December 19, 2013 — The downturn in satisfaction has coincided with a change in political leadership. The 2008 to 2009 period marked the transition from Administrator Conrad Lautenbacher – who served through much of the Bush Administration (2001 to 2008) – to Jane Lubchenco, Obama’s selection to run the agency (starting in 2009). Lubchenco departed NOAA earlier this year and Kathryn Sullivan has served as the Acting Administrator since.
During Lubchenco and Sullivan’s tenure, NOAA has faced a challenging fiscal environment, replete with sequestration-related budget cuts, a government shutdown, a hiring freeze and reductions in travel and training. At the same time, it has been criticized for its management of environmental (weather) satellite programs. It was also forced to clean-up a budget scandal at the National Weather Service, which led to the retirement or removal of top officials.
“Among federal agencies, NOAA’s mission is one of the most unique and diverse,” said Ciaran Clayton, NOAA spokesperson. ”Our employees are committed to this mission and strive day in and day out to provide the best scientific data and information available — information that is then used by every community across the country. We strive to put mission first, and people always, and are constantly looking for ways to improve opportunities for our workforce.”
The drop in worker satisfaction at NOAA has also tracked an overall downturn in satisfaction ratings across the Federal government.
“The 2013 Best Places to Work data present a disturbing picture of federal employees throughout the government who are increasingly dissatisfied with their jobs and workplaces,” the Partnership for Public Service report states. ”Government-wide, the federal employee job satisfaction and commitment level dropped for the third year in a row, tumbling 3 points to a score of 57.8 on a scale of 100.”
Read the full story at the Washington Post