DOT makes Best Places to Work top ten, earns honors as most improved large government agency

With DOT's success in the 2012 Best Places to Work rankings, I want to share how proud I am of our hard-earned achievement as the Most Improved Large Government Agency. We are all deeply honored to have that recognition.

And with that improvement, I'm pleased to say that DOT moved into the Best Places To Work 2012 large agency Top 10.

At the Department of Transportation, we work to ensure a safe, efficient, accessible, and reliable transportation system that meets the needs of the American people today and will continue to meet their needs in the future. And we cannot pursue that mission effectively unless the Department’s 57,000 professionals in our 13 sub-agencies are committed to the work they do and the workplace they do it in.

Well, since 2009, DOT has jumped 11 percentage points in the Best Places to Work rankings. This improvement in job satisfaction didn’t just happen. It is the result of a deliberate and coordinated Department-wide effort.

And I do mean "Department-Wide." For example, the Federal Highway Administration made the Agency Subcomponent Top 10 this year, and the Federal Railroad Administration finished in the Top 20. Rounding out our Department-wide success, the Federal Aviation Administration was the fifth most-improved among the 292 sub-agencies.

I can't begin to say how proud I am of this deep representation of DOT agencies, and I congratulate everyone who contributed to those agencies' success.

Now, when Deputy Secretary John Porcari and I came to DOT, we knew it was important to have happy and productive people in the Department. So we focused our efforts on management practices that address leadership and our organization’s culture, including listening to employees and holding leaders accountable for results.

But when I wrote last week about those efforts, I also said that greater job satisfaction at DOT was good for everyone who benefits from transportation in America. Our recognition in the 2012 Best Places To Work only goes to show that we are steadily improving our ability to serve.

That's why we remain committed to doing even better next year.

Because as proud as I am of the progress we've made during the last four years, I believe the American people deserve even better. And we will continue keeping our nose to the grindstone to make sure we deliver exactly that.

Once again, my sincerest thanks and congratulations to everyone at DOT who had a hand in this terrific accomplishment.

Comments

[Montway]

Please, accept our congratulations with your achievement. We really hope that next year Department of Transportation will make Best Places to Work top five.

[Curtis J. Tompkins]

I am proud of the progress that USDOT has made in the past four years with Secretary LaHood's and Deputy Secretary Porcari's caring leadership. I had the privilege of serving under them until I retired on August 31, 2011, and I continue to follow the Department's progress. Congratulations to all who have contributed to improving USDOT as a great place to serve the Nation!

[m.a.n]

Congratulation Secretary LaHood. You have energized the Department and the results are clear.

Congratulation to all DOT members for their effort and committment.