Tag: survey

TUC: 8 in 10 workers have experienced abuse at work in past year

  • New TUC survey findings published today reveal 8 in 10 workers have experienced abuse at work in the past year 
  • 45% of surveyed workers have experienced threats of physical harm in the last 12 months 
  • TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak says “ministers must prioritise HSE funding to keep workers safe”  

A new survey published by the TUC today (Friday) shows 8 in 10 surveyed workers have experienced some form of abuse at work in the last year. The findings, based on a survey of 5,004 workers, show that in the last 12 months: 

  • 1 in 5 (19.4%) have experienced physical assault  
  • 1 in 10 (9.9%) have experienced sexual harassment or sexual violence at work 
  • 8 in 10 (79.1%) have experienced verbal abuse such as shouting, insults or threats at work 
  • 4 in 10 (44.9%) have experienced threats of physical harm  

The report is published as the TUC holds its Violence at Work conference today, established following concerns from unions about violence and abuse against public-facing workers. 

More than 8 in 10 (84.1 %) of respondents said their roles are public facing.  

The report finds:  

  • 11.8% work in education 
  • 38.9% work in transport 
  • 9.9% work in prisons or secure facilities 
  • 4.9% work in health and social care 
  • 14.9% work in central or local government  

When asked how regularly they experience violence or abuse at work, more than half of workers (51.4%) said they experience violence or abuse weekly or more, while 17.1% said they experienced violence or abuse on a monthly basis. 

When asked who is responsible for the violence and/or abuse workers have experienced: 

  • 45.9% said customers were the perpetrators 
  • 36.4% said passengers 
  • 15.2% said other members of the public 
  • 10.9% said pupils or students 
  • 9.2% said colleagues 
  • 8.5% said managers  

When asked about the impact of the most severe incidents they have experienced, 48.7%% said they feared for their safety, 13.9% said they experienced physical injury, 8.9% required medical treatment, 26.2% required police involvement, 16.8% had to take time off work, while 32.8% experienced mental trauma. 

More than half (51.9%) of those who did not report it said it was because violence is seen as “part of the job”, while 33.7% said they felt it would not be taken seriously. 

Health and Safety Executive 

The TUC says employers have a legal duty to keep staff safe at work and all employers must assess the health and safety risks in their workplaces. 

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) can prosecute employers who do not manage the risks of violence. 

HSE inspectors play a vital role in keeping workplaces safe. 

But the TUC says the HSE has been left “struggling to operate” due to the “devastating” impact of cuts under the Tory government. 

The HSE – the country’s main workplace health and safety regulator – has seen its funding cut by more than 50% since 2010. 

As a result, inspector numbers, inspections, and employer sanctions are at an all-time low – putting workers at risk.  

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “It doesn’t matter what you do for a living – violence at work is never ‘part of the job’. 

“Nobody should go to work fearing for their safety, but that is the reality for thousands of our vital frontline workers. 

“The Tories left the HSE in tatters and left the current government cleaning up their mess. But ministers must reinvest in the HSE, so we have more inspectors visiting workplaces and enforcing safety rules. 

“My message to anyone worried about their safety and welfare at work is to join a union. We know that unionised workplaces are safer because union reps work with employers to reduce risks.”

CPAG Survey on Two Child Cap

SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE

The Child Poverty Action Group (UK) – CPAG are carrying out research to understand the impact of the two child policy on children and family life prior to abolition of the policy in April.

This is so they can conduct further comparative research later in the year on the impact of getting rid of the policy.

It would really help them if you can spare a few minutes to answer some questions about your experience of the two child limit.

They want to hear from parents who are not receiving tax credits or universal credit for a child born after April 6 2017.

The survey should take less than 5 minutes to complete.

No information will be used that could identify anyone involved.

Take the survey here: https://f.mtr.cool/mvoinbqtdb

You can find more information about the Child Poverty Action Group here – https://f.mtr.cool/pambkzwiyp

If you can spare a few minutes we’d be really grateful 💚

Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre: Last chance to have your say

 Final Call – Survey Closes This Sunday!

