Compared to a similar survey in 2005, there were substantial improvements in 16 of 17 categories surveyed
– By Linton Levy –
Results of the latest survey of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s employees by the Office of the Inspector General show that the agency’s safety culture and work climate scores are excellent and compare favorably with those of high-performing companies in the United States.
“These results, coupled with two awards as the ‘Best Place to Work’ in the federal government, are a reflection of the talented and dedicated staff at the NRC,” said NRC Chairman Gregory B. Jaczko. “Even with the strong survey results, we will assess ongoing feedback from our staff and engage them in our efforts to continually improve.”
Compared to a similar survey in 2005, there were substantial improvements in 16 of 17 categories surveyed, and scores were generally in line with or better than those of U.S. high-performance companies. Those categories showing outstanding improvement include: NRC Mission and Strategic Plan, NRC Image, Performance Management, Continuous Improvement Commitment, Management Leadership, and Open, Collaborative Working Environment.
Some of the highlights of the survey results include:
• There is strong support of and alignment with NRC mission, goals, objectives and values;
• Multiple levels of NRC are well managed;
• Management style and valuing differences are close to best-in-class levels;
• Management supports innovative solutions and highly values individual input;
• Strong respect and cooperation exist among all employees;
• There are excellent opportunities for personal and professional growth;
• Employees are comfortable in expressing differing views with management; and
• Employees are fulfilled and consider their jobs important to the agency.
An unprecedented 87 percent return rate of responses from 3,404 employees surpassed the average rate of return of 80 percent of high-performance companies. Results were compared to a 2005 NRC survey, research and development organizations, and high-performance companies.
The 2009 survey is the fourth survey conducted; previous surveys were conducted in 1998, 2002 and 2005. As defined by the OIG, “safety culture” (as it relates to the agency) refers to the complex sum or whole of the mission, characteristics and policies of an organization, and the thoughts and actions of its individual members, which establish and support nuclear safety and security as overriding priorities.
The OIG’s detailed report on the 2009 survey is available on the NRC’s Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/readingrm/doc-collections/insp-gen/2009 .