Recommendations & Conclusions
10 items
1
Conclusion
Ninth Report - Civil Service People Sur…
Accepted
When first launched, the People Survey was intended as a tool to support government departments and agencies in embedding and improving employee engagement. However, the data that have emerged from the survey have revealed themselves to be crucial to a much broader audience: to Parliamentarians, researchers and academics, and trade …
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When first launched, the People Survey was intended as a tool to support government departments and agencies in embedding and improving employee engagement. However, the data that have emerged from the survey have revealed themselves to be crucial to a much broader audience: to Parliamentarians, researchers and academics, and trade union representatives. While the Cabinet Office appears to have a strong understanding of the needs of internal users of the data, the same cannot yet be said for external users of People Survey data.
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Government response AI summary
The Cabinet Office accepts the recommendation, committing to consider wider engagement of external stakeholders, include consultees in future technical guides, and implement a user engagement strategy.
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2
Recommendation
Ninth Report - Civil Service People Sur…
Accepted
The Cabinet Office should expand its annual engagement with users of the People Survey, to ensure that the needs of external stakeholders are well understood and used to support the development of future survey questionnaires. A summary of this engagement should be included within the technical guide that is published …
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The Cabinet Office should expand its annual engagement with users of the People Survey, to ensure that the needs of external stakeholders are well understood and used to support the development of future survey questionnaires. A summary of this engagement should be included within the technical guide that is published alongside final results each year.
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Government response AI summary
The Cabinet Office accepts the recommendation, committing to consider wider engagement of external stakeholders, include consultees in future technical guides, and implement a user engagement strategy.
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3
Conclusion
Ninth Report - Civil Service People Sur…
Accepted
We do not underestimate the scale of the challenge facing the Cabinet Office in translating the many demands for data voiced into a single survey questionnaire. Ultimately, no single source of data will be able to answer all the questions stakeholders have about the experiences and performance of civil servants …
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We do not underestimate the scale of the challenge facing the Cabinet Office in translating the many demands for data voiced into a single survey questionnaire. Ultimately, no single source of data will be able to answer all the questions stakeholders have about the experiences and performance of civil servants in the UK. The People Survey is but one piece of a much bigger puzzle.
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Government response AI summary
The Cabinet Office accepts the recommendation to develop a broader evidence base. It has commissioned a review to utilise wider data, is developing a data dashboard for administrative data, and will consider how to include pulse surveys as a cross-government resource.
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5
Recommendation
Ninth Report - Civil Service People Sur…
Accepted
It is not clear what value the Employee Engagement Index offers, beyond consistency with previous years’ results. In drawing together responses on abstract questions on issues such as pride, advocacy, and attachment, it overlooks more tangible issues such as leadership, learning and development, and pay and benefits, where action could …
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It is not clear what value the Employee Engagement Index offers, beyond consistency with previous years’ results. In drawing together responses on abstract questions on issues such as pride, advocacy, and attachment, it overlooks more tangible issues such as leadership, learning and development, and pay and benefits, where action could usefully be taken.
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Government response AI summary
The Cabinet Office accepts the recommendation, committing to explore the content and usefulness of the Employee Engagement Index in wider work planned for the Civil Service People Survey. They are examining options to improve the survey, aiming to implement changes over the next two years …
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6
Recommendation
Ninth Report - Civil Service People Sur…
Accepted
Fourteen years on from the launch of the People Survey, the Cabinet Office should review the value of its headline Employee Engagement Index, in consultation with users of the survey. This review should consider the degree to which the measure is used to inform decision-making, and whether there may be …
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Fourteen years on from the launch of the People Survey, the Cabinet Office should review the value of its headline Employee Engagement Index, in consultation with users of the survey. This review should consider the degree to which the measure is used to inform decision-making, and whether there may be other, more helpful measures available. The Cabinet Office should provide an update on its plans for this work in its response to this report. (Paragraph 24) 24 Civil Service People Survey
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Government response AI summary
The Cabinet Office accepts the recommendation, stating it already reviewed the Employee Engagement Index in 2022 and will continue to explore its usefulness in wider work planned on the Survey beyond 2023, aiming for a new version in 2025.
