Only 40% Of States Staff Respond To £43K Survey

Thursday, 20 July 2023 11:42

The government has spent £43,000 on a staff survey less than half of their target engaged with.

The 'Be Heard' survey was targeted at government employees to allow them to have their say on how they feel about the workplace.

It found that the Government of Jersey is classed as a 'good' employer.

Around 3,800 people responded to the anonymous survey - that's around 4 in 10 of the public sector workforce.

However, it is a 21% increase from the last time a similar survey was carried out.

Andy Jehan, Vice-Chair of the States Employment Board, thinks it is value for money.

"To get a fifth more people responding is fantastic and shows the efforts put in by the team.

"It's a reasonable response rate, always you would like to have more people respond, but the fact we've had a 21% higher response rate than the previous survey is a message in itself."

An outside group was commissioned for the £43,000 survey so the government can compare the data nationally and internationally.

The government says also means it can set a benchmark and see how it can best target efforts to existing and new employees.

Mark Grimley, Chief People and Transformation Officer, says it is an investment.

"We spend over £500 million per year on the workforce, so to spend £40,000 on finding out what works for them; what we need to do as an employer; how we can keep them... it pays for itself straight away because it allows us to focus our efforts and resources on what our staff want."