Council employees happy at work

Dec 14 2009 by Alison Rennie, Paisley Daily Express

NEARLY two-thirds of all employees at Renfrewshire Council think it’s a good place to work.

The local authority asked its staff to fill out an anonymous survey to find out what they think of their job, training and where they work.

More than 3,500 staff replied, around 41 per cent of the total council workforce.

Key findings are that 59 per cent said Renfrewshire Council was a good place to work, 82 per cent believe their work was valued by colleagues and 64 per cent said they were satisfied with their job.

However, not everyone is happy. Around a fifth of respondents - 18 per cent - said they weren’t happy with their job and 16 per cent said they didn’t think the council was a good place to work.

David Martin added: “This is a particularly important time for local government and public service in general. That’s why it was the right time to carry out such a wide-ranging survey of our employees.

“It is widely recognised that resources will be scarce for councils across Scotland over the next few years. That will mean adapting to new ways of working to deliver services and meet customer needs.

“We have to make sure that we are best placed to do that with a committed workforce.”

The 2009 Renfrewshire Council Employee Survey took place between September and November this year.

The council now plans to organise focus groups involving employees and trade unions over the next few months.

They will look at three main issues – improving communications and team working, workplace management and training.

A report from these focus groups is expected to be completed by spring 2010.