Corporate report

DH Civil Service people survey: 2014

Updated 11 March 2015

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Applies to England

Total number of returns 1,445

Response Rate 69%

	% Positive	Difference from previous survey	Difference from CS2014	Difference from CS High Performers
Engagement Index	58	+2	0	-5
My Work	77	+2	+2	-2
Organisational objectives & Purpose	77	+1	-6	-11
My Manager	71	+1	+3	-1
My Team	81	+2	+2	-1
Learning & development	52	+5	+3	-3
Inclusion & fair Treatment	79	+2	+3	0
Pay & Benefits	32	-3	+4	-3
Leadership & Managing Change	40	+1	-3	-10

My work

Overall positive response rate: 77%

Question	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither	Disagree	Strongly disagree	% Positive	Difference from previous survey	Difference from CS2014	Difference from CS High Performers
B01: I am interested in my work	44	45	7	3	1	89	-1	0	-3*
B02: I am sufficiently challenged by my work	36	45	11	7	1	80	+3*	+1*	-2*
B03: My work gives me a sense of personal accomplishment	28	48	14	8	2	76	+2*	0	-3*
B04: I feel involved in the decisions that affect my work	18	43	20	14	5	61	+2	+5*	-1
B05: I have a choice in deciding how I do my work	26	53	13	7	1	79	+3*	+4*	-1

‘*’ indicates statistically significant difference from comparison

Organisational Objectives and Purpose

Overall positive response rate:77%

Question	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither	Disagree	Strongly disagree	% Positive	Difference from previous survey	Difference from CS2014	Difference from CS High Performers
B06: I have a clear understanding of the Department’s purpose	21	58	13	7	1	79	+1	-7*	-12*
B07: I have a clear understanding of the Department’s objectives	17	57	17	7	2	73	+1	-7*	-12*
B08: I understand how my work contributes to the Department’s objectives	23	56	14	6	1	79	+1	-5*	-9*

‘*’ indicates statistically significant difference from comparison

My Manager

Overall positive response rate: 71%

Question	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither	Disagree	Strongly disagree	% Positive	Difference from previous survey	Difference from CS2014	Difference from CS High Performers
B09: My manager motivates me to be more effective in my job	26	46	16	8	4	72	+1	+4*	+1
B10: My manager is considerate of my life outside work	41	43	10	4	2	84	0	+3*	-2*
B11: My manager is open to my ideas	39	45	10	5	1	84	0	+4*	0
B12: My manager helps me to understand how I contribute to the Department’s objectives	22	45	23	8	2	66	+3*	+2*	-3*
B13: Overall, I have confidence in the decisions made by my manager	34	46	12	5	3	80	+1	+6*	+3*
B14: My manager recognises when I have done my job well	36	45	12	5	1	81	-1	+4*	0
B15: I receive regular feedback on my performance	24	44	18	11	3	68	+2*	+3*	-1
B16: The feedback I receive helps me to improve my performance	21	44	23	8	4	65	+3*	+4*	-1
B17: I think that my performance is evaluated fairly	21	44	23	8	4	65	-1	+2*	-2*
B18: Poor performance is dealt with effectively in my team	10	30	41	12	7	40	+3*	+1	-3*

‘*’ indicates statistically significant difference from comparison

My Team

Overall positive response rate: 81%

Question	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither	Disagree	Strongly disagree	% Positive	Difference from previous survey	Difference from CS2014	Difference from CS High Performers
B19: The people in my team can be relied upon to help when things get difficult in my job	38	47	10	4	1	85	+2*	+1*	-1*
B20: The people in my team work together to find ways to improve the service we provide	34	48	11	5	2	82	+1	+2*	-1*
B21: The people in my team are encouraged to come up with new and better ways of doing things	30	47	15	6	2	77	+3*	+3*	-1*

‘*’ indicates statistically significant difference from comparison

Learning & Development

Overall positive response rate: 52%

Question	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither	Disagree	Strongly disagree	% Positive	Difference from previous survey	Difference from CS2014	Difference from CS High Performers
B22: I am able to access the right learning and development opportunities when I need to	15	48	24	10	3	83	+2*	+4*	0
B23: Learning and development activities I have completed in the past 12 months have helped to improve my performance	13	36	38	10	3	87	+1	+3*	+1
B24: There are opportunities for me to develop my career in the Department	12	37	26	15	10	71	+1	+6*	+2*
B25: Learning and development activities I have completed while working for the Department are helping me to develop my career	12	34	36	13	5	73	+3*	-1	-5*

