from Sunday Herald, 23 August 2009
Senior managers at the Scottish government’s green watchdog are not trusted by nearly half their staff, according to an internal survey leaked to the Sunday Herald.
A detailed assessment of staff attitudes at the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) also reveals that more than a third regard the behaviour of senior management as inconsistent with the organisation’s values.
The agency’s bosses are strongly criticised for lacking effective leadership, poor communication and failing to manage change. Most staff say that their jobs are “hindered by unnecessary bureaucracy”.
Sepa’s 1,375 staff were surveyed in May by consultants, ORC International, and its final report was circulated to employees earlier this month. It comes after a series of bitter disputes over the introduction of a new pay and grading system.
The report concluded that 44% of staff did not accept that “senior management are open and honest in their communication”. As many as 38% disagreed that “the decisions and behaviours of the senior management team are consistent with the organisation’s values”.
There were 49% who thought that senior management failed to provide effective leadership, and an overwhelming 72% who dismissed the suggestion that internal communications were effective. Only 10% agreed that change was managed effectively in the organisation.
In a comparison with other similar public sector agencies, the report pointed out that Sepa came off worse. For 70% of the questions asked, the responses from Sepa staff were more negative than those from other agencies.
The survey is not all bad news, however. Some 89% of staff described their work as interesting, and 86% said they would go the “extra mile” at work, if required. More than 80% cared about the future of Sepa.
The trade union which represents Sepa staff, Unison, was not surprised by the survey results. “The recent dispute and the unilateral actions of the employer has led to them losing the trust of their workforce,” said Alan Fleming, chair of Sepa’s union branch.
“This will not easily be regained. However, they have at least been open in the publication of these results and have begun to discuss them with staff, and with UNISON. Now they need to identify the underlying issues and address them.”
Sepa’s chief executive, Campbell Gemmell, accepted that managers had problems to overcome. “We recognise that we have challenges around morale and communication and we are already working to address these,” he told the Sunday Herald.
“We have an action plan which staff are being consulted on. Since earlier in the year, the chairman, David Sigsworth, and I have been visiting local offices to meet staff face-to-face and we have recently both introduced videos, podcasts and a blog to allow more direct engagement with staff.”
Gemmell thought that the 2009 survey provided an “important insight” into how staff feel about Sepa. “This information is essential in helping us transform the organisation to meet the challenges ahead, and continually improve the service we provide,” he said.
“We know from the survey that people across the country are worried about their future and the security of their jobs. Unfortunately Sepa staff are no different from many other workforces faced with the current economic climate.”
Gemmell was heartened, however, that many staff felt supported by their colleagues and were committed to the organisation. “Our staff are key to the success of this organisation,” he added. “It is their skill, knowledge, experience and dedication that enables Sepa to be the strong environmental regulator it is.”
A slightly different message came from Duncan McLaren, the chief executive of Friends of the Earth Scotland. “These findings reinforce the impression that Sepa faces severe challenges, without adequate authority and resources to deliver effective environmental regulation,” he said.
McLaren argued that Sepa couldn’t rely on others like the government to help it do its job. “This report must be seen as much as a wake up call for Sepa's sponsors in government as a challenge for its managers,” he said.
The trouble is SEPA are staffed with highly committed professionals who know what the environment needs. Over the decades they have saved our air and water from industries excesses.
Their managers have no interest in protecting the environment, they are a bunch of talentless jobsworths who interpret what the Ministers whisper in private (they dont have the nerve to say it in public). "Stop being effective environmental guardians!"
Posted by: Cynic | 23 August 2009 at 11:55 PM