This section answers the most frequently asked questions about the Management and Organizational Practices Survey. If you don't find an answer to your particular question, please contact staff.

For assistance completing this survey, please log-in to your Census Bureau account at https://portal.census.gov and send us a secure message or call the customer help line at 1-877-448-2262, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

• General
• Completing the Report
• Survey Definitions
  

The U.S. Census Bureau is conducting the Management and Organizational Practices Survey to better understand current and evolving management and organizational practices and to assist in identifying determinants of establishment and productivity growth. Census data are essential for business and government decision making. Information from businesses like yours also provides reliable data for your industry and your community.

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Yes, your response is required by law. Title 13 United States Code, Sections 8(b), 131 and 182, authorizes this collection. Sections 224 and 225 require your response.

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If you do not manufacture products at the location shown in the address box of the report form, please indicate the nature of your business in the remarks section and return the form to us.

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Complete the survey with data for any period of time during the 2021 calendar year that the establishment was in operation. If the establishment was not in operation during the 2021 calendar year, please indicate that the establishment was not in business in the remarks section and return the form to us.

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If the establishment was not in operation during the 2019 calendar year, please do not report data for 2019.

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This survey asks about your management practices in 2021 and 2019, as well as forecasts for activity in 2022 and 2023. Report data for the calendar years in question. If calendar year book figures are not available except at considerable cost, reasonable estimates will be accepted.

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The deadline for submitting electronically is June 2, 2022.

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Once you have submitted your authentication code, select Report Now on the survey card. You can click “Report Now” to either start reporting or access a printable PDF worksheet.

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The authentication code is provided in the letter your establishment received.

Please contact staff by calling the customer help line at 1-877-448-2262, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

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Yes. The information transferred from your computer to our server is encrypted.

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We estimate this survey will take an average of 45 minutes to complete, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.

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Yes. You may obtain a time extension by signing into your Census Bureau account (or refer to your letter for instructions on how to create an account), clicking on "Options" and then "Request Extension." You may choose any date allowed in the calendar drop down.

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If you run out of space, you may send additional information by sending an email to the Census Bureau:

Click “Options” on your survey card.

Select “Send Message” to email the Census Bureau.

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Estimates are acceptable when responding to the questions on this report form.

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If you were not an employee at this establishment, please consult with an employee who was employed at this establishment in 2019 to assist in answering these questions. If an employee who was employed at this establishment in 2019 is not available, please answer to the best of your ability with the information available to you.

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In the event that none of the available answer choices reflect the situation at this establishment, please choose the answer that most closely represents the situation at this establishment.

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An establishment is generally a single physical location where business is conducted or where services or industrial operations are performed. For the purpose of this survey, the terms "establishment" and "plant" are synonymous.

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A firm is a business organization or entity consisting of one domestic establishment (location) or more under common ownership or control. All establishments of subsidiary firms are included as part of the owning or controlling firm. For the purpose of this survey, the terms "firm" and "company" are synonymous.

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The following list includes examples of key performance indicators that should be considered in questions (2), (3), (4), and (5): Metrics on production, cost, waste, quality, inventory, energy, absenteeism and deliveries on time.

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The following list includes examples of production targets that should be considered in questions (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), and (12): production, quality, efficiency, waste, on-time delivery.

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A manager is someone who has employees directly reporting to them, with whom they meet on a regular basis, and who's pay and promotion they may be involved with, e.g., Plant Manager, Human Resource Manager, Quality Manager.

Non-managers are all employees at the establishment who are not managers as defined above.

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Follow the definition of an employee used on the Internal Revenue Service Form 941, Employer's Quarterly Tax Return and as described in Circular E, Employer's Tax Guide. Report employees at the establishment who worked or received pay for the part of the pay period including the 12th of March.

INCLUDE:

• All persons on paid sick leave, paid holidays, and paid vacation during these pay periods
• Officers at this establishment, if a corporation

EXCLUDE:

• Temporary staffing obtained from a staffing service
• Members of Armed Forces or pensioners carried on your active rolls
• Proprietors and partners, if an unincorporated concern
• Agricultural workers or fishing crews from the following types of food processing establishments:
  • Sugar mills which are part of sugar plantations
  • Fruit or vegetable canning or freezing plants
  • Fish canning, freezing, or packaging plants with fishing operations associated with the plant

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Report the net selling value "free on board" (f.o.b.) plant to the customer after discounts and allowances.

EXCLUDE:

• Freight charges and excise taxes

INCLUDE:

• Products made elsewhere for this establishment by others from materials supplied by this establishment
• Receipts from products bought and resold without further processing
• The value assigned to products transferred to other plants of your company for further processing, including a reasonable portion of other costs (company overhead) and profits.

We also want to clarify the instructions for marketing high cost office and production equipment by leasing them rather than selling them. If you follow this marketing practice, report in questions (30) and (31) the value of goods marketed under lease as if you had sold them:

• Report as value of shipments the equivalent market value of the goods. (The terms of the lease may use the present discounted value or some other method.)
• Do not report any rental receipts from leases outstanding.

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