More than half of the government workforce reports they telework, either in a fully remote (26%) or hybrid environment (24%). The good news: employees say teleworking has helped improve team and individual performance and they feel trusted to get the job done. To find out what employees say is helping and hindering their performance, we surveyed over 500 fully remote, hybrid, and in-person employees across the government. See below for their views on performance and what support they say they need from managers.
Teleworkers report better performance than in-person workers
Those who telework—both fully remote and hybrid employees—are more likely than their in-person peers to say team and individual performance have improved.
My team’s performance has gotten better over the past two years
My individual performance has gotten better over the past two years
Could older employees benefit from more telework?
Younger to mid-career employees make up the majority of the government’s remote workforce and are more likely than their older counterparts to report improved individual performance.
Government employees feel trusted and supported, but under more pressure
Regardless of where they work, government employees feel more supported now than they did two years ago.
92%
Believe their manager trusts them to get their job done
70%
Feel more supported by their supervisor
But, many still feel mounting pressures compared to two years ago.
64%
Feel more pressure to perform well
63%
Feel more pressure to prove their value
How can government leaders sustain performance improvements?
Start by understanding the challenges impacting team and individual performance for your employees.
Top challenges employees face with team performance:
Top challenges employees face with individual performance:
How can managers boost team and individual performance even further?
For their teams to work better, here’s what employees say they need from their managers:
39%
More empathy and understanding about employees’ unique needs
39%
Clarity about team expectations for success
34%
Ability to engage with the team regardless of where they are working
When thinking about regular discussions with managers, employees find these activities to be the most helpful:
43%
Making sure we are on the same track in terms of realistic goals and priorities
22%
Setting and aligning on goals
The pandemic was transformational for the government workforce, accelerating what employees have long desired: more flexibility. Our research is a clear signal that flexible work environments—both fully remote and hybrid approaches—can deliver performance results. And by providing government employees with more flexibility, government employers may have better outcomes when it comes to attracting and keeping workers at a time when public sector employers are really struggling to compete with the private sector.
— Melissa Jezior, Eagle Hill Consulting President and Chief Executive Officer
Methodology
The findings are based upon The Eagle Hill Performance Management and Feedback Survey 2022, conducted by Ipsos from May 10-12, 2022. The nationally representative survey included 1,001 adults in the U.S. aged 18 and older who are employed full-time or part-time, including those who work for a government agency. The survey polled respondents on aspects of performance management and feedback.
