Recruitment Retention Training Performance Development Payroll
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Survey Partners Managing Staff Support Services in Education Survey Report 2017 Human Resources Retention Payroll Training Performance Recruitment Development Contents The Survey 3 Survey Methodology and Respondents Profile 4 Key Findings 5 Conclusion 13 Appendix 1: Full Survey Questions 15 Appendix 2: Participating Organisations 22 Acknowledgements The survey team at iGov Survey would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those who were kind enough to take part - and especially to those who found the time to offer additional insight through their extra comments. We would also like to thank our partner, Selima, for their assistance in compiling the survey questions, scrutinising the responses and analysing the results. Managing Staff Support Services in Education 2017 is © copyright iGov Survey. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, all rights including those in copyright in the content of this publication are owned by or controlled for these purposes by iGov Survey. Except as otherwise expressly permitted under copyright law or iGov Survey’s Terms of Use, the content of this publication are owned by or controlled may not be copied, reproduced, republished, downloaded, posted, broadcast or transmitted in any way without first obtaining iGov Survey’s written permission or that of the copyright owner. To contact the iGov Survey team: Email: [email protected] Tel: 0845 094 9567 Address: FAO Sandra Peet, Ingenium IDS Ltd, Mansion House, Wellington Road South, Stockport, Cheshire, SK1 3UA Page 2! of 23! Managing Staff Support Services in Education 2017 The Survey Ensuring staff members are fully supported in schools and colleges across the UK is crucial. Not only must they ensure that the correct people with the necessary skills are hired, but as competitiveness between education institutions to recruit and retain the best candidates grows, they must also ensure that experienced staff remain in post. The growing strain on budgets and staffing requirements present a further headache for today's education leaders. According to a recent study by the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT)1, 72% of schools fear their budgets will be unsustainable by 2019, and cite increasing payroll costs as a major contributing factor. Furthermore, the report follows an announcement that revealed roughly 20% extra teachers will need to be recruited as examiners by 2019 as a result of rising student numbers and changes to qualifications2. This raises a key challenge - with teachers under increasing pressure to deliver large workloads, it is now more important than ever that schools and colleges ensure their staff are fully supported and their needs are met. In light of these challenges, iGov Survey have partnered with Selima, a leading developer of HR and payroll software, to examine how schools and colleges are supporting their staff. It considered: • how schools and colleges currently manage their HR and payroll functions; • the level of access to support services available to staff members; and • the strategies they employ for staff recruitment and retention 1 The National Association of Head Teachers (2017), ‘Breaking Point: A report of the school funding crisis in 2016/17’ [Online]. Accessed at: http://www.naht.org.uk/welcome/news-and-media/key-topics/funding/breaking-point-a-report-of-the-school-funding-crisis-in-2016-17/ (page visited on 26th January 2017) 2 Burns, J (2017) ‘Thousands of teachers needed to mark new GCSEs and A-Levels, says report’ [Online]. Accessed at: http:// www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-38689915 (page visited 26th January 2017) Page 3! of 23! Managing Staff Support Services in Education 2017 Survey Methodology and Respondents Profile This survey was conducted by iGov Survey in partnership with Selima. The project ran from Monday 10th October to Monday 7th November 2016. Survey respondents represented a broad cross-section of roles across schools, colleges of further education and multi-academy trusts. This included: Administration and HR Manager, Assistant Bursar (Business & Finance), Assistant Principal for Human Resources, Bursar, Business Director, Business Support Manager, Chief Operating Officer, Deputy Head, Director of Business & Finance, Director of Continuous Improvement, Director of Finance and Operations, Director of HR, Executive Headteacher, Finance and Business Director, Group Director HR and OD, Group Human Resources Operations Manager, Head of Human Resources & Legal Services, Head of ICT Department, Head of Information Systems, Headmistress, HR & Payroll Manager, HR & Recruitment Manager, Human Resources Adviser, Personnel Officer APT&C, Principal and Chief Executive, Resources Director, School Manager, Senior Deputy Head, and Support Services Co-ordinator. 212 individuals from 202 unique organisations participated in the survey, each of whom will have received a complimentary copy of the findings report. There was no inducement to take part in the survey, and Selima was not introduced as the survey partner. The results displayed throughout this report are based on those who fully completed the questionnaire and are displayed as a percentage of this group, unless explicitly stated otherwise. FIGURE 1: Sector Breakdown (%) 24% Colleges of Further Education 40% Multi-Academy Trusts 3% Independent Schools Primary Schools 15% Secondary Schools 18% Page 4! of 23! Managing Staff Support Services in Education 2017 Key Findings 99% of survey participants believe that keeping comprehensive staff records is important This includes information such as absence data, training and qualifications. There were no participants in our study who disagreed with this statement. While this is perhaps not surprising given the importance of ensuring education staff are fully trained and productive, it is good to see an overall recognition of the vital requirement for data. FIGURE 2: To what extent do you agree with the following 1% statement: It is important for us to keep comprehensive records of staff such as absence information, training and qualifications. 26% Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree 73% Strongly disagree However, while many acknowledge the importance of data collection, the management of data can present problems. Over half of our participants (54%) told us that they are faced with a challenge to ensure staff data is accurate and up-to-date within their payroll solution, and 45% struggle to prevent or limit the effect of human error. Further challenges include avoiding the duplication of data (25%), providing data in the right format (21%) and accessing the historical payroll data (21%). FIGURE 3: In terms of your payroll solution, which areas in the following list do you believe present a challenge for your school or college? Please tick all that apply. Ensuring staff data is accurate and up-to-date Providing data in the right format Avoiding the duplication of data Preventing or limiting the effects of human error Accessing historical payroll data Providing staff access to payslips Other - please specify Don’t know 0% 15% 30% 45% 60% Page 5! of 23! Managing Staff Support Services in Education 2017 Over a third (38%) of participants find it takes over eight hours a month to collate and provide the necessary data to payroll A further 28% told us that they spend between four and eight hours collating and providing the data, including staff hours, pay changes and expenses claims. The long periods of time being spent on this task could be associated with the way in which HR records are being stored. Two-thirds (66%) told us they use a combination approach to storing their date, which sees records stored via paper, spreadsheets, database software and HR software. The variety of locations may account for the time delays, as data must be pulled from numerous locations before it can be provided. FIGURE 4: On average, how much time is spent per month by your department collating data to provide to payroll such as staff hours, pay changes and expenses claims? Less than 4 hours per month 4 to 8 hours per month 8 to 16 hours per month More than 16 hours per month Other - please specify Don’t know 0% 10% 20% 30% FIGURE 5: How does your school or college store its HR records? Paper-based software Spreadsheets Database software HR software A combination of above Other - please specify Don’t know 0% 14% 28% 42% 56% 70% Page 6! of 23! Managing Staff Support Services in Education 2017 In contrast, the most common approach to providing a payroll function is via a third- party provider (36%). This is closely followed by those who manage the function in-house (33%), and those whose payroll is managed by their local authority (27%). FIGURE 6: How is your payroll function managed within your school or college? Payroll is managed in-house Payroll is managed by a third- party provider Payroll is managed by our local authority Other - please specify Don’t know 0% 8% 16% 24% 32% 40% Page 7! of 23! Managing Staff Support Services in Education 2017 The most common staffing challenge across our participants is recruitment and retention issues (53%) This is closely followed by 41% who found difficulties in managing change, and just under a third (32%) who have identified a key skills gap within their organisation. FIGURE 7: In your opinion, what are the biggest staffing challenges facing your school or college? Please tick all that apply. Key skills gap Lack of effective management Low employee management Recruitment and retention issues Lack of clear guidance and Human Resource (HR) policies Poor performance management Employee relation issues Managing change High levels of absence Other - please specify Don’t know 0% 15% 30% 45% 60% Given the common issue of recruitment and retention, it is perhaps not surprising to see that the strategies taken to combat this are varied. When asked what they felt were the key factors to staff retention, the majority of participants (89%) felt that investing in training to develop new skills was the top contributing factor.