‘*’ indicates statistically significant difference from comparison

Inclusion & Fair Treatment

Overall positive response rate: 79%

Question	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither	Disagree	Strongly disagree	% Positive	Difference from previous survey	Difference from CS2014	Difference from CS High Performers
B26: I am treated fairly at work	30	53	10	5	2	83	+2*	+4*	0
B27: I am treated with respect by the people I work with	35	53	7	4	1	87	+1	+3*	+1
B28: I feel valued for the work I do	24	47	16	10	3	71	+1	+6*	+2*
B29: I think that the Department respects individual differences (e.g. cultures, working styles, backgrounds, ideas, etc)	23	50	17	7	3	73	+3*	-1	-5*

‘*’ indicates statistically significant difference from comparison

Resources & Workload

Overall positive response rate: 73%

Question	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither	Disagree	Strongly disagree	% Positive	Difference from previous survey	Difference from CS2014	Difference from CS High Performers
B30: In my job, I am clear what is expected of me	24	58	10	6	2	82	-1	-2*	-5*
B31: I get the information I need to do my job well	16	55	18	10	1	70	-1	0	-3
B32: I have clear work objectives	20	59	13	6	2	79	+2*	+3*	0
B33: I have the skills I need to do my job effectively	27	61	9	2	1	88	-2*	-1*	-3*
B34: I have the tools I need to do my job effectively	17	55	17	10	1	71	0	-1	-5*
B35: I have an acceptable workload	9	49	20	16	6	58	-1	-1	-8*
B36: I achieve a good balance between my work life and my private life	15	49	18	14	5	64	0	-2*	-10*

‘*’ indicates statistically significant difference from comparison

Pay & Benefits

Overall positive response rate: 32%

Question	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither	Disagree	Strongly disagree	% Positive	Difference from previous survey	Difference from CS2014	Difference from CS High Performers
B37: I feel that my pay adequately reflects my performance	5	30	21	28	17	35	-4*	+6*	-1
B38: I am satisfied with the total benefits package	5	28	24	27	16	33	-2*	+1*	-7*
B39: Compared to people doing a similar job in other organisations I feel my pay is reasonable	5	24	25	26	19	29	-4*	+5*	-3*

‘*’ indicates statistically significant difference from comparison

Leadership & Managing Change

Overall positive response rate: 40%

Question	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither	Disagree	Strongly disagree	% Positive	Difference from previous survey	Difference from CS2014	Difference from CS High Performers
B40: I feel that the Department as a whole is managed well	5	38	32	19	7	43	+2	-3*	-13*
B41: SCS in the Department are sufficiently visible	13	47	20	15	5	60	+3*	+7*	-3*
B42: I believe the actions of SCS are consistent with the Department’s values	10	40	35	11	5	49	+3*	+2*	-6*
B43: I believe that the Departmental Board has a clear vision for the future of the Department	4	26	49	15	6	30	-1	-15*	-23*
B44: Overall, I have confidence in the decisions made by the Department’s SCS	8	37	35	14	5	45	+2*	+2*	-6*
B45: I feel that change is managed well in the Department	2	24	34	29	11	26	+1	-5*	-12*
B46: When changes are made in the Department they are usually for the better	2	19	43	26	10	21	+2*	-9*	16*
B47: The Department keeps me informed about matters that affect me	6	49	27	13	5	55	-1	-3*	-9*
B48: I have the opportunity to contribute my views before decisions are made that affect me	5	30	33	24	8	35	-2*	-1	-8*
B49: I think it is safe to challenge the way things are done in the Department	5	34	33	19	9	39	+2*	-2*	-9*

‘*’ indicates statistically significant difference from comparison

Engagement

Overall positive response rate: 58%

Question	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither	Disagree	Strongly disagree	% Positive	Difference from previous survey	Difference from CS2014	Difference from CS High Performers
B50: I am proud when I tell others I am part of the Department	15	44	28	9	4	59	+3*	0	-7*
B51: I would recommend the Department as a great place to work	10	38	32	15	5	48	+5*	-1	-12*
B52: I feel a strong personal attachment to the Department	12	38	29	15	6	50	+5*	+3*	-4*
B53: The Department inspires me to do the best in my job	8	35	36	16	6	43	+3*	-2*	-8*
B54: The Department motivates me to help it achieve its objectives	8	31	38	18	6	39	+4*	-4*	-10*

‘*’ indicates statistically significant difference from comparison

Taking Action

Question	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither	Disagree	Strongly disagree	% Positive	Difference from previous survey	Difference from CS2014	Difference from CS High Performers
B55: I believe that SCS in the Department will take action on the results from this survey	7	34	31	19	9	41	-1	-4*	-12*
B56: I believe that managers where I work will take action on the results from this survey	17	44	21	11	6	61	+3*	+5*	0
B57: Where I work, I think effective action has been taken on the results of the last survey	10	25	44	13	8	34	+2*	0	-6*

