As part of the Island Independent’s Root and Branch review, Isle of Wight council staff took part in a recent survey.
Members of staff were asked to comment on a number of subjects (more to come later on those). The outcomes make for interesting reading and are quite mixed bag.
Uncertainty leads to resentment
Staff say being ‘kept in the dark’ about the budget cuts feeds uncertainty and is leading to resentment.
They go on to call for the ‘Living Wage’ to be introduced, suggesting that keeping staff happy may result in them ‘going the extra mile’ for their employers.
Get tougher on staff performance
On the flip side, one suggestion was for the council to get tougher on staff performance.
Whilst another suggests reducing staff’s working hours to save money.
What staff say
A snapshot of the survey outcomes include:
- Get tougher on staff performance – use capability procedures more
- Encourage flexible retirement options and flexible working to keep valuable expertise and experience
- Fully embrace flexible working
- Develop tougher negotiation/procurement skills
- Reduce the working hours to save money
- Be honest with staff as they feel in the dark about the cuts and there is uncertainty about jobs which is leading to resentment
- Give us clear guidance on what is expected of us
- Free up managers to manage
- Allowing overtime is not always the most productive way to deal with understaffing issues and it would lessen mistakes being make from working under pressure if the actual staffing requirements were reviewed
- Introduce the living wage – keep staff happy – they will give more, provide more and go the extra mile for very little in return
Image: Kevin Dooley under CC BY 2.0
