A recent memo from Angela Bailey, associate director of employee services for the U.S. Office of Personnel (OPM), announced the release of a new exit survey for Senior Executive Service (SES) members.  

According to the memo, OPM developed the governmentwide exit survey to capture “valuable information regarding the circumstances under which executives leave the federal government and offer an opportunity for executives to provide candid feedback about their work experience.”  

Federal News Radio reports that OPM “hopes the surveys will also help agencies with retention and succession planning efforts.” Some questions from the survey that address these issues include:   

• Does your agency have any formal succession planning efforts for executives (e.g., interviews/debriefs that took place prior to your departure to ensure smooth transition of your duties)?

• Have there been — or were there prior to your leaving — any efforts made to involve you in preparing your successor?

This web-based survey will be hosted by OPM, and each agency will be provided a common link to distribute to their departing SES members. The survey will be available on an ongoing basis for an indefinite period of time, and OPM will work with agencies to optimize participation. Data will be captured at least annually, and may be captured more often depending on agency needs. No surveys have been distributed yet.

The exit survey is the result of a collaborative cross-agency effort among OPM, the Senior Executives Association, the Partnership for Public Service, agency representatives, and current SES members.

You can view full sample questions from the survey in the article, “OPM Searches for Candid Answers from Departing SES Members” on the Federal News Radio website.