‘*’ indicates statistically significant difference from comparison

Organisational Culture

Question	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither	Disagree	Strongly disagree	% Positive	Difference from previous survey	Difference from CS2014	Difference from CS High Performers
B58: I am trusted to carry out my job effectively	32	56	7	4	1	88	0	0	-2*
B59: I believe I would be supported if I try a new idea, even if it may not work	21	51	18	8	2	72	0	+3*	-1
B60: My performance is evaluated based on whether I get things done, rather than solely follow processes	19	52	20	7	2	71	-1	+5*	0
B61: When I talk about the Department I say “we” rather than “they”	23	50	18	7	2	73	+3*		+5*	-5*
B62: I have some really good friendships at work	24	49	22	5	0	72	-4*	-3*	-7*

‘*’ indicates statistically significant difference from comparison

Wellbeing

For questions W01, W02 and W03 the % positive is the proportion answering 7, 8, 9 or 10 to each question. For question W04 the % positive is the proportion answering 0, 1, 2 or 3 to the question.

Question	0-4	5-6	7-8	9-10	% Positive	Difference from previous survey	Difference from CS2014	Difference from CS High Performers
W01: Overall, how satisfied are you with your life nowadays?	13	24	53	11	64	-1	0	-3*
W02: Overall, to what extent do you feel that the things you do in your life are worthwhile?	10	21	50	19	69	-1	0	-3*
W03: Overall, how happy did you feel yesterday?	17	23	45	15	60	-2*	-1	-4*
W04: Overall, how anxious did you feel yesterday?	18	29	22	30	47	-2*	-3*	-5*

‘*’ indicates statistically significant difference from comparison

Your plans for the future

C01: Which of the following statements most reflects your current thoughts about working for the Department?

Question	% Positive	Difference from previous survey	Difference from CS2014	Difference from CS High Performers
I want to leave the Department as soon as possible	8	+1	0	-2*
I want to leave the Department within the next 12 months	16	0	+3*	-2*
I want to stay working for the Department for at least the next year	38	+4*	+7*	+1
I want to stay working for the Department for at least the next three years	38	-5*	-9*	-16*

‘*’ indicates statistically significant difference from comparison ##The Civil Service Code

Question	% Positive	Difference from previous survey	Difference from CS2014	Difference from CS High Performers
D01: Are you aware of the Civil Service Code?	97	+3*	+7*	+3*
D02 :Are you aware of how to raise a concern under the Civil Service Code?	68	+6*	+4*	-3*
D03: Are you confident that if you raised a concern under the Civil Service Code in the Department it would be investigated properly?	69	+4*	+1	-4*

‘*’ indicates statistically significant difference from comparison

Discrimination, harassment and bullying

E01. During the past 12 months, have you personally experienced discrimination at work?

	Yes	No	prefer not to say
2014	8	85	7
2013	9	84	7
CS2014	10	82	9

For respondents who selected ‘Yes’ to question E01.

E02. On which of the following grounds have you personally experienced discrimination in the past 12 months? (multiple selection)

Response Count

Age	24
Caring responsibilities	12
Disability	19
Ethnic background	–
Gender	15
Gender reassignment or perceived gender	–
Grade, pay band or responsibility level	43
Main spoken/written language or language ability	–
Religion or belief	–
Sexual orientation	–
Social or educational background	–
Working location	12
Working pattern	24
Any other grounds	21
Prefer not to say	–

Please note: Counts of fewer than 10 responses are suppressed and replaced with ‘–’

E03. During the past 12 months, have you personally experienced bullying or harassment at work?

	Yes	No	prefer not to say
2014	7	86	7
2013	8	87	5
CS2014	10	83	7

For respondents who selected ‘Yes’ to question E03.

E04. Who were you bullied or harassed by at work in the past 12 months? (multiple selection)

Response Count

A colleague	32
Your manager	39
Another manager in my part of the Department	20
Someone you manage	–
Someone who works for another part of the Department	–
A member of the public	–
Someone else	–
Prefer not to say	16

Please note: Counts of fewer than 10 responses are suppressed and replaced with ‘–’

DH Questions

Question	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither	Disagree	Strongly disagree	% Positive	Difference from previous survey
	F01: The Department does a good job of improving the health and well-being of the population of England	8	55	30	6	1	63	-1
	F02 : The Department does a good job of promoting health and well-being to its staff	12	55	21	9	3	67	-1
	F03: Equality and diversity are actively practised in the Department	14	55	22	7	2	69	+3*
	F04: I believe managers in the Department are held accountable for the value for money resulting from their decisions	7	36	32	18	5	44	0
	F05 :My manager encourages me to make time for learning and development	19	50	20	8	3	69	+5*
	F06: In the past 12 months I have been able to take sufficient time to focus on my learning and development needs	13	35	29	17	6	49	+6*
	F07: I feel that change is managed well in my Directorate	7	33	37	17	7	40	0
	F08: I feel that change is managed well in my team	16	44	25	11	5	60	+2*
	F09: I feel that my work is influenced by the experience of patients and service users	11	35	33	16	5	46	+1