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Comhairle nan Eilean Siar Employee Survey Survey Report

26 January 2009

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Contents

Summary ........................................................................................ 2

Objectives and approach .............................................................. 5

Background ................................................................................................ 5

Questionnaire Design ................................................................................. 5

Methodology ............................................................................................... 6

Publication of Data ...................................................................................... 7

Survey findings .............................................................................. 9

Views of the Comhairle ............................................................................... 9

Job satisfaction ......................................................................................... 11

Morale ....................................................................................................... 17

Communication ......................................................................................... 19

Management ............................................................................................. 23

Employee welfare ..................................................................................... 25

Customer service ...................................................................................... 29

Change at the Comhairle .......................................................................... 31

1

Summary

2

© 2015 Ipsos MORI. Contains Ipsos MORI confidential and proprietary information Not to be disclosed or reproduced without the prior written consent of Ipsos MORI.

Summary

The first ever Comhairle nan Eilean Siar Employee Survey conducted by Ipsos MORI

highlights that employees are more likely than counterparts in other Scottish local

authorities to be satisfied in their current job, rate it as an above average place to work,

take pride in working for the organisation and believe it is as open and honest as it can

be. Nevertheless, perceptions of morale in the Comhairle are poor.

The survey measures perceptions of morale across the Comhairle, not actual morale.

Perceptions are a reflection of awareness and awareness is driven by good

communication. Without good channels of communication, employees will rely on

informal sources of information – most commonly, gossip. When so few employees

believe morale is good, it is often an indication that there is poor awareness of the rest

of the organisation.

The Comhairle is a prime example. Relatively few feel they receive any more than a

limited amount of information. More specifically, the majority say they receive too little

information about reasons behind major decisions, the reasons for change, how the

Comhairle is doing against its objectives and the activities of other departments.

Without this information, employees will feel ‘silo-ed’ within a large organisation.

From experience, perceptions of morale are often an influence on job satisfaction.

Those that believe morale to be good are more likely to be satisfied in their job. This

means that, potentially, more Comhairle employees would say they feel satisfied in the

present job if communication was better across the organisation.

Key aspects of working for the Comhairle are the benefits package, working hours,

sense of accomplishment, the working environment, level of responsibility and

resources available to do the job properly. In line with all local authorities, career

development, pay and training are least satisfactory aspects in employees’ job at the

Comhairle.

As in most organisations, employees are more critical of senior management than their

immediate line manager. However, they are marginally more likely than counterparts in

other local authorities to be critical in terms of listening to employee opinion and

communicating a vision of where the Comhairle is going.

3


Poor communication and views of senior management are further reflected in views of

the process of change. Change is inevitable. However, relatively few agree they

understand the reasons for it or support the need for it.

Perhaps most important of all, relatively few believe Comhairle nan Eilean Siar

provides good service to its customers. A perception that is not reflected by its

customers.

In conclusion, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar is a good place to work. With better

communication, it could be a great place to work.

4


Objectives and approach

5


Objectives and approach

Background

This document summarises the key findings from the first survey carried out by Ipsos

MORI of all employees of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar.

The central aim of the survey was to identify and explore the employees’ experiences

of working for the Comhairle in order to find ways in which managers can establish

better ways of working, and thus drive service improvements. Specifically, the

requirements of the survey were to:

• produce, distribute, collate and analyse a questionnaire completed and returned by employees of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar;

• provide information that can be used to establish a baseline, for future planning and decision making;

• provide a report that is evidence based with findings that are accurate, objective and comparable to those of similar organisations.

In addition, there were a number of other underlying aims of the survey:

• establish key measures to allow tracking of development and benchmark against relevant public sector (and other) comparators;

• explore employee concerns and develop actions plans to address them;

• improve the operational and financial business by maximising the capability of employees;

• highlight priority areas for attention to lead to better use of available resources and investment.

