Meeting documents
Cabinet
Wednesday, 3rd December, 2003
Appendix 1
Bath &
North East Somerset Council
Human Resources Strategy
2003 - 2008
Introduction
As an organisation, Bath & North East Somerset Council is committed to being a forward looking authority which is genuinely open and responsive to the needs and aspirations of individuals and communities. It aims to work in democratic partnership with other organisations and agencies to deliver high quality, cost effective services aimed at improving the quality of life for the residents of Bath and North East Somerset as well as ensuring that equality of opportunity underpins all the Council's activities.
The Corporate Plan identifies the priorities of the organisation, how we will redirect resources to achieve these in order to give a positive response to customers and move towards the achievement of an excellent score in the next CPA assessment.
The Council recognises that it can only achieve its' corporate vision if its employees are committed to making that vision a reality and to delivering services in the way that the community wants. This Strategy sets out how the Council will work with its employees to develop and build on that commitment.
The Strategy makes clear the kind of employer that Bath & North East Somerset wants to be. It shows how it will ensure that the right people are in the right place at the right time to deliver the Council's objectives and priorities. It also recognises what must be done to ensure that all staff are motivated and engaged to give their best in delivering services on behalf of the Council.
The strategy is intended to be a framework that will enable the Council to achieve its priorities by
· Providing a workforce who is empowered in their work, customer focused, loyal to the organisation, flexible, motivated, innovative and with a readiness to embrace change within a performance culture.
· Ensuring that the Council continues to be a good employer and meet service delivery needs
· Making employer's expectation of employees and vice versa clear
· Ensuring compliance with legislation and operate within the statutory framework
· Working within National Conditions and encouraging staff representation
· Contributing to the development of a diverse workforce to deliver the Council objectives
Sections contained within are
1. What Bath and North East Somerset Council is like
2. The purpose of the strategy
3. Other influences
4. Recommendations
5. Action Plan
6. Risks to implementation
7. Glossary
1. What Bath & North East Somerset Council is like
· Bath & North East Somerset Council was assessed as "good" in the recent independent assessment by the Government - called "Comprehensive Performance Assessment" (CPA) - which covered all aspects of local government activity. The Council was also awarded the best score in the South West for the way the Council is run.
· The Council employs around 6,400 people; around 50% of the workforce are employed as teachers and support staff in schools. .The workforce has a high number of female workers and part-time workers. Part time workers are predominantly female.
· 70% of employees say they are happy with the job they do (Insight Staff Survey 2002)
· At 12%, turnover of staff is the same as the national figure for local government turnover
· The number of female employees at 73% is significantly higher than the number of male employees at 27%.
· A third of the top 5% by earnings are women.
· 1.9% of the workforce come from black and other ethnic minorities compared with a local population of 2.8% (2001 census data)
· 1.7% of the workforce are disabled people compared with a local population figure of around 10% (2001census classification differs significantly to questions asked of workforce).
· Most employees, (both male and female) fall in the range 35 - 49. While this reflects the national figures, there is particular concern around the lack of younger workers between the ages of 16 -24 which is considerably lower than the national figures.
· Employees are based in over 79 locations around the area (excluding 87 school sites)
2. The purpose of this strategy.
The aim of the Bath & North East Somerset Human Resource Strategy is to enable the achievement of the Council's vision
"Making B&NES a better place to live work and visit"
This is expressed as the following 5 corporate objectives
· Improving the quality of life and the environment
· Building a healthier and safer community
· Promoting the economy and tackling poverty
· Developing lifelong learning for everyone
· Delivering quality services and local democracy
The key objective of the strategy is to enable the achievement of Bath and North East Somerset Council's corporate and community priorities and improved service delivery by:
· making the organisation's values as an employer clear
· ensuring that the Council's workforce needs are effectively identified, planned and delivered so that resources are aligned to the priorities of the organisation and
· ensuring that employees are motivated and engaged to deliver the very best services on behalf of the Council.
The Human Resource strategy will be embedded into the priorities of the organisation through the Corporate Plan, Financial Plan, Community Plan and Service Plans
3. Other Influences
The strategy also has to take account of national and local influences on the Council
· In developing this strategy it was important to take account of the views of internal and external stakeholders.
· Central government policies which are driving the need to improve performance continuously e.g. Best Value
· An increased public expectation about access and quality of services
· The changing nature of public sector service provision e.g. E-Government, the move towards being an enabler rather than a direct provider of services, a focus on customer access arrangements
· The commitment to implement equality of pay through the `Single Status' Agreement at national level together with the work of the national pay commission on local government pay
· National and local skill shortages
· An increasing trend towards achieving service delivery through agencies working together
· New legislation and codes of practice influencing the future direction of people management and employment rights e.g., ODPM Pay & Workforce Development strategy
· Funding pressures mean that we need to be even more certain that we utilise people and skills to the best possible effect
· A changing, more diverse community with more older people, a rise in single-person households and a lack of affordable housing in the area
· Working in a political environment means that priorities can change and the workforce needs to be able to adapt quickly to change
4. Recommendations
Based on research into best practice as well as what consultation told us, the following recommendations has been agreed to support the key objective of the strategy i.e. to enable the achievement of Bath and North East Somerset Council's corporate and community priorities and improved service delivery through the following aims
Making the Organisation's values as an employer clear by
· Developing a statement of values as an employer and ensure that it is demonstrated consistently through all policy and practice.
