CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED// ROUTINE R 161828Z JAN 25 MID180001552354U FM SECNAV WASHINGTON DC TO ALNAV INFO SECNAV WASHINGTON DC CNO WASHINGTON DC CMC WASHINGTON DC BT UNCLAS
ALNAV 011/25
MSGID/GENADMIN/SECNAV WASHINGTON DC/JAN//
SUBJ/OPERATIONALIZING FEDERAL EMPLOYEE VIEWPOINT SURVEY RESULTS AND CONTINUATION OF 2025 PROJECT EVEN KEEL//
REF/A/SECNAV MEMO/09AUG23// REF/B/SECNAV MEMO/21MAY24//
NARR/REF A SECNAV MEMO, TWO-YEAR REVIEW. REF B SECNAV MEMO, OPERATIONALIZING FEDERAL EMPLOYEE VIEWPOINT SURVEY RESULTS.//
RMKS/1. My three enduring priorities-strengthening maritime dominance, building a culture of warfighting excellence, and enhancing strategic partnerships -require full integration across Sailors, Marines, and the Department of the Navy's (DON) civilian workforce. As highlighted in reference (a), the DON's civilian workforce plays a critical role in advancing our mission to develop a more ready, modern, and capable Navy and Marine Corps team. The results from the 2024 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) present another opportunity to further enhance DON readiness through a more engaged and responsive civilian workforce. To that end, we will continue Project Even Keel (hereafter referred to as Even Keel) as outlined in reference (b). This initiative follows a structured approach to ensure that civilian personnel have access to FEVS results and the opportunity to provide leadership with actionable recommendations to improve employee engagement, enhance workforce satisfaction, and increase FEVS response rates. Even Keel is chaired by the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.
Even Keel is coordinated through a collaboration between the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Civilian Personnel (DASN (CP)) and the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Analytics & Human Resource Systems (DASN (A&HRS)), who prepare and publish briefing materials on DON FEVS results to support this initiative. The initiative consists of four phases: a. Phase I: Review and Distribution of FEVS Results. This phase involves reviewing and distributing the 2024 FEVS results to Budget Submitting Offices (BSOs), with special recognition given to those BSOs that achieve outstanding results in Response Rate, Employee Engagement, and Global Satisfaction. Each BSO must establish a team of Employee Engagement Champions (EECs) to support proactive engagement throughout the Even Keel initiative. BSOs will determine the echelon level at which to brief the 2024 FEVS results. BSOs that have already briefed their 2024 results to the workforce will not be required to conduct additional briefings. b. Phase II: BSO Action. This phase tasks BSOs with ensuring that the 2024 FEVS results provided by DASN (CP) and DASN (A&HRS) are utilized to conduct workforce briefings. Confirmation of EECs and completion of all briefings must be reported to DASN (CP) by 31 December 2024. c. Phase III: EEC Action. EECs will review the 2024 FEVS data and other relevant sources to recommend strategies for improving FEVS response rates, employee engagement, and workforce satisfaction. These recommendations must be submitted to activity leaders by 1 March 2025. d. Phase IV: BSO Action. Leadership will review the recommendations provided by the EECs and identify initiatives for approval. BSOs are responsible for developing plans of action for approved items. A list of these action plans must be submitted to DASN (CP) and DASN (A&HRS) by 1 April
2025 FEVS Goals. The 2025 FEVS will be administered during the May-June
timeframe. BSOs are encouraged to implement initiatives aimed at increasing
FEVS response rates by at least 2% prior to the 2025 FEVS administration.
BSOs are also encouraged to communicate their action plans to their employees
and begin implementation of their initiatives prior to the 2025 FEVS
administration.
After Action. Following the completion of Phase IV, DASN (CP) will review all approved Even Keel action plans to identify trends, potential best practices, and refine the Even Keel Engagement Plan accordingly. DASN (CP) will then complete the 2025 Even Keel After Action Report (AAR), incorporating these findings along with an evaluation of the 2025 FEVS response rates, employee engagement scores, and global satisfaction scores for the BSOs. The AAR will be finalized within 60 days of receiving the 2025 FEVS results and will be shared with DASN (A&HRS).
More than 215,000 civilian members of our Navy and Marine Corps team play an instrumental role in supporting our combat-ready forces. Attracting, hiring, and retaining a talented civilian workforce is essential to achieving our enduring strategic priorities. We owe it to our civilian workforce to carefully consider their FEVS feedback and use it to improve our work environment. By maintaining Even Keel, we will continue to build a stronger Navy and Marine Corps team, overcoming the challenges we face as the world's finest naval force.
Released by the Honorable Carlos Del Toro, Secretary of the Navy//
BT #0001 NNNN CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED//