Voice Project - Staff Engagement Survey FAQ's

Federation Council’s

VOICE PROJECT Staff Engagement Survey 2022 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

Please see below for answers to some commonly asked questions relating to Federation Council’s Voice Project Staff Engagement Survey.

What is the survey and why are we running it?

The survey gives all staff the opportunity to have their say and tell us about their work environment - what the organisation is doing well, what it needs to work on and how staff feel about working at Federation Council. The survey consists of a series of statements which we ask you to rate and several ‘open ended’ questions where you can write a response.

Based on the survey results management will put in place initiatives to address those areas requiring improvement and the feedback provided will also assist in the development of the organisation’s strategic plans.

Local Government Management Solutions (LGMS) and Voice Project will be conducting this year’s survey. Voice Project conduct these surveys for almost half of the Councils in NSW. We will also be benchmarking, where possible, this year’s survey results against other NSW Councils to gauge the organisation’s progress.

Who should complete the survey?

All staff. Full time, Part time, Contract and Casuals.

When will the survey happen?

The survey will run between 9:00am Monday 31 October 2022 to 5:00pm Friday 11 November 2022. Staff may complete the survey anytime during this 2-week period.

How can I participate?

All staff with a Council email address will receive an email on 31 October containing a link which will take you to the survey which can be completed on-line. Simply click on the link to access the survey in your internet browser and follow the prompts to complete the survey.

How long will the survey take?

The survey will take about approximately 10 minutes to complete.

Will I be given time off at work to complete the survey?

Yes. Managers/Team Leaders/Supervisors will provide time for all staff to complete the survey during work hours.

Who is Local Government Management Solutions and Voice Project?

Local Government Management Solutions (LGMS) are a service provider and commercial arm of Local Government NSW. Established in 1993, LGMS provides consultancy services and Human Resource workforce analytics to councils all over NSW. Voice Project is a third-party research and consulting company associated with Macquarie University, Sydney. They are assisting in the design, administration, data collection, analysis, and reporting of the-

www.federationcouncil.nsw.gov.au

staff engagement survey.

Is the survey anonymous?

Yes, this is an anonymous survey, in that we cannot identify who has or has not completed the survey and cannot link responses to individuals.

Are my responses to the survey kept confidential?

Your survey responses are treated with strict confidentiality. Surveys go directly back to Voice Project who will process the information obtained. Survey ratings and written comments provided by individual staff will all be aggregated by Voice Project to ensure that survey responses cannot be linked to individuals. Survey results will only be reported for groups with 5 or more responses. Data may be used by Voice Project in research and benchmarking, but individual and organisational confidentiality will be protected.

Why do you ask demographic questions?

We ask staff several demographic questions at the end of the survey e.g. which Directorate are you in, what is your work area, what is your role and employment type etc to assist in producing specific feedback reports relating to these groups within the organisation. These questions are optional but answering them is strongly encouraged.

Results will only be reported for groups with 5 or more responses. Demographic information is NOT combined in a way that could identify individuals.

Is the survey compulsory?

No, the survey is not compulsory. We do however strongly encourage everyone to participate so that the feedback obtained captures the views of most staff.

Can I complete the survey on paper?

There will be a limited number of surveys available on paper that you will need to send to a reply paid Voice Project address yourself to ensure Council does not have access to your survey. We have all become accustomed to online transactions and hope the majority of staff will use this mode, however, Council will provide paper based copies for those that request it.

Will the results be made available?

Yes. The survey results will be communicated across the organisation following receipt of the survey reports by the Executive. We would expect to communicate the survey results in early December and will be running workshops to develop strategies to address any identified areas.

Who has access to the written responses provided by staff?

All written responses provided by staff to the ‘open-ended’ questions in the survey will be included in the final survey reports provided by Voice Project to LGMS and Federation Council management. Please don’t mention names or provide any information in your responses that would enable individuals to be identified.

What can I expect to happen following the survey?

After the feedback of the survey results to all staff, individual managers are expected to identify a set of priorities with their teams and put in action plans to address these. Staff within each area will assist in developing these action plans. We will also be running a series of voluntary workshops for staff and management to identify the things we have scored well in and the areas where we could improve and we will develop strategies to address some of the top areas for improvement.

Will we do the survey again?

Yes. It is proposed that these surveys be done on a regular basis – approximately every 2 years. This will assist the organisation in tracking its progress and in the development of future action plans.

www.federationcouncil.nsw.gov.au