Questionnaire Design

The main questionnaire was agreed in close consultation with Comhairle nan Eilean

Siar. As well as exploring issues specific to the Comhairle, the survey draws on many

Ipsos MORI normative questions in order to compare employees’ views against those

in other organisations. Throughout this document reference is made, where available,

to views expressed by employees in other local authorities.

6


Methodology

All employees were invited to participate in the survey by completing a paper

questionnaire distributed by the Comhairle on 29 October 2008. Along with the

questionnaire, each employee was provided with a reply-paid envelope in which to

return their completed questionnaire direct to Ipsos MORI. At no point was anyone

within the Comhairle able to view completed questionnaires from other employees.

A total of 857 questionnaires were completed and returned between 29 October and 19

November 2008, representing a response of 41%. The table below details the number

of returns by group/service:

Chief Executive’s Department 31

Development Department 54

Economic and Community Development 26

Development Services 28

Finance & Corporate Resources 79

Accountancy 17

Exchequer Services 17

IT 7*

Central & Customer Services 22

Other 16

Technical Services 139

Commercial Operations Unit 43

Waste Management 35

Project Delivery 18

Property Services 10

Transport & Roads Maintenance 26

Finance & Administration 7*

Education Department 308

Pre-School 9*

Primary Schools 121

Secondary Schools 97

Education Department 81

Social & Community Services 57

Health & Consumer Services 21

Leisure & Learning 36

Chief Social Work Officer 125

Children's Services 8*

Adult Services 38

Residential Care Services 64

Home Care Workers 15

TOTAL 857

7


*Note as part of our commitment to ensuring individual’s anonymity, we promise not to

report the results of any group of less than 10 employees. Therefore, at no stage in our

reporting have results been provided separately for IT, Finance & Administration, Pre-

school or Children’s Services. The results for IT were included with those of ‘Other’

employees within Finance & Corporate Resources. The results for the remaining

groups were included only in the Service and overall totals.

Publication of data

As with all our studies, there should be no publication of the data without the prior

approval of Ipsos MORI. This would only be refused on the basis of inaccuracy and

misinterpretation of the results.

8


Survey findings

9


Survey findings

Views of the Comhairle

Before exploring employee views of working life at the Comhairle, the survey assessed

perceptions of the local authority as a whole.

Pride

% %Agree Disagree

The Comhairle 39 209%

29%

14%

6%

40%

I feel proud to work for Comhairle nan Eilean Siar

Ipsos MORI Norms

Scottish LAs 33 24

Local Authorities 41 17

Overall 54 14

Base: All employees (857) – 29 October - 19 November 2008

Neither/nor

Strongly agree

Tend to disagree

Tend to agree

Strongly disagree

Pride is commonly considered the most important indicator of the mood of the

workforce. Those who are proud of their employer are more likely to take pride in their

work, speak highly of the organisation to others and be committed to organisational

objectives.

Encouragingly, employees are twice as likely to agree than disagree they feel proud to

work for the Comhairle. They are just as likely to say they feel proud to work for the

Comhairle as employees across all local authorities surveyed by Ipsos MORI in recent

years, but noticeably more likely to feel proud that counterparts in other authorities

across Scotland.

Research regularly highlights that pride in working for an organisation is a strong

indication of how employees speak of it to others and that word of mouth and views of

existing employees are key influences in deciding whether to work for an organisation.

10


Ipsos MORI norms highlight the challenge facing local authorities, whose employees

are noticeably less likely to speak highly of their employer than employees in the rest of

the public sector and the private sector.

Furthermore, happiness is often relative. Naturally, employees compare where they

currently work with employment options elsewhere. As shown below, as well as feeling

proud to work for the Comhairle, employees are more likely than counterparts in other

local authorities to rate it as an above average place to work.

As a place to work

% %Best/ Worst

Above Below

The Comhairle 34 20

12%

22%

16%

4%6%

40%

One of the worst One of the best

Above average

Q How would you rate Comhairle nan Eilean Siar as a place to work compared with other organisations?

