The federal government has embraced the importance of the health and well-being of its 2.1 million employees, making the workplace a saner place and providing a work/life balance every day.

In this year’s Partnership for Public Service survey on the “Best Places to Work in the Federal Government,” Intelligence Community agencies scored as the leading group among the big agencies for providing a good working and life environment, followed by NASA.
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This is one in a series of reports on the 2012 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government. For more news and insights on innovations at work in government, please sign up for the AOL Gov newsletter. For the quickest updates, like us on Facebook.
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In the mid-size agencies, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission came in first, and in the smaller agencies,the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board topped the list.

There are gyms at many federal agencies, support groups of all sorts from Weight Watcher classes to smoke-ender programs and after-work sports such as baseball teams and ski clubs, to help federal workers ease the stresses of their workday.

Federal agencies are embracing teleworking for their employees, making it easier for people to work remotely and securely at least one day a week and often much more.

Jeri Buchholz, NASA’s Chief Human Capital Officer, said the space agency understands the importance of flexible policies and understanding important family considerations. That includes tele-work and flexible working hours to make the workplace stress-free.

“Our families are part of our community. We try to be flexible,” Buckholtz said.

Max Stier, the Partnership’s president and CEO, said the work/life balance includes other issues besides fitness options, such as sufficient resources, a reasonable workload and supervisor support.

“Having a gym is great but do you have what you need to do your job and get the work done. Does your supervisor support you,” he said. “There’s a larger question – are you sufficiently resourced and able to make the choice not to work all the time?”

Led by OPM, federal agencies are developing programs to help federal workers enjoy a healthy and balanced life, including discounts at fitness centers and for equipment and child care subsidies

The scores are based on a survey of federal government employees conducted earlier this year by the Office of Personnel Management.

Following are the top five agencies for work-life balance ratings at large, mid-size, and small federal agencies, and agency subcomponents. The full rankings and analysis are at the Partnership for Public Service’s Best Places to Work website.

Large Agencies – Index Scores

Mid-Size Agencies – Index Scores

Small Agencies – Index Scores

Agency Subcomponents – Index Scores