Corporate Services, Climate Change and Scrutiny Management Committee	11 November 2024
Report of the Chief Officer HR and Support Services

Update Report for Information Only: Progress on the Workforce Strategy and Workforce Performance

Summary

1. This report provides an overview of the Council’s Workforce Strategy.  The Strategy and accompanying one year action plan was approved by Corporate Management Team in June 2024. 

Background

2. The monitoring of the strategy and action plan falls within the remit of the Head of Paid Services, (Chief Operating Officer) and updates are presented to corporate management team on a quarterly basis.  The strategy and action plan have also been shared with recognised trade unions and staff.

3. This report provides a brief overview of the structure of the strategy to give assurance to the Committee that the strategy is focused on the key workforce challenges that the Council faces as an employer and action is taking place to embed good practice and maintain a healthy and resilient workforce to delivery services to our community.

Workforce Strategy

4. The Workforce Development Strategy (WFS) 2024-2027 and its accompanying Workforce Development Action Plan (WFP) were formulated and take into account the response to the recommendations outlined in the Local Government Association (LGA) Peer Challenge conducted in February 2024, as well as the Corporate Improvement Framework and the completion of the 2023/24 Workforce Development Plan. The action plan also has cross over links with other plans across such as the Anti Racism and Equalities action plans which have workforce priorities identified (for example training or changes to policies for workforce practice) and the employee survey conducted earlier in 2024. 

5. The new 3-year strategy also supports the aspirations set out in the council plan and core commitments (Equality, Affordability, Climate and Health - EACH).

6. The strategy is developed to make the Council fit to deliver in the context of the fiscal challenge, drive savings, and support the health and wellbeing of our employees to meet the needs of services and the community. A key element is to also embed the new leadership structure and ensure that leadership is driven throughout, this is part of the ‘Let’s Talk Leadership’ framework. This framework shows how we will continue to develop leadership skills in our managers by developing leadership behaviours, competencies, clarifying areas of responsibility / accountability, and providing the necessary opportunities to enhance their skills to then develop the workforce.  The framework also recognises that all employees are Leaders and have a role to play in growing themselves and perform their roles within expected competencies, values and behaviours.

7. The four themes of the Strategy are

a. Leadership and Management – our goal is to foster good leadership and management practices that promote a positive and productive culture.

b. Resourcing for a strong foundation - continuing to prioritise recruitment, retention, career development, pay, reward and recognition strategies for building a resilient and robust workforce to meet the evolving needs of our services and community.

c. Resilience and Wellbeing - committed to embedding good practices regarding wellbeing and engagement to promote and maintain a safe, supported resilient and skilled workforce.

d. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion – to address workplace inequalities, foster an inclusive, supported environment and oppose all forms of intolerance and discrimination.

Workforce Performance      

8. There are numerous measures of success identified as part of the strategy and action plan which are monitored.  These are reported as part of monthly performance reports presented to Corporate Management Team which are also cascaded and discussed at departmental directorate levels too for awareness and action as appropriate.  All measures of success are currently moving in a positive direction or comparable with metrics from 2023.

Theme	Measures of Success	Direction of measure as at September 2024
Leadership and Management	Performance Development Reviews Completion rates	Higher than 2023/24
	Completion rates of essential e-learning training	Higher than 2023/24
Resilience and Wellbeing	Sickness Absence Rates attrition in line with regional benchmarks	Comparable regionally and to last year
	Return to work interviews completion rate improved	Higher than 2023/2024
	Results of the employee survey improving over the next three years	Overall improvement from 2023 to 2024 survey on key metrics
Resourcing for a strong foundation	Reduction of agency spend	Significant reductions in spend and number of agency staff in comparison to 2023
	Reduction in employee turnover	Steady and comparable
	Increase in number of apprenticeships	Steady and comparable
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion	Workforce diversity data aligning to York	Comparable to last year, slight increase in declarations from staff (this is not mandatory)
	More employees choose to disclose if they have a disability or identification of ethnicity	Comparable to last year, slight increase in declarations from staff (this is not mandatory)

Options and Analysis

9. There are no formal options or analysis for the Committee to consider, the Workforce Strategy overview and Workforce information presented are for the Committee’s information purposes only.

Council Plan

10. The workforce development strategy is designed to directly address the recommendations from the LGA Peer Challenge (February 2024) and the Corporate Improvement Framework. It integrates our core commitments to Equalities, Affordability, Climate, and Health, aligning with the Council Plan 2023-27 and Equalities strategy 2024-27.

        Implications

11. Financial Costs associated with the implementation of any aspects of the strategy and plan will be considered on an ongoing basis, will be fed through CMT and will be mindful of the current financial challenges.

12. Human Resources (HR) The WFS and WFP plan fits with the HR Service plan and is key to developing and ensuring that the Council has a workforce fit to deliver all its priorities.

13. Equalities Any aspects of the WFS and WFP that requires equality impact assessments will be considered on individual basis as part of the project planning process.

14. Legal The Director of Governance and legal team will provide any legal challenges associated with the individual actions associated with the strategy and plan.

15. Procurement The Head of Procurement and team will provide any procurement support associated with any contracts required by the HR department and WFP.

16. Health and Wellbeing The Director of Public Health and team will be contacted where there are any actions that require public health intervention and consideration.

17. Data Protection and Privacy Any aspects of the WFS and WFP that requires a DPIA will be considered on an individual basis as part of the project planning process.

18. Communications The Head of Communications and team will be contacted where there are any actions that require communication to the workforce.

Risk Management

19. There are no known risk implications associated with the recommendations in this report, however, it is acknowledged that the savings and financial implications ahead do have risks for employee relations, but these will be managed through good communication, engagement with recognised trade unions and ensuring managers and employees are aware of the journey and support available.

Recommendations

20. Corporate Services, Climate Change and Scrutiny Management Committee are invited to

a. Note the Workforce Development Strategy structure and aims

b. Note the workforce performance (paragraph 8) and measures of success that will continue to be monitored.

The above recommendations all contribute to the effective delivery of a resilient, skilled, and capable workforce to deliver the Council Plan.

Contact Details

	Chief Officer Responsible for the report:
	Helen Whiting Chief Officer HR and Support Services
	Report Approved	ü	Date	24 October 2024
Specialist Implications Officer(s)
Wards Affected:					All	ü
For further information please contact the author of the report

Background Papers: None

Annexes: None

Abbreviations

WFS – Workforce development Strategy

WFP - Workforce development action plan