Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-MA)

Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA)

Representative Barry Moore (R-AL)

Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN)

Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-MA)

The office of Rep. Ayanna Pressley touts itself as a diverse team from many walks of life with deep ties to the district and the constituents they serve. The example is set from the top, with the Congresswoman supporting her staff as caregivers, parents, and community members. Her staff reports she goes out of her way to build a rapport with staff, promote growth in the organization, and willingly receives feedback to make the office stronger and address many of the systemic barriers folks face in accessing and maintaining jobs in Congress. Rep. Pressley's office seems to be always seeking to improve their operations and internal processes, which have been made better by ongoing input from members of the team. The office rewrites manuals and documents and revisits goals often. They created a continuity of operations plan at the beginning of the pandemic and update it quarterly. The office encourages flexible work and professional development, conducts staff retreats both virtually and in-person, and does performance reviews annually, as well as weekly check-ins between managers and their staff. Internally, the office offers 16 weeks of paid family leave, unlimited PTO, as well as remote work, and flexible commute hours. They also continue to layer in COVID mitigation/public health measures to keep the team safe including masking in high transmission areas, weekly COVID testing, and flexibility on meeting formats . As former interns, staffers and the Congresswoman herself remember how difficult unpaid internships were, as such, interns are paid $18 an hour. With an "always can improve" mindset, the office knows it does not have all the answers and actively seeks institutional and staff knowledge to fill in the gaps. The Congresswoman regularly solicits feedback through an internal staff town hall where the office can hear and discuss issues. There is also a staff survey on internal operations which is actively used to make changes within the office.

Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA)

The office of Rep. Khanna appears to be an open and collaborative workplace, with Rep. Khanna cultivating an individual relationship with every staff member, encouraging staff to offer their recommendations and to ask him questions directly. Staff are continually invited to offer their ideas for everything from the Member's policy positions to how to best connect our district's needs to the DC office's work. Feedback is practiced as a two-way process in the office, with junior staff regularly receiving feedback from the Member and management team and providing their own recommendations which are taken seriously and incorporated into the office policies and practices. Annual performance reviews provide every staffer opportunities to meet with management to evaluate their performance and solicit their recommendations for how they can be better supported by management. All staff are paid at least $71,000 a year, with all junior/non-management staff paid above the average (both mean & median) House salary for their role, and interns in both the district office and in DC are paid $17 an hour. Staff receive 30 days of total paid leave per year - 15 days of vacation + 15 days of sick leave which can be used for Mental Health Days at any point during the year, in addition to 1-2 weeks of office closure in the last 2 weeks of December. The office has also become more diverse over the past six and a half years. Inclusion trainings are offered every year and management incorporates recommendations from those trainings into planning for the next year.

Representative Barry Moore (R-AL)

While Rep. Barry Moore took office under the shadow of a pandemic, the office has adapted by creating office policies and plans that facilitate a successful, positive workplace and will stand the test of time. Regarding telework, when not in session, DC staffers are empowered to coordinate schedules so that the office remains staffed, and every staffer can periodically work from home. District staffers also can work with their supervisors to coordinate telework opportunities as well. By providing lightweight laptops, iPads and iPhones, every staffer can easily continue working outside of the office, whether from home or other locations. This flexibility has helped ensure that staff can work while traveling, which has created more output. In addition to adaptable telework policies, the office offers generous Paid Time Off, including vacation, sick leave, closing for every federal holiday, as well as days surrounding holidays that make it easier to travel and spend time with family. Staff are encouraged to utilize PTO and sick leave, rather than be made to feel guilty about s pending time away from the office or risking their health and possibly making other staff ill. The office created a robust Professional Development Plan and Work Performance Review Program, which encourages professional growth and networking by funding educational opportunities and rewarding efforts to achieve goals. Funds are set aside for every employee to use towards continued education, whether that's through books, online or in-person training, and or other mediums. The Performance Review Program provides constructive feedback with an eye towards retention and professional growth, rather than punitive actions that lead to staff turnover. All supervisors are required to hold one-on-one meetings with their direct reports once a week to learn more about what they are working on, what they may need assistance with, areas in which they need to build more trust, and to provide feedback on staff efforts to achieve goals and grow as a professional. Staff are also encouraged to provide anonymous feedback to their supervisors at the end of the year, so that managers can also learn and grow. Lastly, the office regularly celebrates each other by recognizing birthdays, achievements, and promotions. They hold two staff retreats every year, one in DC and one in the district, providing time for the entire team to bond, learn more about the work each staff member is responsible for, interact with constituents in person, and better understand the unique characteristics and needs of the district. The DC office also hosts quarterly events with the other offices in their Longworth hallway "across the aisle and across the hall." These gatherings are bipartisan and an opportunity to build relationships with other offices.

Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN)

The office of Rep. Tim Burchett uses well-crafted policies and habitual practices to foster good staff relationships and a collaborative environment. The office encourages travel between DC and district locations, encourages DC and district staff to collaborate within shared casework/policy issue areas, has an open-door office policy with the Member and Chief of Staff, and regularly schedules weekly one-on-one meetings between all supervisors and staff. More importantly, the Member and Chief of Staff work hard to have a positive attitude, which sets the tone for the office. The office always has a good showing at team-building events like congressional baseball and football games, new staff welcome events, and departing staff goodbye events. Their weekly all-staff (video) calls give every member of the staff the opportunity to update the team on their efforts and accomplishments and provide a platform for shoutouts for personal accomplishments. The office also actively encourages the use of vacation days. Most telling, the office maintains great staff longevity. Their district team has remained almost the exact same since the office opened (minus a few retirements). Additionally, the DC office has previously hired interns from a district office, and vice versa. The office is proud of how many former interns they have hired. The office utilizes the professional development courses offered by different congressional workshops, and staff are encouraged to pursue outside education. The office works with them to build a flexible schedule and ensure they can attend their classes. When in session/voting, the office does daily legislative breakdowns for staff knowledge, which is also helpful in knowing the Member's schedule and availability. These breakdowns are open to district staff to keep them informed (though not pushed on them to avoid clogging channels). The positive environment starts at the top, with Rep. Burchett consistently showing appreciation for his staff. The Congressman goes out of his way to recognize staff for their work, actively shows interest in their families and encourages families to visit DC and goes out of his way to accommodate staff requests, whether personal or professional. He limits his after-hours calls and messages to only the most time sensitive matters, and even when disagreeing with staff recommendations, he is appreciative of their insight and still shows faith and trust in their judgment.