Issue - meetings

Mrs Bal Sandher, Head of HR Shared Services, introduced her report setting out progress against specific action areas that formed the Workforce Strategy 2016-2020.  It was noted that:

·  The Council had met the new legislative requirement to produce its Gender Pay Gap information well within the Government’s deadline.

·  In 2016 the appraisal template for all staff was changed and the “Developing Everyone” framework was introduced.  This new approach reinforced the need for career and succession planning at all levels and helped to identify “rising stars” in the organisation to encourage a more structured approach to supporting their development for the future.

·  The One Council summer session had been held for the first time at Mote Park.  One of the sessions was a first taste of a development programme designed to encourage a growth mind-set.  The programme was being piloted at the Depot and in the Revenues and Benefits Section.

·  The annual staff awards and One Council update which would be held at Lockmeadow on 21 February 2018 provided an opportunity to recognise the contribution team members had made to achieving the Council’s objectives and delivering great services to the public.

·  The Council had developed and rolled out Resilience Training for staff and managers as a direct response to the fact that stress and anxiety had been the highest causes of sickness absence for several years.  The Council had also signed the “Time to Change” pledge which was a national initiative designed to change attitudes to mental health issues.  The Learning and Development Officer was now an accredited Train the Trainer for Mental Health First Aiders.

·  The annual Wellbeing Week had been arranged to take place from 19-23 February 2018.

·  In October 2017, employees were asked to complete the Health and Safety Executive Stress at Work survey which was last run in 2011 and 2012.  The results showed a fairly consistent picture across the three years.  Two focus groups were being set up, one for managers and one for staff, to consider the results further and start to think about actions that could be taken to address any concerns raised.

During the ensuing discussion, the Officers undertook to:

·  Circulate details of activities taking place during Wellbeing Week to Members.

·  Circulate details of the One Council meeting and STRIVE awards ceremony on 21 February 2018 to Members to encourage them to attend.

·  Include dementia awareness in mental health awareness initiatives and training.

·  Make reference to the positive equalities impacts associated with the Workforce Strategy when completing the cross-cutting issues and implications section of future reports.

·  Provide an explanation in future reports of the difference between the gender pay gap and equal pay, including analytical detail.

It was pointed out that at the meeting of the Policy and Resources Committee the previous evening, the Employment Committee had been asked to consider the support provided by the Council for staff with mental health issues and consider the causes of mental health issues in the workplace.  This could feed into the Workforce Strategy Action  ...  view the full minutes text for item 28