Corporate report

DH Civil Service people survey: 2015

Updated 11 March 2015

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

Applies to England

Terms used:

• % Positive: the proportion who selected either “agree” or “strongly agree” for a question (or all questions within a theme in the case of theme score % positive).

• Difference from previous survey: comparisons to the previous survey relate to the results from the 2014 Civil Service People Survey

• CS2015: how different is the 2015 Department of Health result from the average 2015 Civil Service People Survey

• CS high performers: how different is the 2015 Department of Health result from the upper quartile score across all organisations that have taken part in the 2015 Civil Service People Survey

Results are presented as whole numbers for ease of reading, with rounding performed at the last stage of calculation for maximum accuracy.

Statistical testing has been carried out on the comparisons between this year’s results and your previous survey, CS2015 results and CS high performers results to identify differences that are statistically significant.

Total number of returns 1,652

Response rate 80%

Driver of engagement	% Positive	Difference from previous survey	Difference from CS2015	Difference from CS high performers	Ranked strength of association with engagement (1 to 9)
Engagement index	57	-1*	-2*	-6*	–
My work	75	-2*	1	-3*	2
Organisational objectives and purpose	76	-1	-7*	-11*	5
My manager	70	-1	+2*	-1*	3
My team	80	-1	1	-3*	8
Learning and development	53	1	+3*	-3*	6
Inclusion and fair treatment	77	-2*	+2*	-2*	9
Resources and workload	72	-1	-1	-5*	7
Pay and benefits	32	0	+3*	-4*	4
Leadership and managing change	38	-2*	-4*	-13*	1

My work

Overall positive response rate: 75%

Question	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither	Disagree	Strongly disagree	% Positive	Difference from previous survey	Difference from CS2015	Difference from CS high performers
B01: I am interested in my work	40	49	6	4	1	89	0	0	-2*
B02: I am sufficiently challenged by my work	33	46	11	9	1	79	-2*	0	-4*
B03: My work gives me a sense of personal accomplishment	25	49	14	10	2	74	-2*	-2*	-5*
B04: I feel involved in the decisions that affect my work	15	43	21	16	5	58	-3*	+2*	-6*
B05: I have a choice in deciding how I do my work	23	54	13	7	3	77	-1	+4*	-1*

‘*’ indicates statistically significant difference from comparison

Organisational objectives and purpose

Overall positive response rate: 76%

Question	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither	Disagree	Strongly disagree	% Positive	Difference from previous survey	Difference from CS2015	Difference from CS high performers
B06: I have a clear understanding of the Department’s purpose	19	59	13	7	2	78	0	-6*	-11*
B07: I have a clear understanding of the Department’s objectives	16	57	17	9	1	73	0	-6*	-11*
B08: I understand how my work contributes to the Department’s objectives	22	54	15	7	2	76	-3*	-6*	-11*

‘*’ indicates statistically significant difference from comparison

My manager

Overall positive response rate: 70%

Question	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither	Disagree	Strongly disagree	% Positive	Difference from previous survey	Difference from CS2015	Difference from CS High Performers
B09: My manager motivates me to be more effective in my job	25	47	16	8	4	72	0	+4*	0
B10: My manager is considerate of my life outside work	42	43	10	4	1	85	1	+3*	-1*
B11: My manager is open to my ideas	39	46	10	4	1	84	0	+4*	0
B12: My manager helps me to understand how I contribute to the Department’s objectives	19	44	27	8	2	63	-3*	0	-5*
B13: Overall, I have confidence in the decisions made by my manager	29	48	14	5	4	77	-3*	+5*	0
B14: My manager recognises when I have done my job well	33	49	11	6	1	82	0	+3*	1
B15: I receive regular feedback on my performance	21	47	16	13	3	68	0	+1*	-2*
B16: The feedback I receive helps me to improve my performance	20	43	24	9	4	63	-2*	+2*	-2*
B17: I think that my performance is evaluated fairly	19	46	23	8	4	65	0	+2*	-3*
B18: Poor performance is dealt with effectively in my team	8	29	41	14	7	37	-3*	-2*	-6*

