Leeds College of Art Staff Survey Highlights

1. Leeds College of ArtStaff Survey Highlights December 2011

2. Background • Detailed results and reports not yet received by the College • Overview report has been received and these are the results which I will be sharing today in the same format as SMT received them

3. Overview Results show overall staff are positive about the College • 81% say it is a good place to work • 93% are interested in the College; to them it’s not just a job • 99% feel the College delivers good quality education to students However, staff do have concerns about issues such as • Workload and bureaucracy • Communications • Managing change • Staff morale and feeling valued • Results generally appear to follow the trend within other HEIs

4. Introduction • Participation • Areas for improvement • Areas of strength • Other key issues

5. Response rates • 185 responses to the survey which is a 64 % return [HEI Average 58%] • 58% of returns from Academic Staff • 42% of returns from Business Support

6. Respondentprofile by division/dept

7. Presentation of results Key to scores for slides • Added agree and tend to agree scores or disagree and tend to disagree scores • Other analysis takes account of strength of feeling –i.e. whether they agree or tend to agree • [Benchmark median score] – based on other HEIs Capita has worked with in 2010 and 2011

8. Top Issues: Workload • 69% feel they have had to put in a lot of extra time in the last 12 months to meet the demands of their workload [HEI median 72%] • 61% say they often worry about work outside their working hours [63%] • 47% say they find their current workload too much [36%] • 43% say they are not able to take regular breaks on most days [41%] • 42% do not feel the College provides good support to help them balance their work and personal commitments [29%] • But - 65% say there are usually sufficient people in the team they work in to handle their workload • 30% feel unduly stressed at work [HEI 28%]

9. Top Issues: Bureaucracy • 58% feel that too many approvals are needed for routine decisions [HEI median 56%] • 39% feel priorities are changed too frequently for them to work efficiently [38%] • 41% say they are required to do unimportant tasks which prevent them from completing more important ones [46%] • 51% say conflicting demands on their time affect their performance

10. Top Issues - Communication • 60% said, on the whole, the different parts of the College do not communicate effectively with each other [61%] • 56% do not feel there are effective channels for staff to feed their views upwards in the College • 71% do not feel communication between senior management and staff is effective [48%] • 55% said, on the whole, communication in the University is not effective (HEI 35%] • BUT 76% say the information they receive is straightforward and they understand it [79%]; 61% receive information in a timely way [73%] • 35% say information is cascaded back to all staff from the College’s Committee Structure • 49% say the Staff Newsletter is a useful source of information • 75% say the Principal’s briefing is informative

11. Top Issues - Communication • 60% said, on the whole, the different parts of the College do not communicate effectively with each other [61%] • 56% do not feel there are effective channels for staff to feed their views upwards in the College • 71% do not feel communication between senior management and staff is effective [48%] • 55% said, on the whole, communication in the College is not effective (HEI 35%] • BUT 76% say the information they receive is straightforward and they understand it [79%]; 61% receive information in a timely way [73%] • 35% say information is cascaded back to all staff from the College’s Committee Structure • 49% say the Staff Newsletter is a useful source of information • 75% say the Principal’s briefing is informative

12. Top Issues: Managing Change • 74% say generally more could be done to help staff prepare for, and cope with, change [HEI median 74%] • 66% do not feel recent changes have been explained well [48%]; and 64% do not think they have been planned well [47%] • 63% do not feel change is managed well within the College [49%] • 45% say the process of change causes them concern and worry [39%] • BUT More staff feel change is managed well within their Department (71%) [HEI 63%] • 73% have seen some positive changes in the last year [72%] • 55% think things will improve in the next 12 months [58%]

13. Top Issues: Morale & Feeling Valued • 70% do not think staff morale in the College is good • 43% do not feel their job security at the College is good [30%] • 60% do not feel valued by the College [42%] • BUT 94% feel valued by colleagues they work with [86%] and 94% feel valued by students or staff they provide a service to [87%]

14. Top Issues: Physical Environment • 78% do not think food and catering facilities for staff are good [41%] • Nearly 50% do not have a comfortable work space (including temperature, lighting etc) [33%]

15. Areas of strength

16. Areas of Strength

17. Clarity of role & standards

18. Diversity & Equality • Most respondents feel the College respects equally people of different sexual orientation (97%), ethnicity/nationality (97%), disability (96%), gender (96%), religion (96%) and age (93%) • 94% feel the College acts fairly on recruitment [92%] and 85% on career progression/promotion [81%] • 75% believe the College is committed to equality of opportunity for all staff • 95% are satisfied with their level of awareness of diversity issues and how to react appropriately with colleagues [94%] • 92% are aware of the College’s Equality Policies [91%]

19. Satisfaction at work • 93% say they generally enjoy their work [HEI median 92%] • 90% say their work is varied and interesting [89%] • 86% say their work gives them a sense of achievement [83%] • 78% feel inspired to do their best every day • 73% feel part of the College [77%] • 84% feel part of their department [77%] • 86% feel they belong to a team

20. Immediate Manager • 87% say he or she is approachable [HEI median 89%] • 88% is supportive in a personal crisis [89%] • 87% respects and values them [86%] • 85% ensures they have the skills to be able to do their job well [82%] • 83% has sufficient authority to make decisions [79%] • 81% gives them recognition for work done well [78%] • 78% keeps them informed about things they should know about [74%] • 74% involves them in decisions made that affect them in their own work area [74%]

