Agenda item

Presentation by the Executive Manager Commercial

(Enclosure)

The Executive Manager Commercial explained that they were in the process of developing a new People and Organisational Development Strategy. The new strategy would build on the achievements from the previous strategy and would ensure the Council was fit for the future by having a motivated workforce with the right skills in the right place at the right time in order to deliver the agreed corporate priorities.  This would be especially important in the current climate of government cut-backs where local councils were no longer seen as secure, and councils were competing to attract scarce skills to some of the more hard-to recruit areas.  The purpose of the presentation was to inform Members of the thinking and work to date in developing the new strategy and to take on board their views and feedback. 

The Business Manager, People and Organisational Development began the presentation by outlining the background to the key successes of the existing People Strategy 2013-2016.  An effective Talent Management Programme had been introduced; employee engagement had been strengthened through internal consultation, employee forums, staff conferences and Joint Staff Consultative Committees. 

Values and behaviours were embedded through job descriptions and used in recruitment, selection procedures and annual appraisals. Leadership Development has been enhanced and a more structured Learning and Development programme has been rolled out across the organisation for all staff.   A number of non-financial incentives such as the cycle-to-work  and computer schemes had been introduced and would continue to be run under the new strategy.

A Well-Being Group had been established and had facilitated a number of activities throughout the year: the well-being week, walks, a pedometer challenge and health and eye checks.

Reference was made to the proposed outcomes:

         ·         Continue to Create a culture that would support the delivery of the Corporate Plan

         ·         Have clear defined values and ownership of the strategy, values and behaviours

         ·         Employees feeling valued with an understanding of the organisation’s business and how their role contributed to this;

         ·         Roles would be built around the customer and would focus on a purpose and Council’s priorities, and

         ·         A new Performance  Framework would be developed

Feedback from discussions with SMT, Executive and Business Managers, a cross section of colleagues from all services and staff discovery sessions would be incorporated in the new strategy.  The following key areas had been highlighted from these consultations: Strategy; Customers; Leadership; Skills, Values and Behaviours, Communication and Engagement.

There would be three main themes in the new Strategy:

Theme One: Right people, excellent skills and right culture.  Elements under this theme would include workforce planning, flexible recruitment processes, succession planning, effective induction, development opportunities and employee performance management.

Theme Two: Engaging and valuing our people in order to run our business effectively.  Theme Two would focus on effective consultation, staff inclusion and involvement; clear direction; regular and constructive feedback; achievements being recognised and celebrated, effective communications, policies and procedures being in place.

Theme Three: Effective Leadership to inspire and navigate change.  Elements under theme three would be clear expectations of leaders/managers and employees; managers leading and managing change effectively; clearer management communication; coaching and mentoring and sharing and showcasing best practice.

Members sought clarification on:

Talent Programme: Who would be involved in this programme, how often it took place and had it been successful – The programme was run annually with monthly development events and provided an opportunity for individuals to put themselves forward.  Four members of staff who had participated in the programme had subsequently achieved promotion/development.

Performance Management: What areas would be reviewed and how performance management was bench marked – This was undertaken as part of the appraisal process where targets were set on an annual basis in line with service need.  There was flexibility for adapting to service changes.  A Check in form had been developed that would enable more up to date and frequent feedback on performance and needs.

Councillor engagement and involvement in the Strategy; would the strategy apply to Councillors as well – The strategy was for staff but Members views were being sought through the PDG and would be incorporated.

What involvement the Trade Unions had in the consultation process – Trade Unions had been involved in the consultation process. Joint Negotiation Committees with the Trade Unions took place for formal consultations but there were regular informal bi-monthly meetings.  Regional reps were invited to discussions and would attend if there was involvement in a particular issue.  It was recognised that a working relationship with the TUs was essential.

Outcomes and “Right Culture” – How were these defined and what outcomes were being sought – The right culture encompassed a “can do attitude”; being customer focussed and having a flexible attitude to ways of working within the policies and procedures.

Would any measures of success or failures from the previous strategy be reflected and would examples be provided;  costs involved in the review and potential impact of subsequent changes. It was important for Members to have an idea of results, resource implications as well as costs – It had been difficult to benchmark and measure the success/progress of the current strategy as there was no baseline data or measurement from before the strategy was implemented against which progress could be measured.

Staff engagement: Frequency of Employee Forums (bi-monthly), staff Conferences (annually) and Joint Staff Consultative Committees and the methodology of internal consultation – Staff were invited to events such as “Delivering Change” and “Fit for the Future”, and communication was generally through e-mails, Internet, Evolve and line management.

Staffing issues: What service areas were experiencing issues with recruitment and what was being done to address this; a need for Members to have an understanding of any potential impact of costs; developing and enhancing required skills and standards;  skills around change management how these would be facilitated and staff surveys.

It was noted that Planning, Building Control and Finance had experienced difficulties in recruiting staff.  Staff surveys were undertaken but not on a regular basis however a series of mini-surveys would be included as part of the new strategy.

As the strategy developed and would take on board all feedback and comments.  A detailed action plan would be developed which would include ways of consulting with staff, provide a direction of service and ensure the right staff with the right skills were in the right place at the right time.

Action Note:

The PDG welcomed the review of the strategy and noted that staff welfare, morale and feeling valued were important issues to be considered when faced with delivering the Council’s services and outcomes, and

That the final strategy would be brought back to a future meeting of the PDG.