‘*’ indicates statistically significant difference from comparison

My team

Overall positive response rate: 80%

Question	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither	Disagree	Strongly disagree	% Positive	Difference from previous survey	Difference from CS2015	Difference from CS high performers
B19: The people in my team can be relied upon to help when things get difficult in my job	36	48	9	6	1	84	-1	0	-3*
B20: The people in my team work together to find ways to improve the service we provide	32	50	12	5	1	81	0	+1*	-3*
B21: The people in my team are encouraged to come up with new and better ways of doing things	27	48	16	7	2	75	-2*	1	-3*

‘*’ indicates statistically significant difference from comparison

Learning and development

Overall positive response rate: 53%

Question	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither	Disagree	Strongly disagree	% Positive	Difference from previous survey	Difference from CS2015	Difference from CS high performers
B22: I am able to access the right learning and development opportunities when I need to	16	49	21	11	3	65	1	+2*	-3*
B23: Learning and development activities I have completed in the past 12 months have helped to improve my performance	13	41	33	10	3	54	+4*	+2*	-4*
B24: There are opportunities for me to develop my career in the Department	11	35	27	17	11	46	-3*	+4*	-4*
B25: Learning and development activities I have completed while working for the Department are helping me to develop my career	11	35	34	13	6	46	1	+3*	-3*

‘*’ indicates statistically significant difference from comparison

Inclusion and fair treatment

Overall positive response rate: 77%

Question	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither	Disagree	Strongly disagree	% Positive	Difference from previous survey	Difference from CS2015	Difference from CS high performers
B26: I am treated fairly at work	27	54	11	5	3	82	-1	+3*	0
B27: I am treated with respect by the people I work with	32	54	9	4	1	86	-2*	+1*	-1*
B28: I feel valued for the work I do	22	47	16	11	4	69	-2*	+5*	0
B29: I think that the Department respects individual differences (e.g. cultures, working styles, backgrounds, ideas, etc)	21	50	17	8	4	71	-2*	-1*	-6*

‘*’ indicates statistically significant difference from comparison

Resources and workload

Overall positive response rate: 72%

Question	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither	Disagree	Strongly disagree	% Positive	Difference from previous survey	Difference from CS2015	Difference from CS high performers
B30: In my job, I am clear what is expected of me	22	58	12	6	2	80	-2*	-3*	-6*
B31: I get the information I need to do my job well	15	52	19	11	3	67	-3*	-2*	-6*
B32: I have clear work objectives	19	55	15	10	1	74	-5*	-2*	-6*
B33: I have the skills I need to do my job effectively	25	63	9	2	1	88	0	0	-2*
B34: I have the tools I need to do my job effectively	16	55	18	10	1	71	-1	+2*	-3*
B35: I have an acceptable workload	9	49	19	17	6	58	0	-1	-6*
B36: I achieve a good balance between my work life and my private life	15	51	17	13	4	66	+2*	-1	-6*

‘*’ indicates statistically significant difference from comparison

Pay and benefits

Overall positive response rate: 32%

Question	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither	Disagree	Strongly disagree	% Positive	Difference from previous survey	Difference from CS2015	Difference from CS high performers
B37: I feel that my pay adequately reflects my performance	5	30	22	27	16	35	0	+3*	-2*
B38: I am satisfied with the total benefits package	5	28	27	26	14	33	0	0	-6*
B39: Compared to people doing a similar job in other organisations I feel my pay is reasonable	5	23	25	27	19	28	0	+3*	-4*

