Electronic Records Relating to Federal Civilian Employees
Electronic and Special Media Records Services Division Reference Report
IntroductionRecord Group 142: Records of the Tennessee Valley Authority
- Human Resources Information System Files, 1985-
- Central Personnel Data Files (CPDF), 1973-1978
- Survey of Air Traffic Controller Supervisors, 1961
- Central Personnel Data Files (CPDF), 1979-
- Surveys of Federal Employees, 1979-1992
- Merit Principles Surveys, 1983-2000
- Targeted Surveys of Federal Employees, 1979-1999
- Personnel Specialists Surveys
- Senior Executive Service Surveys
- Federal Supervisors Surveys
- Sexual Harassment Surveys
- Other Survey Files
Contact Information
Introduction
This reference report provides an overview of the electronic data records in the custody of the Electronic and Special Media Records Services Division that contain information about Federal civilian employees. Please note that any personal identifiers in the records have either been deleted or otherwise masked so particular individuals cannot be identified.
Researchers may order copies of these computerized data files on removable media for a cost-recovery fee and analyze the records directly, using their own hardware and software. For more information see: Ordering Information for Electronic Records. In addition to the raw data, the Division may have also received Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) control cards, export, save, or system electronic files for some of the data files. Contact the reference staff about the availability of SPSS files.
Descriptions of some of the series and file units are in NARA's Archival Research Catalog (ARC), which can be searched by title, ARC identification number (ARC ID), type of archival material, and/or keyword.
Record Group 142: Records of the Tennessee Valley Authority
- Human Resources Information System Files (HRIS), 1985-
ARC ID: 630962
Data Files: 1 data file per year
Technical Documentation: varies per year
This series contains information about employees of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), which includes federal government employees in the civil service. TVA created these data files annually from the active Employee Information System (EIS) and HRIS files, including public use versions of these files, wherein personal identifiers are not included.
Record Group 146: Records of the U.S. Civil Service Commission
- Central Personnel Data Files (CPDF), 1973-1978
ARC ID: 566349
Data Files: 5
Technical Documentation: 13-16 pages for each year; supplemental paper documentation; and 1 electronic file of standard code tables
This series contains personnel information on most employees of Federal Civilian agencies in the Executive Branch and similar information on employees of some agencies outside the Executive branch. The Division offers versions of the files in which the only personal identifier in the file, the Social Security Number, is scrambled so that individuals cannot be identified. Data in this series post-1978 are in Record Group 478. OPM's Office of Workforce Information will assist researchers in the use of the data.
Record Group 237: Records of the Federal Aviation Administration
- Survey of Air Traffic Controller Supervisors, 1961
ARC ID: 630214
Data Files: 7
Technical Documentation: 342 pages
This series contains survey response data on controllers who took training through the Aeronautical Center. Related textual records are available in the series "Survey Relating to Air Traffic Controller Job Performance, 9/1961 - 10/1962" (ARC ID: 630978).
Record Group 478: Records of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
- Central Personnel Data Files (CPDF), 1979-
ARC ID: 566354
Data Files: 19
Technical Documentation: 4-13 pages per year; supplemental paper documentation; and 21 electronic files of standard code tables for most years
This series contains personnel information on most employees of Federal Civilian agencies in the Executive Branch and similar information on employees of some agencies outside the Executive branch. It is a continuation of the earlier data in Record Group 146. The Division offers versions of the files in which the only personal identifier in the file, the Social Security Number, is scrambled so that individuals cannot be identified. OPM's Office of Workforce Information will assist researchers in the use of the data.
- Surveys of Federal Employees, 1979-1992
ARC ID: 599815
This series contains social survey data from the Federal Employee Attitudes Surveys and the Survey of Federal Employees documenting government employees' personal and employment background, current position, job satisfaction, work relationships with other employees and supervisors, experiences within their agencies, and perceived promotional opportunities. This series consists of:
- Federal Employee Attitudes Survey, Phase I, May 1979 (FEAS 1)
Data Files: 1
Technical Documentation: 51 pages and SPSS control statements - Federal Employee Attitudes Survey, Phase II, November 1980 - March 1981 (FEAS 2)
Data Files: 1
Technical Documentation: 58 pages and SPSS control statements - Federal Employee Attitudes Survey, Phase III, 1983 (FEAS 3)
Data Files: 1
Technical Documentation: 42 pages and printout of SPSS control statements - Survey of Federal Employees, 1992 (SOFE)
Data Files: 1
Technical Documentation: 128 pages
- Federal Employee Attitudes Survey, Phase I, May 1979 (FEAS 1)
Record Group 479: Records of the Merit Systems Protection Board
- Merit Principles Surveys, 1983-2000
ARC ID: 604257
This series contains microdata from respondents to surveys regarding opinions and experiences on a variety of personnel issues. Data elements in each survey are similar to allow for comparison across time. Individuals are not identified. This series consists of:
- Merit Principles Survey I, 1983
Data Files: 1
Technical Documentation: 39 pages
This file contains data from 4,897 respondents.
