Councillors and Governance Interfaces

The Employee Survey may include questions related to governance, integrity and the clarity of councillor/staff boundaries. These results should be handled carefully and consistently with Council governance arrangements.

Practical principles

• Employee survey results are workforce and organisational effectiveness evidence.
• Reports should protect confidentiality and avoid identification risk.
• Councillor/staff boundary results should be interpreted at the appropriate level of aggregation.
• Governance-related results may require careful discussion with the General Manager, executive team and relevant governance advisors.
• Survey data should not be used to pursue individual allegations or identify respondents.

When results indicate governance risk

If results suggest concerns about governance, ethical conduct or councillor/staff boundaries, Council should:

1. review the result with appropriate confidentiality controls;
2. consider related evidence such as complaints, incidents or governance records;
3. clarify the appropriate governance pathway;
4. communicate with employees in a way that protects trust and avoids over-disclosure;
5. incorporate any agreed actions into the broader improvement plan.