‘*’ indicates statistically significant difference from comparison

Leadership and managing change

Overall positive response rate: 38%

Question	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither	Disagree	Strongly disagree	% Positive	Difference from previous survey	Difference from CS2015	Difference from CS high performers
B40: I feel that the Department as a whole is managed well	4	38	31	19	8	42	-1	-4*	-14*
B41: SCS in the Department are sufficiently visible	12	46	21	14	6	58	-2	+5*	-8*
B42: I believe the actions of SCS are consistent with the Department’s values	8	40	34	11	7	48	-1	+3*	-8*
B43: I believe that the Departmental Board has a clear vision for the future of the Department	5	25	50	13	7	30	-1	-13*	-24*
B44: Overall, I have confidence in the decisions made by the Department’s SCS	6	36	37	14	8	42	-3*	-0*	-10*
B45: I feel that change is managed well in the Department	2	21	36	28	13	23	-3*	-7*	-16*
B46: When changes are made in the Department they are usually for the better	2	16	45	26	11	18	-3*	-8*	-17*
B47: The Department keeps me informed about matters that affect me	6	48	28	14	5	54	-1	-2*	-10*
B48: I have the opportunity to contribute my views before decisions are made that affect me	4	29	35	23	9	33	-2	-3*	-11*
B49: I think it is safe to challenge the way things are done in the Department	5	31	34	20	9	36	-3*	-6*	-14*

‘*’ indicates statistically significant difference from comparison

Engagement

Overall positive response rate: 57%

Question	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither	Disagree	Strongly disagree	% Positive	Difference from previous survey	Difference from CS2015	Difference from CS high performers
B50: I am proud when I tell others I am part of the Department	13	43	30	10	4	56	-3*	-1*	-11*
B51: I would recommend the Department as a great place to work	8	36	34	16	6	44	-3*	-3*	-15*
B52: I feel a strong personal attachment to the Department	11	34	32	17	6	46	-5*	-1*	-8*
B53: The Department inspires me to do the best in my job	8	32	39	16	6	40	-3*	-5*	-12*
B54: The Department motivates me to help it achieve its objectives	7	30	40	17	6	37	-3*	-5*	-12*

‘*’ indicates statistically significant difference from comparison

Taking action

Overall positive response rate: 46%

Question	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither	Disagree	Strongly disagree	% Positive	Difference from previous survey	Difference from CS2015	Difference from CS high performers
B55: I believe that SCS in the Department will take action on the results from this survey	8	35	31	15	10	43	+2*	0	-12*
B56: I believe that managers where I work will take action on the results from this survey	15	45	22	11	7	60	-1	+5*	-2*
B57: Where I work, I think effective action has been taken on the results of the last survey	9	27	44	13	8	36	2	+2*	-6*

‘*’ indicates statistically significant difference from comparison

Organisational culture

Overall positive response rate: 74%

Question	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither	Disagree	Strongly disagree	% Positive	Difference from previous survey	Difference from CS2015	Difference from CS high performers
B58: I am trusted to carry out my job effectively	29	58	8	4	1	87	-1	0	-2*
B59: I believe I would be supported if I try a new idea, even if it may not work	19	51	20	8	2	70	-1	+2*	-2*
B60: My performance is evaluated based on whether I get things done, rather than solely follow processes	15	52	23	7	3	67	-4*	+2*	-3*
B61: When I talk about the Department I say “we” rather than “they”	20	51	18	8	3	71	-2*	+2*	-7*
B62: I have some really good friendships at work	25	48	20	6	1	73	0	-3*	-6*

