1.3 Governance and Integrity
Driver: 1.3
Dimension: Cause
Supporting aspiration: Leaders act ethically, respect roles, and fix breaches quickly and fairly.
Why it matters
Confidence in governance and integrity is foundational to trust. Employees need to believe that concerns can be raised safely and that appropriate boundaries are respected.
What great looks like
Ethical expectations are clear, reporting channels are trusted, councillor/staff boundaries are understood and issues are managed fairly and promptly.
Employee Survey alignment
| Item | Survey question |
|---|---|
| Q1 | I would feel safe to report unethical behaviour without negative consequences |
| Q2 | Councillors respect the boundaries of their role and interact with staff appropriately |
How to interpret a weak result
A weak result for this driver should prompt a practical diagnosis, not an immediate solution. Ask:
- Is the issue whole-of-council, concentrated in particular work areas or linked to specific employee groups?
- Which question-level result is driving the pattern?
- Do comments or leader perspectives explain the issue?
- Is this mainly a system/process issue, a leadership issue, a resourcing issue or a communication issue?
- What would employees reasonably expect Council to do next?
Possible actions and interventions
- Refresh ethical conduct and reporting guidance
- Communicate safe reporting pathways and protections
- Clarify councillor/staff interaction protocols
- Review incident and complaint handling data for patterns
Evidence to review alongside the survey
- Employee Survey question-level results and comments
- Relevant people metrics such as turnover, absenteeism, vacancy, overtime, grievances, safety or EAP themes
- Leadership and SME perspectives
- Relevant workforce, service, budget or risk data