· Communicating clear priorities and expectations to all to build a partnership between employer and employee in delivering excellence.
· Recognising staff welfare and work-life balance needs.
Ensuring that the Council's workforce needs are effectively identified, planned and delivered so that resources are aligned to the priorities of the organisation by
· Developing management competencies which recognise the values of leadership, managing change, communication, staff engagement and motivation to inform performance and development "the B&NES manager".
· Developing competencies for all levels of the organisation "the B&NES employee".
· Implementing workforce planning in line with Council priorities as part of the corporate, service and financial planning process to ensure that resources are aligned effectively to support Council and Community priorities.
· Developing a policy to enhance flexibility in deployment of staff and of working arrangements for individuals, teams and the organisation in order to achieve corporate priorities.
· Understanding what skills the organisation has through the workforce planning process and be confident of good labour market intelligence to inform organisation development in line with service delivery needs.
· Targeting recruitment to widen the appeal of the organisation as an employer and to provide opportunities for members of the community who may have difficulty entering the workforce e.g. disabled, black and other minority ethnic, older and younger workers.
Ensuring that employees are motivated and engaged to deliver the very best services on behalf of the Council by
· Ensuring that all staff should have a performance review and personal development plan that they can identify with.
· Valuing and empowering staff to make decisions about their work.
· Identifying a more flexible approach to pay and reward is needed to assist recruitment, retention and flexibility in deployment.
5. Action Plan
The following Plan identifies key actions needed to deliver the strategy recommendations, who will be responsible for delivering them, the timescale in which they will be delivered and what the improvement outcome/measure will be.
The resourcing implications of the Action Plan take account, wherever possible, of the existing agreed commitments that will involve the Human Resource Service. These include the following:
· Setting up of ` Peoples Services' [Employment related transactions]with HBS as a key element of the Council's Strategic Partnership entered into in August 2003
· Upgrade of Personnel/Payroll System (Resourcelink) which forms an integral part of the development of the delivery of the new `Peoples Services'.
· Organisational change required as a result of service specific initiatives e.g. Schools Workload Agreement, Customer Access Programme, reprovisioning of Elderly People's Homes and issues arising from the agreed Corporate Plan.
Resource implications have been identified where currently known. These mostly relate to the staffing resources required to carry out project work associated with individual actions points. Some of the identified activities within the 5 year Improvement Plan may require additional staff resource or re-prioritisation of work and/or associated costs of implementation which will not be known until more detailed project planning has been completed. These will be the subject of separate reporting if they cannot be met from existing resources.
A review of the role and competencies of the existing Human Resources service will be undertaken by the Corporate Director and reconfiguration as necessary to support the delivery of the Human Resources strategy linked to Council priorities using the new Business Improvement Service. This is scheduled for completion in March 2004.
A team made up of Directors, Heads of Service and Human Resource professionals will drive the implementation of the Action Plan and Elected Members will receive reports on progress and outcomes.
The actions proposed in the following plan will improve general and specific performance indicators. The table below shows the general corporate improvements expected.
