Agenda item

Agenda item

HROD Update

Report of the Deputy Director of HROD attached

 

This report provides an overview of support to staff during the Council’s response to the COVID19 pandemic and an update of the work to develop management standards as part of the Our Ways of Working programme.

Minutes:

The Committee considered a report of the Director of HR&OD, which provided an overview of the support to staff during the Council’s response to the COVID19 pandemic and an update of the work to develop management standards as part of the Our Ways of Working programme.

 

The key points and themes in the report included:-

 

·                An update on ICT support to enable staff to work from home;

·                Communications and engagement with staff;

·                Health and Wellbeing support

·                The current position of numbers of staff working on site and the work going into prepare for more staff to return;

·                An update on those staff classed as vulnerable or shielding;

·                Future ways of working based on a maximum 30% of the workforce in the building at any one time; and

·                The steps being taken to strengthen accountability

 

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

 

·                Concern was expressed that the 62 staff who were classed as shielding and unable to work from home were being managed under the Council’s management of attendance policy;

·                Was the ambition to have all staff returning to work by October too ambitious given that most staff felt comfortable working from home;

·                Why were staff who were not comfortable working from home, especially BAME and disabled staff, still awaiting receipt of appropriate equipment to enable them to work from home more comfortably;

·                How many Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff were in the 373 within the ‘vulnerable’ or ‘living with someone that is shielding’ categories; and

·                Were the any common/predominant issues being raised through the Employee Assistance Programme.

 

The Deputy Director of HR&OD advised that the 62 staff referred to in the report were not able to work from home due to the nature of their jobs.  It was clarified that at present anyone who had bene classed as shielding and unable to work from home were not being managed by attendance and all were going through individual risk assessments to look at their specific circumstances, which would include a referral to Occupational Health.  The ambition to return all staff to work would be on a much reduced basis (approx. 30%) and would equate to staff having access to work on site approximately one or two days a week.  The Committee was also advised that all staff working from home had been provided with the necessary technology to enable them to work (laptop, mobile phone etc), and the provision of equipment for those who had specific medial, such as chairs, was being facilitated.

 

The Deputy Director of HR&OD agreed to provide a breakdown of the 373 staff that fell within the ‘vulnerable’ or ‘living with someone that is shielding’ categories and advised that the Council was informed of themes by the EAP providers but not specific details.  This alongside feedback from managers and support groups helped identify predominant areas of concern felt by staff which HR were then able to look at and put plans in place to address.

 

Decisions

 

The Committee:-

 

(1)       Notes the report.

(2)       Places on record its thanks to all staff within HR during the pandemic.

(3)       Request that the Deputy Director of HR&OD circulates the information on the ethnicity breakdown of the 373 staff that fell within the ‘vulnerable’ or ‘living with someone that is shielding’ categories to all Committee Members.

 

Supporting documents: