Agenda item

Report of the Strategic Director of HR & EDI

Lee Mann, Director of Human Resources (HR) and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, presented a report on the progress, benefit realisation, controls, associated risks and management of the Improvement and Assurance Board (IAB) instructions under Theme 6 – Workforce, Culture and Performance. The following points were raised:

a)  The feedback from the IAB concerning activity within Theme 6 has been positive. The officer leadership structure has been reorganised and simplified, and a new performance appraisal system has been implemented. Training and leadership development programmes have been established, and there is a clear focus on how staff should engage with a positive workplace culture and seek to develop new ways of working. A fresh culture mapping process is being carried out, with focus groups to be established during the summer.

b)  The new instructions issued by the IAB in February 2023 have been responded to, and much of the required work was already underway. A great deal of activity is in place to ensure that all measures to establish and maintain a trained, skilled and competent workforce accommodating fundamental cultural change are fully embedded and arising learning applied. However, although a robust framework is now in place, the delivery of significant culture change is a long-term process. There is a challenge in ensuring that the right specialist capacity is available to drive a wide range of change initiatives and help them to embed properly. As part of the process, it is vital that the new individual performance review system is implemented and delivered effectively at all levels.

The Committee raised the following points in discussion:

c)  The Committee asked how processes were being improved to ensure that any staff vacancies were filled as quickly as possible. It was explained that the strategic HR service needed to be efficient in providing managers with the right tools to implement new policy effectively. The Council’s recruitment processes can often be reactive, so it is important for strategic workforce planning to be developed and linked to staffing requirements in individual service areas. A good offer to staff is needed in terms of personal development and career progression, and it is vital that the outcomes of recruitment processes are fully reviewed to develop learning.

d)  The Committee queried how the progress and outcomes of culture change were measured. It was set out that a great deal of information will be collected through the upcoming culture mapping survey, which will then identify areas for follow-up staff surveys. Metrics will be developed for benchmarking against other similar Local Authorities, and the monitoring of turnover, vacancy and sickness rates is being improved.

e)  The Committee asked how the senior officer structure has been simplified, and how corporate knowledge and skills would be retained at the senior level following significant recent turnover in leadership roles. It was reported that the extremely large ‘People’ directorate has now been divided down into two separate sections, for children and adults – each with its own Corporate Director. However, more work is still required to apply the principles of the new structure across the Council, with service areas rationalised and brought together as appropriate. A robust induction process must be in place for senior staff, with effective periods of handover factored in. A strategic approach to filling roles should be used to avoid the need to use expensive interim staffing from agencies. Consideration is being given to ensuring that the pay scales for all staff are appropriate and as competitive as possible, as part of an overall strategic approach to the Council’s workforce.

Resolved:

1)  To take assurance that progress has been made on Theme 6 – Workforce, Culture and Performance Outcomes of the Together for Nottingham Plan, and to note the Plan is now to be replaced by the new Council Improvement Plan (to be approved with the Commissioners in June/July 2024).

2)  To note the progress made on the specific Workforce Instructions issued by the Improvement and Assurance Board in February 2023.