We’re now in the consultation stage of our Community Asset Transfer, and this is your last chance to have your say before the survey closes this Sunday.

Every single response makes a real difference. The more people who take part, the stronger our case for securing the land our Centre sits on, and protecting it for the future of our community.

You can get involved by:

– Completing the online survey here: www.surveymonkey.com/r/drylaw
– Filling in a paper copy at the Centre
It only takes a few minutes, but your input helps us hugely.

Please take part and share this post to help us reach as many people as possible before Sunday!

Thank you for your continued support.

Coming Home: Share Your Views

A Coming Home Working Group has been set up to drive progress towards the Coming Home vision and mission for people with learning disabilities and complex needs and behaviours that challenge.

The group are developing an action plan, building on the recommendations in the Coming Home Implementation Report.

One of the workstreams is focusing on developing strategic approaches to skill up and strengthen community services (including integrated community teams, social care providers, school settings) and family carers to improve support for people with learning disabilities and complex support needs. 

This is with a particular emphasis on preventing service breakdown and building resilience in community services for people with complex needs and behaviours that challenge. Specialist skills are required across agencies to achieve complex and sustainable return to local community settings for those in hospital or out of areas, and also to prevent support breakdown.

The group would like your views on the knowledge and specialist skills that are needed by those providing support, both direct care and as organisations and services. In addition, information about access to training in these areas is requested.

The short survey closes on Thursday 30 October. This information will help develop recommendations in the next Coming Home action plan – so this is your chance to have your say! 

LAST CALL: Social Security Scotland survey

SURVEY CLOSES AT 6pm TONIGHT

There’s still time to take part in our survey about your experience with Social Security Scotland over the last year. The survey will close at 6pm on Wednesday 4 June. It takes around 10 to 15 minutes to complete.

If you have already taken part please ignore this email and accept a huge thank you from us for your help.

If you haven’t yet done so, you can take part in the survey online.

A dark mode-friendly version of the survey is also available.

Who can take part?

The survey is open to everyone who works with our clients or works in partnership with Social Security Scotland.

We would like to hear from as many people as possible. Please feel free to share the survey with others who deal with Social Security Scotland or work with our clients.

Confidentiality

Taking part is voluntary and your responses will be confidential. No one will be able to identify you in any of the reported results. Only people working in the research team will be able to see your responses.

What do we do with the results?

Your views are very important to us. They help us to understand if we are delivering the commitments of Our Charter and what improvements we can make. After the survey closes, researchers will analyse the results and publish a research report. We also survey our clients and our colleagues and all of this contributes to the Charter Measurement Framework results that we publish annually.

Further questions?

If there’s more we can do to help you take part, please let us know. You can contact us by emailing research@socialsecurity.gov.scot or you can phone our research helpline for free on 0800 029 4974, Monday to Friday, 9am to 3pm. 

Yours sincerely,

Charter Measurement and Client Panels Team

Social Security Scotland

Scots need to make more time for the great outdoors

Survey data from People’s Postcode Lottery reveals Scottish attitudes to their connection with nature

While the British weather can be a bit of a lottery, this Spring Bank Holiday (May 26, 2025) is a great opportunity to spend much-needed moments reconnecting with parks, woodlands and open spaces. 

This comes after a recent UK survey by People’s Postcode Lottery, where 45% of respondents in Scotland said they do not have enough time to enjoy the physical and mental health benefits of being in nature.  

Laura Chow, Head of Charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: “The survey highlights that more people would like to spend time outside enjoying nature, so I hope this bank holiday provides an opportunity for many to embrace the great outdoors in their local park or woodland. 

“The incredible plant species and wildlife in these areas offer a great way to reconnect with nature and enjoy its benefits.  

“Players of People’s Postcode Lottery raised more than £40 million in 2024 for charities working to protect wildlife and the natural world.” 

The UK-wide survey revealed attitudes, relationships and connections towards nature and the environment. Among these include attitudes towards lifestyle and environmental topics, including sustainability-focused practices.

Information from respondents living in Scottish postcodes found: 

  • 82% said they felt that spending time in nature was important to their overall wellbeing and mental health.
  • 49% said they only feel fairly connected to the environment around them. 
  • 17% spend intentional time outdoors once a month or less. 
  •  82% of respondents said spending time in nature is important to their overall wellbeing and mental health, and 45% said a lack of time was a key part of not being able to spend more time outside.  
  • 17% of people surveyed said they intentionally spend time outdoors in parks, forests or other natural spaces every day, while 35% said they spend time outdoors several times a week.
  • A staggering 17% of people saying they spend intentional time outdoors only once a month or less. 

Empowering people to get out more 

People’s Postcode Lottery supports a huge range of environmental charities, including  Woodland Trust, The Wildlife Trusts and Friends of the Earth. These organisations help protect and preserve nature so everyone can spend more time in green spaces, forests, parks and beaches across their own postcodes and beyond. 

You can get involved too; use this bank holiday to immerse yourself in nature, by taking on some nature trails with your family, organising a beach clean with your friends, or swapping your gym session for a run through your local park.

All of these are great ways to reconnect with the environment and benefit from the abundance of parks and open spaces available in your area. 

There’s now extra time to tell us about your experience with Social Security Scotland in 2024-25

We’re extending the closing date of our survey about your experience with Social Security Scotland over the last year. The survey will now close on Friday 30 May. It takes around 10 to 15 minutes to complete.

If you have already taken part please ignore this email and accept a huge thank you from us for your help.

If you haven’t yet done so, you can take part in the survey online.

A dark mode-friendly version of the survey is also available.

Who can take part?

The survey is open to everyone who works with our clients or works in partnership with Social Security Scotland.

We would like to hear from as many people as possible. Please feel free to share the survey with others who deal with Social Security Scotland or work with our clients.

Confidentiality

Taking part is voluntary and your responses will be confidential. No one will be able to identify you in any of the reported results. Only people working in the research team will be able to see your responses.

What do we do with the results?

Your views are very important to us. They help us to understand if we are delivering the commitments of Our Charter and what improvements we can make. After the survey closes, researchers will analyse the results and publish a research report. We also survey our clients and our colleagues and all of this contributes to the Charter Measurement Framework results that we publish annually.

Further questions?

If there’s more we can do to help you take part, please let us know. You can contact us by emailing research@socialsecurity.gov.scot or you can phone our research helpline for free on 0800 029 4974, Monday to Friday, 9am to 3pm. 

Yours sincerely,

Charter Measurement and Client Panels Team, Social Security Scotland

There’s still time to tell us about your experience with Social Security Scotland in 2024-25

There’s still time to take part in our survey about your experience of dealing with Social Security Scotland over the past year if you haven’t already done so.

The survey will close on Friday 16 May and takes around 10 to 15 minutes to complete.

You can take part in the survey online.

A dark mode-friendly version of the survey is also available.

If you have already taken part please ignore this email and accept a huge thanks for your help.

Who can take part?

The survey is open to everyone who works with our clients or works in partnership with Social Security Scotland.

We would like to hear from as many people as possible. Please feel free to share the survey with others who deal with Social Security Scotland or work with our clients.

Confidentiality

Taking part is voluntary and your responses will be confidential. No one will be able to identify you in any of the reported results. Only people working in the research team will be able to see your responses.

What do we do with the results?

Your views are very important to us. They help us to understand if we are delivering the commitments of Our Charter and what improvements we can make.

After the survey closes, researchers will analyse the results and publish a research report.

We also survey our clients and our colleagues and all of this contributes to the Charter Measurement Framework results that we publish annually.

Further questions?

If there’s more we can do to help you take part, please let us know.

