The Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) were named the worst workplaces among government agencies, according to the latest survey of federal employees.

The 2024 survey asked employees about job satisfaction, leadership quality, mental health, and pay and benefits. One question asked whether they would recommend their organization as a “good place to work.” Overall, 67 percent of employees said yes, but only 46 percent of employees at the CBSA and the Indian Oil and Gas Authority and 48 percent of employees at CSIS said their workplace was good. The Office of the Auditor General of Canada also came in at the bottom at 49 percent.

A CBSA spokesperson said a variety of factors influence employee experiences and that the agency strives to provide a safe, supportive, and harassment-free environment for employees. However, the results show that CBSA employees fare worse than the average government employee in terms of work-life balance, job satisfaction, and recognition.

Mark Weber, president of the Customs and Immigration Employees Union, said the results did not surprise him, saying the CBSA typically ranks near the bottom. He added that despite ongoing correspondence with management about low morale, there has been no tangible change, and that the agency is very harsh and costly in its disciplinary actions.

Despite scoring low on the workplace rating scale, CSIS employees scored higher on “Pride in their work,” with 84 percent saying they were satisfied and 77 percent saying they were satisfied with their jobs overall. However, the Security and Justice Employees Union said morale at CSIS was low and that the implementation of the 2022 collective agreement was delayed.

In contrast, some organizations posted the best results. The RCMP Foreign Review Committee and the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying of Canada both scored 100 percent satisfaction. Invest in Canada and the Office of the Federal Justice Commissioner also scored more than 90 percent satisfaction.

The survey, conducted from October 28 to December 31, 2024, surveyed more than 186,000 employees across 93 federal departments and agencies and was conducted by Statistics Canada and the Treasury Board Secretariat with a response rate of 50.5%.

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