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2009 Employee Survey >
Frequently Asked Questions
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why are employee surveys done?Since February 2004, employee surveys have been a regular part of how government gathers employee input about their work environment. A full population survey was conducted in 2004, followed by sample surveys in 2005 and 2006. The 2007 survey was a full-population survey. Regular surveying allows employees a chance to anonymously share information about their workplace, and it helps government identify priority areas for action and track progress on issues that are important to employees. Who conducts the survey?The Evaluation and Audit division, an independent function of the Public Service Commission conducts the employee survey. Evaluation and Audit reports directly to an Audit Committee. The intent of this reporting relationship is to optimize Evaluation and Audit independence, as described in recognized professional auditing standards. Evaluation and Audit is independent from line management and has no direct responsibility for, nor authority over, any of the activities under the survey review. Under the authority of the Public Service Act, the role of the Evaluation and Audit function is to provide senior management with professional advice and assurance for the purpose to improve the design, delivery and accountability of corporate human resources policies, practices, systems, and programs through the conduct of evaluations, audits and special studies in areas of significance or risk, according to established standards. Evaluation and Audit is required to adhere to the Code of Ethics and Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing, Canadian Evaluation Guidelines for Ethical Conduct, and the Program Evaluation Standards; as well as our sampling, analysis and reporting guidelines, which are based on best practice including Statistics Canada Guidelines, the FOIPOP Act and Rules of Conduct and Good Practices for market researchers. Who has access to the data?Please be assured that all individual answers are anonymous. Only limited staff of the Evaluation and Audit Division have access to the employee survey data. Even Evaluation and Audit's access cannot link responses to individuals. Only summarized information is provided to government. The government or individual departments are not provided any demographic results or demographic breakdown unless it meets our explicit reporting guidelines. Demographic results are provided only if there are population of at least 25 employees and a response rate of at least 10 employees. As a result, some departments do not receive any demographic results. Comments are grouped under themes and government is only provided the themes to protect individual anonymity. How are questions selected for the survey?An Employee Engagement Inter-jurisdictional Team, with representation from most provinces and territories, as well as the Federal Government, developed common employee survey questions to measure employee engagement for use by interested public service jurisdictions across Canada. The model of employee engagement and associated questions are endorsed for use in employee survey results in public sector jurisdictions across Canada. The How's Work Going? employee survey incorporates all of the common questions. With these questions, we also include additional questions in the area of an employee's basic work environment. These questions were developed based on a comprehensive review of best practices from private and public sector employees survey conducted, and research literature. Other questions are submitted by management to gather information or the development or refinement of government programs/policies/initiatives. Who participates in the survey?All permanent civil servants, term, casual, contract and seasonal employees including CUPE Local 1867 and NSGEU Local 480 are encouraged to participate. How can you assure my anonymity?The survey responses are not linked to your name. This keeps your individual responses anonymous. We can only provide government departments with a summary of all the information collected. Based on our explicit guidelines for reporting on results, there needs to be a minimum number of respondents within a group before we can even release summary results to guarantee anonymity. The survey is also distributed electronically via e-mail, with the exception of employees who do not have daily access to a computer. These employees will receive paper copies. If you fill out:
How will the employee survey benefit me?The employee survey provides an opportunity to provide candid input to help shape your work environment and create a better workplace for you and your colleagues. Your input, via survey results, is integrated into government's corporate human resources plan and each department's business plan, and is an indicator of your department's performance. Why does the survey ask if I am in a designated group?We believe it is important to determine if there are work environment differences for designated group members (Aboriginal people, African Nova Scotians or racially visible persons, and persons with disabilities) as compared with the perceptions of non-designated group members. What will be done with the information that concerns the designated groups?This information will help determine areas that should be focused on for action planning, which is specific to designated group members, in order to create a more supportive and diverse work environment. A report will be produced for the Corporate Diversity Round Table. This report is also posted online. Department level diversity reports are not created in order to maintain the confidentiality of employees within the department. Can I choose not to complete the section concerning the designated groups?Yes. The self-identification portion of the survey is voluntary. If you choose to do so, your information is confidential and will be presented in a summary format to ensure no individual can be identified. How will the survey be distributed?The survey will be distributed via e-mail with a link to the survey. Employees who do not have access to a computer will receive paper copies with a return envelope. How do I read and interpret the data?There are two components to the results report. Volume I contains government-wide survey results and Volume II contains department-specific results. Responses provided by employees are categorized into three areas:
The percentage of favourable responses is most often cited in the report. As an example, 68% of employees report they can balance the demands of their work and personal lives. Sixty-eight per cent refers to the percentage of respondents who chose either somewhat or strongly agree to the question on the survey that asked about balancing work and personal life demands. What will be done with the results?The results will be presented to Deputy Ministers. Employees may be invited to participate in further research activities or committees, to explore the issues raised in the survey, so that specific action plans can be developed. Your input is also integrated into government's corporate human resources plan, and in each department's business plan, and is an indicator of your department's performance. What has been done since the 2004 survey?There has been remarkable progress since 2004. The most notable changes have been:
An analysis of favourable scores from the 2004 to 2007 surveys demonstrate that government is making progress overall. The table below summarizes the results by identifying the number of questions in each of the favourable classifications in 2004 and 2007. In 2004, only 37% of the favourable scores on the questions were considered moderate or clear strengths (scores over 60%). Whereas in 2007, 81% of the questions have favourable scores higher than 60% meaning more than three-quarters of the questions are considered strengths.
This is a straight comparison of questions asked in both 2004 and 2007 full-population surveys. Can I see my department's results?All departments with representative participation among their staff group have a report posted on the employee survey website. If you do not see your department listed, that means either your department did not have a high enough level of participation, or that it is included in a group report. Does the PSC produce special reports/analyses?Yes. Evaluators conduct additional analysis for reports. Additional reports will be posted to the employee survey website. The PSC also produces a report on diversity specifically for the Corporate Diversity Round Table. This report is also posted online. Department level diversity reports are not created in order to maintain the confidentiality of employees within the department. Why do we compare our results with other jurisdictions?The very first inter-jurisdictional comparison of employee surveys was completed in 2006. The results indicate that public service employees across the country share similar issues. We will continue to do these comparisons over time so that we can learn from each other and share best practices. How do we compare to other organizations?Engagement results from the Government of Nova Scotia employee survey are comparable to other organizations in the Canada public sector. Direct comparisons on a question-by-question basis can be made to the overal public sector averge, as there are no differences in question wording, and the survey methods, and analysis. What is Survey Day?Survey Day will be held on March 12, during the mid-point of the survey period. The day will serve as a reminder for employees who may not have had the opportunity to fill out their survey. The day will invite employees to set aside a few minutes to complete the survey. I did not receive, or have misplaced my e-mail or survey package.Send an e-mail to HowsWorkGoing@gov.ns.ca or call toll-free 1-888-637-6333. Who can I contact for more information?Visit the survey website. Your senior management team can respond to questions about your department's results and any follow up activities. For questions about the survey program, or corporate results, contact Cathy-Leigh Spencer at the Public Service Commission's Evaluation and Audit division at spencecl@gov.ns.ca or by phone at (902) 424-6456. |
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