Below average


About average

Ipsos MORI Norms

Scottish LAs 24 28


Overall 41 17

11


Job satisfaction

Overall

Given relatively high levels of pride and rating of the Comhairle as a place to work, it is

perhaps unsurprising that employees are more likely to be satisfied in their job at

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar than employees across all local authorities surveyed by

Ipsos MORI in recent years. Levels of satisfaction reflect those experienced across the

whole of the public sector. Across the Comhairle, those satisfied outnumber those

dissatisfied by a ratio of 4:1.

Overall Job Satisfaction

% %Satisfied Dissatisfied


48%

14%

12%

5%

Neither/ nor

Very satisfied

Fairly dissatisfied

Fairly satisfied

Very dissatisfied

Q How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with your present job?

Ipsos MORI Norms - All

Local Authority 60 22

Public Sector 60 23

Overall 61 23

Ipsos MORI Norms - Scotland

Local Authority 61 23

Public Sector 68 18


Typically, the likelihood of being satisfied in the present job decreases with length of

service and increases with grade. As is commonly the case, satisfaction is highest

among those that have been working for the Comhairle for up to a year (79%) and

lowest among those with between 10 and 20 years service (63%). However, this is

better balance than experienced in other authorities. Furthermore, as shown below,

satisfaction is reasonably consistent across grades, with only teachers and Head

teachers noticeably more likely to be satisfied in their present job than the rest of the

Comhairle.

12


Q Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with your present job? Grade Base

sizes

Satisfied

%

Dissatisfied

%

Net

%

All employees 857 67 17 +49

A-C 173 68 18 +50

D-F 229 64 18 +46

G-J 128 60 20 +40

K-M 27 67 26 +41

Craft Operatives 24 58 8 +50

Chief Officials 12 67 17 +50

Teachers 145 75 14 +61

Head teachers 19 84 11 +74

Satisfaction with aspects of working life

In addition to providing a general overview of employees’ opinions of the Comhairle, a

more detailed picture is formed from investigating satisfaction with specific aspects of

working life.

13


46%

45%

33%

61%

62%

66%

69%

70%

76%

Satisfied

Aspects of the job

Working hours

Q How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with each of these factors in your job?

Benefits package

Accomplish something

TopScottish

LAs

57

LA

norm

62

Amount I am paid

Receiving training needed

Ability to develop career

Bottom

Level of responsibility

Work environment

Having everything I need

75 68

60 62

62 62

45 40

33 27

46 45

50 44


The majority of employees are satisfied with almost aspects of working for the

Comhairle. They are most likely to say they are satisfied with their benefits package,

working hours, accomplishing something worthwhile in their work and their work

environment. Putting the results in context of levels of satisfaction across all and

Scottish local authorities, Comhairle employees are much more likely to be satisfied

with the benefits package, feeling of achievement and having everything needed to do

the job.

Employees are least likely to say they are satisfied with career development, pay and

received the training they need to do their job effectively. As shown above, these are

challenges for all local authorities.

14


What is important to employees?

A basic assumption would be that the Comhairle should ensure employees are

satisfied with those aspects most important to them. Therefore, by also asking which

factors are most important, we can identify where the Comhairle is ‘over-‘ or ‘under-‘

delivering.

As shown below, there is little or no correlation between levels of satisfaction and

importance of these factors. Satisfaction and importance is high for many aspects. Pay

is perhaps the only aspect where satisfaction does not reflect importance to

employees. Therefore, simply looking at importance is not the best indicator of aspects

that need to be improved.

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Importance

Satisfaction

Benefits package

Accomplishing something worthwhile

Working hours

Best use of skills & abilities

Have everything I need

Feeling job is secure

Received training needed

Working environment

Ability to develop career

Amount I am paid

Level of responsibility

What is important to everyone?

No correlation

15


What really matters?

An alternative is to identify links between overall satisfaction and satisfaction with

particular aspects of working for the Comhairle. This type of analysis is known as Key

Driver Analysis and highlights where there appears to be some relationship between

individual views of aspects of working life and overall job satisfaction. In particular, it

highlights where satisfaction with an aspect is closely linked to overall satisfaction.

