Issue - meetings

The Committee considered a report of the Director of Corporate Resources concerning the Staff Survey 2017, which outlined the outcomes and actions identified from the survey and explained the proposed approach to address issues raised. A copy of the report marked ‘Agenda Item 6’ is filed with these minutes.

Arising from discussion, the following points were raised: -

 i.          The response rate to the 2017 Staff Survey had increased across all Departments compared to the previous survey in 2015. Questions used in the 2017 survey were consistent to those used in the previous surveys conducted in 2012 and 2015. The survey had been completed by staff mainly online although hard copies were available; management support and encouragement had been integral to increasing the response rate. Members noted that some results were poorer for people working at other sites out of County Hall, especially related to communications and feeling involved;

ii.          Detail of the Survey responses was explained to Members using the tableau system, which showed dashboards so that comparisons across Departments could be made. The dashboards had been made available to staff for the first time this year and had been positively received;

iii.          It was explained that the survey was divided into three sub sections – My Council, My Manager and My Job, with questions grouped under each of these headings. It was highlighted that 91.5% of staff believed that the Council was committed to equality and diversity and that 89.2% felt that the Council was a good employer. Although the number of people who believed “that stress at work does not affect my job performance” had improved, this remained a concern for officers as it showed one of the lowest rated responses across the Council;

iv.          Areas that remained of concern were: the decrease in the level of staff who “feel that change is well managed” and the number of people who “feel able to speak up and challenge the way things are done”, although it was recognised that this latter indicator had increased by 3.2% since the Staff Survey 2015;

v.          Liaison with the Trade Unions on specific areas had been increased. It was acknowledged that current projects underway within the organisation such as the Leadership Framework, Values and Behaviours and the Recruitment and Retention Strategy would address issues raised within the survey;

vi.          The survey had shown that the factors which were important to staff were job satisfaction, work life balance, pay and benefits, and career development. Since the Staff Survey 2015, pay and benefits and work life balance were now of more importance to people. It was explained that, considering the size and complexity of the organisation, that it was expected that pay and benefits would be an area of concern for staff; the level of response to this area reflected the national picture;

vii.          Members were informed that the response to the survey by staff with disabilities was a concern with responses to all questions significantly worse than across the County Council overall. The Corporate Management Team would discuss and agree actions to address the responses in this area;

viii.          Recruitment and retention remained a priority, especially of social workers; officers monitored the jobs market locally and compared pay levels with neighbouring authorities. Members were informed that this was being addressed by the Director of Children and Family Services following the Ofsted Inspection last year;

ix.          A view was expressed that staff might still be concerned about the possibility of job losses, following austerity measures over recent years. It was believed that this was not the case as people were used to operating in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 30