Nearly 40 per cent of government workers responded to the first employee survey - but many of them don't believe action will be taken on the findings.

Some 3,400 staff completed the 'Have your say' survey, the first to be carried out across the whole of the public service.

And the survey shows that only 10 per cent of respondents think that when changes are made in the government they are usually for the better, with more than 70 per cent supporting the need for change, and fewer than 25 per cent believing that their chief officers have a clear vision for the future.

Chief Minister Allan Bell highlighted the strong levels of engagement staff felt within their department but acknowledged fewer staff felt 'engaged' with the government as a whole.

He said: 'The Isle of Man Government's greatest resource is the people who work for it. The survey will help us to make the most of their dedication, skill and experience, for the sake of the staff themselves and the public that they serve.

'The survey is one of a number of initiatives to improve two-way communication with our employees and is the first of its kind to be run right across Government. It's common in large organisations elsewhere to run corporate staff surveys, where the value of staff engagement in improving productivity is well recognised.'

However, 40 per cent of respondents are 'not convinced' action will be taken as a result of the survey. Mr Bell has thanked everyone who responded and said the feedback was valuable and would be followed up.

Visit www.gov.im/haveyoursay for more details.

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