Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillor Gary Barton.

To provide an opportunity for Members and Officers to declare any disclosable pecuniary and non-pecuniary interests in any item on the agenda.

Councillor J Jackson declared that she was a member of GMB.

In accordance with paragraph 2.32 of the Committee Procedural Rules and Appendix 7 of the Rules a total period of 10 minutes is allocated for members of the public to address the Committee on any matter relevant to the work of the body in question. 

Individual members of the public may speak for up to 5 minutes but the Chairman will decide how the period of time allocated for public speaking will be apportioned where there are a number of speakers.

Members of the public wishing to ask a question at the meeting should provide at least three clear working days’ notice in writing and should include the question with that notice. This will enable an informed answer to be given.  It is not required to give notice of the intention to make use of public speaking provision, however, as a matter of courtesy, a period of 24 hours notice is encouraged.

No members of the public present wished to speak.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 26 April 2018.

Minute 40 – HR and Health and Safety – Q4 Update Report

It was reported that 103 schools had bought into the improved Education HR Consultancy service for 2018/19.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 26 April 2018 be confirmed as a correct record.

To consider a report on the development of the Council’s People Plan 2018/20 and on the Health and Safety, Human Resource and Organisational Development items.

The Committee considered a report on the progress with the Council’s People Plan 2018/20.

The report provided details on the progress on the areas of work identified for the three objectives linked to the Brighter Future Together Whole Organisation Transformation Programme:

1.     Our Culture – establishing and enabling our workplace vision

2.     Our Organisation Development and Delivery

3.     Our Employee Experience.

The report also provided details on HR Performance Data for Quarter 1, which included headcount and employee turnover, voluntary redundancy and working days lost to sickness absence, and also a summary of accident and incidents in April and May 2018.

Work was continuing on the review of HR Policies, with discussion taking place with the Trade Unions on the sickness absence policy and a draft Capability Policy.  Draft policies in respect of Attendance Management, Organisational Change and Leaving the Council would be shared with the Committee in due course.

A total of 28 employees had left the Council through MARS on 30 June.  An overview of the MARS applications was circulated at the meeting, which showed a breakdown of grade, gender, age and length of service of applicants and the financial savings of the approved applications.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

To consider a report which provides an update on attendance management, including current levels and patterns of absence.

The Committee considered a report on Attendance Management which included details of current levels of absence levels and patterns of absence, attendance management performance reporting arrangements and an Action Plan to promote and support attendance management.

As part of the review of HR policies, a simplified and integrated Attendance Management policy and procedure for long and short terms absences was being developed and was expected to be implemented in July 2018.

The Action Plan developed included the three outstanding actions from the Staffing Committee Working Group report of April 2017. 

It was suggested the Corporate Leadership Team action to agree the annual absence targets becarried out in consultation with Cabinet and the Staffing Committee.

Reference was made to the Employee Assistance Programme and the numbers of staff using it.  It was agreed that numbers using the Programme would be provided to the Committee members.

RESOLVED:   That

1        the report be noted; and

2        the Action Plan, at Appendix 2 to the Report, be amended to show that the responsibility for agreeing the annual absence target to read “Agree annual absence targets, in consultation with Cabinet and Staffing Committee.”

To consider an update report on Wellbeing in Work.

The Committee considered a report which provided an update on Wellbeing in Work.

It was recognised that many areas of the Council’s work directly or indirectly impacted on staff wellbeing, alongside of manager style and standards.  A Wellbeing in Work framework had been developed which focused on five  interconnecting objectives and a supporting programme of initiatives – as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report.  The objectives were aligned with the “Working for a Brighter Future – Together” work and vision for workplace culture.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

To consider a report on progress and to receive a verbal update from Councillor B Moran on the Staffing Committee’s assurance role.

The Committee considered a report which provided an update on the Brighter Future Together (Culture) Programme.

The name of the programme had been changed from Brighter Future Transformation Programme to the Brighter Future Together (Culture) Programme to reflect that this programme was a key part of the Council’s Whole Organisational Transformation Programme.

From the Starting the Conversation Workshops held with staff and Elected Members and the Starting the Conversation Survey, a Vision for Workplace Culture and an Employee Deal were developed.  A Member Behaviour Framework had also been developed. These were to be launched at special events at each Council building on Thursday 26 July 2018.

As part of the Staffing Committee’s Assurance Role, Councillors Barry Moran and Dorothy Flude had meet and looked at the programme structure, governance arrangements and terms of references and had concluded that the processes in place were working well.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.