For federal agencies, workforce engagement is critical to mission continuity, institutional knowledge retention, and long-term effectiveness. The Department of Energy operates in a highly complex environment, with diverse roles spanning scientific research, policy, operations, and administration.

To better understand the drivers of employee engagement and turnover, DOE sought a research approach that could move beyond traditional survey instruments and surface deeper, more actionable insights. Planneris partnered with DOE to design a robust, human-centered research effort that complemented existing federal tools while delivering richer context for leadership.

Challenge

DOE leadership faced persistent questions around employee morale, engagement, and retention that were not fully answered by standard federal engagement surveys alone.

Specifically, the department needed to:

• Increase employee participation in engagement research efforts
  
  
• Understand the underlying drivers of low morale and disengagement across teams
  
  
• Capture nuanced perspectives from employees in a way that felt safe, credible, and constructive
  
  
• Translate qualitative insights into clear, leadership-ready recommendations
  
  

Traditional survey mechanisms provided high-level indicators but lacked the depth required to diagnose root causes or inform targeted interventions.

Collaborative Approach

Planneris partnered with DOE to design and implement a mixed-methods employee research strategy grounded in trust, rigor, and accessibility.

The engagement introduced interactive research methods designed to increase participation and elicit more candid feedback. Planneris:

• Designed employee engagement research tools that increased response rates by approximately 70% compared to traditional Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey participation
  
  
• Facilitated 20 structured focus groups across roles and functions to explore themes related to morale, leadership, workload, and organizational culture
  
  
• Conducted 36 one-on-one interviews to provide space for deeper reflection and confidential feedback
  
  
• Synthesized quantitative and qualitative findings into clear thematic analyses, identifying systemic drivers of disengagement and retention risk
  
  

Throughout the process, Planneris prioritized psychological safety and neutrality, ensuring employees felt heard while maintaining the integrity and objectivity required in a federal setting.

Results

The engagement delivered leadership with a comprehensive, evidence-based understanding of workforce dynamics across the organization.

• Significantly increased employee participation yielded a more representative and reliable dataset
  
  
• Focus groups and interviews surfaced root causes of low morale that had not been fully captured through surveys alone
  
  
• Clear, structured reports translated employee feedback into actionable insights for senior leadership
  
  
• Practical recommendations informed strategies to strengthen engagement, communication, and workplace experience
  
  

By combining rigorous research design with thoughtful facilitation, Planneris helped DOE move from surface-level indicators to deeper organizational insight, enabling more informed decision-making around employee engagement and retention.

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