Members Satisfaction Survey

November 2004

Introduction

UNISON represent some 80% of Careers Scotland staff and recently conducted an ‘members satisfaction' survey amongst their membership within the organisation. The intention of this survey was to quantify staff's views of the current vacancy handling process and to highlight other issues and developments which staff of Careers Scotland had concerns over.

There was a high percentage of surveys returned, reflecting the strength of member's feelings regarding recent developments within Careers Scotland. Indeed, the response rate of just under 60% for a postal survey was higher than Careers Scotland's recent on-line staff survey.

Additional comments received highlighted common themes of concerns for all members in areas of staff morale, motivation, the pay system, deskilling and dilution of services to the public.

The results of the survey are outlined in the next section and a compilation of staff comments is also included.

1. Results of Member's Satisfaction Survey

Q1. Since the creation of Careers Scotland and the continual change being undertaken, do you believe we now provide a better service to our clients?

Q2 Is the Career Planning Journey approach a more effective tool to meet the needs of our client?

Q3. Do you believe that the vacancy handling/employer services function is an integral part of the service we offer our clients?

Q4. Should Careers Scotland retain this service?

Q5. There is a lot of speculation concerning the Inclusion Agenda and which agencies are best placed to deliver it. In your opinion should the Inclusion Agenda be an integral part of the remit of the Scottish Enterprise aligned agency Careers Scotland?

Q6. Do you believe Careers Scotland decision-makers seriously value staff's views and contributions when implementing any change to the product and services we offer our clients?

Q7. Do you believe Scottish Enterprises pay system that has now been imposed upon Careers Scotland will enhance your performance and the performance of Careers Scotland as a whole?

Q8. Do you have confidence that Career Scotland senior management are competently developing Careers Scotland as a professional organisation, which will meet the needs of our client group, and the Scottish economy as a whole?

2. Staff Comments

As part of the postal survey, UNISON Scotland also gave staff the opportunity to add comments in relation to concerns they had or to highlight any issues which they considered important concerning recent developments within Careers Scotland.

The survey highlighted five distinct themes, which featured in the majority of staff comments. These were:

1. A feeling throughout of demotivation, demoralisation and of the whole service being de-professionalised.
2. A total lack of confidence in the Senior Management of both Scottish Enterprise and Careers Scotland.
3. Matrix Management is seen by staff as completely irrelevant. The comment repeated several times in relation to Matrix Management was "to many chiefs and not enough Indians".
4. Staff feel the difference in culture and ethos between Scottish Enterprise and Careers Scotland has created a gulf, with the staff in Careers Scotland indicating that they feel the service they deliver is not valued.
5. Staff believe the pace of change, both in culture and direction, of services has not been effectively managed. The point was made by several members that proposals and changes seemed to be ill thought out and acted upon without proper research into how they will work. Many staff pointed out that they see little effective management only crisis management.

3. Staff Comments - Examples

Management content and style

I am absolutely shocked that a Senior Management Team can bring about the demise of a service, which was very workable for its clients and staff. It has only taken them two and a half years to do so!!!

We are no longer given the opportunity to comment on many of the changes, even at Team leader level, but told what to do.

Top heavy in management - Dysfunctional Matrix Management!!!

Careers Scotland are not interested in the views of its staff. They are interested in making staff submit to their dictates and now seem to copy their masters at Scot Enterprise who talk a good game, produce stats to back up their propaganda but really there is no substance behind their lies. Therefore they are more interested in creating spin reaching targets rather than creating a good service for their clients.

I find it difficult to work for a team leader, who has no experience of the Career Service and the management of staff leaves much to be desired. It is about time they were given training in Staff Management.

Is the aim of the SMT is to depress and demoralise staff so much they resign? This would mean no redundancies, if we have figured this out surely they have too!

If Careers Scotland wasn't part of SE we'd do much better as an organisation. People making the decisions are too far removed from the impact it's having on its staff & client group.

How can we prove our own worth to the people of Scotland when we are not valued by our employers?

What is the point in making comments about Careers Scotland, when senior management and Scottish Enterprise, DO NOT LISTEN!!

Main driving force behind CS current orientation is budgetary.

There is a huge amount of change, which is not being managed properly.

Team Leader of 16 years - "My general health is deteriorating because of pressure of work and long hours."

CS does not sit well with an Enterprise Company. Different culture and ethos
Top heavy with management - very bureaucratic and Matrix Management is a joke and unworkable.

Senior management need to consider needs of staff. They only pay lip service to our views and impose change without considering the impact this have on staff.

How can we produce a better service with reduced levels of staff and many offices closed 1-2 days / week?

Staff Morale

I no longer feel valued as an ‘admin' member of staff. I feel my role is disappearing altogether - no replacement of staff as they leave etc…I feel very strongly that the loss of these posts is to the detriment of the service.

I have never felt so de-motivated and undervalued than I do now

I can't believe how naïve I was about Careers Scotland listening to its staff and taking their views on board. The actions of SE/CS management over the last few months speak louder than any words and is delivering a message that is the complete opposite of the CS/SE values.

In over 20-year's service I have never experienced such chaos caused by management, staff morale is rock bottom.

Morale at ground level is at the lowest point at the moment. Experienced and quality staff are leaving because they see no positive future within Careers Scotland.

