Agenda item

The Organisational Development/ HR Business Partner, outlined a report and presentation, to update the Committee on the results of the Staff Survey which was carried out in the Autumn of 2016.  She presented apologies from the Assistant Director of Adult Social Care who was unable to attend the meeting and advised that she would feed back Member comments to him.

It was highlighted that the survey was only for Slough BC staff and included library staff and a small number of Cambridge Education staff who had returned to the Council. The survey did not cover staff from partner organisations such as the Slough Childrens Services Trust.

It was noted that the survey was run by the employee engagement forum and administered using Survey Monkey. It was structured around four key themes: employee voice, organisational integrity (living out the council’s values), strategic direction (the council’s vision and direction) and management. The purpose of the survey was to assess the level of employee engagement across the council,  highlight successes and identify areas for improvement.

Plans were being drawn up by the employee engagement forum, directorate SMTs and senior leadership to take actions forward in response to the survey results.

The Officer discussed the Key findings of the survey and comparisons with  previous results. Members were advised that an overall response rate of 60% was achieved, compared to 42% in 2015, being a good return rate for an optional survey.

The Committee noted some of the top line results which included that 88 percent of staff enjoyed their job, 56 percent of staff felt appreciated by managers, and 90 percent of staff rated the council as average or above as an employer.  More than 1,700 individual comments were received and the employee engagement forum was analysing and responding to these.  The  forum was also updating the council-wide employee engagement plan for 2017/18 to address some survey findings.  Additionally the management team for each directorate will be looking at the results for their own area and developing directorate level action plans.

The Committee was advised that an update on actions would be provided at the annual staff conference in May, 2017, organised by the employee engagement forum.

The Officer gave a comprehensive presentation which discussed the  responses given to the questionnaire.

Members raised a number of questions and opinions which included the following:

·  57 individuals had skipped Questions 8 to 11, 89 had skipped Questions 12 to 14. Was there a likely reason for this? Could it be that the questions were too complex or the staff member had lost interest?

The Officer would provide a response to Members prior to the next meeting.

·  A Member questioned whether an annual survey failed to address changes in attitudes throughout the year. Could a more responsive method be found such as an ongoing ‘smiley face’ podium within staff teams?

The Officer advised that she would take this suggestion back to the Employee Forum for consideration.

·  It was suggested that there should be a staff behaviour charter.

Members were advised that this would be embedded through the recruitment and appraisal processes.

·  A Member advised that in some cases she was aware that staff one to ones and appraisals were not carried out frequently enough.

The Officer advised that these would be embedded in Service Plans.

·  Question 17 related to staff being recognised and appreciated for the work they do. A Member noted that 77% of staff felt appreciated by colleagues but this percentage dropped to 56% when it related to appreciation by Managers. It was requested that this concern be reviewed by Senior Management and a response be provided detailing how this position could be improved upon.

The Officer advised that she would refer this to the Assistant Director for response.

·  Responses to Question 18 had indicated that 35% of staff felt they were provided the correct amount of information about council projects and changes. Why was this so low?

The Committee was advised that this had improved on last year (31%) and the trend was improving through better communication.

·  Survey results for Question 19 related to staff perception of how their Manager supported, listened to them and treated them fairly. Positive responses were in the range of 69 percent and 76 percent. A Member requested that work be done to analyse further the reasons behind these statistics to ensure that there was a focus on what appeared to be unhappy staff.

Members were advised that in particular, the Senior Leadership Team had done work to improve their visibility and listen to staff. It was also noted that a high number of staff had skipped this question and this would be addressed as a concern.

·  Question 21 had addressed a number of miscellaneous questions such as workplace facilities and staff contractual issues. A Member asked whether measures were in place to enable staff to work from home. The relevant Commissioner advised that there was an ongoing project to look at IT equipment needs for homeworking, document management and IT Transformation.

·  A Member requested further information to be provided on the Honoraria process as she was concerned to learn that in some cases, good staff were recommended for an honoraria but then their application was rejected.

The Officer advised that she was not aware of this but would provide further information on the process for Committee Members.

·  Question 11: It was noted that 58% of staff had stated that their experience had not improved whilst working for Slough BC. This was a new question but was a closed one and very broad, giving little insight into the reasons behind the responses. Could more information be provided?

The Officer advised that she would refer this to the Assistant Director for response.

·  A Member asked whether the Staff Counselling Service was still in existence as she had not seen it advertised around Council Offices and it appeared that it was no longer being promoted. This was an important service for staff.

It was confirmed that the Service was still available and the Officer would confirm how it was currently being publicised.

The Committee thanked the Officer for her presentation

Resolved-  That the report be noted and that the Officer provide responses to Members by email, prior to the next meeting.