Agenda item

Presentation by Kevin Gordon, Assistant Director Professional Services.

Kevin Gordon, Assistant Director Professional Services, presented an introduction to the role of the Committee and the workforce issues facing the Council in the year ahead.  The Committee was responsible for all the functions relating to the Council’s responsibilities as an employer, including such matters as how staff were managed, how they were paid, and how to obtain the best level of performance from them.

A number of initiatives and achievements of the Committee over the last couple of years were outlined:

• Wellbeing – staff campaigns around healthy living and keeping well
• Wellbeing – reducing sickness absence
• Introduction of a dress code
• Management / Leadership development
• Improvements to disciplinary process
• Changes to SML Grades – more equitable and making a saving
• Monitoring the Accommodation Strategy

Turning to matters on which the Committee could concentrate in the future, there was a continuing need to work on better staff engagement and motivation.  This was particularly important in a time of ongoing business change and the requirement to make substantial budget savings, estimated at £14m, £9m and £6m for 2015/16 and the two subsequent years respectively.  Members made suggestions as to suitable topics for the Committee to consider.  In discussion, mention was made of stress among the staff, which could possibly be exacerbated by worry about redundancies arising from the need to make savings or if accommodation was inadequate.

Resolved - 

(a)  That the presentation on the role of the Committee be noted.

(b)  TThat reports on the following matters be considered by the Committee in the year ahead:

·  Reducing sickness absence

·  Stress management

·  Agency and temporary staff contract

·  Accommodation strategy (with a proposal that the next meeting be held at St Martin’s Place in order that the Committee could view new office layouts and furniture)

·  Recruitment