The Your Voice survey gives you the opportunity to confidentially share your views on a range of work related topics.
The results are used to:
- helps us understand how you feel about working for Essex County Council
- help our managers and leaders understand what is working well, and where improvements may be needed
- show us how we can make the council a better place to work
We review the questions used in the last survey to make sure they are still relevant to the changing needs of employees and the organisation. This means some questions are new and some remain the same.
The next Your Voice employee survey will take place 9 to 27 September 2024. Employees can expect to receive an email inviting them to take part. Results will be shared later in the autumn.
Charitable donations when you take part
This year, for every survey completed we will make a £1 donation to charity on your behalf.
At the end of the survey, you can choose between the charities supported by our Chairman:
Thank you for taking part and helping to make a difference to how we work.
Who should complete the survey
All employees are invited to take part. Taking part in the survey is optional. However, we strongly encourage you to take the opportunity to share your views.
You should complete the survey even if you are leaving Essex County Council soon.
Your survey answers are confidential. Managers may be told how many people in their team have responded, but they will not be told who has or has not completed the survey.
Some survey questions may ask you to provide a comment to help us understand your answer. Comments will not be edited in any way. If you are concerned about being identified, do not disclose information in your comments that could identify you.
Your manager may remind you of the importance of the survey, and the benefits it brings to the organisation and your team. They can help you to be more involved in the process.
If you have recently returned from long term leave
You can take part in the survey if you have recently returned to work from:
- long term sickness
- maternity, adoption, paternity or shared parental leave
If you do not receive an email invitation, email the survey team at our.voice@essex.gov.uk.
How to complete the survey
When the survey opens, you will be sent an email invitation with a survey link. Each link can only be used to submit one survey.
You must complete the survey by Friday 27 September 2024. You will not be able to take part after this date.
Once you have submitted your survey, you will not be able to see or change your answers.
Your survey link is unique to you and allows your results to be added into the correct team reports when the analysis takes place. You must not share your survey link with a colleague or use anyone else’s link.
Complete the survey during work hours
Where possible, you should complete the survey during working hours. If you find it difficult to do this in work time, please speak to your manager.
The survey can be completed on a mobile device such as smartphone or tablet.
Resuming an incomplete survey
You do not have to complete the survey in one go. Your answers will be saved when you exit the survey. Use the link in your email invitation to enter the survey again any time before the closing date.
How we will share the survey results
Your responses to the survey are combined with the rest of your team’s results. Leaders and managers across the organisation will receive a combined report highlighting results from their team.
Your manager will share your team results with you. They may want to discuss the results with your team and get your feedback. They may ask you how you would like to be involved in any action planning.
Overall organisation results will be published after the survey closes.
Results reports for managers
Managers will only be eligible to receive a results report if they have more than 10 responses.
For smaller teams with less than 10 people, or where less than 10 people have responded to the survey, managers will not be able to receive a report for this level. Instead, they will receive the report for the team level above, where there are more than 10 responses.
If you do not receive a survey invite
Check your junk, SPAM or non-focussed mail folders for the email invitation.
We’ll aim to send weekly reminder emails with a link to the survey. Look out for a reminder email before contacting the survey team. A final reminder will be sent on 23 September 2024.
You will not receive an invitation to the survey if you are:
- new to Essex County Council and joined after 14 August 2024 – you will be invited to take part in future surveys
- a contractor or temporary worker – only employees of Essex County Council are eligible to take part in this survey
If you believe you are eligible to take part and have not received a survey invitation or reminder email, contact the survey team at our.voice@essex.gov.uk.
Contact
If you have any questions about the Your Voice survey, you can email us at our.voice@essex.gov.uk.