Letter to employees

U.S. MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD

1615 M Street, NW

Washington, DC 20419

March 2007

Dear Federal Coworker:

We want to hear about your experiences as a Federal employee! We would greatly appreciate your help with our research into career advancement within the Federal Government. You have been randomly selected to complete this survey regarding your opinions and experiences as a Federal employee. A relatively small number of Federal employees have received this survey so we hope you will share your responses to our question so we can prepare a report that accurately represents the opinions of the Federal workforce. Results from this survey will be reported to the President, Congress, and other Federal decision-makers.

Who are we? We are the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), an independent Federal Government agency that serves as the guardian of Federal merit systems. In addition to hearing Federal employee appeals, we also conduct studies of the efficiency and effectiveness of the Federal merit systems and ensure they are free of prohibited personnel practices.

All of your responses to this survey are voluntary and confidential. The survey should take you about 30 minutes to complete via the internet and may be completed at your work site or at home using the survey website and unique password emailed to you by (name of contractor), our survey support contractor. Additional information about this effort is available by clicking the “STUDIES” icon on MSPB’s website (www.mspb.gov).

If you have any other questions about this survey, please contact us on our survey hotline at (202) 653-6772, Ext. xxxx or via e-mail at websiteaddress. Thank you in advance for contributing to this important effort.

Sincerely,

Steve Nelson

Director, Policy and Evaluation

F

ACT SHEET

U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board

What is the Merit Systems Protection Board? The U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board is an independent, quasi-judicial agency in the Executive branch that serves as the guardian of Federal merit systems. In addition to hearing Federal employee appeals and reviewing significant actions of the Office of Personnel Management, MSPB is responsible for studying the efficiency and effectiveness of Federal merit systems and ensuring they are free of prohibited personnel practices.

What is the Career Advancement Survey? The Career Advancement Survey examines the experiences of Federal employees and their perceptions regarding the treatment of groups of Federal employees. MSPB has conducted similar research since its establishment in 1979 as part of its statutory oversight responsibilities [5 U.S.C. 1204(a)(3) and 5 U.S.C. 1204(e)(3)]. The survey results will be widely disseminated among Federal decision-makers, including the President and Congress.

Why is survey participation important? Using the survey results, MSPB will be able to report to the President, Congress, and other Federal decision-makers on the way the Federal workforce is being managed. This is an opportunity for Federal employees to inform policy by voicing their opinions and concerns about workforce issues.

How will the survey be distributed? MSPB will deliver the survey electronically via the web. We will notify survey participants of their selection by email. Accommodations may be made for those without Internet access.

When will the survey be distributed? March 2007

Who will be asked to complete the survey? A random sample of approximately 36,000 full-time permanent employees and managers from across the Government will be invited to complete the survey. Major unions have been informed of the survey and are encouraged to support their members’ participation.

How long will it take to complete the survey? Approximately 30 minutes. Supervisors are asked to allow employees time to complete the survey during the workday.

Who will see the responses? Participation is voluntary and responses are confidential. Results will only be reported for groups of individuals. No data will be reported that could be used to identify specific participants.

How will the results be disseminated? Following analysis, a published summary report of the Governmentwide survey results will be posted on the MSPB website (www.mspb.gov).

Questions? For more information, contact MSPB via email at website or call the survey hotline at (202) 653-6772 xxxx; 1-800-209-8960 xxxx or; (202) 653-8896 (V/TDD).

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Career Advancement Survey

Instructions to Complete the Survey

Taking the Survey:

• The survey should take approximately 30 minutes.

• As you take the survey, the bar at that top of each page will help you gauge how far you’ve progressed.

• Please note that the response scales change throughout the survey.

• Please read each question carefully and answer as honestly as you can.

• It is important to answer all of the questions so that the data are complete and represent all Federal employees

• We recommend that you complete the survey in one sitting. But if this is not possible, the unique password given to you by (Name of Contractor) will allow you to save your responses and return to the survey at a later time.

• When navigating through the survey, please use the buttons and links on the survey pages and not your Browser Back and Forward buttons.

Accessing the Survey

Each person selected to participate in the survey was emailed a unique password. Using this password, you can complete the survey by:

ACCESS through email:

The email invitation provided to you by (Name of Contractor) contains a link to the survey. Simply click on that link and log into the survey with your unique password.

ACCESS through URL:

You may use any computer with Internet access. Enter the URL provided in the email from (Name of Contractor) inviting you to participate.

If you are having problems with your unique password or accessing the survey, please provide your name, agency, and telephone number in an email to (email address).

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Career Advancement Survey

Privacy Statement

MSPB wants to assure survey participants that your involvement in the Career Advancement Survey is both voluntary and confidential. This Privacy Statement identifies MSPB’s authorization to conduct this survey and lays out how we will manage the data we receive.

• In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-579), your responses to this survey are completely voluntary. There is no penalty if you choose not to participate, though we encourage your participation to ensure that our data is complete and representative of the Federal workforce.

• Collection of the information is authorized by Section 1204 of Title 5, US Code. MSPB also has OMB clearance for our surveys (OMB Control Number 3124-0012).

• The purpose of collecting this information is to study how well the Federal Government is managing its workforce in conformance with the merit system principles. The results of the survey will be shared with the President, Congress, and other Federal decision-makers to be used in developing policy that supports both merit and mission accomplishment.

• Only MSPB staff and our survey support contractor staff will have access to individually completed surveys. The information you provide will be analyzed and reported for the whole Federal workforce population and for certain subgroups.

• In any public release of survey results, no data will be disclosed that could be used to identify individual participants.

• Your agency will only receive summary data reports for the whole agency and for certain subcomponents. No data will be disclosed that could be used to identify individual employees.

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Merit Principles Survey 2005

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board?

2. What is (Name of Contractor)?

3. What is the purpose of the Career Advancement Survey?

4. Why is my response important?

5. How was I selected for the survey?

6. I recently moved to a new position. How do I fill out the survey?

7. How long will it take to complete the survey?

8. Can I complete the survey during working hours?

9. Who will see my responses?

10. How will the survey results be used?

11. Who do I contact if I have questions related to the survey?

12. How can I see the survey results?

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1. What is the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board?

1. The U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board is an independent, quasi-judicial agency in the Executive branch that serves as the guardian of Federal merit systems. In addition to hearing Federal employee appeals, MSPB is responsible for conducting studies to assess Federal merit systems and ensure they are consistent with the merit system principles and are free of prohibited personnel practices.

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2. Who is (Contractor Name) and why are they sending me information about an MSPB survey?

2. (Contractor Name) is MSPB’s survey support contractor. They are handling all of the logistical aspects of the survey.

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2. What is the purpose of this survey?

3. The Career Advancement Survey is intended to capture the various experiences of Federal employees as they manage their careers and their perceptions of the career experiences of various groups of employees. We will use the data to study how well the Federal Government is managing its workforce in conformance with the merit system principles

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4. Why is my response important?

1. Your response will help to improve the way the Federal workforce is managed! Because you are part of a random sample of Government employees, your views about your career and work environment will represent those of the larger Federal workforce. This is an opportunity for you to impact policy by voicing your opinions and concerns about workforce issues.

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4. How was I selected for the survey?

4. MSPB randomly selected you from a list of all employees at your agency. We used accepted sampling techniques to ensure that by using your responses, and those of other respondents, we can draw general conclusions about each agency’s workforce as well as the overall Federal workforce.

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4. I recently moved to a new position. How do I fill out the survey?

5. If you feel comfortable enough to answer the entire survey in regard to your new position, please do that. If you do not feel comfortable to answer the entire survey in regard to your new position, please answer all of the questions from the perspective of your last position.

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4. How long will it take to complete the survey?

6. You should be able to complete the survey in approximately 30 minutes. It can be completed in multiple sittings if necessary.

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4. Can I complete the survey during working hours?

7. Yes, you may complete the survey during work hours. MSPB is authorized to collect this information by Section 1204 of Title 5, US Code. We have notified your agency leadership of this survey and asked them to allow you approximately 30 minutes to complete the survey on work time. You or your manager can contact the head of your HR office to confirm this statement.

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4. Who will see my responses?

8. Only MSPB and our survey contractor, (Contractor Name), will have access to your individual responses. MSPB will treat all information that you provide confidentially. Survey results will not be reported to your organization in a way that will allow identification of your individual responses, results will only be reported for groups of individuals, and no data will be reported that could be used to identify specific participants.

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4. How will the survey results be used?

9. Responses from all survey respondents will be compiled and analyzed by MSPB professionals. We will identify trends within the Federal Government, agencies, and some subcomponents regarding how well the workforce is managed to support both merit and mission accomplishment. Survey results will be published in a report to the President, Congress, and other decision-makers to help inform legislation and policy reform. Keep in mind, no data will be reported that could be used to identify specific participants.

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4. Who do I contact if I have questions related to the survey?

10. If you have questions that are not addressed on this web site, please email (email address).

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4. How can I see the survey results?

11. If you would like to be notified of when the report is released, please subscribe to our ListServ.