Agenda item

Rich Thomas (Strategy and Commissioning Manager, HROD) introduced the report, stating that the Our People Strategy had been refreshed in 2020 and endorsed by the Staff and Pensions Committee following input from the Resources and Fire & Rescue OSC. It would enable progress to be made towards the vision of making WCC a great place to work where diverse and talented people are enabled to be at their best. He stated that, to meet this vision, the organisation would need to attract, recruit, motivate and develop the diversity of talent required to deliver the objectives of the Council Plan.

In response to Councillor Watson, Rich Thomas advised that, predominantly, apprentices’ pay was set marginally higher than the minimum apprentice pay rate. In future, it was proposed to raise apprentices’ pay to the national minimum wage. This would help to attract candidates. He advised that there was a good level of interest in higher-level apprenticeships; however, there was less interest in lower-level apprenticeships where the Council was competing with other employers. The measures proposed would make WCC more attractive as a prospective employer to school leavers.

In response to Councillor Watson, Rich Thomas advised that ‘claw back’ clauses were in place within contracts where there was significant investment in a trainee, such as sponsorship for a professional qualification. In these circumstances, if an individual chose to leave the organisation prematurely, they would need to reimburse the Authority.

In response to Councillor Roberts, Rich Thomas advised that attention had been given to expanding Our People values and cultures to those indirectly employed by the Council, principally within the social care environment. Liaison had been coordinated by the People Directorate during the past 12 months, providing advice on matters related to the impact of COVID-19 such as vaccination take-up.

In response to Councillor Roberts, Rich Thomas advised that specific differentials applied between the National Living Wage and Real Living Wage; changes to government policy meant that the gap between the two had decreased. He advised that, by adopting the Real Living Wage, an employer was obliged to devolve control of its pay policy to an alternative party. The Real Living Wage was reset annually each November, meaning that an employer had six months to implement the required pay award. However, he advised that the merits of the Real Living Wage were being considered within the People Directorate as part of the Poverty Strategy. 

Councillor Roberts stated that apprentices between the ages of 18 and 23 were often paid substantially less than other employees. He highlighted the advantages of aligning pay for this cohort to a level closer to the Real Living Wage. This would attract capable individuals and offset financial pressures associated with increased costs of living.

Councillor Tromans praised the comprehensiveness of the report and presentation. However, he commented that some of the assertions within the presentation were not substantiated by metrics. He suggested that these be included in future. He drew attention to some of the technical language within the Strategy and suggested that information be presented in terms more readily understandable to a layperson. He asked what specific measures were in place to embed a highly effective workplace culture.

Rich Thomas noted these comments which would inform future presentations. He advised that input had been sought from employees as part of the Employer Value Proposition. Their stories and experience of working for the Authority were used extensively within recruitment literature and on social media.

Councillor Birdi praised the effectiveness of the Apprenticeship Scheme to bring talented individuals into the organisation. He stated that there was a need to compete with the private sector where more appealing salaries were often on offer. To do so, it was necessary to present an attractive package to prospective employees which included a clear career path and high standard of personal development.

Councillor Boad highlighted the importance of training to enable staff to make a positive difference to communities and enact a culture of professionalism.

Councillor Daniell highlighted the advantages of personality assessments to support recruitment and make good appointments. He commented that high staff turnover was not necessarily a serious problem provided quality talent could be retained; maintaining high standards would support continued recruitment of capable individuals.

Rich Thomas advised that personality assessments were utilised when making senior level appointments; however, this approach was not used more widely within the organisation. He stated that, by taking the right approach to development of a capable workforce, value could be added to the wider community should staff chose to move on.

In response to Councillor Spencer, Rich Thomas advised that exit interviews were undertaken and the information gathered was utilised to assess organisational performance. He stated that this process was also supported by engagement with current employees, facilitating a better understanding of the workforce and approaches to retain talented personnel.

The Chair stated that staff was the organisation’s greatest asset, as exemplified by the dedicated response of highways officers during the recent heavy storms.

Resolved:

That the Committee notes the work in the review of Our People Strategy and the proposed delivery priorities to inform the development of the Our People Strategy Delivery Plan for 2022/23.