The U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board issued today the following special study: Managing Public Employees in the Public Interest: Employee Perspectives on Merit Principles in Federal Workplaces.

An excerpt:

Most Federal employees believe that their organizations strive to maintain high standards of conduct and concern for the public interest.  However, survey results show that many Federal employees believe that their leaders fall short in making the often-difficult decisions needed to make truly efficient and effective use of the Federal workforce.  For example, among the 25 stewardship-related questions in our survey, agreement was lowest for items that concerned the extent to which organizations: (1) eliminate unnecessary functions and positions; and (2) effectively address poor performance.  Federal employees also expressed concerns about agency support for necessary training and development and their organizations’ ability to retain their best employees.  Our report contains recommendations to address perceptions and issues in these areas.

A copy of the study is available here.