Federal Shutdown May Send Millennial Workers To Exits

dcblogs writes: The federal government measures the 'engagement' of its federal workforce once a year with a massive survey of 1.5 million employees. And what it has found is that most federal workers are very dedicated to their work. Its most recent survey -- the 2018 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey -- asked employees if they are 'willing to put in extra effort to get their job done,' 96% of the survey takers responded affirmatively. Moreover, 91% agreed with the statement that they 'look for ways to do their jobs better,' and 90% 'believe their work is important.' But this job dedication is being tested by the U.S. government shutdown, and most at risk of leaving are Millennial-age workers. Less than 6% of federal employees are under the age of 30 and represent half of all people who leave an agency within the first two years. The best employees have options, and 'a major concern is that the brightest, hardest-working, and most capable, dedicated government employees may opt out of government service and take jobs in the private sector,' Talya Bauer, professor of management at Portland State University in Oregon and president of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, said. The shutdown could hurt the reputation of the government as a good place to work, she said.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.