Exit surveys

Report: 8
Date: 18 April 2011
By: Director of Human Resources on behalf of the Commissioner

Summary

This report provides an update on the impact of the change to the MPS Exit process from an interview to an online survey. Alongside this, an analysis of findings from 2010-2011 is presented for police officers, police staff, PCSOs and Specials, as well as an overview of reasons for leaving according to specific demographic criteria. The report also provides an update in relation to parts of Recommendation 6 of the Race and Faith Inquiry Report which relates to the reduction of disproportionately high black and minority ethnic (BME) resignation rates.

A. Recommendations

That Members note the findings contained within the report and direction of travel in relation to improving the current exit survey process.

B. Supporting information

Changes to MPS exit process

1. Responsibility for the MPS corporate exit survey process moved to the HR Organisational Development (OD) Team in June 2009. At this time, HR OD undertook a review of the exit process in order to identify scope for improvements to service delivery against a requirement to deliver HR business group efficiency savings. As a result, HR Board took the decision to change the survey methodology from a one-to-one interview to an online survey. This ensured that efficiencies could be achieved whilst retaining question content and introducing the benefit of respondent anonymity. For those individuals who do not have access to Aware (the MPS internal computer system), or those individuals who had already left the service by the time the HR database was updated to show their status as a leaver, a postal version of the survey was sent.

2. Participation in the exit survey is invited from all members of the extended police family resigning from the organisation prematurely or who have transferred to another police service. Although encouraged, participation is voluntary and completed anonymously.

3. In the 12 months prior to the introduction of the online exit survey, of 1193 eligible leavers, 395 took part in the exit interview (a completion rate of 33%). This did not include members of the MSC. The number of eligible leavers has since increased and the exit survey format has had no detrimental impact on completion rates which have remained broadly constant (31% in 2009/2010 or 47% if MSCs are not included for comparability and 26% thus far for the year 2010/2011 - 34% if MSCs are not included).

Initial analysis of findings for 2010-11

4. Survey response rates for 2010-11 have largely mirrored those of 2009-10. Participation in the survey remains highest amongst police staff (44% for 2010- 2011), followed closely by PCSOs (42%) and police officers (36%). The lowest response rates are amongst Traffic Wardens (20%) and MSCs (8%). Improvements are underway to encourage higher MSC engagement with the exit survey.

5. During 2009-10, the most frequently cited primary reason for leaving amongst survey respondents was ‘desire for a career change’ (19% of surveyed leavers). This also remains the most frequently cited reason for leaving in 2010-11. A comparison of survey findings for 2009-10 and 2010-11 also shows that ‘family and other caring issues’ has reduced as a reason for leaving from 19% to 12% and ‘Travelling / accommodation / London’ from 13% to 8%. The second most frequently cited reason for leaving in 2010-11 is ‘career development issues’ (with a rise from 9% in 2009-10 to 11% in 2010-11).

6. Looking at differences between the police officer and police staff groups, in 2010-11, police officers most commonly gave ‘family and other caring issues’ (23% compared to 27% in 2009-10) and ‘desire for a career change’ (18% compared to 13% in 2009- 10) as their primary reason for leaving. Police staff respondents were most likely to select ‘desire for a career change’ as their reason for leaving although the proportion selecting this fell from 35% in 2009-10 to 22% in 2010-11. A larger change was observed in the ‘family and other caring issues’ category with 28% of police staff respondents selecting this as a leaving reason in 2009-10, compared to only 6% in 2010-11.

7. As outlined above, overall, ‘desire for a career change’ remains the top reason for leaving across all leavers (officers and staff). ‘Family and caring issues’ was the second most popular response overall, with ‘career development issues’ third. For the MSC, the top reason for leaving (40%) was ‘change of main work commitments’ although the number of responses is fairly low (40% represents a total of only 17 respondents within this group).

8. Findings for 2010-11 show a general consistency between genders in terms of reasons for leaving. Men were marginally more likely to cite ‘desire for a career change’ than women (20% of BME Males and 20% of White Males compared to 21% of BME Females and 15% of White Females). Numbers of BME respondents were not high enough to draw significant comparisons with White respondents.

9. There are insufficient leavers identifying themselves as disabled to enable us to meaningfully explore this aspect of diversity. Perhaps unsurprisingly, with the exception of ‘health issues’ (19% of disabled leavers compared to 2% of non disabled leavers), there are few differences between leaving reasons for those declaring themselves as disabled or not disabled. However, it may be of note that, of the 22 disabled leavers, 12% cited ‘disillusionment with the Police’ as their primary reason for leaving compared to only 6% of not disabled leavers.

