MANY Bournemouth town hall staff are hearing council information through the grapevine or rumours instead of from their bosses.

That was one of the findings of a staff survey carried out in June 2011 and recently released to the Echo under the Freedom of Information Act.

A total of 1,554 employees – 58 per cent of the workforce – responded to the survey.

Staff were least positive about the senior leadership at the council, the council’s vision for the future, the way in which the council managed change and whether the survey results would be acted upon while the highest scoring areas related to team ethic, equal opportunities and line management.

More than half of the respondents – 51 per cent – said they heard about changes through unofficial channels and 41 per cent felt the council did not manage change effectively. Amongst directors and secretaries, 19 per cent felt change was managed well.

Only 29 per cent felt the leadership provided a clear vision of where the council is headed and just 16 per cent felt senior management had acted on the results of the last staff survey.

On a happier note, 89 per cent said they were committed to their team, 84 per cent said they were happy to go the extra mile and 81 per cent said there was good co-operation between team members.

Just over two-thirds of respondents said they felt sufficiently challenged and motivated in their work, 47 per cent felt their pay was fair and 60 per cent are satisfied with their total benefits package.

There were big differences between departments on the issue of whether staff can do their job well without having to work excessively long hours. Across the council, a total of 62 per cent said they could but amongst children’s social care, this was 38 per cent.

Dave Higgins, the Unison representative at the council, said: “It’s good that they have done this survey but it’s what they do with it now that is important.

“It’s important they act to address issues that have arisen.”

Susannah Carley, senior HR support officer, said staff engagement was a key priority for the council and the survey results had helped form action plans to further motivate and inspire staff.