Tasmanian State Service Workforce Survey

Communications Guide

The State Service Management Office (SSMO) has prepared this information for

organisationsparticipating in the Tasmanian State Service Workforce Survey| 2014

State Service Management Office

Email: Phone: 03 6232 7032 Contact: Suzie Leonard

Publication details

Department of Premier and Cabinet State Service Management Office / Visit: / Published April 2014

© State of Tasmania 2014

Contents

Overview

What does the survey measure?

Survey instrument

Data collection methodology

Analysis

Organisational performance measures are driven by five themes

Who should participate in the survey?

Administering the live survey

Communications considerations

Anonymity, confidentiality and security

Timeline for running the survey

Where do employees go to for help?

Appendix 1: Sample intranet notice

Appendix 2: Frequently asked questions

Appendix 3: Sample emails

Overview

This communications guide has been developed to provide useful tips to help Agency Survey Contact Officers (ASCOs) and Communication and Marketing Units make the survey a success for their organisation. At the end of this document you will find:

A draft intranet page
Survey FAQs
Asuite of emails to help you promote the survey (pre-emptive, launch, reminder, final reminder).

It is important that all employees participate and have their say. The State Service Management Office(SSMO) encourages organisations to invite all employees (including permanent, fixed term, casual/sessional and Senior Executive Service) to participate in the survey.

What does the survey measure?

The survey measures employee perceptions of their organisation’s culture and operations and gives organisations an opportunity to gain valuable information and feedback on a range of areas to evaluate employment management practices. The survey content is designed to measure key focus areassuch as workforce behaviour, management and leadership, workforce performance, workplace health and safety, capability and development and general impressions of the Tasmanian State Service.

Survey instrument

The survey instrument used in the TSS is standardised across all participating organisations, although it provides the option for each organisationto add two additional questions per theme.

Data collection methodology

TheTSS Workforce Survey is an online surveythat uses the self-completion method. Completion of all questions in the survey is voluntary, however, only the results from completed surveys will count as a valid response.

Analysis

The SSMO analysis report is conducted at the whole-of-service level. Five themes and eleven focus areas have been identified as key workforce priorities.The nature and context of the operating environment will have an effect on results. Therefore the lowest indicators may, or may not, be the best focus for development. This is where an evidence-based organisational behaviour model can assist in prioritising which areas may be most effectively targeted for action.

Organisational performance measures are driven by five themes

The core questions within the surveyare grouped intofive themes/key performance indicators (outlined below)for the purpose of analysis. The survey data is summarised under these themes and each theme isscored to measure ‘workforce success’. Details of how to interpret and analyse the survey data is contained in the document titled the ‘Reporting Framework’, which will be provided to Agency Survey Contact Officers.

Theme / Key performance indicator
Theme 5 / Shaping our Workforce and Performance
Theme 3 / Developing our People
Theme 2 / Work Environment
Theme 4 / Leading and Managing
Theme 1 / My Organisation

Who should participate in the survey?

A survey of allemployees is called a census. This gives all employees and officers the opportunity to provide feedback through the survey.

The advantages of the census approach is that it includes employees from all organisations, provides a comprehensive view of the TSS and assists in collecting data that is representative of an individualorganisation’s workforce.The census approach also allows the reports for each organisationto be filtered or segmented for managers and teams so that action can be taken at all levels across the TSS.

The survey instrument also includes a number of inter-jurisdictional employee survey benchmarking questions that will allow the TSS to be compared to similar organisations.

Results available at division level

Where your organisation achieves high response rates at the division levels, you can use the email report function to share a filtered PeoplePulse report with non PeoplePulse users.

Administering the live survey

TheTSS Workforce Survey will only be delivered online.

Accessing the survey instrument

Agency Survey Contact Officers (ASCO) will be sent a URL (website address) that provides direct access to the survey instrument. The URL should not be published until 1 May 2014.

Promoting the survey

ASCOswill be responsible for promoting the survey via these communications methods:

posting a survey notice that includesthe hyperlink on your organisation’s intranet;
sending employees an email invitation (preferably from your Head of Agency, to show organisational commitment) to participate in the survey that includesthe hyperlink; and
emailing a reminder to those who have not completed the survey.

A sample intranet notice, FAQs and emails to invite employees to participate in the survey are included in Appendix 1, 2 and 3.

Communications considerations

Achieving satisfactory response rates is a key challenge to any online survey. Endorsement by Heads of Agency and Senior Executive stressingthe importance of the survey to all employees is critical to achieving satisfactory employee response rates. Research and previous surveys have shown that pre, during and post-survey communications have proved to be effective and resulted in higher employee response rates.

