The rapidly evolving challenges facing governments today require a public workforce that is resilient, adaptable, and agile. Underpinning this is a need for data-driven insights to inform strategic decision-making and support effective workforce management. The 2024 Standard EU/OECD Survey of Central Government Public Servants collected data from 56 980 employees across 10 countries. The results of this survey provide valuable insights into emerging trends and common strengths and areas for improvement across central administrations. This chapter highlights key insights into the experiences of public servants, the drivers of important employee and organisational outcomes including engagement, well-being, performance and turnover, and outlines the overarching analytical framework.
Workforce Insights from Central Governments
Abstract
Governments today face rapidly evolving challenges that demand a public workforce that is resilient, adaptable and agile. Simultaneously, public institutions are competing in increasingly tight labour markets to attract and retain the necessary talent to tackle complex policy problems, drive innovative solutions and support organisational and service-wide transformations. At the heart of this is effective people-centred leadership and management. However, governments often lack mechanisms to assess and monitor the quality of leadership and people management.
Employee surveys are powerful tools to identify strengths and weaknesses in leadership and people management systems, and make necessary adjustments, thereby improving public sector organisations’ effectiveness, efficiency and productivity. Leaders can use the results of employee surveys to gain valuable insights into workplace culture and areas of employee dissatisfaction. By analysing this feedback, they can identify trends and implement targeted strategies to address concerns, enhance motivation, and foster a more productive work environment. Addressing key issues raised in surveys can lead to improved employee engagement and well-being, well-managed turnover, and increased collaboration. Ultimately, acting on survey findings allows leaders to make informed decisions that drive performance, boost efficiency, and raise overall productivity across the organisation.
Though many governments already collect data through regular employee surveys, these surveys are often conducted on an ad-hoc basis and are not centralised. Additionally, capacities for collecting and analysing this data are often underdeveloped, and results do not always feed into the decision-making process to improve people management practices. Addressing the limited availability of high-quality, comparable data is therefore important in identifying common challenges, drivers and best practices to inform effective workforce decisions.
The 2024 Standard EU/OECD Survey of Central Government Public Servants is a first-of-its-kind cross-country survey that provides leaders with high-quality, comparative data to drive insight into a wide range of organisational domains including leadership quality, organisational performance, employee engagement, well-being, learning and innovation, and working arrangements. The Survey and this synthesis report is the flagship output of a project conducted by the OECD with funding and support from the European Commission’s Technical Support Instrument. This project collected and compared data from eight participating EU countries: Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia and the Netherlands (hereafter EU8). Additional data supplied by Denmark and Norway from concurrent collections have also been included in cross-country comparisons. The overall evidence-base includes data from 56 980 employees from central government ministries and agencies. This provides unique insight into what matters to government employees, how leaders can create workplaces for them to thrive, and in turn deliver the best possible public services to citizens.
This report provides a comprehensive overview of employees’ perceptions of their workplace. It examines how these attitudes vary across countries as well as by different employee groups, for example women and men, age, tenure, managerial status, and organisational size. The report also explores the relationships between key drivers and outcomes. Based on these insights, it offers policy recommendations to support governments and enable public sector leaders to build adaptable, high-performing organisations, an overview of these recommendations can be found in Section 1.4.
This report examines employees’ perceptions of key aspects of their work including innovation climate, learning and development, team performance, organisational performance, management practices, leadership quality, employee engagement, and well-being. To capture the complexity of these experiences, each aspect is explored through multiple dimensions. These dimensions are summarised using composite indices (Figure 1.1), a common method in public employee surveys.
Among the EU8 countries, employees’ overall perceptions of their teams (77.6), their line management (71.8) and, relatedly, their levels of job autonomy (70.8) are positive. These aspects are critical for day-to-day work and the generally observed positivity is a promising indicator of a healthy work environment. Consequently, these positive experiences of everyday work are reflected by the generally positive levels of engagement (66.6). However, there are opportunities for improvement in terms of employee well-being (58.0) and access to meaningful learning and development opportunities (58.3). While also important for employees’ experiences of work, these aspects of work score lower in comparison to other indices.
