Agenda item

Briefing note

The Board considered a briefing note and a presentation which provided an update on the findings of the recent staff survey for 2025.

The survey had been shared across the Council to understand how colleagues were experiencing their work, their teams, and the organisation as a whole. It was made available in both a digital and paper format to ensure all colleagues could take part, including those without regular digital access. There were some 49 questions to answer covering all aspects of working life.

The survey explored day-to-day experience, including communication, recognition, leadership, wellbeing, inclusion, fairness, and development. Colleagues were also encouraged to share context through free-text comments and word tiles. Strengths and areas for improvement have been identified by looking at the highest and lowest scoring questions, alongside written feedback and benchmark comparisons.

The survey received 2,359 responses, giving a response rate of 49%, up from 40% (2,178 responses) in 2023.

In summary, the results showed:

• Strong relationships between colleagues and their line managers.
• Most colleagues also understand how their work contributes to wider goals. However, many organisational-level scores had declined since 2023.
• Line Managers are seen as supportive, approachable, and aligned with the organisation’s values.
• Most colleagues understand how their work contributes to the Council’s wider goals and feel their role makes a difference.
• colleagues share a strong commitment to serving Coventry and feel  connected to their immediate teams.
• Colleagues were less confident that feedback leads to visible action, that change is communicated clearly, or that processes are applied consistently.
• Perceptions of fairness - particularly around pay, recognition, and performance management also vary across the organisation.
• Some colleagues were unsure whether feedback lead to action and whether processes were applied consistently.
• Change could also feel unclear or difficult to follow, and staff would value earlier involvement and clearer communication.
• Fairness and perceptions of fairness, particularly in pay and performance management, vary across the organisation and remained a point of concern.
• Frontline colleagues (paper-based surveys) are less likely to feel informed about organisational updates

Communication was the clearest dividing line. Connected colleagues (digital surveys) benefited from regular updates through email and intranet channels, while frontline teams often rely on cascades or informal briefings, which can make organisational decisions feel unclear or distant.

The briefing note indicated that, taken together, the results suggested a workforce that remained committed and purposeful, but increasingly uncertain about whether their feedback makes a difference. There was clearly more work to be done in rebuilding trust through clearer communication, earlier involvement in decisions, and consistent follow-through. These were the key areas for the People Strategy going forward. Questions responses  were appended to the briefing note.

The Board questioned Officers and received responses on a number of matters including:

·  Strategies for effectively communicating with those employees without regular digital access.

·  Ways to incentivise staff to complete surveys.

·  Looking at how best to target specific audience group to ensure the widest participation.

RESOLVED that the Board note the overall findings of survey and the suggested areas for improvement as a result of the survey findings.