Between 20 September and 5 October, 3210 officials – 1040 of them in grades 6&7 or the senior civil service – completed a CSW survey, held in association with lifestyle membership organisation CSMA Club, that asked: “What effect has media and political criticism had on how others perceive your occupation?”
In response, only 2 per cent said: “I don’t believe that media and political criticism has had any effect”; 29 per cent said: “I believe that media and political criticism has damaged some people’s perceptions”; 36 per cent said: “I believe that media and political criticism has significantly damaged perceptions”; and 30 per cent said: “I believe that media and political criticism has fundamentally undermined perceptions”.
The proportions were the same among both senior and junior grades, showing that media and political criticism is a serious concern across the civil service.
Sir Bob Kerslake, head of the civil service, told CSW: “I absolutely understand why civil servants would be concerned by any of the unfair media coverage of the civil service.”
However, he disagreed with the 30 per cent of respondents who said that perceptions of the civil service have been “fundamentally undermined,” commenting: “Fundamentally means it’s a change that’s impossible to reverse. I wouldn’t agree with that.”
Asked what he’s doing to stop hostile briefings from ministers, he said: “Clearly we have quite a lot of conversations with ministers about how best to communicate the change that’s going on in the civil service, and how you get the balance right between recognising where the strengths are and also acknowledging where we need to do better.”
The CSW poll also asked civil servants about “the value you feel your organisation places on employees at your level of your organisation”. In response, 22 per cent of lower-grade civil servants said: “I often feel that my organisation significantly undervalues employees at my level, and it is not investing in my long term future”; 27 per cent said: “I feel that my organisation does not sufficiently value employees at my level, and it is not investing in our future”; 24 per cent said: “I sometimes feel that my organisation values employees at my level, but it is not investing in my long term future”; and 13 per cent said: “I feel my organisation values employees at my level, but it is not investing in my long term future”. Just 12 per cent said: “I feel my organisation values employees at my level, and it is investing in my long term future.”
Kerslake responded that similar issues have arisen “in the staff survey. It tells us that the leadership of the civil service is going to have to work harder to signal to staff the value of what they do”.