When logging onto their PCs, employees of H&F Council are usually encouraged to answer a rather bizarre weekly survey by the Council’s Press Office. Previous questions have asked council staff about their favourite actor to play James Bond, what they think of the weather and other such fluff.For example, this week’s Council staff survey asks, “Have you been tempted by the pre-Christmas sales?" It then gives borough employees the option of answering “Yes – I like a bargain I do” or “No - not on your Nellie, I’m waiting for the January sales”.
I think it’s a waste of public money to pay someone to think this stuff up and then arrange it into a questionnaire. However last week, for the first time I can recall, I was interested in the answer. The Press Office asked employees which free newspaper they prefer to read and included their own spin-sheet in the mix of answers. As you can see from the attached graph, taken from the Council intranet, their paper scored a lowly 5% of responses - which was around 40 employees (many of them, I suspect, working in the Press Office). It's apparent that the overwhelming majority prefer not to read the council tax-payer funded paper. That’s probably because they know, more than most, how quite a lot of it is full of misleading scaremongering and distorting propaganda.
2 comments:
The press office is held in contempt by a lot of people I know. From it's unfunny and unuseful ramblings on the intranet to it's "staff" magazine -the Mag (known amongst staff as the Mug)it's just regarded as a cross between a managers ego trip and a propaganda sheet.
If they want to do something useful why don't they print the answers to the open letter Unison sent to Geoff Alltimes in November. (Perhaps you can put the questions at the next council meeting).
For those that don't know the council is trying to impose working conditions that mean from 7.30am to 8.00pm Monday to Sunday you can be called on to work for no extra payment. Plus it is attacking other conditions around sickness and care provision.
The council says it wants to consult with the staff -this after threatening to sack them all. Unison has submitted an open letter to Alltimes listing about 10 to 15 questions about the proposal. It has been a month now and the council has not responded.
But the council still keeps it's list of FAQ on the intranet even though they made them up.
This council only tells people what it wants them to hear, from the residents, the staff and anyone else that will listen. Sadly what they say is very rarely the truth.
Todays one is whether your manager has told you about some leadership meeting. About 90% have responded no. Inefficient management again?
Have you seen the flat bed truck with the advertising board on it advertising HFNews and the 3% tax cut. Can someone explain why the council needs to hire a truck and driver and make an advertising board to go on it to drive around the borough advertising a paper that is free.
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