|
Improvement |
Expected outcome Year 3 |
Expected outcome Year 5 |
|
Increase the number of staff who would recommend the Council as a good employer ( 59% in 2002) |
65% |
70% |
|
Increase the number of customer enquiries that can be answered at first point of contact (expressed as a % in those services which can measure this) |
70% |
80% |
|
Increase the number of staff who feel that the Council inspires loyalty amongst its workforce (27% in 2002) |
35% |
45% |
|
Reduce sickness levels (current council average figure 8.4 days lost) |
Top quartile |
Top quartile |
|
Reduce number of staff who feel stressed and under pressure (49% in 2002) |
40% |
35% |
Making the organisation's values as an employer clear
|
No |
Action to address objective and recommendations |
Responsible Officer |
Start date |
End date |
SMART Target/outcome |
|
1 |
Develop through consultation with key stakeholders (including managers, staff, unions and elected Members) values as an employer. Communicate employer's values through corporate plan, team meetings and other internal communication mechanisms, performance reviews and recruitment information. Test acceptance and understanding of these against existing practice |
CD D & HoS |
Dec 03 |
April 04 |
Values recorded, statement developed and agreed. Values communicated Identify baseline position and increase by 10% pa number staff that are aware of organisation's values as an employer. Measure and respond to feedback. Employer/employee charter developed to demonstrate the expectations of the employer and what the employee can expect in return. Services undertake a `local values' exercise to identify how values will inform service delivery |
|
2 |
Describe key Investors in People (IiP) standards to use as checklist for service self-evaluation. |
HoS |
Jan 04 |
Ongoing |
Checklist completed and targets set for service improvement against baseline assessment as part of service planning process. 75% to achieve recognition or have been assessed within 3 yrs. |
|
3 |
Develop & communicate corporate standards for staff communication. Implement corporate and service specific communication plans including the use of staff survey techniques. |
CD & HoS |
Jan 04 |
Mar 04 |
Standards agreed and communicated to services. Increase number of staff who respond to staff surveys (30% in 2002) to over 40% by 2006. Conduct annual service level staff surveys IiP standards relating to communication are achieved |
|
No |
Action to address objective and recommendations |
Responsible Officer |
Start date |
End date |
SMART Target/outcome |
|
4 |
Publish a comprehensive statement on the Council's approach to work- life balance issues that makes clear the council's approach to work life balance issues. Communicate to managers and staff. Test through staff survey and performance reviews |
HHR |
Mar 04 |
- |
Identify baseline position and increase by 10% pa number of staff who are aware of the employer's worklife balance approach. Identify baseline and increase by 10% the number of staff who are happy that the Council allows sufficient opportunity to balance work/life demands. |
Ensure that the Council's workforce needs are effectively identified, planned and delivered so that resources are aligned to the priorities of the organisation
|
No |
Action to address objective and recommendations |
Responsible Officer |
Start date |
End date |
SMART Target/outcomes |
|
5 |
Identify staffing implications of corporate, & service plan proposals to achieve revised/changed priorities. |
CE & Exec Members HoS |
Jan 04 |
Annually |
All corporate and service plans include staffing implications |
|
6 |
Rationalise the Council's management of Personnel records through the establishment of the `Peoples Services' and the move to Resourcelink systems. |
HBS/HHR |
TBC |
TBC |
Deliver improved real time staffing related management information |
|
7 |
Identify where skills gaps are anticipated and address skills and competency gaps where changed resource requirements are needed to achieve corporate & service priorities |
HoS |
Mar 05 |
Mar 06 |
Skills and competencies analysed and gaps identified to inform workforce plan Training and development is in line with and sufficient to meet corporate and service priorities |
|
8 |
Develop local `people' performance indicators and measure e.g. gender, sickness, leavers |
HHR & CPU |
Apr04 |
April 05 |
Local indicators in place to support managers in monitoring workforce performance and impact of strategy |
|
9 |
Consult with key partner organisations on workforce requirements and identify opportunities for cooperation and resource sharing and implement. |
D/HoS/HHR |
Mar 06 |
Annually as part of Service Planning |
Joint working opportunities are identified and actioned. Greater use of cross boundary working and increase in staff skill and experience. |
|
No |
Action to address objective and recommendations |
Responsible Officer |
Start date |
End date |
SMART Target/outcomes |
|
10 |
Consult annually with Local Strategic Partnership to identify local & national labour market trends and identify actions to address issues through training, recruitment etc where necessary. |
CD |
March 06 |
Annually as part of Service Planning |
Corporate Plan is informed by local workforce data, is more effectively with greater efficiency in staff deployment |
|
11 |
Review with BiS impact of Homeworking pilot and develop guidance on future flexibility in working arrangements to inform future work planning and office accommodation strategy |
HHR, HoS & BiS |
Oct 03 |
Sept 04 |
Guidelines on flexibility in working arrangements produced which take account of local service delivery needs |
|
12 |
Develop a competency framework to inform performance, recruitment, workforce plan and development needs of staff and managers in order to build a profile of the B&NES manager (1st -4th tier) to identify the key competencies required to deliver corporate and service objectives successfully (Phase 1) As above for B&NES employee (Phase 2) |
HHR HoS |
April 04 |
Dec 06 |
Framework developed. Key competencies identified for all 1st to 4th tier managers. As above for all employees |
|
13 |
