Two thirds of civil servants back measures to improve government performance but staff have doubts over implementation of government reform agenda

The first major survey of civil servants since the government announced its reform plans has revealed a stark disconnect between the government’s agenda and civil servants’ faith in how it is being delivered.

The survey, conducted by Prospect, a trade union representing tens of thousands of civil and public servants in specialist roles across government, also found that only a small percentage believe the civil service is effective and that there is a majority support for trying to improve the way it operates.

After 15 years of cuts to pay and capacity fewer than one-in-three Prospect members surveyed (28%) thought the civil service was effective at delivering its core objectives, though 46% thought their parent organisation was effective, and 68% said their team was effective.

Two thirds of those surveyed (66%) supported measures to improve the performance of the civil service.

However, while Prospect members back reform in principle, they are largely ambivalent about the government’s specific plans, with more than half scoring them 3 [where 1 is not all positive and 5 very positive].

Prospect members also identified a number of risks to the government agenda. The greatest risk to civil service reform is from poor implementation. Factors identified as a ‘high risk’ are indiscriminate job cuts 77%, poorly managed change 85%, an unclear plan for reform 86%, and a shortage people with the right skills 89%. The commitment of civil servants is viewed as a much lower risk, at 50% of respondents.

More generally there is a clearly a problem with communication, morale and uncertainty around the reforms. A third of respondents are unsure whether their organisation will be affected by reform. On top of that 84% say communication on the issue has been poor, and 57% describe morale as poor in their organisation following civil service reform announcements.

Mike Clancy General Secretary of Prospect, said:

“The idea that civil servants are set against reform is simply wrong; our members see the case for change as much as anyone. But while they support the idea of improving the civil service, expert Prospect members are also clear that change needs to be managed properly if it is to be effective.

“First and foremost, as Prospect has been warning for some time, a tick box exercise based on arbitrary numbers is likely to be counter-productive. What’s more, any change must be done in partnership with the workforce and communicated effectively. The worst thing for morale is uncertainty and poor communication.

“Whether they are scientists or data engineers, our members are the specialists the government needs to deliver on its missions. They need to be fully engaged in shaping the reform agenda so it can create a civil service fit for the modern age.”