21. Immediate Manager However • 29% say he/she does not deal with poor performance effectively [36%] • 33% does not help to motivate them to give their best [34%] • 27% does not provide them with feedback about their performance [29%]

22. Working together • 92% are satisfied with the support they get from their colleagues [HEI median 87%] • 83% are satisfied with the support they get from their manager [77%] • 89% feel there is good co-operation between staff in their department [71%] • 64% feel there is good co-operation between different departments [47%] • 82% say people are willing to help each other even if means doing something outside their usual activities [77%] • 76% say the division of responsibilities between staff in their work area works well [66%]

23. Quality, Culture and Values • 99% feel the College delivers good quality education to students [86%] and 47% feel it delivers a good quality service to staff • 95% feel their department delivers good quality service [90%] • 83% could explain to someone what the College is trying to achieve [75%] • 84% feel proud to work for the College [89%] • 43% would recommend the College to a friend as a place to work (40% don’t know)

24. Other key results

25. Senior Management Team • 52% say SMT manage and lead the College well [ 72%] • 23% say SMT are visible to staff • 60% say SMT set out a clear vision of where the College is headed [76%] • 59% say SMT support new ideas for improving services [73%] • 32% say SMT listen to and respond to the views of front line staff [44%] • 81% say SMT are focused on meeting the needs of students [75%] • 75% say SMT build strong, positive relationships with the educational community and national organisations [similar to other HEIs but slightly different wording]

26. Staff Involvement • 66% respondents say if they want to put forward new ideas or suggestions for improvement, they know how to do so [86%] • Respondents are less confident they will get feedback (46%) [61%] or these will be listened to (46%) [62%] • 60% said they are personally encouraged to look for ways to improve they way they do things [70%] • 44% do not feel able to voice their opinions [19%] • 49% do not feel there are adequate opportunities to raise points of concern [27%]

27. Work Environment/Health, Safety & Welfare • 87% feel safe and secure in their working environment [94%] • 81% have the right equipment to do their job [87%] • 78% have a clean work space [84%] • 79% are satisfied their personal safety is treated seriously at work • 61% feel the College is interested in their well-being [67%] • 76% respondents know how to report accidents and incidents [69%]; 19% are not sure • 53% are not aware of the ICAS Xtra Employee Assistance Programme services provided by the College

28. Harassment & Bullying • 4% or 7 respondents said they are currently being harassed or bullied at work [HEI median 5%] • All said managers are the source • Most common forms are selective application of the rules (71%), patronising language (71%), excessive criticism (43%), unwelcome looks or remarks (43%) • One-third of staff had reported their experience of being harassed or bullied • Most common reason for not reporting was nothing would happen , concerns about confidentiality or being labelled a trouble maker (mentioned by three-quarters of staff not reporting)

29. Discrimination/Equality of Opportunity • 10% or 18 respondents felt discriminated against at work in the last 12 months [HEI 10%] • 72% said the person responsible was more senior than them; 17% at the same level; 6% from outside the College (public/students) • 33% because of their gender; 28% because of their age

30. Staff Review • 52% respondents had an individual annual progress review in last 12 months [HEI 82%] • 74% said their review left them feeling their work is valued [64%] • 81% said their review was useful to them [67%] • 93% had agreed clear objectives as part of their review [86%] • 76% agreed a continuing PDP [67%] • 57% respondents said their line manager had supported them in identifying training, leaning and development; 23% too early to say

31. Learning and Development • 63% feel they are given the same opportunities to develop as other staff [78%] • 64% are satisfied with their current level of learning and development [72%] • 71% say they have received sufficient training to enable them to do their job well [77%] • 69% of staff have taken part in training, learning or development paid for, or provided by, the College the past 12 months [71%]

32. Pay & conditions • 25% feel fairly paid for the work they do [HEI 69%] • 60% feel fairly paid in relation to other staff at the College doing the same job [71%] • 53% feel, overall, the College offers a good pay and benefits/conditions package [85%]

33. Considering Leaving • 53% say they often think about leaving the College [35%] • 32% say they are actively considering leaving the employment of the College [16%] • Main reasons for considering leaving their job is to develop their career at another similar institution (49%) or because they are unhappy with their current job (38%)

34. General Points • Results from Faculty of Media & Design Communication generally more negative than other areas – we need to understand why and encourage feedback via SCC reps as to why this may be • Results from the Faculty of FE and Business Support Staff generally more positive – what are we doing right there and how can it be shared cross College?

35. Acting on the results • I take responsibility for the negatives • We shall be publishing all the results on the HR area of the Portal when we receive them • We will be talking to the SCC about the results and involve them in seeking solutions • We will look to identify areas of good practice and spread them • Focus on key issues • Action plan at different levels

36. Acting on the results • We will link actions to staff survey results – You Said, We Did • Provide regular updates on progress and lack of progress via college announcements and the staff newsletter – there may be some quick fixes but other things will take time • Some things may not be fixable – if that is the case we will try to explain why • Follow up the staff survey in future to measure changes