Employees are less positive in their perceptions of their organisations, including their leadership (60.3), performance (60.3), and support for innovation (51.9). While this may reflect lower visibility of these aspects of their work, as employees often have less direct interaction with senior leaders and key decision-making processes, it may also reflect broader challenges employees are grappling with as public service organisations strive to adapt and transform to meet evolving demands of the public and broader operating environment. These aspects are explored in greater depth in subsequent chapters.
Most of the drivers and outcomes presented in this report are measured using composite indices (Figure 1.2), a common approach in public employee surveys. Composite indices offer an effective way to capture complex concepts by combining multiple questionnaire items into a single, interpretable score. These indices range from 0 (‘Strongly disagree’) to 100 (‘Strongly agree’) and are constructed based on theoretical assumptions about the coherence of the underlying items. They have also undergone rigorous reliability testing, including Cronbach’s alpha analysis. Working conditions, such as pay, benefits, and flexible work arrangements, are measured using individual survey items rather than composite indices. Further information on the construction of the indices and the items they comprise can be found in the accompanying supporting technical documentation (Annex A). Among the EU8 countries, the highest-scoring index is team performance (77.6), while the lowest is the innovation index (51.9).
Note: The figure presents the average scores across compositive indices. Composite indices offer an effective way to capture complex concepts by combining multiple questionnaire items into a single, interpretable score. These indices range from 0 (‘Strongly disagree’) to 100 (‘Strongly agree’) and are constructed based on theoretical assumptions about the coherence of the underlying items. They have also undergone rigorous reliability testing, including Cronbach’s alpha analysis. Averages are normalised, giving equal weight to each country regardless of sample size. Further information on the construction of the indices and the items they comprise can be found in the accompanying supporting technical documentation (Annex A).
1. The EU8 average includes Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia.
2. The average excludes the Netherlands.
Source: The Standard EU/OECD Survey of Central Government Public Servants.
A key aim of this report is to understand how leadership and workforce management practices shape employee and organisational outcomes. To unpack this, key aspects of employees’ experiences were examined in relation to their well-being, engagement and perceptions of team and organisational performance. In doing so, this report identifies key drivers of these outcomes. These are expanded on in the following section.
The analytical framework (Figure 1.2) guiding the data analysis of the survey results is developed by the OECD, drawing inspiration from the ideas behind the widely established Job-Demands-Resources theory (JDR). The JDR theory demonstrates how various resources, personal, job-specific, and organisational, initiate a motivational process that empowers employees to meet workplace demands effectively (Bakker and Demerouti, 2017[1]). These resources strengthen employee engagement and well-being, which ultimately enhance performance outcomes. The framework also recognises a direct pathway between resources and performance outcomes, represented by a connecting arrow. While resources indirectly affect performance through improved engagement and well-being, they can also directly contribute to organisational effectiveness by promoting team cohesion, providing clearer direction and vision, enhancing cooperation, and establishing better policies and processes. This dual-pathway approach acknowledges the complex relationship between workplace resources and organisational performance.
This report analyses the relationship between the drivers and outcomes (employee and performance outcomes) with the expected direction of the relationship as visualised in the analytical framework (Figure 1.2). While the framework illustrates the expected direction of these relationships, the available dataset does not allow for testing or drawing definitive causal conclusions. The directional arrows in the framework reflect the most commonly identified directions of the relationships in the academic literature. However, it is important to note that many of these relationships can be bidirectional (Cristian et al, 2011[2]). For example, a positive innovation climate can foster greater employee engagement, but engaged employees can also contribute to a stronger innovation climate (Kwon and Kim, 2020[3]). Similarly, employees with higher levels of well-being often report more favourable perceptions of leadership and management, suggesting that outcomes may also influence perceptions of the workplace environment. While this survey round does not support causal inference, future survey waves that replicate the same measures over time, enabling longitudinal or lagged analysis, could provide stronger evidence to test the model’s assumptions.
