The survey, organised by UK consultants, found that workload was driving burnout, trust in leadership was eroding, welfare was inconsistent and fragile, and management standards were non-existent.
Although there was largely positive feedback from staff at two of the Institute’s sections – the University Centre, previously the Institute of Health & Social Care Studies, and the GTA – responses were consistently negative from the College section of the organisation, formerly known as the College of Further Education.
But enquiries by the Guernsey Press have revealed that participation was low among College staff, with only 49% taking part, compared to 71% of staff at the GTA and 100% at the University Centre.
Despite the patchy participation rate, the chairwoman of The Guernsey Institute’s new board of governors, Anna Rivers, said she was seriously concerned about the findings of the survey and focus groups which followed it.
‘Strong, supportive and clear leadership is important to the success of any organisation, and none more so than educational settings,’ said Ms Rivers.
‘The findings of this survey raise some serious concerns that must be addressed.
‘There is, of course, a huge amount of great work going on at The Guernsey Institute, and this report also presents an opportunity for positive change.’
She said her board had recently considered the findings at an extraordinary meeting.
The Guernsey Institute’s executive principal, Jacki Hughes, has said that she and her leadership team would take the criticism from their staff ‘on the chin’ and use it to help improve the organisation.
The survey and focus groups cost the States £9,750.
‘It is important to note that, while the cost of this survey was significant, the investment was made strategically following staff feedback,’ said Mrs Hughes.
‘As reported in the Guernsey Press, two members of staff had raised wellbeing and workload concerns with me.
‘The survey sought to enable understanding of those issues so that we can ensure The Guernsey Institute is a great place to work.’
The consultants’ report acknowledged strong relationships and flexibility at the University Centre and the GTA, but found that discussions with staff at the College quickly turned towards stress, distrust, high levels of absence and process concerns, which it described as ‘a structural sustainability issue’.
The full report has not been released or shown to staff who took part in the survey and focus groups, and requests to see it were denied by the Education, Sport & Culture Committee.
‘The full report contains references to individuals and specifics which would not be appropriate to share.
‘A comprehensive summary was shared with staff and the media,’ said Mrs Hughes.
Leaders at The Guernsey Institute are understood to have been broadly unsurprised by the findings. Years of delay in developing new facilities for the College is believed to be one contributing factor to low morale.
But the consultants advised that the greatest gains in staff wellbeing could be achieved by improving the standard of leadership and management and making them more consistent across the College.