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Washington, D.C.—The policies of the federal government in recent years—from contracting jobs to the private sector to a culture that stresses top-down management to a demonstrated lack of respect for employees—have contributed to a severe crisis of confidence in leadership at a number of agencies represented by the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), the head of the union said today.

“When 30 percent or more of the employees in a given agency seriously question the policies and practices of senior management, there clearly are problems that need to be addressed,” said NTEU

She offered that assessment in the wake of the 2006 Federal Human Capital Survey by the Office of Personnel Management after examining results from agencies where NTEU represents employees. In terms of the number of employees disagreeing with a variety of statements about agency senior management, the results were disappointing for a variety of agencies. For example:

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35.8 percent of Treasury Department survey respondents disagreed with the statement that ‘In my organization, leaders generate high levels of motivation and commitment in the workforce.’ The number was beyond 30 percent in 10 other agencies where NTEU represents employees as well;

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31.1 percent of respondents at the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) disagreed with the statement that ‘I have a high level of respect for my organization’s senior leaders.’ Respondents in four other agencies where NTEU is the representative reported similar findings.

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41.5 percent of survey respondents in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported dissatisfaction when asked: ‘How satisfied are you with the policies and practices of your senior leaders?’ Lower numbers—but still greater than 30 percent in each case—were reported for Treasury, NCUA, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of the Interior, Department of Energy and DHS.

At some agencies, Kelley said—the FDIC, for example—deep-seated problems in the workplace predate the present senior leadership. Nonetheless, the union president said, “the issues exist and they must be addressed, for the good of the nation, the agency and its employees.”

The way to do that, she said, is for federal agencies to understand that not only their employees, but employee representatives, want the agencies to succeed in their missions. “Agency leadership must find a way to get past their reluctance to deal effectively and forthrightly with employee representatives to address and resolve the issues driving this serious level of dissatisfaction.”

As the largest independent federal union, NTEU represents some 150,000 employees in 30 agencies and departments.