Low morale in the public sector not just about job losses

Morale is low but staff are not leaving the public sector. That's the key finding from recent research carried out by recruitment consultants Badenoch and Clark. It is hardly surprising that morale in general is low given job losses, redeployments, pay cuts and increased workloads. But morale is also determined by your relationship with your boss, how well you get on with colleagues and – in the public sector – that you are still getting a sense of worth through doing a job that makes a difference. While many of those who could go on voluntary redundancy and early retirement have already gone, the remaining staff do not have a great desire to go elsewhere. The research found this was particularly true of staff who had been in post some considerable time. The private sector may be even less attractive due to poorer pensions, less holidays and less job security but most telling was the view that working for a profit meant a loss of a sense of purpose or that feeling of doing something worthwhile. It is not hard to imagine that this sense of doing something worthwhile might be stronger in some areas of service like social care but perhaps we underestimate the strength of feeling in other areas of the public sector. The option of transferring into a social enterprise organisation hasn't materialised for most staff and cuts to funding of the voluntary sector make for even greater job insecurity. From the research it would appear that 64% of staff who say they were planning to sit tight in their current post had taken the view of 'better the devil you know'. This message is reinforced by the fact that only 31% are happy in their job. This finding should not be taken by employers as evidence that they don't need to worry about staff leaving due to low morale. They should be worried about staff who have no intention of going anywhere but are unhappy in their jobs. It should also be a concern that so many staff were content doing the same jobs because public sector organisations going through transformation won't necessarily want or need them to do the same jobs. What is clear is that employers can build on the sense of commitment to the service, reward the expertise that exists and recognise the importance of relationships at a team level. Blair McPherson is author of Equipping Managers for an Uncertain Future and People Management in a Harsh Financial Climate, both published by Russell House This article is published by Guardian Professional. Join the Guardian Public Leaders Network to receive regular emails on the issues at the top of the professional agenda.