The annual NSW People Matter Employee Survey (PMES) is now open and will run until Friday, 11 September 2026.
The Public Service Association of NSW (PSA) strongly encourages all members across the Department of Customer Service (DCS) to take the time to complete this survey. The PMES is an independent, confidential, and official mechanism for public sector workers to provide direct feedback about their working environment, workloads, leadership, and wellbeing.
Completing the PMES ensures your voice is heard and provides the PSA with critical, undeniable baseline data to hold DCS senior leadership accountable, challenge unreasonable organizational restructures, and advocate for safer and fairer workplaces.
Why your voice matters: sober lessons from the 2025 PMES results
The 2025 PMES results for the Department of Customer Service painted a troubling and sobering picture of employee sentiment, exposing deep fractures in leadership confidence, severe work overload, and escalating psychosocial hazards across the department.
Key findings from the 2025 PMES report include:
- Alarming work overload and burnout:
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- 49 per cent of DCS respondents reported working above capacity (15 per cent well above capacity / too much work; 34 per cent slightly above capacity).
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- 31 per cent of staff reported feeling burned out by their work, with only 41 per cent disagreeing (a negative trend compared to prior years).
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- 34 per cent of respondents reported feeling mentally exhausted by their work on most days, with another 24 per cent feeling neutral.
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- 31 per cent of employees stated they are struggling to maintain enthusiasm for their work.
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- 14 per cent of respondents experienced all three clinical dimensions of burnout (exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced professional efficacy).
- Critical lack of confidence in senior leadership and change management:
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- Only 39 per cent of staff agreed that change is managed well in DCS—making it one of the lowest-scoring questions across the entire department.
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- Only 49 per cent of employees agreed that senior executives listen to employees.
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- Only 55 per cent felt that senior executives provide clear direction for the future of the organisation.
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- Only 47 per cent of employees expressed confidence that the organisation would act on the results of the survey (dropping by 4 percentage points).
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- Only 39 per cent believed the organisation had made tangible improvements based on previous survey results.
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- Among employees intending to leave DCS, 43 per cent cited a lack of future career opportunities, and 21 per cent directly cited poor quality senior leadership.
- Psychosocial risks, safety, and erosion of working conditions:
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- Persistent structural churn, restructures, and creeping workloads continue to impose significant psychosocial hazards on staff.
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- While satisfaction with workplace support remains fragile, satisfaction with access to flexible working dropped by 4 percentage points, reflecting member concerns over unilateral management shifts and restrictions.
Make your voice heard in 2026
These results demonstrate that management cannot hide behind corporate rhetoric when the workforce collectively speaks out. When PSA members participate in high numbers, the PMES data becomes an indispensable tool for your union representatives to:
- Demand immediate mitigation of psychosocial risks and unmanageable workloads.
- Hold executive management accountable for poorly executed restructures, casualisation by stealth, and lack of consultation.
- Defend vital working conditions, flex agreements, and flexible working arrangements in the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) and Joint Consultative Committees (JCCs).
The survey is completely confidential and anonymous. Individual responses cannot be identified. Complete the survey during your normal working hours.
Do not let management silence your experience—log in and complete your 2026 PMES before closing on 11 September 2026.
Know someone who is not a member?
A strong union creates a safer, fairer workplace. Encourage your colleagues to stand with us by joining the PSA today at www.psa.asn.au/join (https://psa.asn.au/join).
PSA Contacts
Dean Allen Industrial Officer
[email protected]
Trina Leask Organiser
[email protected]
PSA Member Support Centre
1800 772 679
[email protected]