News Release - 11-25STB RANKED NO. 1 FOR THIRD YEAR IN A ROW


FOR RELEASE		Contact: Janie Sheng (202) 245-0221
11/16/2011 (Wednesday)		Eric Weiss
No. 11-25		FedRelay 1 (800) 877-8339

		www.stb.gov


FOR THIRD YEAR IN A ROW, SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD RANKED BEST SMALL AGENCY TO WORK FOR IN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

For the third year in a row, the U.S. Surface Transportation Board was ranked No. 1 among small federal agencies by the Partnership for Public Service in the 2011 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government rankings released today. "The 'STB Way' is a culture of collaboration, collegiality and innovation. It's a focus on getting the job done," said STB Chairman Daniel R. Elliott III. "Every employee should be proud of our ranking and what it says about their dedication and hard work." The STB, which has 141 employees, was ranked at the top of agencies with fewer than 2,000 workers. The Board was ranked No. 1 according to an overall index score measuring the performance of agencies and agency subcomponents related to employee commitment and job satisfaction. Among 34 small agencies, the STB achieved a top index score of 91.1 percent, a 4.9 percent increase over last year, when the Board also earned the highest score of any federal government agency. The Board is charged with the economic regulation of America's freight railroads and solving rate and service disputes. The agency's decisions are independent but the STB is administratively associated with the U.S. Department of Transportation. STB workplace policies foster a work-life balance through telecommuting and flexible work schedules. It also has an open-door management environment that encourages innovation. Chairman Elliott recently instituted "Genius Awards" to recognize employees who come up with good ideas. The Board's work environment helps retain skilled workers and recruit top-tier job candidates This was the fifth year of the survey, conducted by the Partnership for Public Service and The American University's Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation. Agencies were ranked using 10 workplace environment indices, including employee skills-mission match, strategic management, teamwork, effective leadership, performance-based rewards and advancement, training and development, support for diversity, family-friendly culture, pay and benefits, and work-life balance. The full PPS "Best Places to Work in the Federal Government" report can be viewed at http://bestplacestowork.org/BPTW/rankings/.