Advertisement

Power staff don't trust bosses

Work worries: Western Power staff. Picture: Bill Hatto/The West Australian

Staff at Western Power are defensive, unmotivated, don't know what they are supposed to do and mistrust their bosses, an internal document has revealed.

In a withering assessment of the State-owned electricity distributor, Western Power employees have reported that the organisation needs to change but they have little faith in management to carry it out. A survey of staff, obtained by the State Opposition under Freedom of Information laws, shows only 27 per cent think that their senior leaders are "open and honest".

"Our people feel the information they receive is not credible, is not direct from the source and is incomplete," it says.

The survey also shows employees are highly defensive, partly because they did not want to be "the one blamed for problems" and wanted to "keep on the good side of those in charge".

On top of this, it said staff did not even know what their job was in many instances and were often neither motivated nor happy.

"Our people feel their job has limited significance on others . . . which reinforces defensive be- haviours," the survey said.

Western Power spokesman Simon Walsh said some of the results were up to three years old but stressed the utility valued the feedback and used it to "remedy" areas of concern.

He said Western Power was trying to better engage employees through "targeted" programs for its leaders and staff. "The most recent survey shows that Western Power employees are highly engaged with the organisation's focus on safety," Mr Walsh said.

Staff also thought Western Power provided a good work-life balance.