NHSSCOTLAND STAFF SURVEY 2014 National Report

10 Treated fairly and consistently, with dignity and respect in an environment where diversity is valued

How fairly or reasonably staff feel they are treated at work can affect their engagement and motivation. It is also a legal requirement for employers to promote equality and diversity in the workplace. This section of the survey focused on how fairly staff felt they were treated by their line manager, by other colleagues and in relation to promotion opportunities. Staff were also asked about their experience of unfair discrimination at work.

Figure 7 shows that the majority of respondents replied positively to the following three statements in this section relating to their specific role:

• Q4-2 I get the help and support I need from colleagues (79% positive responses)
• Q4-1 My line manager encourages me at work (63%)
• Q4.3 My health board acts fairly and offers equality of opportunity with regard to career progression/promotion (59%).

All three of these statements had a higher percentage positive response in 2014 compared to 2013.

Q4-3 My health board acts fairly and offers equality of opportunity with regard to career progression/promotion recorded an increase of 15%, from 44% in 2013 to 59% in 2014. Across the 22 NHS Boards, positive responses ranged from 37% to 70% (see details in Appendix C).

Some 63% of respondents agreed that their line manager encourages them at work, an increase of four percentage points from 2013.

Q4-2 I get the help and support I need from colleagues had the third highest percentage positive response of all survey statements (79%). Across all Boards, positive responses ranged from 69% to 84% (see details in Appendix C). Doctors in Training who responded to the survey were the most likely to agree with this statement (90%) and Ambulance Staff (67%) the least likely to do so (see details in Appendix D).

In summary, whilst the majority of respondents answered positively in relation to the support and encouragement they received from colleagues and from their line manager, they were less positive in respect of the latter (63% compared with 79% positive responses). There was a large improvement in positive responses with regard to the statement that the Board 'acts fairly and offers equality of opportunity with regard to career progression/ promotion'.

[Note: The sum of the total responses throughout this report may not be exactly equal to 100% due to rounding.]

10.1 Unfair discrimination

As Figure 8 shows, 6% of staff who replied to the survey reported that they had experienced unfair discrimination during the past 12 months from their manager (Q4-4); this represents an improvement of two percentage points over the 2013 score. Across all Boards, positive responses ranged from 82% to 97% (see details in Appendix C).

Some 7% of respondents reported that they had experienced unfair discrimination during the past 12 months 'from other colleagues' (Q4-5); an improvement of 1% compared with 2013. Across all Boards, positive responses ranged from 84% to 97% (see details in Appendix C).

A third (35%) of those respondents who had experienced unfair discrimination in the past 12 months said that they had reported it (Q4-6). Around a quarter (26%) of those who had reported discrimination stated that they were satisfied with the response - a decrease compared with 27% in 2013. The most common reason for not reporting was 'I felt nothing would happen' (90% of those who did not report the discrimination), followed by 'I was concerned about confidentiality' (80%) and 'I feared what would happen if I did report it' (79%). It should be noted that respondents may have agreed with all, some or none of the reasons listed.

In summary, there was an improvement in the number of staff experiencing unfair discrimination in the past 12 months. For the minority of staff who had experienced unfair discrimination in the past 12 months, just one in three had gone on to report it and just over one in four of these were satisfied with the response they received.

Figure 7 ‐ Treated Fairly and Consistently, with Dignity and Respect in an Environment where Diversity is Valued

Figure 8 ‐ Responses Relating to Unfair Discrimination

[Note: The sum of the total responses throughout this report may not be exactly equal to 100% due to rounding.]