Canadian public service employee satisfaction and its main drivers

Using the results of the 2005 P ublic S ervice E mployee S urvey ( PSES ), this paper identifies which factors have the greatest effect on employee satisfaction in the C anadian public service. Several hypotheses are tested against the backdrop of existing literature. In general, public servant satisfaction is affected by belief in opportunities for promotion, fair classification, adherence to client service standards, life balance, recognition by immediate supervisors, team relationships with colleagues, how well information is shared and, finally, belief in the abilities of senior management. Some interesting elaborations of these basic findings emerge when other variables are controlled. The discussion considers how the public service can be seen as a more desirable career choice.