ICR Supporting Statement A - GWPS

SUPPORTING STATEMENT – A
FOR REQUEST FOR APPROVAL UNDER
THE PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT AND 5 CFR 1320
Collection Title: Agency-Wide Pulse Survey
PART A. JUSTIFICATION
1.

Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary.

The United States Government launched a pilot of the first-ever, government-wide pulse survey.
Pulse surveys are a widely used tool for getting quick “pulse checks” that can help leaders hear
directly from their employees. The pilot is a collaborative effort of the President’s Management
Council, together with the Office of Management and Budget, the Office of Personnel
Management, and the General Services Administration and surveyed civilian employees of the
24 CFO Act agencies only.
Each survey is a short pulse check and contains 3-4 embedded questions that cover three topics:
employee engagement, inclusion, and the reentry process.
USAID’s workforce comprises various hiring mechanisms, including Personal Services
Contractors and Institutional Support Contractors, representing approximately two-thirds of its
workforce. USAID leadership considers all staff with a usaid.gov email address as part of our
workforce. In order to promote the priorities of the Administration and our Administrator, as
laid out in several Executive Orders (13985, 13988, 13991, 13999, 14003, 14031,14035, etc.), the
Agency needs to collect the pulse survey data from all categories of staff.
2. Indicate how, by whom, and for what purpose the information is to be used. Except
for a new collection, indicate the actual use the agency has made of the information
received from the current collection.

The pulse survey will invite Agency employees to share their thoughts via 3-4 questions and help
inform agency leadership’s actions on how best to strengthen, empower and support its global
workforce in accordance with Pillar I of the President’s Management Agenda.
In order to obtain more holistic pulse checks, USAID will extend the survey to all members of its
workforce. We will send up to two pulse surveys immediately. The timing of the pulses will
allow time to analyze the aggregated data, evaluate agency-wide trends, and then adapt future
pulse surveys.
3. Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other
forms of information technology.

The pulse survey will be electronic using Google Forms.

4. Describe efforts to identify duplication. Show specifically why any similar information
already available cannot be used or modified for use for the purposes described in item 2
above.

The extension of the pulse survey to USAID’s complementary workforce (e.g., Personal
Services Contractor’s and Institutional Support Contractors) will not be duplicative as the very
same questions have only been asked of the current U.S. Direct Hire workforce. Therefore, the
information to be collected is not and will not already be available from this demographic.
5. If the collection of information impacts small businesses or other small entities, describe
any methods used to minimize burden.

The short pulse surveys include up to eleven embedded questions that cover three topics:
employee engagement, inclusion, and the reentry process. The survey will be shared with nonUSDH staff who have a usaid.gov email address, which should take only a few minutes to
complete.
6. Describe the consequence to Federal program or policy activities if the collection is not
conducted or is conducted less frequently, as well as any technical or legal obstacles to
reducing the burden.

The pulse survey responds to three topics focused on timely issues where it would be helpful for
leadership to hear directly from the workforce : navigation of the ongoing pandemic and the safe,
increased return of the workforce to physical workplaces; equity and inclusion; and employee
engagement and burnout.
These surveys are meant to provide quick snapshots in time that reflect views of employees who
choose to respond. The insights realized can help inform how the Agency responds to issues
raised, develop actions appropriate to the findings and ensure all its workforce feels supported
and empowered, which in turn can contribute to increased morale and retention, and ultimately
facilitating the Agency’s ability to carry out its development and humanitarian assistance
objectives.
It is critical for USAID to include all categories of staff in its internal surveys in order to ensure that we
have a respectful, inclusive and safe work environment and that we address diversity, equity, inclusion
and accessibility issues that may impact different categories of our workforce in different ways.

7.

Special Circumstances

The first two pulse surveys administered by the GSA have already been issued to USG civilians.
This included our USDH and excluded the non DH workforce and have raised issues about
inclusivity, given that the PSC members of our workforce are characterized by an employee and
employer relationship.

If applicable, provide a copy and identify the date and page number of
publication in the Federal Register of the agency's notice, required by 5 CFR
1320.8(d), soliciting comments on the information collection prior to
submission to OMB.

8.

As required by 5 CFR 1320.8(d), and consistent with OMB emergency processing of
Information Collection Requests, USAID is submitting a Federal Register notice simultaneously
to this ICR Submission Package in order to notify the public of this request.

Explain any decision to provide any payment or gift to respondents, other
than remuneration of contractors or grantees.

9.

N/A, no payment or gifts will be provided.
10. Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for
the assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy.

The survey, similar to the “Employee Voice” pulse survey that it expounds on, will be
confidential. Data will be aggregated and shared with staff. We will follow the same
methodology we use with the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, which is that we will not
provide data to the operating unit for any operating unit with less than 10 respondents.
11. Provide additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual
behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered
private.

N/A, no questions of a sensitive nature will be asked of participants during this information
collection.
12.

Provide estimates of the hour burden of the collection of information.
Category of
Respondent

# of
Respondents

# of Responses
Per Year

Participation
Time

Annual Burden
Hours

USAID Non-Direct
Hires (contractors)

7000

2

5 minutes

1167

Totals

7000

2

5 minutes

1167

13. Provide an estimate for the total annual cost burden to respondents or recordkeepers resulting from the collection of information.

No annual cost burden.
14.

Provide estimates of annualized costs to the Federal Government.
There will be no costs associated with this Information Collection Request beyond normal
labor costs for staff.

15. Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments reported on the burden
worksheet.

N/A.
16. For collections of information whose results will be published, outline plans for
tabulation and publication. Address any complex analytical techniques that will be used.
Provide the time schedule for the entire project, including beginning and ending dates of
the collection of information, completion of report, publication dates, and other actions.

Results will not be publicly published and will be for internal use only.
17. If you are seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of
the information collection, explain the reasons that display would be inappropriate.

N/A.
18. Explain each exception to the topics of the certification statement identified in
Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions.

N/A.