While not providing an absolute analysis of causation, it gives some indication of where

might best to focus efforts.

Taking the lessons learned from having conducted this analysis for City of Edinburgh

Council, we might surmise that there is a similar relationship among Comhairle

employees. As shown below, the analysis suggests that, in order to maintain or

improve staff satisfaction, the Comhairle should focus efforts on ensuring employees

have interesting work, making best use of their skills and abilities, helping them feel

they are accomplishing something worthwhile, that they perceive morale to be good in

their workplace and there is career development.

What really matters?

Job Satisfaction at

City of Edinburgh Council

Job Satisfaction at

City of Edinburgh Council

Accomplished something worthwhileAccomplished something worthwhile

Morale in the workplaceMorale in the workplace

62% of Job Satisfaction explained by

model

11%

Interesting workInteresting work

9%

Making best use of skills and abilityMaking best use of skills and ability

7%

5%

Level of support for decisionsLevel of support for decisions

Council better place than a year agoCouncil better place than a year ago

Feel part of a teamFeel part of a team

15%15%

6%

Career developmentCareer development

Feel valued for the work I doFeel valued for the work I do

5%

4%

Base: All staff (7,475) 18th October – 22nd November 2006

Job SecurityJob Security

Amount of work given to doAmount of work given to do

Proud to work for the CouncilProud to work for the Council

Sufficient resources to do your jobSufficient resources to do your job

11%

5%

5%

3%

16


Taking this a stage further, by plotting strength of the relationship each aspect has with

on job satisfaction against current satisfaction, we might highlight the key opportunities

to improve overall job satisfaction.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

0 0.1

Satisfaction/agreement

Impact on overall employee satisfaction

And the Comhairle?

Making use of skill and abilities

Morale

Career

development

Resources

Pride

Job security

Accomplished something

worthwhile

The chart above shows satisfaction and the strength of relationship with job satisfaction

for aspects covered by both City of Edinburgh Council and the Comhairle. As shown

above, satisfaction with accomplishing something worthwhile and making the best use

of skills and abilities are important and satisfactory aspects of working at the Comhairle

– perhaps why overall job satisfaction is relatively high. However, satisfaction with

career development and ‘perceived’ morale across the Comhairle are likely to be

having an influence on the level of satisfaction across the organisation.

17


Morale

Relatively few believe morale is good in the Comhairle. Only one in seven agree

morale is good – the vast majority disagree. This compares poorly to perceptions of

morale in other local authorities.

Morale

% %Agree Disagree


21%

30%

30%

5%

Morale is good in the Comhairle

Ipsos MORI Norms

Scottish LAs 18 64


Overall 27 50

Neither/ nor

Strongly agree 2%

Tend to disagree

Tend to agree

Strongly disagree


Importantly, this measure reflects perception. It does not reflect personal morale. From

experience, perceptions of morale in any organisations are driven by external factors,

such as communication, while personal morale is driven by personal experience or

circumstance.

Common drivers of ‘perceived’ morale are illustrated by the results of Key Driver

Analysis conducted for Glasgow City Council. The analysis, shown below, identified

employee views of the Council being open and honest, as being very closely related to

how they perceived morale in Glasgow City Council.

18


What drives morale?

Morale in Glasgow City Council

Morale in Glasgow City Council

Council looks after employeesCouncil looks after employees

Change is well managedChange is well managed

61% of Morale explained by model

10%

Organisation open and honestOrganisation open and honest

7%

WPBR positive impact on workplaceWPBR positive impact on workplace

5%

21%

24%

Rate Council better than otheremployers

Rate Council better than otheremployers

Adequate resourcesAdequate resources

9%

Base: All staff (8,900) – 5th March-5th April 2007

However, for all the aspects identified in the analysis for Glasgow City Council, the

Comhairle performs very well – with one exception. The second strongest ‘driver’ of

perceived morale in Glasgow City Council was the impact of their recent Pay and

Workforce Benefits Review. A similar review has taken place at the Comhairle and it is

very possible this is a key underlying cause of poor perceptions of morale and, to some

extent, preventing the Comhairle for becoming a leading Council to work for.

