Agenda item

WORKFORCE UPDATE

To receive an update from the Corporate Director of People.

Minutes:

The Employee Recognition Awards had been a highlight of the year for both staff and the Council. This year had seen a record number of nominations being made and the Defence Employer Gold Standard showed that Trafford was a good employer that people wanted to come and work for.

 

A lot of work had been done to engage with the workforce with a staff survey conducted for the first time in years which had a 51% response rate from staff. The results of the survey were being analysed and some high level feedback sessions being held the following week, which would be followed by more in depth work in the New Year.

 

The Council had held a number of “Let’s Talk” events which had been well attended. These sessions were part of the Council’s efforts to improve the flow of information to the workforce so they had a better understanding of what their efforts went towards. The Council were also focused upon improving the wellbeing of staff. This involved starting conversations with staff members and showing that the Council recognised them as individuals and was committed helping them to meet their potential.

 

The Mental Health First aid network had been launched. The network was made up of staff members who were there to help other staff members who were stressed and had low level mental health issues. The idea was that this would provide early support and stop people’s issues from escalating.

 

Following the overview of the update Committee Members were given the opportunity to ask questions. One Member asked whether the results would be made available for staff to see. The Head of Workforce and Core Strategy responded that the results would be made available to staff and that they would ensure the information was accessible, that the document is not too long, and that it holds all the information that staff needed.

 

Another Member asked about feedback from the survey and whether the results were going to be discussed with any staff groups. The Head of Workforce and Core Strategy answered that the Council’s engagement strategy was about getting staff involved and listening to their views and letting them have input in the development and running of the Council’s services. The E in Epic was about empowering the workforce and encouraging staff to be involved and take control of their own areas. A Member asked what the other letters of EPIC meant. The Head of Workforce and Core Strategy responded that the other letters stood for People centred, Inclusive, and Collaborate and explained to the Committee that these values were to be at the core of the Council’s culture.

 

A Committee Member asked whether the staff groups were active and it were not just box ticking exercise. The Head of Workforce and Core Strategy assured the Committee Member that the groups had been very active especially the Council’s disabled staff group. All of the groups had been consulted when HR made changes to any policies or when directorates planned to make changes. The groups had also been very involved in the creation of the Council’s people strategy.

Another Member noted the Council’s score form the survey of 631 and asked what the maximum available score was. The Head of Workforce and Core Strategy responded that 1000 was the top score but they did not think that anyone had achieved that. The council were looking to stretch their performance and increase their score as they moved forward.

 

The Member then asked whether the Council mapped individual’s progress. The Head of Workforce and Core Strategy answered that the Council did not map individual’s progress at the moment but that this was something that they were looking to do starting with the apprentices to ensure that they get the most out of their time with the Council.

 

The Opposition Spokesperson thanked the HR officers for the report which showed the large amount of work that they had done. They then requested that GM sickness absence data be included in future updates put the Council’s performance in context. The Opposition Spokesperson also requested that information from previous years be provided so that trends could be identified.

 

RESOLVED:

1)    That the update be noted.

2)    That GM sickness and absence data be included within future updates to provide context.

3)    That information from previous years be provided within updates so that trends could be identified.

 

Supporting documents: