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• Only 18 per cent consider their workplace to be a very healthy place to work.

• Only 32 per cent are well satisfied with their department or agency.

• Only 11 per cent feel that unsatisfactory employee performance is managed very effectively.

• Only 19 per cent feel strongly that they get a good chance for promotion.

• Only 22 per cent really feel they get good support for career development.

• Only 25 per cent really feel they get adequate recognition for good work.

These are averages for the whole Public Service. In some departments, the results are more negative.

These are not the signs of a major organization at its best. This actually means that most employees are not fully engaged with their work and/or their workplace and that in return, we are not getting their maximum effort. So the culture of Canada’s Public Service may not be broken per se, but it sure needs a lot of improvement.

The news coming out of the 2017 employee survey is not all bad, though. A number of departments and agencies are clearly doing things right. Based on those same survey results, one can rate them to determine the best ones to work for, like those “Best Companies To Work For” lists that we see periodically in the media.

Based on that analysis, which I did, below are the top 10 to work for, among Canada’s 65 major federal agencies. Fortunately, we have some ready-made models showing how to treat employees better so they in turn, provide better services to Canadians.