If you have any questions about the Congressional Workplace Climate Survey, or if you require assistance to complete the survey, please email ClimateSurvey@ocwr.gov or call the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights (OCWR) at (202) 724-9250. For questions about the purpose of the survey and how the results will be used, please see the FAQs below.
Why is the OCWR surveying the legislative branch?
The Congressional Accountability Act Reform Act (CAA) directed the OCWR to conduct a comprehensive survey of the workplace climate of the legislative branch. This survey is a component of Congress’ commitment to ensuring legislative branch employees enjoy a safe and productive workplace culture. Responses to this survey will provide valuable feedback on the workplace environment.
How long will the survey take?
Depending on participant responses, completing the survey will take 10–20 minutes.
How do I participate in the survey?
Legislative branch employees will be emailed a link to the survey with specific login information. This login method will ensure anonymity and confidentiality while protecting the validity of the survey results. Reminder emails will be sent with access information. Because participation is anonymous, all employees will continue to receive reminders even after survey participants have submitted responses. Do not forward your survey link to anyone else. If you do not receive an email inviting you to participate in the survey, contact ClimateSurvey@ocwr.gov.
What if I accidentally delete the survey email?
If your survey email is accidentally deleted, you will have another opportunity to sign in when you receive a reminder email. The OCWR cannot resend lost or deleted survey emails.
If I start the survey and something comes up, can I finish it later?
Your responses will be saved automatically as you progress through the survey. Simply log in again using the information provided to you.
Why do some questions ask about personal information like age and sexual orientation?
Fully understanding the workplace climate requires collecting the experiences of groups of employees in the legislative branch and comparing data across populations. This information will help determine if one demographic group is experiencing a particular issue differently than others.
Can I skip a question or section?
Yes. However, fully completing the survey will better assist the OCWR in its task of obtaining reliable data across employee populations and assessing the legislative branch workplace climate.
How will the results be used?
This survey is designed to obtain reliable data and identify practices that will enable Congress to further its commitment to ensuring a safe and productive work culture.
How can the OCWR assure anonymity and the security of the results?
The survey will not record personally identifiable information, such as email address, name, or IP address. The survey does collect information about participants’ demographic background and experiences. However, this information will only be reported in groups of at least 30, ensuring that no single employee’s answers can be personally identifiable. All login information will be assigned randomly, and data will be stored according to best industry practices.
Who is taking the survey?
A version of the survey is being administered to more than 30,000 legislative branch staff, including Members of Congress; congressional staff, including paid and unpaid interns, detailees, and fellows; and employees of the Library of Congress, the United States Capitol Police, the Architect of the Capitol, and other offices of the legislative branch.
Is the survey required?
Survey participation is voluntary. However, your participation is encouraged so that survey results provide the most complete and accurate data across employee populations.