Despite these daunting working conditions, a 1993 survey conducted by the Congressional Management Foundation on behalf of the Joint Committee on the Organization of Congress found that the large majority of staff "like their job" and are generally satisfied with most aspects of their work. According to the survey completed by over 1,400 congressional staff in Washington and district/state offices, the jobs and work environment of Congress are challenging and interesting. Their work provides them excellent opportunities to learn and to work with high‑caliber colleagues. Staff tend to be motivated by the desires to help people and contribute to the public good and find their work satisfies these desires. They are highly committed, extremely hard‑working, and proud of their work.
Nonetheless, the survey also found that many staff report that they are dissatisfied with the "quality of life" trade‑offs that work on the Hill seems to require. In particular, congressional staff report significant frustration with:
- heavy and growing workloads,
- long and unpredictable work hours,
- work demands that too often force staff to sacrifice quality for quantity,
- chaotic and haphazardly managed offices, and
- insufficient training opportunities to help staff work more effectively.
These frustrations combine to create a highly demanding, pressurized work environment that is best characterized by its high levels of "work‑related stress" — the number one complaint of staff. Staff report that these pressures promote a good deal of staff "burn‑out" and, ultimately, high levels of staff departures from Congress. In our survey, an alarmingly high proportion of both junior and senior staff reported that even though they like their jobs, they plan on leaving Congress in the next several years in search of a more manageable job and lifestyle.
The ramifications of these trying work conditions and high staff turnover extend well beyond the health and well‑being of individual congressional staff. These problems directly impede the productivity and effectiveness of the committees and personal offices for which staff work. Staff departures from Congress strip individual offices as well as the institution of critical institutional memory and know‑how and clearly hinder the quality of our nation's policy‑making process.
It is telling that many of the same workplace problems that are driving staff off the Hill are cited by the growing number of retiring Members as part of their reason for leaving Congress. Growing workloads, unrelenting pressures, lack of time with their families, and work‑related stress are significant factors contributing to many Members' decisions to retire.
It must be readily understood by the Members of Congress that none of these problems are self‑correcting. Constituent demands will not suddenly decline; committee chairs will not collectively decide to limit the number of hearings and better focus the work of committees; and staff productivity will not keep pace with work demands on its own accord.
Rather, these problems must be confronted head on. Changes in the way Congress operates at the "macro" or institutional level as well as at the "micro" or individual office level are required. Based upon a careful analysis of the data CMF collected through its survey and focus groups, CMF believes that reasonable, well‑targeted, and inexpensive reforms are available to Congress that would create a far more productive work environment, enhance the quality of life for Members and staff alike, and lead to a better policy‑making process.
The following pages of this report will outline the findings of our survey in detail and report the comments from the many staff who participated in our post‑survey focus groups and interviews. The report concludes with staff‑supported recommendations for addressing the serious workplace problems highlighted in this study.
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Details
Copyright, Congressional Management Foundation
Paperback: 70 pages
Publisher: Congressional Management Foundation (December 16, 1994)
ISBN: 1-930473-05-2
Dimensions: 8.5 x 11 inches
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Price: $15.00
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