Report of the Director of HROD

This report provides an update and overview of the Our Ways of Working (OWOW) programme.

The Sub Group considered the report of the Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development that provided an update on the Our Ways of Working (OWOW) programme.

Officers referred to the main points and themes within the report which included: -

·                Providing a description of the OWOW and the rationale for this approach;

·                The activities delivered to date with the leadership team to support this way of working through their words and also demonstrating their practical support through their actions;

·                Information on service and manager engagement;

·                Examples of what had been achieved to date;

·                An update on the estates rationalisation and improvement strategy;

·                An update on ICT developments to help staff become more mobile, agile and connected through the deployment of secure, fit for purpose technology;

·                The work to strengthen and clarify policy guidance and present the full range of associated policies together clearly and concisely; and

·                Describing the workstreams which would ultimately contribute to the success of OWOW.

Some of the key points that arose from the Members’ discussions were: -

·                The retention of senior management team (SMT);

·                What more could be done to improve the culture of the organisation;

·                The need to manage change sensitively, recognising the impact this could have on individuals and was there specific training for managers to facilitate this;

·                Had Trade Unions been consulted with regarding the OWOW;

·                How did OWOW apply to part time workers;

·                What was being done to ensure the wellbeing of staff who worked from home, noting that those staff could often feel isolated; and

·                Home working incurred additional costs and would staff be compensated.

The Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development acknowledged the comments regarding SMT and commented that the reasons could be complex and was not uncommon in organisations following a change in Chief Executive. She said that the results of the bHeard survey would be available soon and an analysis on these returns would help in this understanding. She said that the OWOW was a response to previous survey findings in relation to staff wellbeing and demonstrated how the organisation was committed to listening and responding to staff and their concerns and demonstrated an attempt to change the culture of the organisation.

She commented that work was ongoing with the Senior Leadership Group across the organisation to challenge the culture of the organisation, promote OWOW and influence change. She said that a number of working groups had been established to look at specific areas of work and activity. She said staff at all grades would be engaged with to embrace the OWOW and drive this agenda.

The Head of HR Operations said that it was recognised that the involvement and support of staff at all levels was crucial to the successful delivery of OWOW. She said that it was recognised that the organisation was complex and OWOW would look different in different directorates. She said OWOW would be rolled out in a managed way, understanding what worked for different functions and co-designed with staff involvement. She said a range of support mechanisms had been established, including online toolkits and Change Champions had been identified to support officers implementing changes across their respective service. She also confirmed that Trade Unions had been fully consulted with. She further commented that a lot of informal arrangements were already practised across teams and that the formal adoption of the OWOW would help address some of the issues that arose in previous Be Heard surveys around flexible working and work/life balance. She said that it was recognised that some roles and services presented challenges due to the nature of the job, however discussions were ongoing to discuss how this could be addressed with teams being encouraged and empowered to devise their own solutions around service needs.

The Head of HR Operations noted the comments regarding home working and stated that she recognised the comments made regarding social isolation, and if a staff member did not wish to work at home they would not be forced to do so, commenting that across a service a balance was often found between those wishing to work from home and those not wishing to. She said that staff working at home would always be encouraged to attend team meetings to ensure team identity and dynamics were maintained. In response to additional costs incurred by home workers she said there was no direct additional compensation, however staff have been supported through the purchasing of team laptops and mobile phones that staff could use from home.

Decision

The Sub Group requests an update report at an appropriate time that includes information by directorate on the number of staff working part time, how many are formally working flexibly and how the OWOW was being promoted and taken up by staff.