Results of the 2023 Smithsonian Employee Perspective Survey

Unit-specific results are now available.

Earlier this year, more than two-thirds of you participated in our annual Smithsonian Employee Perspective Survey (SEPS).  I am very grateful to all of you who provided feedback, as it helps me and my leadership team focus on critical workplace culture matters.  The detailed insights from the survey provide much needed information on how staff from across the organization feel about working at the Smithsonian.  With those insights, Smithsonian leaders can continue to cultivate a workplace culture in which we are all invested and feel proud.

Our results this year are consistent with last year’s data:  our areas of strength remain similar —such as our continued strong collective sense of mission — while there are areas that need more attention such as cultivating a successful hybrid workplace.

We use your input to effect positive change. Last year’s survey results reflected a need for us to continue to make the Smithsonian more administratively nimble. In response, the Under Secretary for Administration guided efforts that have resulted in improvements in bringing new employees onboard more quickly and in greater numbers.  We also streamlined procurement processes within the Office of Contracting. While there is still more to be done, the results are encouraging and show that we are making progress in implementing new approaches to address this important need.

This year’s results demonstrate that our concerted efforts in the areas of civility and diversity in the workplace have made a difference. We are pleased to see continued positive trends in these areas over the last five years.

This year’s data and individual comments also demonstrate that some of you are not satisfied with the Smithsonian’s decision to encourage more onsite work. As a public serving Institution and like much of the Nation, we are still learning to create and manage a hybrid work environment that leverages best practices in technology and office planning; creates a collaborative, engaging on-site work environment; and maintains a focus on productivity and outcomes regardless of location.

We recognize that, for some individuals, the shift to more onsite work has represented a change in work-life balance from the pandemic era. For others, particularly our newer employees, interns and fellows, fewer in-person work opportunities led to a lost sense of community and a lack of professional development opportunities. The hybrid model is a way to balance these competing needs, and we will continue to refine our approach in response to best practices and employee feedback.

Finally, we are changing the way survey results are shared with staff at the unit level this year to generate dialogue and better inform our policies, practices, and priorities at all levels of the Institution. Unit directors will be sharing survey results at the unit level to increase transparency and encourage conversations. Directors who have 10 or more respondents have received their results, and I have asked them to share some version of the quantitative results with their staff. 

Further, a SharePoint site with tailored viewing privileges has been developed to allow staff to see their specific unit-level summary reports. This SharePoint site will be available in late September and will remain active for about a month. We will provide information about accessing that data at that time. In addition, the Office of Human Resources is providing an action planning toolkit to help each Director and their organization craft and implement tailored plans to address unit results. This includes both developing unit-specific strategies to address low scoring areas, while maintaining and bolstering areas of success to achieve our shared goal of making the Smithsonian a great place to work for every employee.

Thank you again for your responses and for everything you do on behalf of the Smithsonian.

UPDATE Sept. 26, 2023 Unit-Specific Results

As I mentioned at the town hall, I appreciate the feedback you provide annually through the staff survey. We realize the survey is an effective tool at both the Institution and Museum-level to learn about the issues that are on the minds of our staff and to guide our organizations forward. I am pleased to share with you the Smithsonian Employee Perspective Survey (SEPS) specific to your unit. As leaders, we use these results to help bring positive change to the organization, and I thank all of you who participated in the survey. 

These results reflect a summary of all the data generated by your unit, if your unit had 10 or more respondents to the survey.  These results are being provided to increase transparency and generate dialogue around the workplace culture within your unit, which may include policy, practice and process highlights or improvements. As such, please do not share this data outside your unit.

Thank you for all you continue to do for the Smithsonian.

Lonnie G. Bunch III | Secretary
Phone: 202.633.1846
Email:   SmithsonianSecretary@si.edu

The 2023 Smithsonian Employee Perspective Survey

Related posts:

Office of Protection Services has a new director COVID-19 Update: What does “closed to the public” mean to me? Because of HerStory: Closing the online gender gap COVID OSHEM Program Update: Boosters and Administrative Leave