Tips for pre, during and post-survey communications

Pre- survey communications

•Pre-survey communications; let employees know that there is an employee survey coming. This will give them the chance to air any confidentiality concerns. Whichever way the conversation goes it gets employees talking about the impending employee survey and therefore increases awareness, which ultimately boosts participation rates.

During the employee survey

•Get the senior leadership team to talk about it.This will add weight to the importance of the employee survey.

•Encourage line managers to talk about the employee survey in weekly meetings or simply in conversations with employees; point out the benefits of understanding employees' viewpoints but assure employees it is confidential.

•Send regular employee email updates thanking employees who have participatedand asking those who have not yet completed the survey to submit a response. Update these emails with real response numbers. Once a critical mass of employees have participated, reluctant participants often feel “safer" to give their opinions. Repeat this process at different stages during the period the survey is open. It is important to specify the survey close date to prevent survey fatigue.

•Add an eye catching signature block on employee emails that promotes the survey.

Post survey communications:

•This employee survey will be conducted annually. Managers will want to receive the results as early as possible, but the communications process should ideally span the gap until the beginning of the next survey. For example once a month a new communication could explain that "XX% of employees reported XX and as a result management have implemented a new plan to....".

Once this communications pattern is established it is very easy to update on a regular basis; not every announcement has to be a big headline grabber. Communications can be interspersed with softer messages, such as inclusion in newsletters. Often it is the softer, smaller messages that show employees you are really listening to them, resulting in future engagement and response rates.

Anonymity, confidentiality and security

Survey responses will be anonymous and confidential. All data collected from the survey will be handled in accordance with the Personal Information Protection Act 2004.

The survey results will be reported in aggregated form so that identification of individuals will not be possible. Major findings from the survey results will be published annuallyin the Head of the Service report to Parliament.

Survey data collected will remain the property of the State Service Management Office. Individual organisation data will be managed by each organisation. Core inter- jurisdictional employee survey benchmarking questions will be provided to the Voice Project, based at Macquarie University.

Timeline for running the survey

The TSS Workforce Survey will be open for the entire month of May, giving organisations flexibility to choose when they promote the survey to their employees. However, organisations must ensure the survey link is available to employees for a minimum of two weeks during May.

Delivery timetable:

Activity / Timeframe
Collection of agency information for survey administration / December – March
ASCO to review specifications and test preview links / early April
Live survey link provided to agencies / late April
Survey to open / 1 May
Closing date to complete the survey / 30 May
Report training / Post May
Individual agency results / Limited access to results through PeoplePulse
Whole-of-service results published in the Head of the Service report to Parliament / Annually by 31 October

Where do employees go for help?

It is important to include information in survey communication for employees who may require help to complete the survey, or have questions.

The survey directs employees who require help to contact their organisation’s Human Resource section.The ASCO must ensureall employee communication includes their name, phone and/or email details so that employees have a contact point.

Unresolved queries or survey issues should be directed by the ASCO or your Human Resource section to the State Service Management Office by emailing

Appendix 1: Sample intranet notice

To be published May 2014 – please note that agencies must ensure the survey link is available to employees for a minimum of 2 weeks during May.

2014 Tasmanian State Service Workforce Survey

Your views count…

The Head of the State Service seeks your views about working in the State Service through the TSS Workforce Survey.

This online survey gives you the opportunity to have your say about a range of areas that affect you in your working life.

The survey will gather information about workforce behaviour, management and leadership, workforce performance, workplace health and safety, capability and development, and employment matters of the Tasmanian State Service.

The survey results will inform whole-of-service and agencystrategic planning, policies and procedures.

Survey responses will be anonymous and confidential. The results will be collected and reported in a way that makes it impossible to identify individuals.

The State Service Workforce Survey will open from [insert day, insert date]May 2014and close on [insert day, insert date] May 2014. It should take no more than 20 minutes to complete, but you can save your responses and return to complete it later.

A high response rate across the State Service will ensure reliable results, particularly at agencylevel. It is important thatall employees participate and have a say – your views count!

I want to be involved, have a say and shape the Service Ibelong to–complete the Tasmanian State Service Workforce Survey [make this text a hyperlink with the live URL]

For more information contact your Agency Survey Contact Officer, [provide name and contact details here].

Appendix 2: Frequently asked questionsHow will the survey results be made available?

