Pride in the council high, staff morale low

THE higher the pay grade, the more staff are happy with their jobs at Oldham Council, a new staff survey has found.

And although pride in the council is high, more than two thirds of those who replied said morale within the authority is not good.

Staff feel they are being informed — but not listened to; and support change — but don’t know enough about the council’s plans.

More than half feel the council has changed for the worse as an employer over the past year, but 39 per cent would speak highly of the authority as a service provider.

They believe they do a good job, services have improved, and overall 58 per cent are satisfied with their jobs.

The report says: “Employees are satisfied with the elements of their work within their control — the job they do, the line management, the team they work in, resources training and development, and a belief they are doing a good job and services are better.”

The Ipsos MORI poll was carried out in March and April this year, and 1,557 employees responded, or 33 per cent of those surveyed.

The higher the pay grades, the greater the responses — 100 per cent from the Chief Executive’s department, 98 per cent from the Assistant Chief Executive’s team, 83 per cent from the senior leadership team, but only around 30 per cent from other departments.

Job satisfaction is also highest in the senior leadership team at 100 per cent, and lowest in manual and craft grades, at 47 per cent.

There were also more responses from people with access to a computer, compared with blue collar workers who might be out and about, although the figures were weighted to bring the responses into line.

Councillor Brian Lord, Cabinet member for corporate services, said the council had decided to publish the survey in full within a week of getting the results to be open with the public.

Councillor Lord added: “The situation is there is a drop in morale for council workers countrywide, they are worried about job security, it is nothing that is happening in Oldham per se.

“It is an odd report — is it simply perceptions, which seems to be a trait in Oldham, that’s what we have got to get our heads round now?

“We have set up a committee of managers and staff, and one councillor, and where there is concern we want to understand whether we are going wrong.”

Assistant Chief Executive Carolyn Wilkins said the first committee meeting is on July 8 and added: “The harder times are the more you need to communicate.

“We are trying to get under what people said, and to what was in their minds when they gave their responses.

“We have a really strong commitment to demonstrating to people we are listening to what is being said.

“We will challenge some of the things going on —- is it really making an impact, is it going quickly enough, deeply enough, is it the right thing?”