Agenda item

Report by the Chief Operating Officer

39.1     The Committee considered a report by the Chief Operating Officer which presented the People Strategy and the progress made against the four key themes of the strategy set out in the action plan. The key themes are:

·        Leadership and Management (Appendix 3A)

·        Performance, Development and Reward (Appendix 3B)

·        Employee Engagement and Recognition (Appendix 3C)

·        Employee Health, Wellbeing and Inclusion (Appendix 3D)

39.2     The year 2 action plan of the People Strategy is detailed in appendix 4 of the report. The key priorities for delivery in 2016/17 will be implementing the Leadership and Management capability framework, and introducing a new appraisal system.

39.3     The Committee questioned the pace of implementation and why the Leadership and Management capability framework had not been given higher priority given its importance. The Interim Assistant Director for Personnel and Training responded that it had been important to implement the Learning Management System first so that training programmes could be delivered electronically and staff could manage their training on line. It is also important to bear in mind that the development of the Leadership and Management capability framework is being co-created with managers to ensure their engagement and that the right capabilities are included.

39.4     The Committee commented that the future management capability work was key to the East Sussex County Council’s (ESCC) future and should include competencies that managers of the future will need to possess. If ESCC intends to empower its managers, it may be more challenging than the People Strategy suggests to adjust the style of management across the whole organisation.

39.5     The Interim Assistant Director for Personnel and Training confirmed that resources were in place within departments to implement the Leadership and Management capability framework. Development work has also included information from the 21^st Century Public Servant resource to ensure competencies for the future are included and not just those suggested by existing managers. The appraisal system will help ESCC develop the managers needed for future leadership roles. The Leadership and Management capability framework will make it possible to have an honest and genuine dialogue with managers about their future role and capability.

39.6     The Committee asked about the resources for the implementation of the health and wellbeing initiatives to tackle sickness absence rates. The Interim Assistant Director for Personnel and Training replied that the department is aware of the issue and have identified a member of the team who will be able to develop and implement the health and wellbeing initiatives. Both the Chief Executive and the Chief Operating Officer attended a ‘mindfulness session’ that was run as part of Stress Awareness Day on 4 November 2015 and good feedback has been received from staff about this. There are a range of wellbeing initiatives that are being considered for implementation and it will be important to evaluate their impact.

39.7     The Committee commented that the People Strategy was a little bland and did not reflect the enthusiasm that was evident from those that were implementing it. The Committee considered that it needed to be more punchy and visionary in order to engage staff.

39.8     The Committee RESOLVED to: (1) note the development of the People Strategy and the progress made against the action plan deliverables; and

(2) thank the staff for their work to implement the People Strategy.