‘*’ indicates statistically significant difference from comparison

Leadership statement

Overall positive response rate: 56%

Question	Strongly agree	Agree	Neither	Disagree	Strongly disagree	% Positive	Difference from previous survey	Difference from CS2015	Difference from CS high performers
B63: My manager inspires my team to do our best	22	50	16	9	3	71	…	+4*	0
B64: SCS inspire people across the Department to do their best	6	32	40	16	6	38	…	1	-8*
B65: My manager leads our team with confidence	25	50	14	7	4	75	…	+5*	-1
B66: SCS lead the Department with confidence	9	40	35	11	6	49	…	+2*	-8*
B67: My manager empowers me to do my job effectively	23	52	15	7	3	75	…	+3*	0
B68: The Department SCS empower teams to deliver	7	34	41	12	6	40	…	0	-8*
B69: SCS in the Department actively role model the behaviour set out in the Civil Service Leadership Statement	6	29	45	12	8	35	…	0	-8*
B70: My manager actively role models the behaviours set out in the Civil Service Leadership Statement	18	43	28	7	4	61	…	+4*	0

‘*’ 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 to 4	5 to 6	7 to 8	9 to 10	% Positive	Difference from previous survey	Difference from CS2015	Difference from CS high performers
W01: Overall, how satisfied are you with your life nowadays?	13	23	54	11	65	1	-1	-4*
W02: Overall, to what extent do you feel that the things you do in your life are worthwhile?	10	21	51	18	69	0	-2*	-5*
W03: Overall, how happy did you feel yesterday?	16	24	44	16	60	0	-2*	-5*
W04: Overall, how anxious did you feel yesterday?	18	31	20	31	49	2	-1*	-4*

‘*’ 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 CS2015	Difference from CS high performers
I want to leave the Department as soon as possible	9	+1	0	-3*
I want to leave the Department within the next 12 months	20	+4*	+5*	-0
I want to stay working for the Department for at least the next year	36	-2	+4*	-2*
I want to stay working for the Department for at least the next three years	35	-3*	-8*	-17*

‘*’ indicates statistically significant difference from comparison

The Civil Service Code

Question	% Positive	Difference from previous survey	Difference from CS2015	Difference from CS high performers
D01: Are you aware of the Civil Service Code?	98	+1*	+7*	+3*
D02: Are you aware of how to raise a concern under the Civil Service Code?	69	+1*	+3*	-4*
D03: Are you confident that if you raised a concern under the Civil Service Code in the Department it would be investigated properly?	67	-2*	0	-6*

‘*’ 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
2015	9	82	9
2014	8	85	7
CS2015	11	80	8

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	28
Caring responsibilities	14
Disability	13
Ethnic background	12
Gender	22
Gender reassignment or perceived gender	–
Grade, pay band or responsibility level	55
Main spoken/written language or language ability	–
Religion or belief	–
Sexual orientation	–
Social or educational background	16
Working location	27
Working pattern	31
Any other grounds	37
Prefer not to say	10

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
2015	9	85	6
2014	7	86	7
CS2015	10	82	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	34
Your manager	37
Another manager in my part of the Department	40
Someone you manage	–
Someone who works for another part of the Department	–
A member of the public	–
Someone else	–
Prefer not to say	25

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	9	54	28	8	1	63	0
F02: The Department does a good job of promoting health and well-being to its staff	11	51	23	12	3	62	-5*
F03: Equality and diversity are actively practised in the Department	14	53	22	9	2	67	-2*
F04: The department matches resources to priorities	3	24	35	28	10	27	…
F05: I believe managers in the Department are held accountable for the value for money resulting from their decisions	5	33	35	21	6	37	-6*
F06: I feel that change is managed well in my directorate	5	33	36	20	7	38	-2*
F07: I feel that change is managed well in my team	11	46	27	12	5	57	-3*
F08: I feel that my work is influenced by the experience of patients and service users	10	37	30	18	6	46	0
F09: The people in my team routinely use their digital skills, including considering the impact of the internet, when conducting their work	12	50	26	10	2	62	…
F10: My manager encourages me to make time for learning and development	20	51	18	8	3	72	+2*
F11: In the past 12 months, I have been able to take sufficient time to focus on my learning and development needs	15	38	24	17	6	53	+5*
F12: I have taken the opportunity to undertake 5 L&D days this year	Yes: 45%	No: 55%	-	-	-	45	…