FBI Unexpectedly Releases Confidential Employee Evaluations Of James Comey

In an unexpected, impromptu release, on Tuesday morning the FBI’s “Records Vault” twitter account released a trove of information, divulging “Field Office and Headquarters Climate Survey Results” among which are annual results for the years 2013 through 2017, but more notably, the confidential employee evaluation results for now-former Director James Comey.

FBI Field Office and Headquarters Climate Survey Results: https://t.co/bs66406HSv

— FBI Records Vault (@FBIRecordsVault) August 16, 2017

It is unclear why the FBI releases this data now, although like on previous occasions, it was likely prompted by an external FOIA request.

In the description of the survey results, the FBI notes the following:

The FBI Annual Employee Survey (AES) provides an opportunity for employees to anonymously share their perspective on the performance of FBI leaders and the organization.

The AES is comprised of two surveys: the Leadership Survey, measuring employees’ perceptions of their supervisors’ leadership abilities; and the Climate Survey, measuring employees’ attitudes about their work, work environment, and the FBI as a whole. The FBI analyzes the data to help improve current leadership, pick new leaders, and encourage employees to express ideas on how management and the FBI can improve.

Each survey item is rated on a five-point scale. Each rating is averaged by the number of respondents. The following scoring breakdown is congruent with the scoring ranges identified by Human Resources senior level executive in the Senior Leader selection process:

Average scores between 1.0 and 2.99 indicate potential areas of concern which could worsen if not addressed. A focus on development in these areas would be recommended.

Average scores between 3.0 and 3.80 indicate positive feedback in these areas with potential for improvement.

Average scores between 3.81 and 5 indicates success in those areas.

FBI Field Office and Headquarters Climate Survey Results (2013)
FBI Field Office and Headquarters Climate Survey Results (2014)
FBI Field Office and Headquarters Climate Survey Results (2015)
FBI Field Office and Headquarters Climate Survey Results (2016)
FBI Field Office and Headquarters Climate Survey Results (2017)
FBI Director James Comey Climate Survey Results (2015-2017)

In the charts below, we have summarized the disclosed results from Comey’s survey results, broken down across 4 key verticals: i) Personal Characteristics and Values, ii) Leading People, iii) Managing Work and iv( Miscellaneous. While there are not drastic changes over the roughly 3 years during which Comey was FBI Director, there appears to be a notable downward shift in Comey’s evaluations by anywhere from 36 respondents (in 2015) and 48 (in 2017).

While there are more details in the full evaluations, here is the core breakdown:

Personal Characteristics and Values: