Earlier this year, we launched our first in series of Pulse Surveys. These surveys are designed to help us gauge organisational health, empower staff voice and enable us to gather real time feedback, over time to make better decisions about organisational planning and leadership actions.
Over 1,000 of you shared your views in the June 2025 Pulse Survey – a significant increase from previous survey’s – and we’re listening and taking action.
Here’s what you told us, and what we’re doing in response:
You Said:
We want clearer, more honest communication, clearer strategic direction and a shared vision.
We Did:
We’ve committed to more transparent updates through the Chief Executive’s newsletter and regular email bulletins. We’re also improving how messages cascade from leadership to teams via our Senior Leadership Forum and making space for two-way conversations through engagement and focus groups.
In September, we started working on our Improvement Plan in response to the LGA’s Corporate Peer Challenge. We are shaping this with staff across the organisation, via Senior Leadership Forum, focus groups and an online form to collate feedback and ideas to help shape the vision and plan.
You Said:
Leadership visibility and engagement matters.
We Did:
Senior leaders were present at in-person engagement sessions in September, discussing your feedback and identifying priority actions from the Pulse Survey. We’re planning more opportunities for staff webinars led by our Leader, Heather Kidd and Interim Chief Executive, Tanya Miles; you can expect to see other Leadership Board members at these sessions. There will be opportunities for Q&A’s.
We’re also increasing the opportunity for staff engagement to help us develop key strategic documents including, the Improvement Plan, People Plan, and these opportunities will continue into 2026.
We’ve built the Staff Engagement Hub – one place where we will collate everything related to engagement – we hope you want to be involved! You can still view the results from the June 2025 Pulse Survey here too.
You Said:
We value positive professional relationships, development and team support.
We Did:
We’re continuing to support flexible arrangements and encouraging team leaders to hold regular one-to-ones and monthly team meetings, so staff have structured and purposeful conversations, creating a culture of continuous feedback, supporting performance and development and building stronger, trusted relationships between line managers and their staff.
You Said:
We want consistent performance management, support to access development opportunities and recognition.
We Did:
We’re reviewing the current Personal Development Planning process and paperwork and embedding “Good Conversations” to enable every member of staff to have a meaningful one-to-one on a regular basis. We have embedded staff engagement groups to help us develop the approach to Good Conversations, clarify our performance development approach, providing mandatory training for line managers to ensure that we have consistency in our approach.
You Said:
We want to see action, not just words.
We Did:
We’ve built a “Pulse Survey” action plan, with commitments from Leadership Board and the Senior Leadership Forum. Your feedback via the Pulse Survey and Engagement Groups has informed our People Plan and the action plan will be embedded into this.
We Will
Through ongoing Pulse Surveys, staff engagement and feedback, we will continue to listen, act and evolve as a Council – building upon your feedback to create a healthier, more transparent and inclusive workplace where every voice helps shape the future.
There are several actions that we will continue to focus on to embed at the right time, we will:
- Continue our journey to embed clear strategic direction, through all key documents including the Improvement Plan, Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) and subsequently, the Corporate Plan & Partnership Plan.
- Create a connected council, that is transparent, honest and continue to enhance our staff engagement offer.
- Review Guildhall and other council hubs to determine usage and embed a fairer approach to bookable space, creating opportunities for more teams to come together and connect.
- Review our staff benefits and wellbeing offers, increase promotion through the right channels, based on your feedback.
- Address our cultural challenges and review these on an ongoing basis via future staff Pulse Surveys.
What’s Next?
- A new Staff Engagement platform has been developed to centralise updates and feedback.
- The intranet is being rebuilt to be a central hub for communication and engagement, and the tools you need to work effectively.
- The next Pulse Survey will launch in mid-November and will remain open until the end of 2025.
We’ll continue to share progress and invite your input as we move forward together.
Thank you again for your feedback, your ideas, and your commitment. Together, we’re shaping a better Shropshire Council.