Integrate competencies into the performance review process, developing criteria for measuring performance against specified competencies. (Phase 1 managers Phase 2 staff) |
HHR & HoS |
Phase 1 2005/06 Phase 2 2006/07 |
Ongoing thereafter as part of annual process |
All managers/staff measured against competencies through Performance Review and training requirements identified and recorded through Personal Development Plans Results to inform the workforce plan |
|
No |
Action to address objective and recommendations |
Responsible Officer |
Start date |
End date |
SMART Target/Outcomes |
|
14 |
Develop service specific approaches to increase the no of applicants and recruits at all levels of the organisation to more accurately reflect the composition of the local population. E.g Investigate, develop and implement recruitment practice to promote use of appropriate methods according to target audience and service specific needs e.g. online applications, use of personal histories(CV's), recruitment events, use of permanent and agency staff, alternative means of application for people who may not be able to read the advertisements and manage the standard forms, "Living interview' schemes, so people can be assessed doing the job over a period of time and then employed rather than having to be the best on the day at interview. |
HHR HoS |
April 04 |
April 05 |
Employee representation to match BVPI target no's. Establish baseline and increase % of conversions from enquiries to applications to vacancies by 5% pa At least a 10% reduction in advertising spend by 2008 |
|
15 |
Identify & implement more flexible options for deployment AND procurement of human resources (e.g. matrix management, outcome based project teams, secondments, contracted staff, fixed term, agency, partnerships,) |
HHR & HoS |
Sep 04 |
Sep 05 |
Guidelines on flexibility in working arrangements produced which take account of local service delivery needs. More flexibility in resourcing |
Ensure that employees are motivated and engaged to deliver the very best services on behalf of the Council
|
No |
Action to address objective and recommendations |
Responsible Officer |
Start date |
End date |
SMART Target/Outcomes |
|
16 |
See actions 12-13 above |
HHR & HoS |
Apr 04 |
April 06 |
Competency measurement and improvement |
|
17 |
Improve staff satisfaction with PR through refreshment of current process including more constructive and transparent performance discussions · Performance Review (PR) targets to reflect service and corporate objectives · Personal Development Plans to reflect) corporate & service priorities and address any skills gap |
HoS |
2004/05 PR process |
Ongoing |
% satisfaction with performance review to increase by 5% pa by year 3 (44% in 2003) Corporate priorities achieved more effectively |
|
18 |
Directors Group to work with councillors to establish and communicate clearer future priorities to empower staff to make decisions around work demands |
CE,D &Members |
Dec 03 |
Mar04 |
Corporate Plan produced and communicated |
|
19 |
Empower staff to take local decisions, especially when responding to customer requests. |
D & HoS |
Mar 04 |
Continuous |
First time resolution 80% by year 5 Promote case studies to celebrate success Clearly defined roles and responsibilities, authority and accountability linked to PR process |
|
No |
Action to address objective and recommendations |
Responsible Officer |
Start date |
End date |
SMART Target/outcome |
|
20 |
Develop and take action in respect of pay and reward addressing the following issues: a) Improving consistency of evaluations & ensuring local knowledge and decision process is communicated more effectively through greater involvement of HR and senior managers; b) Development and use of more generic job descriptions/job families based upon competency framework and development of grading process c) Present and implement proposals for revised grade banding to achieve greater flexibility in deployment, pay and reward d) Develop options to address existing commitment to national single status agreement i.e. to ensure that staff are graded on a common basis in accordance with equal pay e) Use existing mechanisms within terms and conditions of service and develop further options and implement in order to recognise and reward achievement e.g. suggestion schemes, recognising achievement, dealing with capability, to promote good performance and achievement. |
HHR & HoS |
Jan 04 April 05 Apr 05 Apr 04 Apr 05 |
Ongoing April 07 April 06 ASAP April 06 |
Establish a baseline and reduce resubmissions by 50%. Managers' perception of process improved. More effective job descriptions and efficiency in the grading process (as above). Proposals implemented. As above. Good performance recognised and rewarded. |
6. Risks to implementing Action Plan with mitigating actions
· Delay to implementation as all actions are to be carried out within existing resources
¬ Project structure in place
¬ Regular progress reporting to steering group, sponsor, Directors Group and members
¬ Timings on action plan revised
· Delay to implementation and/or reduction in quality due to project management resource only available 1 day per week
¬ Profiling tool in place to identify specific tasks and owners
¬ Regular progress reporting to steering group, sponsor, Directors Group and members
· Outcomes not owned by senior managers and organisation and therefore not implemented
¬ HoS leading on the implementation of the Action Plan
¬ Regular progress reporting to steering group, sponsor, Directors Group and members
· Costs resulting from outcomes may be prohibitive
¬ Regular progress reporting to steering group, sponsor, Directors Group and members
7. Glossary
|
Acronym |
Meaning |
|
CPA |
Corporate Performance Assessment |
|
HR |
Human Resources |
|
HBS |
HBS (Hyder Business Services) |
|
EFQM |
European Foundation for Quality Management |
|
FTE |
Full time Equivalent |
|
BVPI |
Best Value Performance Indicator |
|
SMART |
Specific, measurable, agreed, realistic, timed `targets' |
|
B&NES |
Bath & North East Somerset |
|
CE |
Chief Executive |
|
CD |
Corporate Director |
|
D |
Directors |
|
HHR |
Head Of Human Resources |
|
BiS |
Business Improvement Service |
|
CPU |
Corporate Performance Unit |
|
HoS |
Head of Service |
|
WER |
Within Existing Resources |