1.2.1. Employee Engagement and Well-being
Chapter 2 takes a detailed view of employee engagement and well-being and examines how different aspects of employees’ experiences drives these outcomes. This chapter also provides insights into the use of sick leave, turnover intentions and experiences of harassment and discrimination. Figure 1.3 summarises the key aspects of employees’ work experience (the drivers) that significantly enhance employee engagement and well-being (employee outcomes), along with their relative impact on these outcomes.
Note: The figure presents the statistically significant drivers of employee engagement and well-being based on separate mixed-effects regression models that control for gender, age, education, contract type (temporary/permanent), working pattern (full-time/part-time), managerial status, organisation size, tenure, and country fixed effects. The positioning of the drivers indicates their relative impact—referring to the estimated effect of each driver on the engagement or well-being score, while controlling for the influence of all other drivers, as well as demographic and organisational variables. With the exception of remote work, the effect sizes represent the change in engagement or well-being when moving from one response category to the next (e.g., from “strongly disagree” to “disagree”). For remote work, the effect reflects the change from never working remotely to working remotely either weekly or occasionally.
* Weekly remote work has negative statistical effect on employee engagement. The relationship is positive for all other drivers.
Source: The Standard EU/OECD Survey of Central Government Public Servants
The analysis of the survey results finds that learning and development is the most influential driver of employee engagement, followed by senior leadership (Figure 1.3). Learning and development provide employees with opportunities to build their skills and progress in their careers, which, in turn, can enhance their motivation and commitment to the organisation, as well as increase their job satisfaction and sense of purpose. Fulfilling careers that support lifelong learning are important for developing and retaining highly skilled workforces. This relationship is explored further in Chapter 4. Senior leadership plays a crucial role in setting the organisation’s vision and direction and shaping the organisational culture, both of which are essential for fostering engagement. This relationship is explored further in Chapter 5.
Learning and development are also the most influential driver of employee well-being, followed by management (Figure 1.3). Learning and development are crucial for well-being, as continuous learning equips employees with the necessary skills to build resilience, adapt to change and manage workplace pressures. Line management also plays a pivotal role by determining workload, providing feedback and creating an environment of psychological safety where employees feel comfortable voicing their opinion and contributing to the betterment of their workplace. The third most influential driver is employment security, which is currently at a high level. Given its strong impact, a decline in satisfaction with employment security could have significant consequences for overall well-being. This relationship is explored further in Chapter 6.
1.2.2. Team and organisational performance
Chapter 3 extends this analysis by examining how both the drivers and employee outcomes influence performance outcomes, namely perceived team and organisational performance as well as management of individual underperformers. Figure 1.4 summarises the key aspects of employees’ work experience (the drivers) that significantly enhance perceptions of team and organisational performance, along with their relative impact on these outcomes.
Note: The figure presents the statistically significant drivers of team and organisational performance based on separate mixed-effects regression models that control for gender, age, education, contract type (temporary/permanent), working pattern (full-time/part-time), managerial status, organisation size, tenure, and country fixed effects. The positioning of the drivers indicates their relative impact—referring to the estimated effect of each driver on the engagement or well-being score, while controlling for the influence of all other drivers, as well as demographic and organisational variables. With the exception of remote work, the effect sizes represent the change in engagement or well-being when moving from one response category to the next (e.g., from “strongly disagree” to “disagree”). For remote work, the effect reflects the change from never working remotely to working remotely either weekly or occasionally.
* Pay satisfaction has a negative statistical relationship with team and organisational performance.
Source: The Standard EU/OECD Survey of Central Government Public Servants
Line managers are the most influential driver of team performance, followed by employee engagement (Figure 1.4). Supportive and capable managers provide clear direction and support to employees in achieving individual and team objectives. Meanwhile, engaged employees are motivated to excel in their roles and support team goals more broadly, contributing to the team's overall success. This relationship is explored further in Chapter 5.
Innovation climate is the most influential driver of organisational performance, followed by senior leadership (Figure 1.4). These drivers, which operate at the organisational level, have broad, top-down impacts on the organisation by shaping the overarching conditions within which individual employees work. This highlights the critical role of strategic organisational elements in shaping performance outcomes. This relationship is explored further in Chapter 4.
