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WASHINGTON — U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood applauded the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) significant rise in the Partnership for Public Service’s Best Places to Work in the Federal Government rankings.

The DOT enjoyed one of the greatest improvements in the index among the large agencies with a 15.8 percent increase compared with 2009, placing 26 out of 32 in the 2010 survey. The results follow a year in which secretary LaHood initiated a series of town hall meetings with employees across the country to hear their concerns and begin to turn the department’s rankings around.

“We are committed to our employees and to creating a workplace where they are valued and feel good about coming to work every day,” LaHood said. “DOT employees are some of the most professional people I’ve met during my time in public service. We aspire to be the top choice for people seeking a rewarding career in transportation.”

Secretary LaHood led the effort to improve upon the department’s 2009 ranking by focusing on the competencies of first-line supervisors in the areas of effective leadership, empowerment, employee engagement and ethics. Further, an employee satisfaction goal was included in all Senior Executive Service (SES) performance plans.

In addition to holding town hall meetings with employees, Secretary LaHood asked his agency administrators to meet regularly with employees, to focus on leadership development and internal communications, and to create tailored action plans, which included measurable benchmarks for their agencies.

The DOT also saw its highest response rate ever, with 67 percent of its employees taking the survey. The federal government’s overall response rate was 52.2 percent.

The Partnership for Public Service is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to revitalize the federal workforce by inspiring a new generation to serve and by transforming the way government works. The Best Places to Work rankings can be accessed at http://bestplacestowork.org/BPTW/rankings/overall/large.

*Related news: See how civil engineering, structural engineering, architectural, environmental services, and multidiscipline A/E service firms rank on Stagnito Media’s Best Firms To Work For list (2010 list coming soon).