Internal cultural attitude surveys

Report: 11
Date: 13 March 2003
By: Clerk

Summary

This report discusses the initial case for a corporate staff survey on diversity issues in the MPA and MPS. Members are asked to support the setting up of a joint MPA/MPS project team to consider this initiative, develop a business case and set out the options for meeting the requirements in the report.

A. Recommendation

That the Board agrees to the setting up of an MPA/MPS Project Team to develop a business case and options for a corporate staff survey on cultural and diversity issues within the MPA and MPS.

B. Supporting information

Introduction

1. The MPA published ‘key success factors’ in its Race Equality Scheme. These were selected measures which would indicate the degree of success that the MPA and MPS’ race equality schemes achieve during their duration. These measures encompassed both internal and community related outcomes. MPA officers sought to identify existing survey work from which these measures could be obtained. Discussions between MPA and MPS officers identified that there is no current survey work carried out widely enough nor in a sufficiently consistent way to provide the requisite information. Furthermore, through these discussions, a number of sections in the MPS indicated their requirements to survey staff on diversity related issues. It is clear though from the discussions held that the development of a corporate diversity survey needs considerable thought to its scope, feasibility, design and implementation as well as to the means to ensure it is used most effectively. Therefore, before committing to further work on this matter, the Board is asked to sponsor a project to establish a business case and the options for a corporate survey.

2. By the term ‘cultural attitude survey’, we are referring to the range of methods, not just questionnaires, for finding out what staff think about the fairness of the climate in which they work and their attitudes to and awareness of equality and diversity issues.

Initial findings

3. The MPA’s Race Equality Scheme seeks to measure staff perceptions of fair treatment and confidence levels in the making of complaints and grievances. Meetings were held between MPA and MPS officers to identify existing survey work that could be used to provide the performance measures sought. At the first meeting, officers considered a survey being developed for the Specialist Operations Department to measure cultural and diversity attitudes in its various teams. While this is a very wide-ranging, methodically developed survey, it is still under trial, customised to the department’s needs and may not fulfil other identified needs from across the organisation. Further meetings between MPA and MPS officers identified that there isn’t any corporate survey work currently in place to provide the information needed for the MPA’s purpose. The most recent corporate MPS survey was carried out in 1999, at the Commissioner’s request, as part of a wider ‘listening’ exercise. This enjoyed a 60% response rate.

4. However, a localised approach to surveys appears to exist. Currently, local managers may carry out surveys at operational command level for their own purposes, but there is no co-ordination of these nor are the results necessarily passed to other parts of the organisation. One example of a local survey is that being carried out by Specialist Operations, referred to above.

Survey demand

5. Many of the relevant sections within the MPA and MPS have been involved in the discussions. They have identified several survey requirements and the need to ensure a co-ordinated approach is taken.

6. Requirements identified include:

1. The Home Office, in its report, ‘Dismantling Barriers to reflect the community we serve’, recommended ‘all forces to conduct full race relations/cultural audit to measure progress’ in the recruitment, retention and progression of minority ethnic officers. The recommendation stated ‘this should include a survey across all staff to assess the perception of the treatment of ethnic minority officers and other diversity issues. The result should be published, with a commitment to respond to the key issues in pursuance of a positive culture’ (target Sept 2000, responsibility Chief Constables).
2. The MPA’s Race Equality Scheme has set out key success factors that a staff survey would inform. One area of measurement, relating to the MPA, is to assess whether ‘staff feel that they are being fairly treated by MPA members, managers and colleagues in terms of race and equal opportunities’. A second, covering both the MPA and MPS, aims to identify whether ‘management structures and processes are in place which give staff the confidence to make complaints and voice grievances’. A benchmark is sought as soon as possible to enable comparison in future years.
3. Several MPS sections/groups have raised the need for a staff survey to research staff attitudes, e.g. to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender issues and to disability issues.
4. A review of the MPS ‘Exit Survey’ is underway. It would be good practice to ensure that aspirations and attitudes during all stages of an MPA/MPS career are covered and that these surveys are linked.
5. The customised OCU by OCU approach that exists is useful for local use but consistent standards may need to be applied e.g. in terminology. Valuable learning could also be lost if results are not shared.
6. Work arising from the Internal Fair Practice Group and GLA group Best Value Review of Equalities also leads to the need to measure staff attitudes and perceptions of fairness.
7. The MPA/MPS consultation strategy refers to issues of internal consultation, some of which link to internal diversity matters.

7. Also emerging is the need to collect and/or update monitoring data on staff demography i.e. in terms of the equality categories. For example, data does not currently exist on the numbers of disabled staff within the MPS.

Project team

8. The requirements above do not necessarily represent the full set of survey needs but indicate those already considered. However, they indicate that there is likely to be value in developing a co-ordinated approach across the organisation.

9. Further work is therefore proposed to identify the full set of requirements, to assess the options for obtaining the information required across the organisations, to consider the management and communication issues involved and to demonstrate the business case. The costs of such an initiative requires much further financial consideration and has not been included in next year’s budget.

10. With an organisation the size and variety of the MPS, the methodology needed will be complex. The project team would be tasked to consider options after the scope of the survey has been established. The collection of staff demographic data would also be covered in the review but initial views are that collection would be achieved in a separate exercise. The aim would be to encompass survey requirements of both the MPA and MPS, through whichever means are appropriate.

11. The team would comprise both MPA and MPS staff. An appropriate project lead will be identified. It is suggested a 3 month review is needed after which time the findings/proposals are referred to the relevant boards, with final approval to be sought from the Equal Opportunities and Diversity Board. This will be timely in that an evaluation of the Specialist Operations’ Diversity Climate Survey will have been completed and so able to inform the project team.

12. It is not intended that current or planned survey work be deferred but that the project team’s work will be widely communicated internally so that managers can make their own assessment on whether to progress their own surveys.

13. Members are asked to support the establishment of a project team. Importantly too, it is clear from previous experience that commitment and leadership from the top to any staff survey is critical. Members are therefore also asked to convey their degree of support to such work.

C. Equal opportunities and diversity implications

A cultural audit will help inform the work being carried out to enable the MPA and MPS meet the objectives set out in the various diversity strategies, as well as the recruitment and retention targets relating to under-represented groups. It should also inform the on-going development of diversity training. Staff representatives and associations will be involved in and consulted upon, the work of the project team.

D. Financial implications

None specific to this report. Any proposals brought to the Board will be costed.

E. Background papers

• MPA Race Equality Scheme
• HMIC report: ‘Dismantling Barriers to reflect the community we serve’

F. Contact details

Report author: Jude Sequeira, MPA.

For more information contact:

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

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