19


Communication

Open and honest

Ipsos MORI research regularly highlights the importance of good communications.

Good access and appropriate use of communication channels are extremely important

in driving employee attitudes towards an organisation. Those that feel informed are

more likely to be satisfied in their job, are more likely to speak highly of their employer

to others and more likely to demonstrate commitment to the organisation’s aims and

objectives. However, experience shows that keeping employees informed is a

particular challenge to large, diverse organisations such as the Comhairle.

% %Agree Disagree

The Comhairle 21 51

5%

16%

25%

30%

21%

Ipsos MORI Norms

Scottish LAs 16 59


Overall 23 36

Neither/ nor

Strongly agree

Tend to disagree

Tend to agree

Strongly disagree


Open and honest

The organisation is as open and honest with employees as it can be

As already referred to, although one in five agrees the Comhairle is as open and

honest with employees as it can be (and half disagree), this is more than would say the

same in other local authorities.

20


Feeling informed

However, perhaps reflecting the size of the organisation and the geography of the

Western Isles, communication generally is not a key strength of the Comhairle. In

contrast to other local authorities, Comhairle employees do not feel they are kept

informed.

% %Informed Not informed


28%

28%

24%

16%

Gives us only a limited amount of information

Keeps us fully informed

Doesn’t tell us

much at all

Don’t know/Not stated

Ipsos MORI Norms

Scottish LAs 44 49


Overall 53 43

Keeps us fairly well informed


Feeling informed

Q Organisations have different ideas about giving out information to their employees. Which of these would you say is the way in which Comhairle nan Eilean Siar communicates with employees?

Across the Comhairle, the extent to which employees feel informed varies. Chief Social

Work Officer and Education Department employees are least likely to say they receive

little no information. However, employees of all Services are more likely to say they are

not kept informed than they are kept informed. Even the majority of those in the Chief

Executive’s Department (who are commonly the best informed in a local authority) feel

they receive limited information or not much at all about what goes on at Comhairle nan

Eilean Siar.

21


Q Organisations have different ideas about giving out information to their employees. Which of these would you say is the way in which Comhairle nan Eilean Siar communicates with employees? Service Base

sizes

Informed

%

Not informed

%

Net

%

All employees 857 31 53 -21

Chief Social Work Officer 125 44 45 -1

Education Department 308 37 41 -5

Chief Executive Department 31 29 68 -39

Development Department 54 28 57 -30

Technical Services 139 24 64 -40

Finance & Corporate Resources 79 22 66 -44

Social & Community Services 57 21 68 -47

Source of information

Email and line managers are the most popular ways of receiving information.

23%27% 29%

33%

43%46% 46%

54%

70% 70%

Preferred sources of information

Notice boards

Q From which sources listed do you prefer to receive information from the Comhairle?

Comhairle website

Trade union

Senior managers

Line manager

Intranet Team briefings

Dept newsletter

E-mailEmployee newsletter


22


Too little information

As shown in the table below, more than half of employees would like to receive more

information about all topics, with the exception only of information on the Comhairle’s

strategy & objectives and job vacancies. In particular, employees would like more

information about the reasons behind major decisions and the reasons for change.

Employees in other local authorities feel they are better informed about all topics.

Importantly, this does not necessarily mean the Comhairle provides less information

than other authorities. Rather Comhairle employees feel they do not receive enough.

Q Below is a list of topics about which you may receive information. How do you feel about the amount of information you currently receive on each? Too little CNES All

LAs

All Scottish

LAs

Overall

% % % %

Reasons behind major decisions 71 53 42 65

The reasons for change within the Comhairle

68 - - -

How well the Comhairle is doing towards its objectives

57 38 33 47

Activities of other departments 56 48 35 60

Information about the Comhairle as a whole

54 - - -

Information specific to your Department 54 - - -

Training & development opportunities 51 42 51 50

The Comhairle’s strategy & objectives 40 30 26 41

Job opportunities/internal vacancies 27 28 18 34

23


Management

Line managers

Comhairle employees are supportive of their line manager. For nearly all positive

aspects measured, the majority say they always or usually apply to their line manager.

