Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Deputy Leader of the Council

Forward Plan Ref: 2020/002

Contact: Sarah Currell, HR Manager - Business Systems Tel: 07867 467793

Report by Director of Human Resources (CA11).

This report provides a summary of HR activity and a snapshot of the workforce profile including headcount and full time equivalent comparison, ethnicity, age, apprenticeships, sickness, turnover and agency spend for the quarter ending 31 March 2020.

Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to note the report.

Noted.

Cabinet considered a report that provided a summary of HR activity and a snapshot of the workforce profile including headcount and full time equivalent comparison, ethnicity, age, apprenticeships, sickness, turnover and agency spend for the quarter ending 31 March 2020.

Councillor Laura Price, Opposition Deputy Leader paid tribute to our staff across all directorates for their phenomenal work during this period of crisis.

Councillor Price also thanked the HR team and their exemplary work alongside Oxfordshire's Trade Unions and in particular County Unison and the wonderful Janie.

Councillor Price commented that the report began to illustrate the impact of Covid on our workforce, but also showed how staff and HR have combined emergency response with ongoing work and service redesign vital to our ability to operate. It will now be important to find ways to build back stronger from our experiences. The effectiveness of the new Occupational Health contract and Employee Assistance Programme will be key. There was still work to do in the area of sickness absence  and she hoped that this challenge formed part of the criteria for the commissioning process.

Councillor Price welcomed the increased focus on leavers' data and in particular the recognised need for more rigour in the exit interview process.

Councillor Price expressed concern that the Council still relied heavily on agency staff in key areas where an increase in permanent staff would have significant benefits for residents - such as social workers.

She looked forward to the next Quarter that would paint a picture of our organisation as we move out of the peak and into the "new normal" which is likely to bring even more complex challenges.It would be necessary to learn and grow particularly in how to nurture the health and wellbeing of staff and enable them to work more flexibly - not only in times of crisis, but periods of stability.

Councillor Judith Heathcoat, Deputy Leader of the Council, introduced the contents of the report stressing that the services provided by the Council were people intensive and that the workforce were our most valuable asset. Councillor Heathcoat thanked Karen Edwards and the HR Team for the richness of the report, working effectively from home. Councillor Heathcoat highlighted that the retendering of the occupational health and the employee assistance services was completed and would enable the Council to support a healthy workforce. Services offered included counselling, debt and legal advice and health and wellbeing support. Councillor Heathcoat detailed the analytical work that was taking place particularly on sickness absence figures and that work was ongoing looking at the HR data set. More detail was available on the web site.