Agenda item

The Board considered the results of the 2025 Staff Survey as stated in the report. It was the first staff survey since 2019, and this was undertaken to see how the culture had changed and to try and address any staff issues that arose. Work was done to initiate responses through non-laptop using members of staff with ballot boxes. Going forward, the initial responses will be analysed along with the text box answers. The Corporate Workforce Board will address the concerns raised by officers with these answers and with directorate surveys going forward and create an action plan to be rolled out to the whole Council.

In response to a suggestion from the Chair regarding a competition the increase engagement, officers stated this may influence responses and they would rather have less but honest responses.

In his line of work, a Board Member noted that his job had staff surveys, but their response rate was 60-70% as they did have incentives to respond to the survey. He queried if another survey platform would get more engagement. He also would have liked to have seen the methodology in how the results were gathered.

With responding to a request for clarification regarding the behaviours that needed improving in the Council, officers clarified that respondents determined which behaviours they felt needing improving most so they put the listed behaviours in a priority order for them.

It was confirmed that the responses to the survey came from all directorates with no big majority from one directorate. They did not ask about pay grades in the survey.

The Board noted that the survey results implied that 1/3 of staff felt officers did not work well with councillors and 80% felt that Councillors did not know what officers did. They felt that Councillors needed to do ‘PR’ work with officers and increase engagement with them.

In the next survey, the Board suggested that they ask whether each department had a leadership culture and whether they were happy with it and ask how long the staff member had worked for the Council. They were keen to see how different departments understood work culture in their areas.

In response, officers said that questions alluding to this will be included in other corporate and departmental staff surveys planed with adults and children’s social care. All these surveys will be looked at by the Corporate Workforce Board. The Workforce Board may look at reoccurring issues raised and create a focus group to try to resolve the issue.

Officers clarified that there had not been a staff survey for six years because it felt inappropriate to ask for responses to their survey during a pandemic and their priorities would have been elsewhere.

The Board noted that it was important to show members of staff that their comments made a difference, otherwise they would not respond to the survey again.

In response to a point from a Board Member, officers noted that staff sickness had increased from 2024 because the Council had an aging workforce who would have some illnesses that younger officers do not. Stress was the main reason for absence in the workforce.

The Board reiterated that officers should try to get more than 25% of the Council’s workforce to respond to the next survey. They suggested a ‘pulse’ survey every 6 months and doing a ‘you say we did’ with the Working Board.

Regarding a question on whether home working impacted the results, officers noted that there was only a 19% response rate in 2005 but in 2019 there was a 46% response rate which was the highest amount received. Officers reiterated that they were keen to show staff members that they were actioning their comments.

          RESOLVED:

          That the report be noted.