FAQ: FEVS (Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey)

The Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) is an annual survey administered by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). It is a tool that measures Federal Government employees' perceptions of whether, and to what extent, conditions characterizing successful organizations are present in their agencies. This is an opportunity for our employees to candidly share their perceptions about their work experiences, organizations, and leaders. The ultimate goal of the survey is to provide the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with information to build on strengths and improve challenge areas.

The FEVS is an annual survey, and OPM is administering the 2020 FEVS to Federal Government employees on Monday, September 21, 2020 through Monday, November 2, 2020.  

The FEVS is a web-based survey, and employees will receive an email invitation from OPM containing a unique link to the survey. Employees who have not completed the survey will also receive weekly email reminders with their survey link throughout the survey open period. Invitations to complete the survey will come from:
Source email address: Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey-HE
Subject line: The 2020 OPM FEVS: Empowering Employees. Inspiring Change.

Full- and part-time permanent, non-seasonal employees, including Title 42 and Commissioned Corps employees, on-board on or before October 26, 2019. Presently, contractors are not eligible for FEVS participation.

You should be able to complete the survey in approximately 20-25 minutes.

OPM is responsible for administering the FEVS and does not provide raw data to any participating Federal agencies. Therefore, no HHS Operating Divisions will have access to any individuals’ responses. All reports provided to HHS from OPM will present calculated aggregate percentages only. All data are rolled up to reports that have at least 10 responses to protect the confidentiality of all respondents to the FEVS. Please review the confidentiality infographic and/or the confidentiality video to learn about the process.

Yes, the survey is voluntary, but participation is encouraged and valued. We use your input to gauge how we are doing, where we can improve, and create positive changes throughout the agency. Please help us ensure that the NIH excels at providing a safe, effective, and engaging workplace for all our employees. 

No, each link to the survey is unique and can only be used once. Please do not forward your link to any individuals or groups, because after the survey has been completed by one person, the link will no longer allow you to access the survey.

If you delete your invitation, you can wait to the following week when your reminder email will be sent to you. This reminder email includes your unique link to the 2020 FEVS and you can then access your survey.

Please visit the FEVS Key Terms page for a list of NIH definitions to key terms used on the FEVS.

NIH and the Federal Government are committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace. Given that policy, we are soliciting responses to the demographic items in the survey. Your responses are voluntary, confidential, and will be used to enhance understanding of the diversity of the NIH and Federal Government workforce.

If the personalized link enclosed in your individual email does not take you directly to the survey, copy and paste the link into the address bar of your web browser. You may also try to manually type in the link as well.
If you still are unable to access the survey, please contact EVHE@opm.gov. Alternatively, you can contact your IC’s point of contact or the Office of Human Resources for assistance.

For questions about the FEVS, please contact the Office of Human Resources. To learn more about the survey please visit:

• NIH FEVS Website
• HHS FEVS Website
• OPM FEVS Website