iMatter Survey 2022: demographic data exploration

Change

Change Experienced

Questions were first asked about change that staff had experienced in the circa 6 months prior to completing the survey in the 2020 Everyone Matters Pulse Survey (EMPS). The questions were asked in recognition of huge impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on both professional and personal lives. As that change was still ongoing for many, the questions were asked again in iMatter 2021 and 2022. It is recognised that the interpretation of this question may have changed as society has returned to normality post-Covid.

While this analysis is focused on demographic profile data, we saw evidence in 2020 of a relationship between certain demographic attributes and the nature of change experienced and so the topic is explored again in 2022.

The incidence of staff experiencing change is now 41%. This is a considerable reduction from the 63% who had experienced change in 2021.

This may be because life is returning to pre-pandemic norms, both in the workplace and for staff personally. It may also be because change experienced during the pandemic has now been adopted as the 'new normal'. For example, working from home more may no longer be considered a change as it has become a part of normal working life for some staff.

Overall the demographic profile of staff experiencing change is similar to that of staff not experiencing change. Where there are small differences they are typically less than one percentage point. The areas where there are some slightly larger differences between staff experiencing change or not are:

• Those experiencing change are slightly older with 30% aged 55 years and over, compared to 28% of those not experiencing change
• 54% of staff experienced change are married compared to 56% of those who did not experience change
• Simlarly 54% of staff experiencing change are without religion compared to 57% of those who did not
• Staff experiencing change are more likely to be disabled (8% compared to 5%).

Type of Change Experienced

Work Changes

Across changes in work circumstances there has been a reduction in all types of change experienced,wth the largest falls in the percentage of staff working in different locations and/or working from home more than usual.

There are some variations in the demographic profile of staff experiencing each type of work change (full details are provided in Appendix 6):

• Staff with disabilities and those aged 45 years and over are more likely to be working from home more than usual
• Staff aged 25 – 54 years are more likely to be reassigned to a different Board. This is then reflected in a greater proportion of staff who have never married or been in a civil partnership reassigned to a different Board. 24% of those reassigned to a different Board are male, compared to 20% of all staff responding

Note: Whilst comparative data is shown in this section, the time periods staff were asked to consider varied each year, which may lead to variations in some data. For example, the proportion experiencing a life event will be likely to vary as a direct result of the different time frames referenced:

• EMPS 2020: typically 6 months (from pandemic start in March to the survey in September)
• iMatter 2021: the time period was longer for most staff (from September 2020 to the time of completing the survey up to September 2021)
• iMatter 2022: typically around 9 to 10 months (September 2021 to survey completion up to early August 2022)

Personal Changes

Personal changes, previously amplified by Covid-19 restrictions (e.g. children at home, household members furloughed, supporting vulnerable relatives etc.) all reduced greatly in 2022. The one change that has seen a comsiderable increase in 2022 is the proportion of staff who have tested positive for Covid-19.

There are some variations in the demographic profile of staff experiencing types of personal change (full details are provided in Appendix 6):

• Older staff are more likely to have care responsibilities (34% are 55 years and over), have lost someone close to them (34% are 55 years and over) or be shielding (43% are 55 years and over).
• As might be expected, those with pre-school children at home are younger (42% are aged under 35 years) and more likely to have been on maternity/parental leave (34%).
• 32% of those who have been shielding consider themselves disabled.
• 17% of staff who have suffered physcial or mental ill health have disabilities

Impact of Change on Staff Experience

Staff who have experienced change, rate their overall experience at work lower than those who have not experienced change. This may be a direct or indirect relationship, with the change potentially impacting life satisfaction as well as workplace experience.

Looking in more detail at the individual component scores the pattern is quite consistent with most scoring lower among those who have experienced change. The difference is typically smallest within My Team/My Line Manager:

• Experience as an Individual: All components are 3 or 4 points lower for those who have experienced change
• My Team/Line Manager: Those who have experienced change rate 2 or 3 pts lower, except "I feel involved in decisions relating to my team" which is 4 pts lower.
• My Organisation: Most components are 3 to 4 pts lower among those who have experienced change, except "I have confidence & trust in Board members" which is 5 pts lower and "I understand how my role contributes to my organisation's goals", just 1 pt lower.

The type of change experienced has a differing level of impact on overall experience, with those suffering physical or mental ill-health scoring lowest and those reassigned to a different board scoring highest.

Note: this analysis does not account for the impact of individuals experiencing multiple different types of change.
Staff working from home more than usual do not differ greatly in demographic profile from the overall Health & Social Care profile. However, some staff groupings have an above average proportion of staff who say they are working from home more than usual:

• NHSScotland Senior Managers 19%
• Local Authority Adult Services 15%
• Local Authority Children's Services 19%
• Local Authority Criminal Justice 20%
• Local Authority Strategic Development 21%

Staff who have been reassigned to a different Board tend to be younger (32% are aged under 35 years). They are also more likely to be male (24%).

17% of Staff who have experienced (non-Covid) mental or physical ill-health are disabled, but otherwise have a demographic profile that is very similar to Health and Social Care overall.

As noted previously, staff with care responsibilities tend to be older (34% are 55 years and over) and 12% are themselves disabled.