Connelly wants answers on FEVS delays
- By FederalSoup Staff
- Aug 13, 2020
Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) wants to know what’s going on with the 2020 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey.
Originally scheduled to be distributed in May, it was postponed until July 13 so that agency employees could focus on their missions and the Office of Personnel Management could maximize participation in the survey.
According to a June OPM memorandum, the questionnaire has been modified to include questions about federal employee' experience during the pandemic response, with questions relating to how employees were able to maintain continuity of operations during the public health emergency.
On July 9, it was pushed back again until Sept. 14.
In an Aug. 12 letter to OPM acting Director Michael Rigas, Connelly wrote that after the second delay, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform’s Subcommittee on Government Operations is “concerned about the apparent mishandling” of the survey by OPM, adding that the agency provided “conflicting and contradictory reasoning” for the latest postponement.
“It is concerning that OPM would, without reasonable warning or justification, delay the FEVS a second time,” Connelly wrote. “Views of federal employees should never be ignored, especially during a time of crisis.”
Connelly asked for all documentation related to decisions to postpone the survey, as well as a briefing on the most recent delay and the steps OPM is taking to ensure the 2020 FEVS will go out Sept. 14.