Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) is a governmentwide annual organizational climate survey. The OPM FEVS captures Federal employees' perceptions of organizational policies, practices, and procedures characteristic of the agency and its leadership and subsequent patterns of interactions and behaviors that support organizational performance.

The OPM FEVS report provides an overview of survey results, enabling agencies to identify strengths and challenges to strive for improvement. The Food Safety and Inspection (FSIS) Summary Report highlights important agency successes and challenges.

The OPM FEVS results were released in early November 2023. The responses are used to calculate indices, such as the Global Satisfaction Index (measuring Job, Pay, and Organizational Satisfaction), Performance Confidence Index (assessing employees’ perception of their work unit’s ability to achieve goals and produce work at a high level), and Employee Engagement Index (measuring Leadership, Supervisors, and Intrinsic Work Experience), and the DEIA index (measuring Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility), whose scores remain in an upward trend. Furthermore, OPM introduced a new index — Employee Experience Index (measuring job and organizational attachment and public service motivation) — for which the FSIS positive responses were 77%.

We have received positive results from the FEVS survey. The FSIS Employee Engagement Index score increased from 71% to 73%, with 50% of employees completing the survey. To address employee feedback, we will continue to conduct monthly Town Hall meetings on topics of interest. Furthermore, we have launched a non-monetary award program that allows FSIS managers, supervisors, and recruiters to order outreach, recruitment, and FSIS-branded award items. These items recognize employees' contributions, promote education and awareness, and build relationships with potential employees.

FSIS Leadership is hopeful that the percentage of employees who complete the survey will continue to increase in the future as they continue to see Agency-wide initiatives in response to their feedback. You can access the complete governmentwide survey results at FEVS - OPM.gov.

FEVS Results from 2023

FEVS Survey Quick Snap

FEVS Summary Report

Key Terms

Organization- This is your agency, office, or division. Please respond to these questions based on the level in your organization that is appropriate for the content of the question. Depending on how your organization is structured, this could either be one or more levels above your own.
Work Unit- This is your immediate work unit headed by your immediate supervisor.
Senior Leaders- The heads of departments/agencies (or the state head) and their immediate leadership team responsible for directing the policies and priorities of the department/agency. May hold either a political or career appointment and typically be a member of the Senior Executive Service or equivalent.
Managers- Those in management positions who typically supervise one or more supervisors.
Supervisors- First-line supervisors typically responsible for employees' performance appraisals and leave approval.
Team Lead- Anyone who provides employees with day-to-day guidance on work projects, but does not have supervisory responsibilities or conduct performance appraisals.
Non-supervisor- Anyone who does not have supervisory responsibilities.

FEVS Categories

My Work Experience (Items 1-14) Rate survey items about your daily work assignments and function.
My Work Unit (Items 15-34) Rate survey items about your immediate work unit headed by your immediate supervisor.
My Organization (Items 35-47) Rate survey items about your specific agency, office, or division.
My Supervisor (Items 48-56) Rate survey items about your immediate supervisor typically responsible for your performance appraisals and leave approval.
Leadership (Items 57-66) Items in this section will relate to senior leaders, managers, and supervisors (see definitions above). Rate survey items based on the level in your organization that is appropriate for the content of the question.
My Satisfaction (Items 67-72) Answer survey items with respect to your satisfaction about your job function, pay, recognition, training, management and senior leadership.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility
(Items 73-85)
- Diversity: The practice of including the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, cultures, and beliefs of the American people, including underserved communities. (Source: Executive Order (EO) 14035)
- Equity: The consistent and systematic fair, just, and impartial treatment of all individuals, including individuals who belong to underserved communities that have been denied such treatment. (Source: EO 14035)
- Inclusion: The recognition, appreciation, and use of the talents and skills of employees of all backgrounds. (Source: EO 14035)
- Accessibility: The design, construction, development, and maintenance of facilities, information and communication technology, programs, and services so that all people, including people with disabilities, can fully and independently use them. (Source: EO 14035)
Employee Experience (Items 86-90)
- Rate survey items about your experience with your work and organization.
Workplace Flexibilities (Item 91)
- Rate survey items with respect to your telework or remote work arrangements.
- Telework: a work flexibility arrangement under which an employee performs the duties and responsibilities of such employee's position, and other authorized activities, from an approved worksite other than the location from which the employee would otherwise work. In practice, telework is a work arrangement that allows employees to have regularly scheduled days on which they telework and regularly scheduled days when they work in their agency worksite.
- Remote work: an arrangement in which an employee, under a written remote work agreement, is scheduled to perform their work at an alternative worksite and is not expected to perform work at an agency worksite on a regular and recurring basis. A remote worker’s official worksite may be within or outside the local commuting area of an agency worksite.

The annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) provides critical insight and helps us understand where and how to implement change to improve our organization.

What is the purpose of this survey?
The Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey measures employees' perceptions of whether, and to what extent, conditions that characterize successful organizations are present in their agencies. The ultimate goal of the survey is to provide agencies with information to build strengths and improve challenge areas.

Why is this survey important to me?
The survey gives employees a voice to provide their opinions of their current work environment which includes collecting information about leadership, management practices, agency and job satisfaction, supervisors, their work unit, and work/life balance. It’s an opportunity for employees to collectively influence change in the agency.

Why conduct the survey? Every year?
The survey first came out in 2002 and then again a few years later. Information collected was valuable to leaders so it became law in 2007. In 2010 it was mandated to be conducted every year. Currently in regulation, 5 CFR Part 250, subpart C, requires Executive agencies to conduct an annual survey and when the FEVS is administered, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) fulfills this obligation for agencies.

What is employee engagement?
According to OPM, “Employee engagement is the employee's sense of purpose that is evident in their display of dedication, persistence, and effort in their work or overall attachment to their organization and its mission.”

Who is eligible to take the survey?
OPM will send the survey via valid work email address to Federal employees onboard with the agency as of November 2023. Employees not eligible for the 2024 survey are political appointees, contractors/non-Federal employees, and any employee who joined the agency after November 2023.

When will employees begin to get the survey and how long is it available?
Employees will begin to receive the survey from OPM starting the week of May 13th. The survey closes on June 28th.

How will the survey be administered?
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) administers the survey which is web based. Participants will receive an e-mail invitation generated from OPM.

The email address utilized by OPM is: Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey-<EVAG@opm.gov>. The email address may also contain a number, such as EVAG9 or EVAG1. Searching for "EVAG" should work to find the email with your link.
The survey link URL will start with this path: https://feedback.opm.gov

May I pass/forward the survey on to someone else to take?
No. Each link to the survey is unique and cannot be used again after the survey has been completed. Please do not forward your link to any individuals or groups, because after the survey has been completed by one person, the link will no longer allow you to access the survey.

How long does it take to complete the survey?
You should be able to complete the survey in approximately 20-30 minutes, and you may complete the survey during regular office hours.

How do I know that my responses are confidential and I will not be identified?
The survey is 100 percent confidential. Once the survey period closes, OPM compiles the data in a summary report. Individual responses are never shared with USDA or FSIS. The agency and department do not know who completes the survey.

Results reported to the agency do not allow the identification of individual responses in any way.
Personally Identifying Information (PII) is not provided.
In no way will responses be used against any employee, and all information is treated confidentially by the OPM survey team.
Any data that could be used to identify specific individuals within a group is not reported.

Is the survey voluntary?
Yes, the survey is voluntary.

Are there question(s) more important than others in the survey?
No. All questions are important as they are the employee’s opinions on what is working well and what needs to be improved. The answers give agencies clear statistical data of where they need to focus and apply efforts to implement changes and improvements.

Why does the survey include demographic questions?
The Federal Government is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace. Given that policy, demographic items are included in the survey. Your responses are voluntary and confidential. Reports provided to your agency contain only data compiled from 10 or more survey respondents. Your responses cannot be uniquely identified nor linked to you personally by anyone in your agency. Your responses are used to enhance the Federal Government’s understanding of the diversity of its workforce.

Why do FSIS leaders actively encourage participation in the survey?
Employees’ viewpoints are important to FSIS leaders and contribute to agency effectiveness. Increased participation in the survey provides leaders with the most accurate view of those areas, where we are doing well and areas that need improvement. The data received from employee feedback helps leadership design strategies and initiatives to address our concerns.

Why do I receive so many reminders to participate in the survey?
Employee participation is essential. FSIS leaders do not know who has completed the survey, therefore, reminders are intended to maximize participation.

Who do I contact if I have any technical issues?
Please contact the OPM FEVS Help Desk by replying to the email invitation you received or email OPM at EVAG@opm.gov.

Celebrate completing the FEVS! We want to thank you for completing the FEVS! We encourage you to use one of the Microsoft Teams backgrounds to celebrate and showcase your accomplishment!