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7
Recommendation
Ninth Report - Civil Service People Sur…
Accepted
As part of its plan to improve available data on the experiences and performance of civil servants (see paragraph 20), the Cabinet Office should summarise the opportunities that are available for enhancing existing quality assurance processes via the cross- referencing of sources, and which of these it intends to pursue. …
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As part of its plan to improve available data on the experiences and performance of civil servants (see paragraph 20), the Cabinet Office should summarise the opportunities that are available for enhancing existing quality assurance processes via the cross- referencing of sources, and which of these it intends to pursue. (Paragraph 30) The dissemination of results
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Government response AI summary
The Cabinet Office accepts the recommendation, committing to enhance quality assurance processes by continuing to 'sense check' current year scores against previous ones and cross-reference findings with similar organisations.
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13
Recommendation
Ninth Report - Civil Service People Sur…
Accepted
Empowering departments, organisations and individual teams to respond to issues raised in the People Survey is in many cases a sensible approach. They will be best placed to respond to local issues and specific challenges. But other issues require a coordinating hand. Some of the questions asked in the People …
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Empowering departments, organisations and individual teams to respond to issues raised in the People Survey is in many cases a sensible approach. They will be best placed to respond to local issues and specific challenges. But other issues require a coordinating hand. Some of the questions asked in the People Survey concern matters - such as pay and benefits - over which individual departments and organisations have a limited capacity to respond, and these must be addressed at the system-level across the whole of the Civil Service. The Cabinet Office, as the body responsible for the conduct of the People Survey, also bears responsibility for evaluating its impact - not least to inform discussions about the future of the survey.
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Government response AI summary
The Cabinet Office accepts the recommendation to enhance support provided around future People Surveys, recognising the need for a coordinating hand on system-level issues. They will consider how best to pool current resources, identify gaps, and cascade model policies and processes to assist departments in …
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15
Recommendation
Ninth Report - Civil Service People Sur…
Accepted
The Cabinet Office should enhance the support it provides around future People Surveys. Its central HR team should take a more active role both in leading Civil Service wide responses as required, and in tracking organisational and departmental measures taken in response to the People Survey results. Its analytical team, …
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The Cabinet Office should enhance the support it provides around future People Surveys. Its central HR team should take a more active role both in leading Civil Service wide responses as required, and in tracking organisational and departmental measures taken in response to the People Survey results. Its analytical team, expert as it is on the People Survey, should offer further support to participating organisations and departments who seek to understand results. The Cabinet Office should report on plans to strengthen its coordinating role in its response to this report. (Paragraph 57) Results from the 2022 Survey
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Government response AI summary
The Cabinet Office accepts the recommendation to enhance support for future People Surveys. It will consider how to best consolidate and cascade existing resources and best practices across departments, balancing central guidance with local autonomy.
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16
Recommendation
Ninth Report - Civil Service People Sur…
Accepted
Levels of bullying, harassment and discrimination at the Cabinet Office remain a point of concern. We welcome the desire expressed by senior leaders to reduce those levels and are encouraged to learn that a formal programme is in place to address these issues.
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Levels of bullying, harassment and discrimination at the Cabinet Office remain a point of concern. We welcome the desire expressed by senior leaders to reduce those levels and are encouraged to learn that a formal programme is in place to address these issues.
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Government response AI summary
The Cabinet Office will report to the Committee on its progress in delivering the ‘A Better Cabinet Office’ programme, including an evaluation of the Respect and Inclusion Review, with improvements in dispute management, workplace adjustments, intranet accessibility, policy navigation, and piloting an Anonymous Speak Up …
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17
Recommendation
Ninth Report - Civil Service People Sur…
Accepted
The Cabinet Office should report to the Committee on its progress in delivering the ‘A Better Cabinet Office’ programme, in its response to this report. As part of that work, the Cabinet Office should include a thorough evaluation of its success or otherwise in delivering on the recommendations of its …
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The Cabinet Office should report to the Committee on its progress in delivering the ‘A Better Cabinet Office’ programme, in its response to this report. As part of that work, the Cabinet Office should include a thorough evaluation of its success or otherwise in delivering on the recommendations of its earlier Respect and Inclusion Review. (Paragraph 67) 26 Civil Service People Survey
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Government response AI summary
The Cabinet Office provides an update on the 'A Better Cabinet Office' programme, detailing its structure and achievements. It also reports that the evaluation of the Respect and Inclusion Review is in progress with independent assurance, noting 45 recommendations are complete and 11 are in …
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