This year’s Civil Service People Survey will examine whether people living with long-term health conditions are being well supported in their jobs in government, chief executive John Manzoni has said.
In a message to civil servants launching the 11th annual People Survey today, Manzoni said 41,000 officials had reported having a long-term illness or condition affecting their daily lives and work in last year’s poll.
This year’s survey includes a specific question to help civil service leaders “to understand whether you have the workplace adjustments you need”, Manzoni told staff.
RELATED CONTENT
This year’s survey will also include a question on mental health for the first time “to better understand how employees are feeling and where more support may be needed”, Manzoni said.
The Civil Service People Survey takes place each year and enables staff to submit confidential feedback about what it is like to work in their department or agency, and in the civil service. Last year, more than 302,000 people completed the questionnaire.
In last year’s exercise, scores rose across all but one of the metrics used to determine how happy civil servants are with their jobs, and the “employee engagement index” – which is used as a proxy for overall staff satisfaction working in their organisation and the wider civil service – hit a ten-year high at 62%. Last year's survey also revealed that bullying and harassment remained a concern among staff. The proportion of survey repondents reporting that they have been a victim of either offence has hovered at between 11% and 12% for the last three years.
Manzoni said there was “no room for complacency” at a time when the civil service is facing “some of the biggest challenges in its history”.
“This year’s survey has evolved to reflect the issues and concerns that have a real impact on the day-to-day lives and work of civil servants across the United Kingdom.”
Other updates to this year’s survey include new questions designed to collect data on civil servants’ socio-economic background. “We are working to ensure that no matter what your background, you can have a successful career in the civil service,” Manzoni said.
“By completing this year’s survey you can ensure that your views help to set the agenda for the year ahead, let us know where we are performing well and where we need to improve,” he added.