Key strengths are being supportive if employees have a problem, being open and

honest, making clear what is expected of them and making decisions quickly when

needed.

Areas to focus on are discussing training and development needs (although a

challenge for all local authorities) and improving delegation of responsibilities. The

latter is the only aspect of line management where Comhairle employees are

noticeably less likely to be positive than counterparts in other authorities.

20 30 40 50 60 70 80

CNES Scottish LAs Local Authorities

Considers my ideas and suggestions

Consults me where I can contribute

Gives information I need

Encourages me to work as a team

Is open and honest

Makes clear what is expected

Views of line manager


Discusses training and development needs

Appreciates pressure

Makes decisions quickly when needed

Is supportive if I have a problem

Good at delegating responsibility

% Always/usually applies

24


From our experience in working with other organisations, employees are more likely to

be critical of senior management than they are of their line manager. This may well be

because they have a closer working relationship with and greater visibility of those they

work with on a daily basis. In line with this trend, Comhairle employees appear more

critical of senior managers.

Employees are more likely to disagree than agree that senior managers are interested

in employee opinion, and that they have provided a clear vision of where individual

Services and where Comhairle nan Eilean Siar are going.

The latter is clearly the greatest criticism of senior management and supports

employee views of communication. As already highlighted, many believe they do not

receive enough corporate information including reasons behind major decisions,

reasons for change and how the Comhairle is doing against its objectives.

Responsibility for providing this information to employees clearly lies with senior

managers, but it may be that line managers are not passing it on.

41

40

51

33

24

15

Senior management are interested in

listening to employee opinion

Senior management provide a clear

vision of where my service is going

Senior management have

communicated to employees their

vision of where the Comhairle is

going

% Disagree % Agree

Views of senior management


25


Employee welfare

There are mixed views from employees about their welfare and treatment by the

Comhairle.

Only a third feels the Comhairle looks after its employees. However, this ranges from

20% of those in Finance & Corporate Resources to 54% of those working for the Chief

Social Work Officer (including 69% of those in Residential Care Services).

However, in comparison to other Scottish local authorities, the Comhairle scores

relatively well in terms of employees feeling they are treated with respect, that health

and safety is given a high priority and that stress at work does not affect their

performance or their personal life.

Q Here are a number of statements about how you may feel towards Comhairle nan Eilean Siar. How strongly do you agree or disagree with each? Agree CNES All

LAs

All Scottish

LAs

Overall

% % % %

I am treated with fairness and respect here 50 59 37 54

The health and safety of employees is given a high priority

50 44 44 61

The Comhairle looks after its employees 32 - - -

I feel that stress at work is affecting me in my personal life

26 37 37 37

The Comhairle truly values the diversity of its employees

24 41 23 39

I feel that stress at work is affecting my performance at work

22 34 39 34

26


Diversity and disadvantage

Only a quarter agree the Comhairle truly values the diversity of its employees. This is a

challenge for all Scottish local authorities, (and the Scottish public sector more widely)

and it may be that Scottish authorities experience less diversity generally than

authorities south of the border.

Nevertheless, there is indication that employees have felt disadvantage on account of

their demographic. As shown below, one in ten says they have felt at least some

disadvantage on account of their age and a similar proportion on account of their

gender. Overall, a quarter of employees say they have felt some form of disadvantage

in the past two years.

Disadvantage

Q Within the past 2 years, I have felt disadvantage at Comhairle nan Eilean Siar on account of…

10%

9%

8%

7%

4%

2%

1%

Your age

Your religion

Something else

Your gender

Your race/ethnicity

A disability

Your sexuality


Any – 28%

27


Clearly, experience reflects personal circumstances. Four percent of men and 13% of

women feel they have experienced disadvantage on account of their gender.

Disadvantage on account of age is highest among youngest employees.

Q Within the past two years, to what extent have you felt disadvantaged at Comhairle nan Eilean Siar on account of your age? 16-24 25-34 35-49 50-59 60+

% % % % %

A great deal/A little 36 15 5 13 14

Bullying

A third say they have experienced some form of bullying in the past two years – most

commonly from Service users, colleagues or line managers.

68%

13%

11%

11%

5%

Experienced bullying (in past two years)

None

Yes, from line manager

Yes, from colleague

Yes, from Service user

Yes, from other


61%

16%

15%

9%

6%

Recent Scottish

LA comparison

28


The survey is not suited to understanding the sources of bullying. However, it identifies

some pockets where further attention may be required: a quarter of those working for

the Chief Social Work Officer and those in the Development Department say they have

experienced bullying from Service users; a quarter of those in Learning & Leisure say

they have experienced bullying from colleagues; and a quarter of Secondary Schools

teaching staff say they have experienced bullying from a line manager or supervisor.

Only half of those that have experienced bullying reported it anyone.

29


Customer service

Relatively few employees feel the service provided by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar to its

customers is good. Although half rated it as good (and only 10% rate it as poor), the

vast majority of employees in other Scottish local authorities rate the service provided

by their council as good.

38%

10%

49%

Customer service

Poor

Good

Average


Q How would you rate the service provided by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar to its customers?

% %Good Poor

The Comhairle 49 10

Ipsos MORI Norms

Scottish LAs* 87 6

Local Authorities* 56 9

Overall 67 10

*caution small numbers and slightly different scale

However, it is not a consistent picture across the Comhairle. As shown below, the vast

majority of those in the Chief Executive’s Department rate it as good. This compares

with a little over a third of those in Finance & Corporate Resources.

These results may reflect awareness. Rating of quality is often relative. That relatively

few they receive enough information about how the Comhairle is performing and given

the location of the Western Isles, it may be that few are aware of services provided by

other local authorities.

30


Q Organisations have different ideas about giving out information to their employees. Which of these would you say is the way in which Comhairle nan Eilean Siar communicates with employees? Service Base

sizes

Good

%

Poor

%

Net

%

All employees 857 49 10 +39

Chief Executive Department 31 71 3 +68

Chief Social Work Officer 125 60 4 +56

Development Department 54 54 6 +48

Technical Services 139 53 9 +45

Social & Community Services 57 44 9 +35

Education Department 308 42 15 +28

Finance & Corporate Resources 79 39 8 +32

Further suggestion that employees underestimate or are unaware of the quality of

services is highlighted by the views of customers. The most up to date Scottish

Household Survey data (shown below) shows Eilean Siar residents are far more likely

to agree the Comhairle provides high quality services than residents across Scotland

say about their local council.

22%

30% 42%

Perceptions don’t reflect reality

Disagree

Agree

Source: Scottish Household Survey: Annual report from 2007

My local council provides high quality services

Base: Scotland (10,229), Eilean Siar (195)

17%

23%

59%

Disagree

Agree

Scotland Eilean Siar

Neither/nor

Neither/ nor

31


Change at the Comhairle

Attitudes towards change

Well managed

Support need

Understand need

11%

19%

57%

Scottish

LAs

Local

Authorities

Employee are consulted

51%

15%

14%

70%

54%

17%

22%

74%

62%


Like many organisations, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar experiences constant change.

Those organisations that nurture a culture of change have established a strong base

understanding of the need for change. In addition this is followed by a good transition

through employee support, consultation and management of the process.

Although it is a challenge to engage all employees through the process, as shown

above, the Comhairle starts the process from a relatively poor foothold. Employees in

other authorities are noticeably more likely to understand the need for change and

support it. Only around half of Comhairle employees agree they understand the need

for change and support it. It is unsurprising that almost half agree they find the process

of change causes them worry and concern and that there is too much change for

change’s sake. This may well reflect feelings from most that they receive little more

than limited information about what is happening at the Comhairle and that the majority

say they received too little information about all topics.

comhairle nan eilean siar employee survey · ipsos mori norms highlight the challenge facing local...

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