An increasing proportion of staff at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills are proud to tell others where they work, according to a department staff survey. The percentage of proud BIS workers rose from 35 per cent in 2011 to 42 per cent in 2012.
Published on 28 January, the survey also found that 36 per cent of staff would recommend BIS as being a great place to work, and 32 per cent feel a strong personal attachment to the department.
Overall, the department’s “engagement index”, which is calculated from the survey, has risen from 49 to 52 per cent.
Some 2,263 people responded to the 2012 survey, a response rate of 75 per cent. This is also an improvement on 2011 in which 2,108 people responded, a response rate of 74 per cent.
The Department of Health scored slightly higher, with 48 per cent of respondents saying they are proud to say they work for their department, and 41 per cent feeling a strong personal attachment to it.
In BIS’s survey, 30 per cent of respondents responded positively to a statement that the department inspired them to do the best in their jobs. This proportion was 32 per cent in the Department of Health’s survey, and only 26 per cent in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Asked about the survey covering 2011, the business secretary Vince Cable explained that, compared with other government departments, BIS has undergone radical restructuring, and that cost-saving efforts had been associated with a certain amount of staff insecurity.