Reasons for leaving 2009-2010: data on gender, race and disability

10. During 2009-10, a total of 3675 personnel left the MPS; of whom 1540 (42%) were eligible to complete the exit survey. The overall response rate to the exit survey was 31% compared to and 33% for 2008-09 (excluding MSC).

11. The three main contributory reasons for leaving the MPS cited by all respondents were (i) a desire for a career change (31%) (ii) family and other caring issues (31%) and (iii) traveling / accommodation / London issues (29%). These reasons are identical to the top three in 2008-2009.

12. Participants responded that they were most satisfied with access to line management (83%), initial induction training (79%), allocation of leave / bank holidays (76%) and management support with family issues (70%). Overall, 67% of respondents said they would recommend the MPS to others, 16% had mixed views and 13% said they would not. The PCSO group responded most positively to recommending the MPS (78%), followed by MSC Officers (69%), Police Officers (70%), Police Staff (59%) and Traffic Wardens (50%).

13. Comparing the response rates of different employee groups, there was a notable difference between the MSC, which was significantly lower than the four other main groups of Police Officers (including 30+ Scheme leavers), Police Staff; PCSOs and Traffic Wardens. This correlates with the proportion of MSC leavers who are entered onto the MetHR system prior to leaving the Service (4%), compared to significantly higher proportions of police staff (70%) and police officers (85%) We (HR OD) have currently not created any actions to address the disparity in our HR data quality. By linking the survey to the Leaver Notification scheme Line Managers of MSCs will be more aware of the Exit Process but the wider issue here is Met HR compliance (i.e. filling in information at the appropriate times rather than retrospectively). (As a result, nearly all MSC eligible participants were sent a paper based copy of the exit survey for completion and return by post which may have contributed significantly to the lower response rate.

14. Analysis of the response rates between Business Groups showed notably higher than average response rates for DPA (100% although the sample was only 4) and Central Operations (71%). Territorial Policing had the significant majority of all leavers (69%) but a response rate of only 24%.

15. All MPS leavers are asked if they have experienced or observed any discrimination in the workplace in relation to the six protected characteristics. The very significant majority answered no to this question however 1.5% of respondents declared directly experiencing some form of discrimination during their time in the MPS (compared to 1.1% in 2010-11 to date) and 3.2% (compared to 4.2% in 2010-11 to date) declared observing some form of discriminatory behaviour. As in 2010-11, the highest rates of reported discrimination were with respect to the more visible characteristics (gender then age and ethnicity).

16. The 2009-2010 data shows an overall majority (67%) of respondents would recommend the MPS to others. 16% declared mixed views and 13% of respondents stated that they would not recommend the MPS as an organisation to work for. PCSOs responded most positively to recommending the MPS to others (78%), followed by the MSC (69%), Police Officers (70%), Police Staff (59%) and Traffic Wardens (50%).

Analysis according to race

17. Of the 449 respondents, 340 (76%) classified themselves as White - British. No other group had more than 15 respondents with White-Other (15), Indian (14) and Black-British (12) being the highest. As a result, no specific BME group was large enough to analyse individually so the BME group has been looked at as a collective (71 leavers in total).

18. The response rate of BME leavers was notably lower than for White leavers; especially amongst males (28% participation by BME Females compared to 32% participation by White Females and 18% participation of BME Males compared to 30% participation by White Males). The low MSC overall response rate may have impacted here.

19. Examination of the data shows that BME leavers were generally less satisfied with various aspects of their work than their White counterparts. Amongst the most notable differences between the BME and Non-BME respondents (when asked how satisfied they were with different aspects of their work) were that BME leavers were more inclined to cite ‘career development issues’ as a reason for leaving the MPS. BME respondents were notably less satisfied with ‘promotion opportunities” (15% less than White respondents), ‘opportunities for further education” (16% less than White respondents), ‘line manager support in development” (15% less than White respondents), ‘opportunities to apply for new roles’ (14% less than White respondents) and ‘Initial training’ (14% less than White respondents).

20. Conversely, BME leavers showed notably higher satisfaction than their White counterparts when rating ‘Line managers agreeing to part-time or flexible working’ (71% compared to 62% for White respondents) and ‘Distance travelled to work’ (83% compared to 51% of White respondents).

21. 13% of BME respondents cited ‘discrimination, harassment or bullying’ as a contributory factor for leaving compared with only 4% of White respondents. This result is mirrored in the number of BME leavers citing ‘Unfair treatment at work’ (14%) compared to White leavers (6%). Comparatively, for 2010-2011, 4% of BME respondents cited ‘discrimination, harassment or bullying’ as a contributory factor for leaving compared with 1% of White respondents. This was again mirrored (this time exactly so) in the number of BME and White respondents citing ‘Unfair treatment at work’.

Analysis according to gender

22. The overall participation rate for males and for females was 26% (246) and 30% (178) respectively. 6% of respondents (25) chose not disclose their gender.

23. The most commonly cited reason for leaving the MPS amongst females was ‘family / caring issues’ (37%) with ‘desire for a career change’ and ‘travelling / accommodation issues’ the joint second.

24. Men chose the same top 3 reasons for leaving as women with ‘desire for a career change’ being the most common at 33% followed by ‘travelling / accommodation issues’ (29%) and ‘family / caring issues’ (27%).

25. Analysis of the data on satisfaction levels for male and female respondents shows that women feel less satisfied than men when rating most aspects of line management (although it should be noted that overall satisfaction levels for both genders were high in this area). This can be broken down into ‘access to line management’ (77% for females compared to 89% for males), ‘supportive line management’ (69% for females compared to 81% for males), ‘communication of information’ (66% for females, 78% for males) and ‘listening and responding to concerns’ (65% for females compared to 78% for males). There was no significant difference in the levels of satisfaction between males and females within the area of career development with the exception of ‘line manager support in development’ (60% of females were satisfied with this compared to 72% of males). In the area of ‘working conditions’, females were consistently more satisfied than males (on average, by 5%) with the exception of ‘allocation of overtime’ (satisfaction of 48% females compared to 57% males).

Analysis according to disability

26. The exit survey was completed by 30 disabled leavers. Health issues were cited as the main reason for leaving by (20%) of disabled respondents. Six respondents cited discrimination, harassment or bullying and unfair treatment at work as their main reason for leaving.

27. With a sample size of only 30, caution needs to be exercised in any analysis and interpretation of results as the sample size is too small to draw meaningful and robust comparisons with other groups. However, it is worth noting that disabled leavers expressed less satisfaction with all but five aspects of their work. A difference of 20 % or more was shown in the following areas: ‘work-life balance’ (30% satisfaction amongst disabled leavers compared to 55% amongst non- disabled), ‘distance travelled to work’ (33% satisfaction amongst disabled leavers compared to 58% amongst non-disabled leavers); ‘management support with family issues’ (18% satisfaction amongst disabled leavers compared to 73% amongst non-disabled leavers); ‘access to line management’ (62% satisfaction amongst Disabled leavers compared to 84% satisfaction amongst non-Disabled leavers); ‘line management listening and responding to concerns’ (50% satisfaction amongst disabled leavers compared to 74% amongst non-Disabled leavers); ‘having training relevant to the role’ (45% satisfaction amongst Disabled leavers compared to 65% amongst non-disabled leavers); ‘opportunities to apply for new roles’ (29% satisfaction amongst disabled leavers compared to 50% amongst non-disabled leavers) and ‘opportunities for promotion’ (26% satisfaction amongst disabled leavers compared to 46% amongst non-disabled leavers), ‘access to additional career support’ (33% satisfaction amongst disabled leavers compared to 54% amongst non-Disabled leavers).

28. Conversely, for nearly all aspects of ‘working conditions’, disabled leavers rated higher satisfaction than non-disabled leavers (this included satisfaction with Amenities, Facilities, Working hours, Flexibility in hours of work and allocation of overtime). The two areas within the working conditions theme which went against this trend were ‘ability to use skills and experience’ (45% satisfaction amongst disabled leavers compared to 64% amongst non-disabled leavers) and ‘allocation of leave / bank holidays’ (a very marginal difference of 2% - 75% satisfaction from disabled leavers compared to 77% amongst non-disabled leavers).

BME progression and leaving points

29. Within the rank structure there is minor disparity between White and BME premature leavers for 2010-2011. However, given that average length of service among BME officers is less than that of White officers, any trends at senior ranks involve such small numbers that it makes it difficult for any meaningful conclusions to be reliably drawn (e.g. for Inspectors, the BME resignation rate for 2010-2011 was 1.5% compared to 0.7% for White Inspectors but this 1.5% for BMEs represents one officer). For Constables, the overall turnover of officers is higher amongst White officers (3.5% in 2010-2011) than BME officers (2.5% in 2010-2011). Specifically in relation to the resignation of Constables, there has been a reduction in the BME resignation rate since 2007-2008 (2.3% compared to 1.3% for 2010-11) with a decreased disparity between White Constable resignations and BME Constable resignations during this period (2007-8, BME Constables 2.3% compared to 1.3% for White Constables, for 2010-2011 this stands at 1.3% for BME Constables compared to 1% of White Constables). Given the difference in officer numbers when comparing ethnicity in this way, it should be noted that these percentages for 2010-11 represent 32 BME Constables resignations compared to 188 White Constable resignations.

30. The Promoting Difference team will continue to proactively use the management information we have on premature leavers (comparing White and BME turnover at each rank) and report on it annually (in order to allow for meaningful trends to be identified). Any trends will be analysed further and work will be targeted accordingly. A key objective of thee Promoting Difference Team is to ensure that premature leaving rates are proportionate across all the protected characteristics. In addition to data from leavers, the Your Views Count corporate survey has been developed further as a diagnostic tool which will support the drawing together of findings from the exit survey, corporate staff survey and MSC leaver notification data. Combining this with the opportunity for increased disclosure within the Exit survey for BME leavers (paragraph 33), there will be greater opportunities to develop local action plans to help address retention.

Review and improvement of the MPS exit process

31. The HR OD Team is currently reviewing the exit survey to ensure that it is fully fit for purpose in terms of identifying relevant issues and driving appropriate action. Some of the improvements proposed include restructuring the questions to ensure respondents are asked about issues which relate specifically to their nominated reasons for leaving and by using qualitative responses in a more targeted way. The accessibility of the survey will also be enhanced.

32. Given the low response rate amongst MSC officers, more work is being done through introduction of the Special Constable Leaver Notification Scheme which was introduced in July 2010. The scheme requires line managers to interview all MSC officers who have expressed an intention to leave the service. In addition, the MSC retention unit have contacted officers who have been absent from duty during the last twelve months. Going forward, MSC retention data which is collected by the MSC retention unit will be aligned more closely to the MSC corporate exit data as currently the Leaver Notification does not provide an exploration of the leaving reason(s) and an initial review of the scheme indicated that many MSCs were leaving due to performance issues (and thus providing this as their sole leaving reason) whereas in fact this may be an outcome of other issues as well. As part of this wider exploration of leaving reasons, the MSC have reported their data in three categories: ‘acceptable loss’ (e.g. career change, travel and family or caring responsibilities), ‘good loss’ (management, performance or misconduct related) and ‘bad loss’ (disillusionment or dissatisfaction with the MPS). The MSC data for August and September 2010 suggested that the majority of leavers (66%) fell within the ‘acceptable loss’ category, whilst 33% fell within the “good loss” category. During the reporting period only 1 person left as a result of ‘disillusionment’ or ‘dissatisfaction’ with the MPS.

33. Work is also underway to improve data quality for BME leavers through an agreement with the MPS staff support associations in response to their offer to conduct exit interviews with their members on behalf of HR. In order to ensure anonymity is maintained, it is proposed that leavers are invited rather than approached directly to take part. Currently the exit survey offers total anonymity and therefore those selecting ‘discrimination, harassment or bullying’ cannot be identified. By providing an additional forum for leavers to raise issues of this nature it is anticipated that more detailed information surrounding the specific nature of these incidents can be captured and therefore responded to more effectively whilst ensuring the individual’s comments are not identified and sensitivities are not ignored.

C. Other organisational and community implications

Equality and Diversity Impact

1. The introduction of an online survey has allowed increased anonymity of responses. Although this brings with it several benefits, it can limit the ability to identify specific cases of alleged discrimination, bullying and / or harassment. However, to mitigate against this, the Promoting Difference team, in conjunction with Staff Support Associations, have proposed an optional forum for leavers to voice their concerns in a safe and supportive environment.

2. Small sample sizes in relation to a number of demographic aspects, coupled with some high non disclosure rates, makes much comparative analysis on this data set difficult as it would potentially be misleading. Where possible, potential equalities and diversity differences have been explored and presented within this report. Given the high proportion of BMEs within the MSC pool, the move from exit interview to survey has been positive in ensuring MSCs are included in the exit survey process. However, as outlined, more can be done to improve engagement with the exit survey process and explore whether the root causes of leaving differs from the reason disclosed.

3. The Exit Survey equality and diversity trends will continue to be monitored and reported to the MPS Diversity Executive Board as part of the programme of work to support the Workforce and Working Culture Strand of the MPS Equality and Diversity Strategy (for which HR has the corporate lead).

Consideration of Met Forward

4. The exit survey supports the Met People strand of Met Forward. The MPS recognises that our people are our most important resource and to ensure that they are as productive as they can be and motivated to do the best for Londoners they must feel valued, supported and professionally led. The exit survey enables the organisation to develop its understanding of the staff experience and respond in a targeted way in order to improve it and facilitate effective.

Financial Implications

5. All exit survey costs are met from within the existing HR OD budget.

Legal Implications

6. There are no direct legal implications arising from the recommendations contained in the report.

Environmental Implications

7. There are no environmental implications associated with the report.

Risk (including Health and Safety) Implications

8. There are no health and safety implications associated with the report.

D. Background papers

None

E. Contact details

Report author: Katherine Paterson, HR Organisational Development Team, MPS

For more information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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