Barcelona City Council, under the leadership of Mayor Jaume Collboni, has awarded a contract worth €106,722 for a comprehensive internal survey designed to assess the corporate culture, values, and well-being of its vast workforce. The initiative aims to take the pulse of the more than 15,000 municipal employees who deliver public services across the Catalan capital.
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The consultancy firm Open Met SL secured the contract, with details published on the city’s official procurement portal. Local media outlet Diari Catalunya first reported the move, highlighting the significant investment in understanding the internal work climate.
A Pulse Check for a Complex Organisation
The initiative, officially titled the ‘Survey of culture, values, and commitment among Barcelona City Council employees and its dependent entities’, stems from the city’s Management of People, Organization, and Electronic Administration (GPOAE). Official documents justifying the expenditure describe the council as a uniquely challenging environment to manage.
“The City Council is a very large organisation with more than 15,000 workers and at the same time complex given the great diversity of professional profiles,” states the technical specifications document for the contract. This diversity ranges from administrative staff at the City Hall in Plaça de Sant Jaume to urban planners, social workers, and maintenance crews across the city’s ten districts.
The primary objective is to create a detailed diagnostic tool. This will identify areas for improvement within the highly decentralised organisational structure. A motivated and cohesive workforce is critical for effectively delivering ambitious urban projects, such as the recently unveiled 10-year plan for Ciutat Vella’s renewal and major infrastructure works like the €9 million investment in bridge and park restoration.
From Data to Actionable Strategy
The survey is designed to go beyond simple metrics. It will delve into qualitative data on employee motivation, leadership styles, and commitment levels. The analysis will cross-reference this data with variables such as gender, age, and seniority to provide a nuanced understanding of the workforce’s health.
Crucially, the contract does not end with the delivery of a report. It includes provisions for a series of workshops and participatory sessions once the results are compiled. These follow-up activities are intended to involve staff directly in developing strategies to strengthen internal cohesion and address any issues uncovered by the survey.
The council’s plan to conduct the survey biennially further underscores this long-term approach. This will allow the administration to monitor trends, measure the effectiveness of new policies, and adapt its management strategy over time. As local publication Tot Barcelona noted, the goal is to gain a clear picture of the “values and commitment” of the city’s civil servants.
A well-functioning internal structure is essential for managing the city’s extensive portfolio of assets and responsibilities. This includes pushing for the 2030 completion of the La Model site and overseeing significant property acquisitions, such as the regional government’s purchase of the Bank of Spain building.
While a significant outlay, investing in employee sentiment is a common practice in large public and private sector organisations. For the Collboni administration, which took office in June 2023, the survey represents an early effort to establish a baseline for employee relations and organisational effectiveness. This initiative sets a course for its four-year term at the helm of the Ajuntament de Barcelona.
