Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Corporate Services

Forward Plan Ref: 2021/104

Contact: Karen Edwards, Director of Human Resources Tel: 07825 521526

Report by Corporate Director Customers, Organisational Development and Resources (CA8).

Quarterly staffing report providing details of key people numbers and analysis of main changes since the previous report.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to note the report.

Recommendation agreed

Cabinet had before it a quarterly staffing report providing details of key people numbers and analysis of main changes since the previous report.

Councillor Glynis Phillips summarised the report:

·         congratulating staff on continuing to deliver services against a background of uncertainty.

·         noting that over 700 managers will have trained in delivering one-to-one meetings with staff by the end of the financial year as part of the Delivering the Future Together programme.

·         since Q2 managers can now record sick leave on the system on behalf of staff members who do not have access to the system.  This has contributed to an increase in sick leave recorded from 2.74% in Q1 to 3.35% in Q2.

·         during the pandemic stress, anxiety and depression has accounted for 29% of all sick leave compared to 19% pre-pandemic.  It will be a focus for directorate leaderships to refer to Occupational Health and HR Business Partners as appropriate.

·         It was hoped that restructuring in the Environment and Place Directorate will reduce their agency spend over time.

Cabinet Members echoed the thanks to staff for their continued work during the pandemic.  They raised a number of points and Councillor Phillips responded as follows:

·         There was some very good managerial support available to staff to reduce any feelings of isolation due to increased remote working.

·         The restructuring of Environment and Place gave the opportunity for the development of job descriptions in order to directly recruit the staff needed.

·         Much of the agency spend came from Adult Social Care where there was a real shortage of workers.

Councillors Liz Brighouse and Jenny Hannaby added that both the children and adult directorates were working to train their own social workers and other specialists.

RESOLVED to note the report.