EM Releases Field Office-Level Results From 2014 Employee Survey
Mike Nartker
WC Monitor
2/20/2015
Federal employees at the Department of Energy’s Carlsbad Field Office appear to be the most concerned across the entire DOE cleanup program of potentially being punished for raising concerns, according to data the DOE Office of Environmental Management recently provided to WC Monitor. Of EM’s field offices, the Carlsbad office had the highest negative response rate—26.4 percent—to the statement, “I can disclose a suspected violation of any law, rule or regulation without fear of reprisal,” during the 2014 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey. In comparison, 18.6 percent of all EM employees that participated in the survey responded negatively to the statement.
The survey was conducted after the February 2014 radiological release at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant that resulted in the ongoing shutdown of that facility. DOE’s investigation into the radiological release found safety culture concerns both at the Carlsbad office and at Nuclear Waste Partnership, the managing contractor at WIPP. DOE’s Accident Investigation Board report into the radiological release states, “The Board heard from numerous workers, both NWP and CBFO employees, that there were perceived repercussions and reprisals for identifying issues on WIPP Forms, [Occurrence Reporting and Processing System] reports, nonconformance reports, and oversight reports from CBFO.” The report also states, “Workers from both NWP and CBFO expressed a reluctance to report issues due to observation of or perceived fear of reprisals. In addition, several workers complained of a lack of management action to address the observed issues or deficiencies.”
The Carlsbad results were outlined in a “2nd Level Subagency Report” on the 2014 survey’s findings that EM provided to WC Monitor. The Carlsbad office had the lowest number of respondents to the questions in the survey of EM’s field offices—approximately 20-25 per question. In a statement last week, EM spokeswoman Candice Trummell said, “The Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey provides relevant insight that can help EM continuously improve. EM continues to focus on improving the organizational structure across its sites and at headquarters. We are committed to the safety and security of our workforce and it will continue to be a high priority.”
Approx. 70 Percent of ORP Employees Feel Comfortable Raising Concerns
Notably, employees at the Office of River Protection at Hanford, which has been under scrutiny for years for safety culture concerns, appear to feel largely comfortable raising concerns. Almost 70 percent of ORP employees that participated in this year’s survey responded positively to the statement, “I can disclose a suspected violation of any law, rule or regulation without fear of reprisal.” All other EM field offices except for the Carlsbad offices also had positive response rates of 63 percent or more. For EM as a whole, the positive response rate was 66.9 percent.
One-Third of PPPO Employees Wouldn’t Recommend Their Office
The field office-level results of the 2014 employee survey also reveal a number of concerns among the federal employees at the DOE Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office. The office had the highest negative response rate—34.5 percent—to the statement, “I recommend my organization as a good place to work.” In comparison, 22.7 percent of all EM employees responded negatively to the statement. PPPO employees also topped the list when it comes to job dissatisfaction—the office had the highest negative response rate to the question, “Considering everything how satisfied are you with your job?” with 27.1 percent responding negatively compared to a negative response rate of 20.3 percent for all EM employees.
PPPO employees also appear to feel they have to do too much with too little. The office had the highest negative response rate—74 percent—to the statement, “My workload is reasonable” (compared to 28.2 percent for all EM employees); and had the highest negative response rate—61.3 percent—to the statement, “I have sufficient resources … to get my job done” (compared to 32 percent for all EM employees).
The Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office also had the highest negative response rate—37.4 percent—to the question, “How satisfied are you with the policies and practices of your senior leaders?” (compared to 27.8 percent for all EM employees). The office had the second highest negative response rate—46.1 percent—to the statement, “In my organization, senior leaders generate high levels of motivation and commitment in the workforce” (compared to 38.7 percent for all EM employees). While PPPO had the highest negative response rate of all of EM’s field offices, it was narrowly beat out by EM headquarters, which had a 48.9 percent negative response rate. The Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office did rank number one, though, in positive responses for the statement, “My organization’s senior leaders maintain high standards of honesty and integrity—71.8 percent compared to 52.1 percent for all EM employees.
Most EM Employees Happy With Their Jobs
Overall, the 2014 survey found that most EM employees are satisfied with their jobs, but are less satisfied with the organization as a whole. For the question, “Considering everything, how satisfied are you with your job,” 58.10 percent of EM survey respondents answered positively, while 21.70 percent provided a neutral answer and 20.30 percent provided a negative answer. When asked how satisfied they were with their organization, slightly less than half (49.40 percent) responded positively, while 24.40 percent responded neutrally and 26.20 percent responded negatively. Approximately 660 EM employees participated in the survey.
The survey also found that approximately half of EM’s workforce appears to have a positive view of the organization’s senior leadership. Approximately 52 percent of those surveyed responded positively to the statement, “I have a high level of respect for my organization’s senior leaders,” while 21.8 percent responded neutrally and 25.4 percent responded negatively. The statement, “My organization’s senior leaders maintain high standards of honesty and integrity” generated similar results.
