Best Places to Work in the Federal Government during COVID

What did federal employees think of their jobs, agencies and supervisors during the 2020 Pandemic Year? Many of these workers went from live to virtual in one day–March 14, 2020. The Partnership for Public Service’s 2020 Best Places to Work in Government is out! A new part of this survey covers agency performance and employee sense of safety during COVID-19 last year.

“I am always asking federal employees how their jobs were affected due to the emergence of the deadly COVID-19 virus in 2020,” says federal employment expert Kathryn Troutman. “We add these adjustments and related accomplishments to their resumes. This new survey gives us an overall picture and shows that the majority of federal agencies met the enormous challenges and unusual needs of their employees during this difficult time.”

In the overall COVID-19 Subcategory, federal agencies collectively scored 86.1 out of 100 in the new 2020 Best Places to Work in Government survey. This section looks at how employees viewed the support they received during the pandemic and their work unit’s ability to deliver on its mission.

This positive score includes federal employees’ opinions on whether:

• Their organizations supported their mental and physical well-being during the pandemic (88.6)
• They received the resources they needed to do their work (88.6)
• Their agencies were able to successfully deliver on their missions in the midst of the crisis (85.8)
• They had leaders who communicated effectively and prioritized their welfare (81.4)

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) received the highest ranking for its COVID response among large agencies–95.1. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson called this “a testament to the dedication and determination of our world-class workforce through the most difficult circumstances our nation has faced in generations.” America’s last pandemic was in 1908.

For their COVID response, among mid-sized agencies, the Federal Trade Administration took the top spot (96.4). Also in the COVID overall subcategory, the Farm Credit Administration topped the chart for small agencies (97.2) while the Office of General Counsel, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission recorded the highest score among subcomponents (97.8).

Two agencies on the frontlines during the COVID-19 pandemic were the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and predictably both did well with their COVID subcategory score amid subcomponents. NIH received a score of 94.2 and a 63 ranking. The CDC had a score of 91.4 and a 153 ranking.

During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, 59% of the federal survey respondents reported teleworking every day compared to just 3% before the pandemic. In addition, 78.4% of the respondents reported being satisfied with the telework program at their agency.

“The work-life in 2020 was different than any other year for the federal government,” notes Troutman. “Yet the federal agencies kept working despite the difficulties, while many people were unemployed in the private sector.”

To see more of the results for the COVID-19 rankings, click this link and select “Rankings by Category” and then “COVID Overall”.

Kathryn Troutman is the Founder and President of Resume Place, Inc., a Federal Career Consulting business located in Baltimore, MD. Her firm specializes in writing and designing professional federal resumes, as well as consulting, coaching and education on the federal hiring process. She is the author of many best-selling federal career books, including the Federal Resume Guidebook, 7th Edition, and the Student Federal Career Guide, 4th Edition.

For more on the Partnership for Public Service’s 2020
Best Places to Work in the Federal Government Rankings:

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