Federal Employees Seek Better Understanding in the Workplace

In the last post we mentioned that 71% of federal employees feel misunderstood due to differences of identity. These feelings of misunderstanding cross all types of identities in the federal workforce:

One major way respondents report a lack of misunderstanding is through workplace communication. 62% of respondents report having experienced a situation where they were unsure of how to interact with an employee who identifies himself or himself differently. As diversity continues to increase in the workplace, it is important that employers provide the proper tools to educate and create a positive work environment.

Implementing better communication training to provide a more comfortable work environment is one path that federal agencies can take to mitigate this situation. One in three respondents report that they have avoided a sensitive situation in the past. If employees were armed with better communication skills when it comes to diversity, perhaps they would be more likely to deal with the issues directly and resolve any conflicts that may occur.

The study has shown that although federal agencies have made changes and policies to their diversity and inclusion policies, there is still a long way to go before federal employees feel understood in their workplaces.

Methodology: GBC deployed a survey to a sample of Government Executive, Nextgov, and Defense One online and print subscribers in May 2015. The 752 respondents were senior-level federal employees, including those of GS/GM-11 to 15 grade levels and members of the Senior Executive Service. Click here to see the full report.