Positive signs in some areas and a need for improvement in others
The latest HSE Your Opinion Counts Staff Survey has revealed some impressive scores, including increases in job satisfaction, sense of wellbeing and feeling of being trusted to do the job.
This year saw a 78% increase in the number of staff who completed the survey. Just over 23,000 people took part, and representation from our CHOs and hospitals almost doubled since 2021.
While 8 out of 10 of us feel that satisfaction with the job, optimism about the future and communication with line managers have improved, the survey results also highlight areas for consideration.
High scores in engagement, satisfaction, and optimism
The survey results highlight the commitment and enthusiasm of our staff, as well as the unique impact they can have on people’s lives.
- 91% of us feel that our job makes a difference to patients and colleagues
- 61% of us feel optimistic about our future with the HSE
This suggests a stronger foundation of trust and confidence among staff as we restructure our services into 6 health regions.
Effective line management
The relationship between staff and their line managers has improved overall since 2021.
- 7 out of 10 staff have opportunities to give feedback to their line manager
- More staff feel that line managers support their efforts to improve services and listen to their ideas and suggestions (up 9.1 points from 2021)
Challenges in always acting on feedback
- 8 out of 10 staff know who their senior manager is
- Only 3 out of 10 of us agree that senior managers act on staff feedback or try to involve staff in important decisions
These results will need to be considered as we begin a significant period of structural change.
Wellbeing at work
The scores relating to wellbeing and the workplace have increased across most areas since 2021.
- 8 out of 10 staff feel respected by colleagues and patients
- More of us know about the supports available if we’re experiencing difficulties
An encouraging number of us feel the HSE shows a greater level of interest in our health and wellbeing (up 13.6 points from 2021) and promotes a healthy work-life balance for staff (up 12 points from 2021).
Training, development and career progression
- 7 out of 10 staff know how to access the training that they need
- 6 out of 10 of us are happy with the training and development opportunities available to us
- Less than half of us feel the HSE is doing enough to develop staff to their full potential
While this is an improvement on last year, this is an important area to consider as we compete in a global market for talented healthcare professionals.
Moving forward with these results
The staff survey results paint a picture of a much-improved workplace for staff, but there are still some organisational challenges.
Employee engagement, satisfaction, optimism and line manager communications scored highly. On the other hand, over half of us don’t have confidence in senior management decisions or feel that we aren’t involved in important decisions about our service.
We will continue to work on improving staff satisfaction and engagement. Survey results will be shared as widely as possible.
The National HR, Engagement and Culture team is available to support managers and staff across the HSE to develop action plans and staff engagement and culture activities. Email them at Culture.HR@hse.ie.
As promised, there was a draw for 6 €300 One4All gift vouchers to thank everyone who participated in the survey. The happy winners have all received their vouchers.