US Department of Labor Reviews

Pros

flexiplace, bonuses, benefits, travel, educational opportunities

Cons

better positions only upon relocation to national office, DC

Pros

This is one of the best agencies to work for in the federal government because each day, you know you're performing a valuable service on behalf of the country's wage earners. It's extremely rewarding, offers excellent opportunities for advancement, family-friendly atmosphere/flexible with family needs, and provides terrific benefits package.

Cons

Maybe get a little monotonous at times and some members of Senior Management should receive better training in staff supervision. Also computer systems are very archaic and all staff should receive training on common software such as Excel and PowerPoint so new employees who come with these skills already shouldn't have to train tenured staff on how to operate a computer.

Advice to Senior Management

Train your tenured staff. New employees to the federal government with degrees, significant training and credentials shouldn't have to train current employees with 30 years of service under their belt. Also base your pay increases on performance - NOT TENURE.

Pros

It is a stable job where you can make errors and still marginally eke out a career. You can gain business acumen and learn a lot about the regulator's perspective

Cons

There was not much room for growth. There is a set career path and promotion is slow. Bureaucratic chain of command

Advice to Senior Management

Eliminiate government inefficiency, allow more innovative ideas, less holidays and sick leave, decentralize management structure, digitalize all filed for enhanced transparency

Pros

- Significant independence and responsibilities on major projects
- Nice camaraderie and work/life balance
- Many professional development opportunities
- Very positive interaction with managers

Cons

- Compensation might be lower than similar roles in the private sector
- Work might sometimes seem to be a small part of a whole

Advice to Senior Management

None really

Pros

Pay, easy job, good on the resume

Cons

Boring, felt like I was wasting tax payers dollars

Advice to Senior Management

Because I was in a student position I felt like I was looked down upon. But really I was a 25 year old who was getting my masters degree and I didn't appreciate feeling like "the child". Many of the workers have vetran status and that is how they got into government. So it seems like many it was the only job they have ever had. So creativity was not what I expected from a government agency. Some management are just bidding their time till retirement.

Pros

Okay place to work. Flexible hours, casual work environment

Cons

I'm only in a term position, so there is no stability in the job. I will be out of work in a year and there is no efforts to keep the seasoned employees that hold term positions.

Pros

stability of workplace and benefits, along with interesting public service work, makes this a good place to start a career right out of university. If you are a self-starter, you'll learn a lot. It helps to have a sense of public service.

Cons

Organization is not open to change; innovation is tough to sell; a few low performers can put a drag on a projects progress

Advice to Senior Management

recognize and reward self-starters, innovation. provide opportunity to pursue self directed projects even if small in scope because they are rewarding to new staff and good for growth.

Pros

Steady Work, you will never be lacking for cases to work
Good Benefits, especially for a family
Reasonable work environment

Cons

Office politics
Tenure generally equates to a person's level, regardless of their abilitiy to do the job
Some cases and the individuals being represented, can become personally challenging or scary, when the person turns their aggression directly to you
Some cases will challenge your morale compass, especially when you must deny a claim on a technicality and you want to help the person

Advice to Senior Management

Try to mix teams up to eliminate some of the office politics and favoritism

Pros

Good benefits, flexible hours, lots of time off, everyone is very nice

Cons

Low pay, slow pay increases, lethargic culture (no one is in a hurry),

Advice to Senior Management

a

Pros

The atmosphere is very informal and comfortable. The Department offers an excellent work life balance and is very respectful of employees' personal time. The location of the Frances Perkins building provides excellent access to the entire city. The work is interesting and most staff are very professional.

Cons

This is a bureaucracy and many of its internal management processes are slow and archaic. As with most other non defense agencies promotions, hiring and transferring can be very difficult. The human resources staff seem confused and rarely are helpful about conveying information. The promotion potential is very hard to gauge over the long term.

Advice to Senior Management

Professionalize human resources and make more opportunities for internal employee development. Skills can stagnant and this can only hurt the effectiveness of the agency over the long term.