Xerox surveyed over 5,000 people regarding their optimism in the workplace, including nearly 650 government workers. See the results and learn why optimism is so vital to citizens’ needs.

1. presented by:
Return On
Optimism
Survey Findings:
Government

2. What is Return On Optimism?
The belief that you can:
Overcome
big challenges
Be confident
about your
outlook and
opportunities
Know that
what you do
makes a
difference
This results in determination, innovation and BUSINESS SUCCESS!
2

3. In 2014, Xerox launched an online
survey at returnonoptimism.com
• Over 5,900 participants took part
• 10 questions covering work environment,
communications, empowerment and more
• Optimism scores span industries—Healthcare,
Higher Education, Enterprise/Business and
Government—and internal departments
Assessing the Return On Optimism
lousy meh ok aces
Xerox® Managed Print Services (MPS)
knows that optimism fuels innovation
and operational success.
We’re so keen on the positive effect of
optimism to an organization’s bottom
line, we set out to study it.
3

4. Respondent Data Comparison
5,941 total responders to ROO survey
645 Government responders
Healthcare
14%
Government
11%
Higher Ed
9%Business/
Enterprise
57%
Other
9%
Federal
41%
State
32%
Local
27%
4

5. C Optimism Grade
76 ROO Score
80 Administration
77 Finance/Accounting
77 PR Communications
76 IT
76 Purchasing
74 Shared Services
75 Other
Optimism Score: Government
Government optimism scored the lowest overall
out of all industries
• Administration was the most optimistic department;
Shared Services, the least
Local Government
C+ Optimism Grade
79 ROO Score
86 Shared Services
81 Administration
81 IT
80 PR Communications
71 Purchasing
70 Finance/Accounting
79 Other
State Government
C Optimism Grade
78 ROO Score
84 Administration
83 Finance/Accounting
81 Purchasing
79 PR Communications
75 IT
69 Shared Services
76 Other
Federal Government
C- Optimism Grade
72 ROO Score
77 Finance/Accounting
76 Purchasing
74 Administration
74 PR Communications
73 IT
67 Shared Services
70 Other
5

6. Key Optimism Issues
Biggest barriers to innovation and creativity:
Workspace
and
Environment
Communications
Politics
and
Process
6

7. Workspace and Environment
1: Presidential Memorandum -- Enhancing Workplace Flexibilities and Work-Life Program, The White House Office of the Press Secretary. June, 2014.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/06/23/presidential-memorandum-enhancing-workplace-flexibilities-and-work-life-
• Federal Government supports mobile workers and
alternative work schedules that contribute to
employee well-being and productivity.
• Mobile workers provide a hedge against government shut downs
and unexpected emergencies.
• Process and policies need to support telecommuting
and a mobile infrastructure.
—White House Support of Telecommuting1
ROO Survey Findings:
Uninspiring work environments can suppress innovation
which can hinder growth.
Xerox
Digital Alternatives Tool
• Provides mobile workers with easy
and secure access to the information
they need, when they need it
• Allows mobile workers to read, save,
share and annotate documents
within a single application
• Automatic synchronization across
PCs and iPad tablets, provide secure,
up-to-date access to information
7

8. Communications
2: 2014 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey: Employees Influencing Change, OPM.gov, 2014.
http://www.fedview.opm.gov/2014files/2014_Governmentwide_Management_Report.PDF
ROO Survey Findings:
Poor communications prevent Government workers from
being as effective as possible in their jobs.
Xerox MPS
• Streamlines approach to
document management and
collaboration between co-
workers
• Improvements help to drive
efficiencies so employees and
leaders can engage in more
meaningful, collaborative work
• 400,000 federal workers reported being more dissatisfied
with their jobs than they were compared to the prior year.
• Federal employees’ opinions of senior leaders hit a five-
year low, based partly on communication breakdowns
between leaders and employees.
—Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey2
8

9. Politics and Process
Xerox MPS
• Reveals trends and fixes
bottlenecks so that processes
are streamlined and optimized
• Improvements help to free up
time so employees can remain
focused on the tasks that count
• 89.8% of employees are constantly looking for better ways to
work, a positive sign that employees are motivated to innovate.
• Yet only 40% have a feeling of personal empowerment with
respect to work processes.
• And only 46% feel good about their involvement in decisions
that affect their work.
—Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey2
ROO Survey Findings:
Heavy-handed processes and excessive hoop jumping can
slow down progress and lead to employee frustration.
2: 2014 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey: Employees Influencing Change, OPM.gov, 2014.
http://www.fedview.opm.gov/2014files/2014_Governmentwide_Management_Report.PDF9

10. Return on Optimism
Government Survey Answers
10

11. What percentage of your work would you
describe as meaningful?
of people working in Government
feel the majority of their work is meaningful—
Local Government more so than Federal.58%
11

12. How would you describe the work/life
balance at your agency/department?
of people working in Government
feel that their work/life balance is ok.54%
12

13. of people working in Government
feel that their clarity of work is clear enough.49%
How would you rate the clarity of
your agency/department mission?
Obscure and
ambiguous.
Foggy at best. Clear enough. Crystal clear.
13

14. How would you describe your workspace?
of people working in Government
feel that their workspace is presentable,
though not necessarily inspiring.61%
14

15. How would you describe the communication
in your workplace?
of people working in Government
feel that the communication within
their workplace is decent.29%
The lines
are down
Spotty signal
Decent
reception
Full bars
15

16. How would you rate your department’s
commitment to community outreach?
of people working in Government
feel that their organization’s commitment to
community outreach is relatively promising.38%
16

17. How effectively does your department
respond to citizens’ needs?
of people working in Government
feel that they are not effectively
responding to citizen needs.57%
Can’t you see
we’re on a break?
Take a number,
please
We get the job done We go the extra mile
17

18. How often does “politics” interfere with your
ability to do your job?
of people working in Government
feel they experience political hoop-jumping
that interferes with their ability to do their
job.40%
18

19. Do you feel your accomplishments are
properly recognized?
of people working in Government
feel that their work is recognized, though
30% believe that recognition is only short-
lived.43%
19

20. How would you describe your opportunities
for professional development?
of people working in Government
feel that opportunities for professional
development are encouraging.52%
Non-existent Discouraging Encouraging Positively rosy
20

21. Want to fuel
employee
optimism
within your
department?
21
See how Managed Print Services
can change the way you work:
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