Take This Department and Shove It!

The worst job in Washington

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It’s hard enough in these days of tropical storms and truck bombs to secure the nation; it doesn’t help if you loathe the job. In a recent study of 29 federal government agencies such as the Office of Management and Budget and the SEC, employees evaluated their satisfaction with work. They measured those basic conditions you long for when you punch the clock: good pay, teamwork, effective bosses. The final rankings revealed that some workers are less than pleased, notably those at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS):

DHS RANKINGS

Employee skills and mission match

29th

Strategic management

29

Teamwork

29

Effective leadership

29

Training and development

26

Support for diversity

29

Pay and benefits

29

Family-friendly culture and benefits

28

Work/life balance

29

The 29 agencies surveyed are made up of 217 smaller groups. A child of DHS, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), is among them. It hit the bottom of the bottom:

TSA RANKINGS

Employee skills and mission match

217th

Strategic management

216

Teamwork

206

Effective leadership

217

Training and development

197

Support for diversity

215

Pay and benefits

217

Family-friendly culture and benefits

217

Work/life balance

217

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LET’S TALK ABOUT OPTIMISM FOR A CHANGE

Democracy and journalism are in crisis mode—and have been for a while. So how about doing something different?

Mother Jones did. We just merged with the Center for Investigative Reporting, bringing the radio show Reveal, the documentary film team CIR Studios, and Mother Jones together as one bigger, bolder investigative journalism nonprofit.

And this is the first time we’re asking you to support the new organization we’re building. In “Less Dreading, More Doing,” we lay it all out for you: why we merged, how we’re stronger together, why we’re optimistic about the work ahead, and why we need to raise the First $500,000 in online donations by June 22.

It won’t be easy. There are many exciting new things to share with you, but spoiler: Wiggle room in our budget is not among them. We can’t afford missing these goals. We need this to be a big one. Falling flat would be utterly devastating right now.

A First $500,000 donation of $500, $50, or $5 would mean the world to us—a signal that you believe in the power of independent investigative reporting like we do. And whether you can pitch in or not, we have a free Strengthen Journalism sticker for you so you can help us spread the word and make the most of this huge moment.

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