RTÉ to spend €250,000 on surveys seeking staff feedback on culture reform

Darragh Mc Donagh

Cash-strapped RTÉ is set to spend €250,000 on surveys seeking feedback from staff on the effectiveness of culture reform, leadership, and organisational changes at the national broadcaster.

It follows a staff engagement survey carried out for RTÉ by an external contractor last May, which canvassed the views of more than 1,300 workers.

The broadcaster now intends to conduct similar surveys on an annual basis.

“The findings have been helpful in giving RTÉ a clear understanding of what is working well and where we need to make improvements,” said a spokesman.

“Understanding staff sentiment through this survey is a central part of RTÉ’s efforts to build a stronger, more responsive organisation that truly reflects our commitment to reform, and to create a culture aligned with how the organisation needs to evolve.”

The broadcaster is now seeking tenders from service providers, who will be tasked with designing a survey focused on workplace culture, which can provide insights to drive organisational performance.

The questionnaire will be conducted on an anonymous basis, and relevant feedback will be provided to senior leaders in the organisation for review, according to tender documents.

The contract for conducting the surveys, which has an estimated value of €250,000 plus VAT, is expected to be awarded in January. It will remain in place for a period of three years with two optional 12-month extensions.

“RTÉ recognises that workplace culture is an essential element of employee experience and employer brand, organisation performance, and stakeholder confidence,” the tender documents state.

“The commitment to an annual survey directly responds to the recommendations made by the Expert Advisory Committee in its 2024 report, underscoring RTÉ’s commitment to restore trust and implement meaningful change based on its independent expert guidance,” said a spokesman for the broadcaster.

He added that the Expert Advisory Committee had explicitly stated that staff surveys on culture should continue “to assess lived culture and implement mechanisms to facilitate regular board engagement with staff”.

The spokesman said there was an expectation that RTÉ would operate with full compliance with these recommendations, and the estimated value includes the full five years of the proposed contract.