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PCS urges members to make their voices heard

21 Oct 2009 10:36 AM

A new style staff survey is now being rolled out across the civil service and PCS is urging its members to take part.

Results of the survey will help both managers and union representatives understand what action needs to be taken to maintain and improve the working experience and well-being of civil servants and enhance the delivery of the essential public services they provide.

The union has supported the development of a standard annual staff survey across all parts of the civil service.

Following consultation on the design of the questionnaire and detailed testing in a number of different departments, we believe that the survey will result in robust and reliable evidence.

The Council for Civil Service Unions (CCSU) is encouraging departmental trade union sides to get involved in the survey process and promote the survey to union members.

We will be seeking to ensure that managers work with the unions to understand and act upon the findings of the survey.

PCS therefore advises members to take part in the survey and respond honestly to the questions raised.

More general concerns about working conditions and experiences can be raised with PCS branch representatives who will be able to take them up through the usual collective policy consultation and negotiation channels.

More detailed information is contained in the position statement from the Council for Civil Service Unions below.

Civil service people survey

Council of Civil Service Unions (CCSU) position statement, September 2009

The Cabinet Office civil service capability group has developed a new civil service people survey (also known as “the single survey” or “the employee engagement survey”) in order to standardise staff surveys across the civil service.

This is part of a wider process of understanding and building employee engagement and sits within the capability review process. It also has links with the Public Sector Forum ‘Drive for change’ programme and the joint CO/CCSU work and well-being initiative.

The design of the survey questionnaire has been subject to extensive consultation and thorough testing. The CCSU at national level and some departmental trade union sides have been involved in this process, and many of the points made by trade unions have been used to improve the questionnaire.

The Cabinet Office has given assurances that it is working with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and organisations representing particular groups to ensure that questions in the personal monitoring section are both sensitive and purposeful.

It has also assured the CCSU that all the appropriate standards for data protection, privacy and identification of individuals will be followed in the collection, analysis and dissemination of responses.

It is intended that the survey will be implemented across the civil service from autumn 2009 and thereafter conducted on an annual basis.

CCSU national position

  • The CCSU supports the view that employees, service users and employing organisations benefit from measures that promote employees’ engagement in their work. We believe that such engagement should be collective as well as individual and based on valuing and developing the capabilities and commitment of the workforce
  • The CCSU supports the concept of a standard annual staff survey across all parts of the civil service as a basis for understanding employees’ views of their experiences at work
  • The CCSU nationally will continue to work with the Cabinet Office capability group to monitor, develop and implement processes for the collection, analysis and use of robust data to inform decisions that affect the terms and conditions and well-being of employees
  • Following assurances that the Cabinet Office will encourage departments to set up channels to ensure that trade unions are consulted and involved in the survey process, the CCSU will encourage its departmental trade union sides to participate in such channels and promote the survey to members
  • Trade union negotiators at national and departmental level will seek to ensure that the collection and analysis of the survey data results in robust understanding and that action is taken to enable managers to engage and develop all employees to their full potential
  • At national level, the CCSU will continue to work jointly with the Cabinet Office to draw together the evidence from the survey, the development of the employee engagement initiative and ‘Drive for change’ methodologies into a strategy which supports and improves the working experience and well-being of civil servants
  • The CCSU will seek to agree joint approaches with the Cabinet Office which will inform management and trade union negotiations at departmental and agency level.