Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

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 and Councillor D Flude declared that she was a retired member of UNISON.

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.

There were no public speakers.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 23 July 2018.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 23 July 2018 be confirmed as a correct record.

To consider a report on the progressoftheCouncil’sPeoplePlan 2018-20 and onHealthandSafety,HumanResourcesand 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 2, which included headcount and employee turnover, voluntary redundancy and working days lost to sickness absence, and also a health and safety summary of accident and incidents in July and August 2018. 

The Committee noted that the current level of sickness absence was 4.92 days’ absence per FTE for quarter 1 and 2.  The Committee, at its next meeting, would be considering progress against the Attendance Management Action Plan.

There had been a slight increase in the number of leavers in Quarter 2 as these figures included those who had left the Council under the MARS scheme. The Committee requested that a report be brought to the next meeting on the how the MARS scheme went and any lessons learnt from undertaking the process.

The Chairman reported that a report would be brought to the next meeting on lessons learnt from Employment Tribunals in the last 12 months.

RESOLVED:  That

1        the report be noted; and

2        reports on the MARS Scheme and Employment Tribunals in the last 12 months be brought to the meeting of the Staffing Committee in January 2019.

To consider a report on progress with the Brighter Future Together (Culture) Programme 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,

It was reported that the Brighter Future Together (Culture) Programme survey would be delayed by a week to allow staff to attend ‘What’s the Conversation’ sessions before completing the survey.

As part of the Committee’s assurance role, Councillor Barry Moran and Councillor Dorothy Flude had met on 4 October to consider the programme and governance arrangements and had concluded good progress was being made. Both Councillors had spoken to staff about ‘What’s the Conversation’ events and had received positive responses.  They would meet again in November to further review progress and consider how the objectives, outcomes and expected benefits were being achieved, with particular reference to how well and effectively it was all working for staff.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

To consider an update report on Wellbeing in Work.

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

A Wellbeing in Work Dashboard had been developed to measure the success of the programme and set out the annual target for each measure in the Wellbeing in Work framework.

A Team Challenge Cup event had taken place in which staff in each directorate were encouraged to take part in a variety of activities to get points.  The Place Directorate achieved the highest tally of points and had won the Cup.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.