GDC staff survey 2015

Transcription

1 Item # Item 16 Council 3 March 2016 GDC staff survey 2015 Purpose of paper Action Corporate Strategy Business Plan 2016 Decision Trail Recommendations Authorship of paper and further information Appendices To present the GDC staff survey results for 2015 and outline content for an action plan For noting Performance: Objective 1: To improve our performance across all our functions so that we are highly effective as a regulator Performance: Objective 1: To improve our performance across all our functions so that we are highly effective as a regulator Existing commitment to conduct staff satisfaction survey every two years Results discussed and action plan outlined at EMT on 20 January 2016 Results and action plan noted at Remuneration Committee on 4 February 2016 Council is asked to: i) Discuss the key findings of the staff survey ii) Discuss the action plan arising from the results Kate Husselbee, Director of Governance and HR Alex Bishop, Learning and OD Projects Manager n/a 1

2 Executive summary 1. The purpose of the staff survey is to provide a robust evidence base that enables insight and understanding about employees experiences of working at GDC, how satisfied they are in their work, and their views on the performance and effectiveness of GDC. The staff survey was completed by staff in November/December This paper sets out: a. The structure of the survey and the terminology used b. The key findings from the survey results c. The content for an action plan agreed at the EMT Board on 20 January 3. The key findings from the survey: a. There is a significant decline in overall staff engagement. A total of 47% of staff can be considered engaged, whilst as many (46%) are unengaged. b. Key factors leading to unengaged staff are a lack of career progression opportunities, a lack of confidence in the organisation, and a lack of clarity around the future direction and vision of the organisation. c. Top retention drivers continue to be work-life balance and pay & benefits, as well as the satisfaction people get from the nature of the work itself. d. A total of 51% of line managers and 33% of senior managers are unengaged. Career progression and organisational confidence are key factors affecting engagement for this group. e. The number of staff experiencing bullying by either a colleague or line manager has increased. Of these instances, 71% went unreported. 4. The EMT Board and members of the Communications team met and agreed the following key areas for the action plan: a. Rebuilding organisational confidence and belief by connecting people with the organisation s strategy b. Improving internal communications across the organisation c. A review of our approach to talent management d. Continued embedding of the Leadership Development Programme e. Further research to understand the factors behind increasing instances of bullying, and what more can be done to reduce the instances of bullying going unreported. Introduction and background 5. The survey was managed and administered by Great With Talent [GWT], an independent research organisation specialising in employment surveys. Independence ensured that staff had confidence that they could be completely candid in their responses to the questions. As with the 2010 and 2013 staff surveys, GWT assisted with the design of the questionnaire, enabling us to track trends and changes in staff responses. 6. The results of the questionnaire have been presented as three areas: Engagement Profile This looks at the overall level of engagement and career intentions of employees Engaged - committed to their future at GDC Unengaged - considering or actively looking to leave GDC 2

3 Leaver - leaving for factors outside their control e.g. fixed-term contract Organisational Confidence This assesses the current performance of GDC under the headings of Clarity, Confidence, Enablement, and Impact. Employee Satisfaction This looks at how satisfied employees are in relation to a series of work related areas known to influence employee engagement and organisational commitment. 7. The survey achieved an excellent response rate of 81% (253 staff). As a result, we can have a high degree of confidence in the results. A cross-section of data was gathered to enable us to identify and compare trends in different areas e.g. business area, management level, and tenure. 8. This paper highlights the key points to be brought to Council s attention. The EMT and Remuneration Committee have received further detail on the findings. Results all staff 9. Engagement Profile The overall level of engagement and career intentions of employees is as follows: Engaged committed to their future at GDC Unengaged undecided as to whether they wish to continue working at GDC (includes both those considering or those actively looking to leave GDC) Leaver leaving for factors outside their control e.g. fixed-term contract: % 57.9% 59.6% 46.2% 36.5% 36.9% 7.2% 5.6% 3.5% 10. There is a significant decline in the number of engaged staff, with this figure falling by 11.3%. The number of unengaged staff has increased by 9.7%. 11. Top retention drivers (amongst the engaged group) Top retention drivers 2015 (%) Work-life balance 75 The nature of the work itself 75 Pay and benefits package 71 Relationship with your colleagues 70 Potential for progression through the organisation 57 3

4 12. Top turnover drivers (amongst the unengaged group) Top turnover drivers 2015 (%) Lack of potential for progression through the organisation 75 Confidence in the organisation 54 Lack of training and development opportunities 45 Pay and benefits package 44 Poor relationship between employees and management Organisational Confidence This assesses the current performance of GDC in relation to: Clarity - how clear people are about the future direction and vision of GDC, how the organisation is structured and their role and responsibilities within it. Confidence how confident people feel in relation to the strategic direction and leadership of the organisation and their future role at GDC. Enablement the extent to which people feel they have the necessary support, resources and skills to deliver their goals. Impact how people think the organisational decisions over the last 12 months have impacted different aspects of organisational performance. 14. Organisational confidence for 2015, 2013 and 2010 (%) Clarity Confidence Enablement Impact The results for Clarity and Confidence have noticeably reduced since The number of unengaged staff citing Confidence in the organisation as a turnover driver has more than doubled since 2013 (54%, up from 25%). There is a strong relationship between Confidence and Clarity, with only 48% of the total staff group being able to respond positively to the statement I am clear about the GDC Corporate Strategy. 16. More than 90% of staff are clear about GDC s purpose (and how they contribute to making GDC successful) but a lack of understanding around exactly how the organisation will deliver that is affecting the confidence staff have in the future of the organisation. A total of 38% of staff feel positive about the future direction of GDC and 29% of staff believe that the GDC s culture delivers high performance. 4

5 17. Within Enablement, only a single statement received fewer than 50% positive responses: Directorates/Teams cooperate to support each other effectively (48%). 18. Employee Satisfaction Understandably, unengaged employees are far less likely to feel inspired by working at GDC, with only 49% of unengaged staff finding satisfaction in their work. Only 1 in 3 unengaged employees are likely to feel proud to work for GDC, or to recommend GDC as a place to work. Directors and line managers 19. Directors The survey included specific questions about directors. These are outlined below with the responses. Positive responses (%) Neutral responses (%) Negative responses (%) Directors take account of what people say Directors communicate well with employees Directors are good role models for our organisation I trust the Directors I am confident in the Directors' leadership skills Directors inspire me in my GDC work The results reflect that currently 1 in 3 of the total staff group have confidence in the leadership skills of directors, with less than a quarter of staff feeling that directors inspire them in their work. 21. The scores improve slightly as engagement increases. A total of 50% of engaged staff have confidence in the directors leadership skills, and 37% of engaged staff feel that directors inspire them in their work. 22. Line managers The table below illustrates 51% of line managers are either considering or actively looking to leave GDC. Whilst the number of unengaged senior managers has fallen by 20% since 2013, the results show that 33% are still unengaged. 23. Of the unengaged senior managers, 5 out of 8 listed confidence in the organisation as a key factor. A total of 50% of the senior management group agreed that they understood the reasons behind key organisational decisions that had been taken over the past 12 months. Similarly, 46% had confidence in senior management to deliver the long-term success of the organisation. 5

6 Senior managers Line managers Non-managers Leavers Unengaged Engaged The Council 24. The questions and responses are outlined below: I am clear about the role of the organisation s Council 64% I am clear about the responsibilities of Council members 49% 25. Responses reflect that there is a lack of understanding around the role of the Council and the responsibilities of Council members. Amongst the engaged staff group, 55% were clear about the responsibilities of the Council members, and 65% clear about its role. Bullying 26. The number of staff who say that they have encountered bullying is outlined below. Of the 45 instances of bullying, 71% went unreported. Bullying by Line Manager 17 Bullying by Colleagues As a result of this response, fresh research needs to be carried in an effort to better understand the factors behind instances of bullying. Work will be carried out to ensure that the definition and understanding of bullying is consistent across the organisation. Action plan 28. Given the difficulties surrounding GDC s performance and the significant amount of change that the organisation has undergone over the past two years, it is unsurprising that the survey results reflect a sense of uncertainty and disengagement. There are several pieces of work already underway that will contribute to improving some of the staff perceptions e.g. the continuing embedding of the LDP with a view to generating engaging and motivating leaders. The most effective way of responding to staff surveys is to focus on specific improvement areas rather than spreading efforts too thinly. 6

7 29. The EMT and members of the Communications team met and agreed the key areas for the action plan: a. Rebuilding organisational confidence and belief: there is an important and urgent need to connect people with the organisation s strategy and help them understand the value of the key decisions that are being made. It is important to ensure that staff are aware of the progress that has been made so far, the value that a clear strategy will add, and what they can expect to see change as a result of it. This messaging must be owned by EMT and senior management, with close involvement of the line managers with a view to increasing clarity and confidence down through the organisation. b. Internal communications: there is an urgent need to improve our internal communications across the organisation and in many ways, including the timeliness and clarity of communications arising from Council and EMT Board meetings. Our new internal Communications Manager and communications team will provide the platform for this work. The outcomes of the staff survey will need to feed into the forthcoming internal communications priorities. c. A review of our approach to talent management: the single highest turnover factor is the perceived lack of opportunity for progression. Whilst there are limits on the progression an organisation of the size of the GDC can offer, the GDC needs to look at the way it identifies, recruit, develop and retain those individuals who will contribute to a high performing organisation. The range and frequency of development opportunities that are available to all staff needs to be reviewed, with realistic messages around what the organisation is able to provide. The work on talent management is starting in 2016, and will encompass the whole employee life cycle. d. Continued embedding of the Leadership Development Programme (LDP): in addition to the work around clarity and confidence, it is important to ensure that managers are equipped, motivated and supported to get the best from themselves and their teams. The action plan for embedding of the LDP in 2016 has been agreed by the EMT Board in January 2016 and there will be further specific development for directors. Significant and successful work has already been carried out to further embed the pay policy, as it relates to performance management, so we should expect to see benefits of this system as a tool to motivate and improve performance in e. Levels of bullying and reported cases: We need to carry out fresh research in an effort to better understand the factors behind instances of bullying. Work will be carried out, involving the Communications team, to ensure that the definition and understanding of bullying is consistent across the organisation, including examining the distinction between perceived bullying and strong performance management. 30. The action plan and detailed reports were published to staff in February All data was made available to staff, except for the open-ended comments, so as to avoid the possibility that individual staff may be identified. 31. Each director is scheduling meetings to discuss the results for each of their areas with their teams and identify specific action points. As identified by the Remuneration Committee, it is important that consultation takes place with staff at all levels, rather than 7

8 just relying on a top-down approach. HR will be participating in this and providing responses to questions around the content, as required. Recommendations 32. Council is asked to: a. Discuss the key findings of the staff survey b. Discuss the agreed actions arising from the results 8