Agenda item

A draft version of the People Strategy is attached for the Panel to discuss. A presentation will be given at the meeting to introduce the strategy.

The Director of Human Resources & Organisational Development gave a presentation to the Panel to introduce this item, a summary is set out below.

Outcomes

•  To feedback on the 2019 Workforce Planning discussions that took place across all service areas and to identify the key themes, opportunities and challenges this presents

•  To introduce the People Strategy 2019-2023 and obtain feedback from Members and set out next steps

Workforce planning: What’s happened so far?

•  Scrutiny Panel in March 2018 supported approach to workforce planning aligned to organisational service plans

•  Discussions with 26 Directors/Heads of Service and HR Business Partners between Jan and March 2019 (42 questions in 7 sections)

Workforce Planning discussions 2019

1. Recruitment and retention
2. Capacity and demand
3. Apprenticeships, Graduate Interns and Project Search
4. Career progression and development
5. Equality & Diversity
6. Health, Safety & Wellbeing
7. Service restructure & redesign

Apprenticeships, Graduate Interns and Project Search

•  92 apprentices

•  Spending our apprenticeship levy

•  Continuation with Project Search sponsorship and coaching

•  1st MBA cohort with Bath Spa Uni.  Another about to start and one planned for February. LGV driver apprenticeship about to come online

People Strategy 2019 – 2023: Enabling our people to be their best

5 key priority areas linked to Corporate Priorities:

1.  Attraction, retention and workforce planning

•  Establish employer brand

•  Modernisation of our recruitment processes

•  Modernisation of our pay, grading and reward mechanisms

•  Employ more from local schools and colleges

2.  Employee engagement and performance

•  Ensure good quality performance development conversations take place on a regular basis and are measured

•  Listen to our staff on a more regular basis

•  Refresh staff worker challenge groups

3.  Talent and development

•  Enhance and embed the @mybest programme to create defined career pathways for all

•  Develop the succession plan for the organisation, identifying talent and creating opportunities internally where possible

4.  Improving How We Work

•  Recognise and design the differences required to deliver services in new and different models

•  Deliver the collaborative Improving How We Work Programme (including digital and flexible working programmes, corporate travel and future offices)

5.  Health, Safety & Wellbeing

•  Develop a mental health strategy and action plan

•  Wellbeing activities maximised

•  Risk assessment audit project about to launch

Next steps

•  September    Corporate Scrutiny

•  October    Cabinet decision

•  November    Launch

•  Jan onwards    People Strategy Steering Group

Councillor Karen Warrington said that she liked the Strategy and found it easy to read. She asked if a skills gap analysis would be carried out should further voluntary redundancies be required. She also asked to see timescales included in the strategy.

The Director of Human Resources & Organisational Development replied that 50% of services across the Council have training plans in place and that further work regarding skills was planned.

Councillor Andrew Furse asked if other Local Authorities were ahead of B&NES in terms of a total reward approach for staff.

The Director of Human Resources & Organisational Development replied that she felt that staff do currently receive benefits in a number of areas from the Council, including being part of its defined benefit pension scheme and from flexible working. She added that future work would seek as to how the Council can package, explain and market their offer better to new employees.

Councillor Furse asked if local schools and colleges were already involved in the apprenticeship scheme.

The Director of Human Resources & Organisational Development replied that Bath College was our current main apprentice provider and there was further work to be done to engage local schools to help recruit to hard to fill roles (as well as apprenticeships).

The Chairman asked if staff appraisals were being carried out.

The Director of Human Resources & Organisational Development replied that they were in the form of Performance Development Conversations (PDC) but that there was no data available to confirm numbers, frequency or quality of the conversations.

Councillor Hal MacFie asked if the number of apprentices in the Council could be increased.

The Director of Human Resources & Organisational Development replied that there is an aspiration to do so and that discussions were ongoing.

The Chairman, on behalf of the Panel thanked her for the presentation and the work carried out so far on the Strategy. He said that he would like the Panel to monitor its progress.