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Agenda Item No. 3

 

THE VALE OF GLAMORGAN COUNCIL

 

CORPORATE PERFORMANCE AND RESOURCES SCRUTINY COMMITTEE: 30 APRIL 2018

 

REFERENCE FROM CABINET: 19 MARCH 2018

 

C259              STAFF CHARTER - UPDATE FROM EMPLOYEE SURVEY (L) (SCRUTINY COMMITTEE – CORPORATE PERFORMANCE AND RESOURCES) -

 

Cabinet was updated on the results from the recent 2017 employee survey and related activity as part of the Council's Staff Charter.

 

The Council's first Staff Charter was launched on 19 September, 2016. The aim of the Charter was to provide clarity about the expectations of the Council employees in a reshaped world (in terms of flexibility, performance and contribution) but also to be clear about those things that employees could (and should) expect from their managers in terms of trust, support, clarity of expectation and respect.

 

A copy of the updated action plan to support the implementation of the Staff Charter was set out in Appendix 2 attached to the report. This set out progress in relation to the main areas of activity including communications, staff development, leadership and engagement.

 

The first employee survey was carried out in the autumn of 2016 in order to set a benchmark for levels of staff engagement and as a basis against which future progress could be measured. The 2017 employee survey had been the second such survey and the first real opportunity to measure progress against the 20 employee expectations in the first full year since the launch of the Staff Charter in 2016.

 

A detailed analysis of the results from the employee survey was set out in Appendix 1 attached to the report. This included an analysis of engagement levels by directorate, service area, length of service and grade. There were 1415 responses to the survey equating to an overall return rate of 57%. This was an encouraging rate of return, exceeding industry standards for such engagement exercises and representing an improvement on the return rates in 2016 of 48%.

 

A selection of the key outcomes from the employee survey were set out in the report.

 

The staff engagement work over the last year had built on the outcomes from the initial employee survey results in 2016 and to a large extent had contributed to the improvements in engagement levels and positive outcomes in 2017. Nine out of fifteen of the Staff Charter related actions had been progressed over the last year with the support and leadership of our employee representatives and Staff Charter Champions.  A summary of progress was set out in the report. A more detailed progress update in relation to delivering the 15 Staff Charter commitments was set out in Appendix 2 attached to the report. This would continue to serve as a Staff Charter action plan going forward.

 

The six priorities for 2018 were set out in the report and would be progressed through the five relevant Staff Charter workstream groups. The progression of the six actions would help respond to the learning from the 2017 employee survey both in terms of the assertions which attracted the lowest level of positive responses from employees and also those elements where the positive response rate went down in 2017.

 

The employee survey would be repeated in the autumn of 2018 and then annually thereafter.

 

This was a matter for Executive decision

 

Cabinet, having considered the report and all the issues and implications contained therein

 

RESOLVED –

 

(1)       T H A T the results from the 2017 employee survey as set out in Appendix 1 attached to the report be noted alongside related activity as part of the Council's Staff Charter.

 

(2)       T H A T the updated action plan attached at Appendix 2 to the report be noted and endorsed.

 

(3)       T H A T the report be referred to Scrutiny Committee (Corporate Performance & Resources) for consideration.

 

Reasons for decisions

 

(1)       To provide an update on current levels of employee engagement and as a baseline to measure the success of future 'Staff Charter' development work.

 

(2)       To note and endorse the ongoing staff engagement work and its congruence with the objectives of the Staff Charter.

 

(3)       To enable the Scrutiny Committee to maintain a continued focus on this key area of workforce planning activity.

 

 

 

Attached as Appendix – Report to Cabinet – 19 MARCH 2018