Agenda item

People Strategy

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.

Minutes:

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.

Supporting documents: