Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson has questioned, clearly, a recent survey showing that morale in his department had reached an all-time low.
During a distinguished service awards ceremony on Thursday, he began his address to the packed hall by saying, “There’s a survey that says your morale is low. How is your morale today?’’
According to
The Washington Post, his question was met with a round of whooping and hollering, clearly indicating that in that auditorium, at least, morale was still at a high level.
Johnson was trying to boost the spirits of his workforce after a
2014 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey recently showed that many Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees had complained that the department snubs innovation, treats workers in a dismissive fashion and fails to recruit highly skilled personnel, The Post reported.
The survey has long been considered a yardstick of job satisfaction at various government agencies, while also creating the basis of the highly regarded annual report called Best Places to Work in the Federal Government.
The event at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., was attended by 600 agency workers, including more than 300 staffers who were receiving awards, The Post said.
The recipients were drawn from several DHS agencies, including the Secret Service, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The awards to workers ranged from those who had made a rapid response to tornadoes and other natural disasters, to employees who had investigated Russian counterfeiters, the paper said.
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