Ireland’s civil servants feel significantly underappreciated by the citizens they serve, with just 19 per cent believing their work is valued by the public, according to an employee survey.
Fewer still, 15 per cent, believe the public respects and appreciates their work.
Some 92 per cent of civil servants were confident in their abilities, with 78 per cent proud of what they do and 73 per cent enthusiastic about it.
When it comes to pay just 27 per cent feel they are adequately rewarded, with 52 per cent saying they are not. The remainder are neutral.
When it comes to similar jobs in the private sector only 25 per cent believe their pay is reasonable by comparison, while 53 per cent say it is not.
In general, however, 42 per cent are satisfied with their terms and conditions.
The findings were part of the 2015 Civil Service Employee Engagement Survey, the first of its kind in the history of the service.
Renewal plan
In October 2014 the Civil Service renewal plan committed to “introduce an annual employee engagement survey to involve staff at all levels in ongoing organisational improvement”.
The survey asked civil servants to respond to 112 statements about working in the service.
More than 15,500 civil servants completed the survey, representing 39.2 per cent of the 37,000 civil servants in the State.
Overall, employee engagement among civil servants in Ireland is at 70 per cent, which compares favourably internationally.
The Engagement index in the UK civil service for 2015 was 58 per cent, while the Australian public service scored 6.7 out of 10 in relation to job engagement in 2015.
The Canadian public service employee survey in 2014 found employee engagement was an average of 74 per cent.
Some 68 per cent of Ireland’s civil servants were aware of how their work benefits citizens, with 64 per cent conscious of the positive impact of what they do.
However, just 36 per cent overall feel they are involved openly in decision-making in their departments, suggesting a hierarchical culture.
When it comes to new ideas at work, respondents were split almost evenly, with 32 per cent saying new ideas were welcome, 32 per cent neutral and 36 per cent disagreeing.
Just 22 per cent feel their department cares about their views and/or their goals or values.
Confidence in management
As regards confidence in senior managers, 39 per cent believe their department is managed well and 36 per cent do not.
Thirty-six per cent have confidence in decisions by their senior managers, while 32 per cent do not.
Eighty eight per cent say colleagues are friendly, while 66 per cent saying they have had the opportunity to develop close friendships.
Only 12 per cent believe poor performance at work by colleagues is dealt with effectively, despite 47 per cent saying their department has high performance standards.