1.3.1. Public sector transformation remains the toughest leadership challenge
Results of this survey provides insights for leaders of public service organisations. Previous OECD work on public service leadership has emphasised their role in leading transformations (Gerson, 2020[4]). Leaders are expected to set a direction for change and align organisational resources and incentives to enable their workforce to translate that vision into reality. This brings into focus the necessity for leaders to develop their workforce and bring them along with the change they are leading. However, findings from this survey highlight that transformation remains the most challenging element of leadership to get right.
While 57% of employees agree that their senior leadership clearly articulates the direction and priorities of the organisation, only 44% agree that they are effectively of leading this change. Furthermore, only 42% of surveyed employees believe that their senior leadership will take action based on the survey results, implying low levels of trust that leadership is willing and/or able to enact positive organisational change. While this suggests room for improvement, it should also be noted that 32% of those surveyed selected neutral responses (neither agree nor disagree) to the change management question, which may suggest that senior leaders’ transformational practices are not visible to them. Leaders may benefit from making these practices more visible and improving employees’ understanding of the work they are doing in these areas.
Leaders need to rely on their skilled and committed workforce to make transformation happen, and here too the survey highlight opportunities for improvement. For example, only around 50% of employees feel that their judgement is trusted by senior leaders or that their work is recognised and appreciated. Furthermore, only 52% agree that their organisation provides regular opportunities to improve the digital skills of employees. These findings are particularly important as they are shown to have a significant impact on employee engagement, and hence employee’s personal productivity and readiness to engage as partners in transformational initiatives.
Leaders also need to be politically impartial, yet trusted advisors of political decision making to design and implement transformations that will work and be sustainable over time. Less than half (42%) of public employees agree that their senior leaders provide evidence-based advice to political leadership, even if it goes against their political position. How senior leaders carry out and communicate their role as public service stewards to employees further signals how employees understand the value of their work and their organisations.
1.3.2. Employees can help leaders improve the functioning of public organisations
While many leaders focus their transformational efforts on developing new public policies and services, employees, through their responses in this survey, highlight opportunities to improve the internal functioning of public organisations. Overall, employees are cautiously optimistic about the future, with 56% agreeing their organisation is ready and able to take on new and emerging challenges, and 14% disagreeing. However, less than half of employees feel that their organisation is quick to respond when changes need to be made (40%) or makes best use of technology (38%). Furthermore, around a third feel that their organisation effectively resources innovation projects (36%) or has a sufficiently flexible regulatory framework to incorporate new ideas (31%). Half of surveyed employees feel that the rules and procedures in place make it difficult and complicated to work efficiently and effectively. These findings point to significant opportunities for leaders to focus on improving the way their organisation functions, by reviewing and updating rules and procedures and implementing new technologies to speed up decision making and responsiveness.
One way to complement this activity is to ensure that employees have opportunities to contribute their knowledge and experience to innovation projects. The survey finds that employees who have participated in innovation implementation are more likely to view their organisation’s innovation climate positively. This may suggest the existence of a virtuous cycle and an opportunity to use short term assignments and mobility to give employees opportunities to engage in innovative projects. However, only around one third of employees feel that mobility is effectively supported in their organisation.
1.3.3. Leaders can attract and retain employees by emphasising opportunities for professional growth, linked to mission
The results of this survey provide useful insights for public administrations seeking to better attract and retain critical talent for a high performing public service workforce.
Over half of employes recommend their organisation as a good place to work (57%) reflecting that the majority of employees are relatively engaged with their work and satisfied with their jobs. Most employees are mission-driven – identifying with the mission of their organisations (67.9%), are proud to work there (60%), and feel a sense of accomplishment (60%). Emphasising organisational mission and impact is likely a powerful element in any policy to attract and retain needed employees.
For leaders aiming to retain key skills, the strong relationship between employee engagement and retention highlights how efforts to engage employees can significantly reduce their intentions to leave. Encouragingly, only 13% of employees declare an intent to leave their organisations in the 12 months. Where employees do want to leave, they typically cite better pay (47.5% of those intending to leave) and poor management (44.3%) as primary reasons. Consideration of pay structures and investing in strengthening managerial capability is one means by which high-performing talent can be retained.
