We’re pleased to confirm a record-high response rate of 45%, reflecting the commitment of colleagues across the organisation to helping shape our future.
Headline results
What's going well:
Engagement remains good
- overall engagement is 67%, in line with industry benchmark levels
- pride in working for the council is 67% and motivation is 79%.
Line managers are a real strength
- 91% feel trusted to manage their own workload
- 85% say their manager communicates openly and honestly
- 81% have confidence in their manager's leadership skills
- 78% have regular 1 to 1s
- 77% feel supported through change by their manager
- the overall line manager score is 79%.
Growth and empowerment score well
- growth scores 79% and empowerment scores 73%
- 89% take responsibility for their own learning and development.
Colleagues feel trusted and able to make a difference
- 90% feel trusted and respected by colleagues
- 81% feel they can make a meaningful difference through their work.
Teamwork is the heart of our culture
- 67% of colleagues selected teamwork as a word that describes us
- other frequently chosen words were caring (46%), flexible (41%), respectful (40%) and collaborative (40%)
- overall, 72% of the words selected were positive.
Colleagues like their work and each other
The top reasons colleagues stay with the council are:
- "I like what I do" (65%)
- "my colleagues" (43%).
Safety and fairness
- 79% say they have the training and support to prioritise their safety.
- 73% say they are treated fairly and with respect.
Valued benefits
The benefits colleagues value most are:
- Local Government Pension Scheme (72%)
- flexi time (69%)
- annual leave (64%).
Our biggest challenges
Confidence in senior leadership
Confidence in senior leadership is our lowest score, although results are broadly consistent with trends being seen across many organisations.
- 33% say senior leaders are doing the right things
- 38% say they role-model our values
- 56% feel leaders are committed to change.
Change is not landing well at present
- only 31% say we manage change effectively
- only 43% say change is communicated well
- only 46% feel informed about what is happening in the council
- colleagues describe change as rushed, reactive and too frequent - they often feel they are the last to know.
Local government reorganisation (LGR) is the biggest concern for colleagues
- only 21% feel positive about it
- 64% are worried about job security, 36% about role changes and 31% about location changes.
Colleagues don't feel valued, and pay is a concern
- only 47% feel valued
- reward and recognition scores 51%
- only 28% believe their pay reflects their role and responsibilities
The top reasons colleagues would consider leaving are:
- pay (33%)
- feeling unappreciated (27%)
- wellbeing (26%).
Wellbeing and workload
- only 49% feel the council cares about their wellbeing
- 72% have not used any wellbeing service in the last year.
Systems and ways of working
- only 47% say systems help them work efficiently
- comments frequently reference Mosaic, SAP and Alloy, along with duplicated data entry and insufficient training
- collaboration across teams scores 51%.
Next steps
Over the coming weeks, our Chief Executive and Executive Directors will review the results and identify how, as one council, we can build on our strengths and improve in the areas you’ve told us matter most. Once organisation-wide priorities and actions have been identified, we’ll share them with colleagues and provide regular updates through our 'You Said We Did' campaign.
Delivering meaningful change is a collective effort, and everyone will have a role to play in helping us achieve these priorities.
We know that the biggest difference to improving your experience at work comes from focusing on the things closest to you, at a local level. Leaders have now received their team results and will share and discuss them with their teams. Together, you will celebrate successes, identify priorities and develop local action plans to address areas for improvement and build on what’s already working well.
Thank you again for taking part in the survey. Your feedback is helping shape our future organisation, and we remain committed to listening, acting and keeping you updated on our progress.