You can contact us by emailing research@socialsecurity.gov.scot or you can phone our research helpline for free on 0800 029 4974, Monday to Friday, 9am to 3pm. 

Yours sincerely,

Charter Measurement and Client Panels Team

Social Security Scotland

BBC to take immediate action as it publishes independent review into culture

The review heard from around 2,500 employees and freelancers through one-to-one meetings, group discussions, a survey and written submissions

The BBC has said it will take immediate action to improve workplace culture, after publishing a comprehensive independent report. 

The report from Change Associates, led by Executive Chairman and Founder Grahame Russell, found no evidence of a toxic culture, but in a series of detailed findings and recommendations it highlighted key areas for improvement. 

The review heard from around 2,500 employees and freelancers; through one-to-one meetings, group discussions, a survey and written submissions. The review was commissioned by the BBC Board in August 2024, with work beginning in October. 

The report – published today – found the majority of people who work for the BBC are proud to do so and describe loving their jobs.  

Some staff, however, thought there were a minority of people at the BBC – both on and off-air – who were able to behave unacceptably without it being addressed. 

“Even though they are small in number, their behaviour creates large ripples which negatively impact the BBC’s culture and external reputation,” the report concludes. 

The BBC Board has fully accepted the report and its findings, as has BBC management. Both view it as a catalyst for meaningful change – to reinforce expectations around behaviour and act more decisively when standards are not met. 

BBC Chair Dr Shah told staff today: “There is a minority of people whose behaviour is simply not acceptable. And there are still places where powerful individuals – on and off screen – can abuse that power to make life for their colleagues unbearable.  

“The report makes several recommendations that prioritise action over procedural change – which is exactly right. It also addresses some deep-seated issues: for example, the need to make sure everyone can feel confident and not cowed about speaking up. 

“I support the idea that we need to reinforce the behavioural expectations and standards we have for everyone who works with or for the BBC.” 

He added: “In the end, it’s quite simple: if you are a person who is prepared to abuse power or punch down or behave badly, there is no place for you at the BBC.” 

Director-General Tim Davie said: “This report represents an important moment for the BBC and the wider industry. It provides clear, practical recommendations that we are committed to implementing at pace. I’m grateful to everyone who took part and contributed. 

“The action we are taking today is designed to change the experience of what it is to be at the BBC for everyone and to ensure the values we all sign up to when we arrive here – the values that, for most of us, are what made us want to come to the BBC in the first place – are lived and championed by the whole organisation each and every day.” 

The BBC is taking immediate action from today, including: 

  • Launching a refreshed and strengthened Code of Conduct, with specific guidance for on-air presenters. 
  • Implementing a more robust Disciplinary Policy, with updated examples of misconduct and clear consequences. 
  • Requiring all TV production partners to meet Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA) industry standards. 
  • Rolling out a new ‘Call It Out’ campaign to promote positive behaviour, empower informal resolution where appropriate, and challenge poor conduct. 
  • Introducing clear Pledges for anyone raising concerns, setting out what they can expect from the BBC.  

The BBC will build on this over the coming months to embed long-term change by:  

  • Updating all future employment and freelance contracts to set out clear expectations around behaviour.  
  • Transforming how we manage concerns and cases, launching a new Resolving Concerns Helpline to help address issues earlier; providing a single point of contact for each case when concerns are raise, along with improved communication and support. To ensure cases are managed with rigour, consistency, and urgency, there will be investment in new resources to support those handling complex cases.  
  • Training all managers on our updated Code of Conduct and values and require them to lead regular team discussions on culture and behaviour.  
  • Introducing in-person inductions for all new joiners, with a strong emphasis on values and expected behaviours.  
  • Conducting regular, targeted culture checks within divisions to monitor sentiment, identify issues, and intervene swiftly where needed.  
  • Implementing succession planning for our most senior on-air roles.  
  • Expanding HR support with additional resources and capacity  

The Executive has agreed to update the Board on progress against its plan at regular intervals.