Additionally, the survey results highlight the importance of learning and development for employee engagement. However, only half of employees feel they are growing professionally. Results further demonstrate that investing in employees’ digital skills and offering mobility opportunities can also significantly enhance feelings of engagement. Taking a more intentional approach to these tools—and communicating them clearly in recruitment materials—can help attract and retain capabilities needed for a high performing workforce.
1.3.4. Maintaining public service capability is essential, especially when faced with budgetary pressures
One of the most significant transformational challenges facing public service leaders in many OECD countries is how to meet increasing budgetary pressures while still maintaining, or even boosting, public service capability and productivity. The survey contains insights that can inform smart reform strategies. For example, only 41% of employees feel that their organisation uses their resources efficiently, suggesting that employees may have practical and untapped ideas for improving efficiency.
Previous OECD studies (OECD, 2016[5]) have shown how public sector austerity negatively impacts learning and development, career growth, pay and perceptions of job stability. This survey shows how each of these elements are significantly related to employee engagement, and thereby to the commitment and productivity of individual public servants. The survey also shows that public servants are working hard, with heavy workloads and are already at risk of negative health effects in many countries – half of the respondents feel exhausted at the end of the day, while more than a quarter (29%) report feeling burnt out.
Therefore, the challenge for public service leaders is to reshape the workforce while maintaining high levels of engagement and well-being. This includes maintaining job satisfaction, supporting professional development and managing workloads. One approach is to align workforce planning with broader organisational and technological changes, identifying tasks that can be streamlined or redefined while providing employees with appropriate opportunities for upskilling or reskilling into these emerging or redefined functions. While this may lead to gradual workforce shifts, the focus remains on building capability and supporting staff through these transitions. These themes will be further explored as part of the OECD’s ongoing work on restoring public finances.
The data used in this report was collected from May to June 2024 for seven of the eight countries, and from September to October for Belgium. Part of the survey was also run in Denmark from November to December and in Norway from October to November 2024. The survey targeted public servants working in central government ministries and agencies in the participating countries1. The final sample size comprises 51 761 valid responses from the eight project countries, and 56 9802 valid responses when counting the responses of Denmark3 and Norway who implemented part of the questionnaire through their own surveys. The data collection was conducted through online anonymous surveys. All surveys were conducted in the country’s national language(s).
All aggregate data presented in this report is weighted using equal country weights to ensure that each country is equally represented, regardless of the sample size. The questionnaire including detailed information on the survey design, data collection processes, data cleaning procedures, index methodology, and data analysis approach can be found in the technical documentation supporting the 2024 EU/OECD Survey of Public Servants (see Annex A).
The Figure 1.5 shows the distribution of employees across a range of demographic variables. It shows that the sample of employees, are mostly women (69%), the vast majority have a permanent employment contract (91%), work full-time (93%), are highly educated with the majority holding a master’s degree or equivalent (60%). The largest group of employees are in the age range of 46-55 years old (30%), the majority are relatively new to their organisation with a tenure between 1-5 years (28%) and 80% are non-managerial staff.
Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding adjustments. Averages are normalised, giving equal weight to each country regardless of sample size.
Source: The Standard EU/OECD Survey of Central Government Public Servants
1. excluding public servants employed by state, territorial, regional, and municipal governments. Furthermore, state-owned enterprises, public corporations, and government-owned non-profit institutions were not included in the survey. Additionally, it excluded government-employed doctors and nurses working in hospitals, teachers, police officers, judges, firefighters, and military personnel (with the exception of civilian military staff).
2. Samples sizes by country: Belgium (n=5 175), Bulgaria (n=11,770), Croatia (n=4 261), Latvia (n=7 261), Lithuania (n=12 521), Slovak Republic (n= 1 771), Slovenia (n=4 148), the Netherlands (n=4 854), Denmark (n=767), Norway (n=4 452)
3. The survey was distributed via Digital Post, a secure public communication channel used for correspondence between citizens and the government, unlike in the other countries, where respondents received the survey through their work email address.
The following policy considerations offer a strategic starting point for leaders and managers seeking to strengthen public service development. These recommendations are grounded in the analysis presented throughout the report and are intended to provoke reflection and guide action. While not exhaustive, they highlight key areas where targeted interventions can foster more responsive, resilient, and effective public service systems.
1.4.1. Employee engagement and well-being
Enhancing learning and development activities, including supporting mobility and career growth, can result in improvements in both employee engagement and well-being. As the strongest driver of both employee engagement and well-being, investing in learning and development could lead to significant improvements in these areas. The overall satisfaction with learning and development is at 58.3, slightly above neutral, which means there is room for improvement.
Strengthening leadership and management is another important area of focus. Senior leadership is the second strongest driver of employee engagement, playing a key role in shaping organisational direction and culture. Line managers, meanwhile, are the second strongest driver of employee well-being, directly influencing employees’ daily work. Currently, senior leadership presents the greatest opportunity for improvement, with a satisfaction score of 60.3, standing at 10 percentage points lower than line managers at 71.8.
Improving engagement reduces excessive turnover, which can disrupt workflows and increase recruitment and training costs. Employees with higher engagement levels are less likely to cite negative reasons to leave their organisation, such as poor management or a lack of interesting work. However, they are more likely to leave for positive reasons, such as career progression, suggesting a rather healthy turnover.
The fact that over 40% of respondents report feeling burned out underlines the importance of implementing comprehensive well-being initiatives that go beyond physical health to address mental, emotional, and social well-being. Promoting open communication, recognition, and inclusive management practices can also contribute to a healthier and more resilient workforce, ultimately reducing absenteeism and improving overall organisational performance.
1.4.2. Team and organisational performance
Organisations should regularly review existing policies and procedures within their organisation to reduce bureaucracy. Feedback from employees suggests that, particularly in extra-large organisations, current processes frustrate effective and efficient performance. Regularly reviewing policies and processes is important for ensuring that they remain relevant and appropriate, as well as for reducing bottlenecks.
Employees feel less positively about their organisation’s ability to respond quickly when change is needed. Organisations should consider enhancing mechanisms for bottom-up innovation and the sharing of employee views on necessary change can help ensure that change priorities are informed by both high-level strategy and the unique insights of employees on day-to-day operations. This can enhance environmental scanning and strategic planning, enabling better responsiveness to the evolving operational context.
Senior leadership plays an important role in shaping employees’ perceptions of their organisation’s performance. Organisations should consider how senior leaders can highlight organisational achievements and efforts related to continuous improvement, including monitoring and evaluation. This may help strengthen employee perceptions of organisational performance.
Managers are integral to the effective performance of teams. Organisations can strengthen management capability and accountability for team performance by investing in targeted training, providing practical resources (e.g. handbooks), and aligning performance agreements of managers to incentivise team outcomes and staff development. Organisations should also consider how the administrative burden of addressing performance issues for managers may be addressed including streamlining processes and providing clear guidance to managers on appropriate interventions, timing and documentation.
1.4.3. Leadership and management
Senior leaders who communicate a clear direction, manage change effectively, and show trust and appreciation for employees are associated with higher engagement and more positive perceptions of organisational performance. This highlights the importance of supportive, communicative leadership styles that empower employees and make change visible. Since change management is one of the lowest-scoring dimensions of the senior management index, this could be an area to improve upon.
Enhance the visibility of senior leadership and organisational responsiveness by encouraging senior leaders to recognise employee contributions, clearly communicate organisational direction and priorities, and make change efforts visible. These behaviours are linked to higher engagement and improved perceptions of performance. Strengthening supportive and transparent communication may help strengthen change management and transformation practices.
Sustaining strong team performance requires continued investment in managerial capabilities particularly in the areas of effective planning and inclusive talent management. Supporting manager with practical tools can also help build these skills. Providing guidance to managers on how to clearly communicate decisions, have career conversations with staff and structure workflows may further help to embed learning.
Identify visible, quick to implement actions and communicate them clearly to demonstrate that survey feedback is being acted upon. When employees see their input leading to meaningful change, it reinforces their sense that their feedback matters and strengthens trust in leadership. Moreover, visible follow-up actions can help maintain or even increase participation in future survey rounds.
Ensuring that employees have the necessary supports to work autonomously and allow for clear delegation of tasks. When managed effectively, job autonomy can improve employee engagement. However, greater autonomy also means greater responsibility, making a supportive environment, both in terms of well-being but also clear expectations, appropriate access to information and fair treatment is essential to fully realise its benefits.
1.4.4. Learning, development, and innovation
Efforts to strengthen and leverage innovation climate to support organisational performance should include a focus on the mechanisms to institutionalise past learnings to enhance planning and adaptive capabilities without introducing additional bureaucracy. Interventions like central risk registries, information repositories, and regular retrospectives among others, can help enhance institutional capacity to learn from past problems without introducing additional approval processes.
Efforts to strengthen and leverage learning and development to support organisational performance should include a focus on investing in employees’ digital capabilities and creating and supporting mobility. Job rotations, temporary assignments, task forces provide opportunities for organisations to leverage existing skills while further developing skills of employees. Mobility also provides opportunities to involve underrepresented staff groups in innovation efforts and support building a more innovative culture. By building in-demand skills internally and creating mechanisms to leverage existing skills organisations can better respond to emerging trends and new demands.
Employees feel more engaged when they are growing professionally and developing in-demand skills. Organisations should consider how this can be leveraged when implementing upskilling and reskilling efforts. By framing these programmes as supporting long-term career and professional development, organisations can improve participation and engagement, particularly for voluntary opportunities.
Organisations should consider integrating informal learning and knowledge management mechanism to complement existing training. While important for engagement and perceived organisational performance, access to and quality of learning activities were the least influential dimensions of learning and development. Strengthening informal, experiential learning mechanisms can help to support a more holistic approach to staff development.
1.4.5. Pay, working conditions and remote working arrangements
The findings indicate that increasing pay satisfaction could boost employee engagement and reduce intentions to leave the organisation. Although raising pay will not be feasible or desirable in many countries, the results highlight the usefulness of conducting comparative analysis to identify existing pay gaps with the private sector and using the available pay envelope as a strategic tool to boost perceptions of pay fairness and satisfaction for key roles where attraction and retention risks are high.
As many governments look to identify efficiency savings to restore public finances, the survey identifies a risk that pay cuts and reforms to overall employment security could lead to lower, and hence lower workforce productivity. While workforce reductions are sometimes necessary, the challenge is to design them in ways that limit the direct threat to the remaining employees’ perceptions of their job stability and pay satisfaction. For example, workforce strategy could be focused on reducing the size, but improving the skill of the workforce, thereby reducing redundant roles and simultaneously investing in new skills and mobility opportunities for the remaining workforce.
Offering some flexible working opportunities could help attract and retain talent. Around half of employees aged 55 or younger would prefer to work remotely more often, while fewer than 3% across all age groups wish to do so less. Younger employees not only work remotely most frequently but also express the strongest desire to do so even more. This highlights the opportunity to tailor flexible arrangements in the public sector, to find the right balance for operational coherence and employee flexibility. Findings also highlight the importance of ensuring that managers are well prepared to support flexible working, as among all aspects of the remote work environment, the strongest driver of both engagement and well-being is managers' trust in employees.
References
[1] Bakker, A. and E. Demerouti (2017), “Job demands–resources theory: Taking stock and looking forward.”, Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, Vol. 22/3, pp. 273-285, https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000056.
[2] Cristian et al (2011), “Work engagement: A quantitative review and test of its relations with task and contextual performance”, Personnel Psychology, Vol. 64/1, pp. 89-136, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2010.01203.x.
[4] Gerson, D. (2020), “Leadership for a high performing civil service: Towards senior civil service systems in OECD countries”, OECD Working Papers on Public Governance, No. 40, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/ed8235c8-en.
[3] Kwon, K. and T. Kim (2020), “An integrative literature review of employee engagement and innovative behavior: Revisiting the JD-R model”, Human Resource Management Review, Vol. 30/2, p. 100704, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2019.100704.
[5] OECD (2016), Engaging Public Employees for a High-Performing Civil Service, OECD Public Governance Reviews, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264267190-en.