's nothing new from OPM. Robert M. Posted June 11, 2007 9:13 PM
• Oh, quit your whining already! I've worked both as a federal employee and as a contractor employee, and federal benefits are far superior. Example: in 2000 I was working as a contract employee as a science tech at a DOI agency. My officemate was a GS-6 employee, and we were doing almost the same exact thing, yet I was paid less and also had inferior benefits. She had the standard federal benefits package; I had 24 hours leave (total per year) plus 10 paid holidays. That's it--no health insurance, no 2 weeks paid vacation, no telework/flexiplace, no tuition reimbursement opportunities. So think twice when you complain about your benefits. Sure, no system is perfect. But -- you could, after all, eventually be "competitively outsourced" and end up with even less than you have now! J.M. Posted June 11, 2007 3:48 PM