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About

What is the Office of Personnel Management Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey?

The Office of Personnel Management Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (OPM FEVS) is an organizational climate survey and assesses how employees jointly experience the policies, practices, and procedures characteristic of their agency and its leadership. Results from the OPM FEVS offers insights into whether, and to what extent, workplace conditions characterizing successful organizations are present in Federal agencies, information important to successful organizational change and development initiatives. The OPM FEVS serves as a tool for employees to share their perceptions regarding critical topics including their work experiences, their agency, and leadership. Data collection supports results reporting at lower organizational levels, allowing managers to identify where improvements within a specific work unit may be necessary.
Agency participation in the OPM FEVS provides Federal agency leadership with actionable insights regarding the success of improvement initiatives, as well as information for identifying aspects of the workplace where improvements should be made. At a governmentwide level, OPM FEVS data are consulted to shape human resource policies and evaluate human resource programs through, for example, assessments of the Human Capital Framework, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility, Veterans’ programs and Work-Life programs among others.

What is the history of the Survey?

The Office of Personnel Management Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey was first administered in 2002 as the Federal Human Capital Survey (FHCS), and then again in 2004, 2006 and 2008. The FHCS was renamed the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) in 2010 and revised to focus more on actionable items. Beginning in 2010, the OPM FEVS has been administered annually.

Included in the OPM FEVS are the items that make up the Annual Employee Survey (AES). Currently, regulation 5 CFR Part 250, subpart C requires Executive agencies to conduct an annual survey of their employees. OPM fulfills this obligation for agencies when they participate in the OPM FEVS.

Who Participates in the Survey?

The Office of Personnel Management Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey is administered to employees of Departments and large agencies and the small/independent agencies that accept an invitation to participate in the survey. See the OPM FEVS Technical Report for more information and specific agency participation.

How is the Survey Administered?

The survey is conducted electronically, with eligible employees invited to participate by email notification. To encourage higher response rates, OPM sends follow-up or reminder emails to potential participants.

Are the Results Accurate?

The data collected are weighted to ensure survey estimates accurately represent the survey population. Use of unweighted data could produce biased estimates of population statistics. The final dataset reflects the agency composition and demographic makeup of the Federal workforce within plus or minus 1 percentage point. Demographic results are not weighted. For more information on OPM FEVS methods, including data weighting and analysis, see the OPM FEVS Technical Report.

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