Although staff engagement levels across the civil service have remained static since 2010, the proportion of staff proud to name their employer has fallen from 55 to 52 per cent.
Speaking to CSW about the Civil Service People Survey results, Sir Bob said leaders can address the issue by praising good work and defending civil servants when appropriate. “When we get unjustified criticism in the press, sometimes we should counter that: I’m very comfortable doing that personally as head of the civil service,” he said.
He added that leaders should provide opportunities for people to develop skills “so when new opportunities come along, they can take them”. They should be “seen to be leading”, he said, and show “they understand the scale of the challenge that people are going through”.
See our People Survey feature.