Participating agencies have access to a number of pre-built reports to view theirsurvey results, including total respondents and a breakdown of responses by question. Reporting at division/work unit level can be provided by your agency human resources section. The only requirement to be able to access results at this level is that at least seven respondents within adivision/work unit have completed the survey. This is to guarantee respondents’ confidentiality.

How will the results be reported?

The Tasmanian State Service Workforce Survey’smajor findings regarding workforce performance will be reported in the Head of the Service Report to Parliament. View further information about the Tasmanian State Service Governance structure and review.

Will my answers be confidential?

Survey responses will be anonymous and confidentiality will be maintained with regard to all data. As with other surveys conducted across the Service, the results will be aggregated and reported in a way that makes it impossible to identify individuals.

How long will it take to complete?

The survey should take no more than20 minutes to complete. If you only manage to complete part of the survey in one online session, you can save your responses (where a save icon appears) and return to complete it later. At the prompt enter your email details to receive a personalised survey link to continue the survey.

Can I change any of my responses once I have entered them?

You can change an answer to a question on a previous page by completing the current page and using the browser’s ‘back’ button (at the bottom of the screen). This will take you to eachprevious page until you reach the question/response you wish to change. Once you have made the change, click the ‘next’ button which will take you to the next page of questions. You will then move through all the questions again to the last completed response or to the end of the survey where you can submit your responses.

What happens if I have literacy/sight problems?

If you require help to complete the survey, please contact your agency’s Human Resources Section (or your Agency Survey Contact Officer). The questions can be read over the phone and your answers will remain confidential.

Do I have to answer all of the questions?

Only completed surveyswill count as valid responses. We encourage you to answer all of the questions so that we capture as much information as possible.If a question is not applicable to you, it is best to select ‘I don’t know’.

Appendix 3: Sample emails

1st email – to be distributed one week prior to the survey open date

Subject line: Something exciting is happening on[insert day]

Have your say and help shape people and workforce management within <insert your agency name and the State Service– look out for the Tasmanian State Service Workforce Survey on [insert day]!

On [insert day and date] you will receive an email inviting you to participate in the onlineTasmanian State Service Workforce Survey. This survey gives you the opportunity to have your say about a range of areas that affect you in your working life.

What is this survey about?

Head of the State Service seeks your views about working in the State Service through the TSS Workforce Survey.

The survey measures your perceptions of our agency’s culture and operations. It will gather information about workforce behaviour, management and leadership, workforce performance, workplace health and safety, capability and development, and employment matters of the Tasmanian State Service.

The survey results will inform whole-of-service and agencystrategic planning, policies and procedures.

Anonymity, confidentiality and security

Survey responses will be anonymous and confidential. The results ofthis survey will be collected and reported in a way that makes it impossible to identify individuals.

If you require help to complete the survey, or have any questions please contact [insert name of Agency Survey Contact Officer, their email address and telephone details here]

2nd email – to be circulated when the survey opens - 1 May 2014

Subject line: Have your sayTasmanian State Service Workforce Survey open today

TheTasmanian State Service WorkforceSurveyis now open and we encourageyou to take 20 minutes to have your say on a range of areas that affect you in your working life (if you don’t have 20 minutes, you can save your responses and come back to complete the survey later).Whether you have a suggestion for performance management, a concern about capability and development opportunities, or a comment on leadership across our agency, your input matters.

Take part

I want to be involved, and help shape the Tasmanian State Service – complete the survey today[make this text a hyperlink to the live URL]

You’ll also find the survey advertised on our intranet for the next [insert number of weeks it will be available]weeks.

Or you can access it via this direct link until the survey closes: [insertlive URL here]

Make sure you have your say before the survey closes on Friday, 30 May 2014.

Anonymity, confidentiality and security

Survey responses will be anonymous and confidential. The results of this survey will be collected and reported in a way that makes it impossible to identify individuals.

Questions

If you have any questions or have difficulty navigating to the survey page, please don’t hesitate to contact [insert thename of Agency Survey Contact Officer, their email address and telephone details here].

3rd email – to be circulated one week prior to the survey closing

Subject line: Reminder –the TSS Workforce Survey closes this Friday 30 May

If you haven’t already done so, make sure you take part in the Tasmanian State Service Workforce Survey and help shape people and workforce management within <insert your agency name and the State Service!

Take part

I want to be involved, and help shape the Tasmanian State Service – complete the survey today[make this text a hyperlink to the live URL]

Or you can access it via this direct link until the survey closes on Friday 30 May: [insert live URL here]

Questions