- Merit Principles Survey II, 1986
Data Files: 1
Technical Documentation: 36 pages
This file contains data from 16,651 respondents from a random sample of 21,620 full-time, executive branch Federal employees. Identification of specific agencies and grade levels of respondents is included in Table 1 of the documentation. The Division received a SPSS export file.
- Merit Principles Survey III, 1989
Data Files: 1
Technical Documentation: 30 pages
This file contains data from 15,939 respondents out of a random sample of 21,454 full-time, executive branch Federal employees. Identification of specific agencies and grade levels of respondents is included in Table 1 of the documentation. The Division received a SPSS export file.
- Merit Principles Survey, 1992
Data Files: 1
Technical Documentation: 33 pages and supplementary documentation
This file contains data from 13,432 respondents out of a disproportionately stratified random sample of 20,851 full-time, executive branch Federal employees. Identification of specific agencies and grade levels of respondents is included in Table 1 of the documentation. NARA received a SPSS export file.
- Merit Principles Survey, 1996
Data Files: 3
Technical Documentation: 96 pages and supplementary documentation
This survey contains data from 9,710 respondents out of a disproportionately stratified random sample of 18,163 full-time, executive branch Federal employees. For weighting purposes, identification of specific agencies and grade levels of respondents is included in Appendix 2 of the documentation. The Division received a SPSS export file.
- Merit Principles Survey, 2000
Data Files: 1
Technical Documentation: 112 pages and supplementary documentation
This survey contains data from 6,958 respondents out of a stratified random sample of 17,250 full-time, permanent executive branch Federal employees (supervisors and non-supervisors). The Division received a SPSS save file.
- Merit Principles Survey, 2005
Data Files: 2
Technical Documentation: 31 pages and supplementary documentation
This survey contains data from responses of 36,926 Federal employees who completed this online survey - a representative sample of the 1.8 million full-time, permanent employees of the Federal Government. The Division received a SPSS save file.
- Merit Principles Survey I, 1983
- Targeted Surveys of Federal Employees
ARC ID: 569653
This series contains response data from sample surveys conducted on a periodic basis to evaluate the civil service and other merit systems in the Executive Branch to determine whether they were free of prohibited personnel practices. For some of the surveys, the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board published reports of its findings and these reports are available as supplemental documentation. Individuals are not identified in the surveys. The series consists of the following surveys:
Personnel Specialists Surveys
- Survey of the State of the Merit System and the Office of Personnel Management's Impact on It, 1980
ARC ID: 578758
Data Files: 1
Technical Documentation: 38 pages (1 microfiche) and SPSS control cards file (ARC ID: 578760)
This file contains survey responses of senior personnel officials in Federal agencies who were asked to rate the state of the merit system and the Office of Personnel Management's impact on it during 1980. Demographic and job data are not included.
- Survey of Federal Personnel Specialists, 1988
ARC ID: 578677
Data Files: 1
Technical Documentation: 35 pages and supplemental documentation
This file contains the survey responses from 3,506 respondents out of a disproportionately stratified random sample of 5,507 full-time, executive branch Federal employees working in personnel. The Division received a SPSS export file.
- General Attitudes and Experiences of Senior Executive Service Employees, 1981
ARC ID: 578668
Data Files: 1
Technical Documentation: 47 pages (1 microfiche); supplemental paper documentation; and SPSS control cards file (ARC ID: 578669)
This file contains survey responses about the effectiveness of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 protections against improper political interference in the Senior Executive Service (SES); fairness and equity in the performance appraisal and performance award systems; and the impact of SES incentive systems on the attitudes of senior executives and potential SES candidates. The file does not have geographic coding or individual demographic and job data.
- Survey of Former Senior Executive Service Members, 1988
ARC ID: 632315
Data Files: 1
Technical Documentation: 40 pages and supplemental documentation
This file consists of survey responses about Senior Executive Service (SES) members' views on SES compensation and the protections enacted to protect them from arbitrary actions. The Division received a SPSS export file.
