Overview
Title
Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Leadership Engagement Survey (LES)
Agencies
ELI5 AI
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) wants to ask people who work with them some questions about being leaders, but it's not clear what all the terms mean or why only a third of the people might answer. They need approval to ask these questions, but they haven't explained everything clearly, like why it's okay for people to choose not to answer or if this will help them make things better.
Summary AI
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), part of the Department of Justice, is planning to submit an information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval. This collection involves the Leadership Engagement Survey, which is administered annually to federal government employees, contractors, and task force officers working at the DEA. The survey is voluntary and takes about 20 minutes to complete, with an expected response count of around 5,000 people. The DEA is seeking authorization to conduct this survey for three years, which will not incur additional costs since it operates on an existing internal platform.
Abstract
The Drug Enforcement Administration, Department of Justice (DOJ), will be submitting the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
Keywords AI
Sources
AnalysisAI
The document is a notice from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), part of the Department of Justice, regarding its intention to collect feedback via the Leadership Engagement Survey (LES). The LES is an annual survey aimed at gathering insights from employees, contractors, and task force officers (TFOs) working at the DEA. This is part of a planned submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval to conduct the survey over the next three years. The survey is voluntary and designed to take about 20 minutes, targeting around 5,000 expected respondents.
Summary of the Notice
The DEA is looking to renew its authorization to employ the Leadership Engagement Survey for three years. The survey aims to engage a wide array of individuals associated with the DEA, although participation is optional. This initiative is considered under the stipulations of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, which requires federal agencies to obtain approval from OMB for data collection programs.
Significant Issues and Concerns
Several issues are notable within the document that may need clarification:
Unexplained Acronyms and Terms: The text uses several acronyms such as TFO, OMB, PRA, and ICR. While insiders may understand these terms, an explanation would be beneficial for the general public to ensure clarity.
Participation Discrepancy: The document indicates that while there is a potential pool of 15,000 respondents, only 5,000 responses are expected. This raises questions about the anticipated engagement level and the reasons behind the lower expected participation rate.
Response Time Justification: The survey is estimated to take 20 minutes, but there is no detailed rationale provided for this estimate. Understanding how this time is calculated might help evaluate the burden on respondents more accurately.
Indirect Costs and Voluntary Nature: Although no direct costs are associated with conducting the survey, indirect costs such as time away from other duties should be considered. Since participation is voluntary, there is also a potential impact on the survey’s utility and representativeness, which is not addressed.
Survey Outcomes: The notice does not adequately communicate the potential benefits or outcomes expected from conducting the survey. Highlighting such benefits could justify the survey’s implementation and underscore its importance.
Impact on the Public
From a broader public perspective, the survey process highlights the DEA's commitment to leadership and employee engagement. However, without clear communication of the potential outcomes or benefits, public interest may wane.
Impact on Stakeholders
For DEA employees, contractors, and task force officers, this survey offers a voice to share their insights, possibly leading to improvements in leadership and organizational practices. However, the voluntary nature of the survey and the time commitment involved in participation might discourage widespread involvement. Furthermore, with no clear elaboration on the application of collected data, respondents may question the ultimate impact their feedback might have on organizational changes.
In summary, while the document is directed at maintaining compliance with federal regulations on data collection, clarifying the above issues could improve transparency and encourage participation, ensuring the survey's findings are comprehensive and actionable.
Issues
• The notice indicates the Leadership Engagement Survey (LES) targets DEA employees, contractors, and TFOs, but it's unclear what TFO stands for. Clarity is needed on who TFOs are.
• The total number of potential respondents is stated as 15,000, but the expected responses are only 5,000. The discrepancy should be explained.
• The document frequently uses specialized language and abbreviations like PRA, ICR, and OMB without initial definitions, which might be difficult for the general public to understand.
• The document assumes a time per response of 20 minutes but offers no rationale or evidence supporting this estimate, which could affect assessment of the proposed burden.
• While the document states that there is no cost associated with the survey, it does not specify if there are indirect costs such as time diverted from other work activities.
• The document does not address why the response is voluntary and whether this affects the utility or completeness of the survey outcomes.
• The publication does not mention any potential benefits or outcomes from conducting the survey, which could help justify the time and resources dedicated to it.