As a professionally qualified and committed Careers Adviser I had always felt fortunate in my career choice and the job satisfaction it afforded.

Since the inception of Careers Scotland the feeling of belief in my professionalism, ability to meet the needs of clients, pride in my work and day to day enjoyment has been continually eroded.

I work in a service where staff morale is on the floor where employees have no confidence in management. Where they carry out their duties in increasingly part-time offices that in many cases contravene Health & Safety Disability Legislation.

Everyday I am faced with de-motivated colleagues and I can't take it anymore so I am applying for other opportunities outwith CS.

I have been totally disillusioned by this organisation and no doubt I am among many staff applying for positions outwith CS.

I feel completely devalued and the job that I love (Careers Adviser) is being ruined. I currently work as a Key Worker and believe that Inclusion is making a difference to clients, who would not have received the service before inclusion.

There is a shift away from being client centred. Alienating care client groups doesn't do us or them any favours.

Two years into CS and both clients and staff are none the wiser as to what sort of service we are "supposed" to offer.

Staff are being devalued. Staff morale is at an all time low.

I have seen my own credibility disintegrate as a result of the policies I am obliged to fulfill.

Changes

I feel that there are many good ideas being rolled out but unfortunately they are not being "bedded in".

In my experience little resources put into generating vacancies -little to offer clients - either commit to it or work closer with Training Providers & those that deliver vacancies.

If we lose the vacancy handling service I really fear for the future of Careers Scotland.'

Matrix management leads to confusion amongst staff at all levels and has lead to an ineffectual service delivery to clients including services to employers.

Being part of Scottish Enterprise has been disastrous for us. They do not treat us human beings, but more as insignificant serfs.

I do not believe Careers provide as good a service as before, - to many changes for staff to take on board making morale in most offices low. Also staffing issues in a lot of offices make the delivery of service management want impossible….

If vacancy handling is taken away we will lose clients and therefore the need for employability staff will cease to exist.

CPC is a useful but not a panacea for all clients.

Staff expertise and specialisms have been removed.

Change can't be successfully implemented without mutual discussion.

There is a shift away from being client centered. Alienating care client groups doesn't do us or them any favors.

Two years into CS and both clients and staff are none the wiser as to what sort of service we are "supposed" to offer.

Vast amount of our clients do not wish to be "effective career planners" they just want help to get a job.

The service we provide to clients has deteriorated since the creation of careers Scotland. This drop in standard has nothing to do with the commitment and professionalism of staff but to do with pressures exerted on us by management.

A better service is not possible when offices are closing for lunch, not opening ‘till 10am and admin staff are leaving and not being replaced.

Current changes seem to want to alienate some of our main client groups i.e. school pupils.

Career Planning Journey (CPC)

I feel that the philosophy of CPC is at odds with the client action team delivery and time constraints with clients.

The career planning journey works well as an interviewing structure, however it does not work within the service delivery framework we are being told to use. This was recognised by Nottingham Trent Uni who devised it.

The CPC can be an effective tool but its ultimate success can depend of the range and number of jobs opportunities available within a persons travel to work area.

Getting rid of vacancy handling will have a major effect on our credibility in the eyes of young people. It will also impact on the number of young people using our services. Is this what CS/SE want?

I feel that senior management and Scottish Enterprise have no real idea of day to day duties performed by staff. Especially the members of Senior Management and Scottish Enterprise staff who work in isolation and never actually meet real people.

There is so much more we could do. Scottish Enterprise wants us to be ambitious for the people of Scotland - if only we could! I'd love to see us staffed so we could do job clubs, employability sessions, how to apply to employers - we can do it and do it well if we have a vacancy and referral service as a context to work within.

Out in the field we have to fend off the customer dissatisfaction with the reduced time and available services. It is scandalous that the services we offer have been so considerably reduced and we are failing our clients particularly the young people.

Conclusion

The survey results and the staff comments highlighted in this report show the desire of staff to retain the vacancy handling process within Careers Scotland and also indicate the general low morale and malaise that exists within the organisation at the moment.

UNISON Scotland members in Careers Scotland presently play a vital role in advising employers of qualifications, entry requirements and equal opportunities issues. Without this direct involvement in vacancy handling, this role and influence would be diminished. We believe this service should be retained as a core careers service and that Careers Scotland remains the most appropriate organisation to help link young people to their first point destination in the labour market.

It is the view of UNISON Scotland, and also clear from the survey results, that morale is a major concern amongst Careers Scotland staff. It is also clear from the results that staff are unhappy at the imposition of the pay deal which they do not envisage will enhance the performance of Careers Scotland.

In addition, staff have grave concerns that Scottish Enterprise are pulling out of the very communities that they should be assisting in order to ensure a well motivated workforce and thus contribute to a successful Scottish Economy. That this occurring at the same time as Scottish Enterprise management have declared their desire to lose the ‘inclusion agenda', is surely no coincidence.

All the while, staff levels are being run down, in particular Employability Advisers, who's main role is to market vacancies to young people and assist them through the whole application and opportunity attainment process. UNISON Scotland believes that leaving these posts unfilled has reduced the number of clients, which in turn has provided the justification for centre closures.

UNISON Scotland calls on the Scottish Executive to investigate these matters further and to ensure that Careers Scotland retains its position as a well motivated and adequately resourced public sector organisation that is easily accessible to the public.

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