- Effectiveness of Federal First-Line Supervisors, First-Line Supervisors File, 1991
ARC ID: 578656 - Effectiveness of Federal First-Line Supervisors, Second-level Supervisors File, 1991
ARC ID: 578661 - Effectiveness of Federal First-Line Supervisors, Nonsupervisory Employees File, 1991
ARC ID: 578660 - Effectiveness of Federal First-Line Supervisors, Matched Response File, 1991
ARC ID: 578659
Data Files: 4
Technical Documentation: 100 pages and supplemental documentation
Three separate groups of Federal employees, first-line supervisors; the immediate supervisors of first-line supervisors (i.e. second-line supervisors) and nonsupervisory employees, were asked to assess the performance of first-line supervisors. A Matched Response File matches first-line and second-line supervisory pairs (1779 matched pairs). The Division received SPSS system files.
- Survey of Current and Former Federal Supervisors, Current Supervisors File, 1997
ARC ID: 578756 - Survey of Current and Former Federal Supervisors, Former Supervisors File, 1997
ARC ID: 578757
Data files: 2
Technical Documentation: 27 pages
These files contain survey responses about the effects of downsizing and delegation of authority. The Division received SPSS export files.
- Sexual Harassment in the Federal Workplace, 1979-1980
ARC ID: 578670
Data Files: 1
Technical Documentation: 58 pages (1 microfiche); supplemental paper documentation; and SPSS control cards file (ARC ID: 578673)
This file consists of survey responses of 20,083 respondents out of a disproportionately stratified random sample of 23,964 civilian executive branch Federal Employees.
- Sexual Harassment in the Federal Workplace, 1987
ARC ID: 578672
Data Files: 1
Technical Documentation: 32 pages and supplemental documentation
This file contains survey responses from 8,523 respondents out of a disproportionately stratified random sample of approximately 13,000 full-time, executive branch Federal employees. The Division received a SPSS export file.
- Sexual Harassment in the Federal Workplace [Trends, Progress, Continuing Challenges], 1994
ARC ID: 578675
Data Files: 1
Technical Documentation: 26 pages and supplemental documentation
This file consists of survey responses from 8,081 respondents out of a disproportionately stratified random sample of full-time, executive branch Federal employees all over the country. The Division received a SPSS export file.
- Career Development Survey [A Question of Equity, Women and the Glass Ceiling], 1991-1992
ARC ID: 578655
Data Files: 1
Technical Documentation: 40 pages and supplemental documentation
This file contains survey responses about factors that affect the career advancement of Federal employees and whether barriers exist that restrict the movement of women in the civil service into management positions. The Division received a SPSS export file.
- Survey on Career Advancement and Workforce Diversity in the Federal Civil Service, Files 1, 1993
ARC ID: 578761 - Survey on Career Advancement and Workforce Diversity in the Federal Civil Service, Files 2, 1993
ARC ID: 578762
Data Files: 2
Technical Documentation: 103 pages and supplemental documentation
These files contain survey responses about the factors affecting the employment and career advancement of minorities in the Federal workplace. The Division received a SPSS export file.
- Exit Survey [Of Federal Employees Leaving the Government], 1989
ARC ID: 578664
Data Files: 1
Technical Documentation: 19 pages and supplemental documentation
This file contains microdata from 2,778 respondents to a survey of former Federal employees. The Division received a SPSS export file.
- Survey of New Hires, 1999
ARC ID: 578763
Data Files: 1
Technical Documentation: 8 pages and supplemental documentation
This file contains survey responses about the experiences of individuals seeking jobs with the Federal government. The Division received a SPSS export file.
- Contracting Officer Representatives Survey, 2005
ARC ID: 1132829
Data Files: 1
Technical Documentation: 43 pages and supplemental documentation
This file contains data collected from 1,707 program and technical employees who perform contract-related duties as contracting officer representatives (CORs) or contracting officer technical representatives (COTRs). The Division received a SPSS version.
- General Attitudes and Experiences of Mid-Level Employees, 1981
ARC ID: 578666
Data Files: 1
Technical Documentation: 46 pages (1 microfiche); supplemental paper documentation; and SPSS control cards file (ARC ID: 578667)
This file contains survey responses about the experiences and viewpoints of mid-level Federal employees concerning the functioning of the merit system in their agency. The file does not include geographic coding or demographic and job data.
- Whistleblowing and the Federal Employee, 1980
ARC ID: 578764
Data Files: 1
Technical Documentation: 117 pages (2 microfiche) and SPSS control cards file (ARC ID: 578765)
This file contains survey responses about Federal employees blowing the whistle on fraud, waste, and mismanagement in the Federal government.
- Survey of the State of the Merit System and the Office of Personnel Management's Impact on It, 1980
Related Information
A number of Office of Policy and Evaluation reports and publications related to the electronic data records transferred to NARA are available on the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board website.
Contact Information
Reference Services
Electronic and Special Media Records Services Division (NWME)
National Archives at College Park
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740-6001
(301) 837-0470
e-mail: cer@nara.gov
January 2009
