Minutes:
Roger Parkin, Strategic Director - Customer and Community Services, advised Members that following recent staff absences at Matrix due to annual leave, data received for the purpose of compiling a report had, upon review, proven to be erroneous. As such, it was felt that it was prudent to forgo publishing a report until such time as the data could be validated, to ensure any information presented was wholly correct.
In the absence of a report, Members asked a number of questions, including:
Was the Council still having difficult in recruiting permanent staff?
A reduction in the use of agency staff had been seen in several departments, including Planning and Building Control. This was due in part to the implementation of training and development programmes to upskill staff from junior to senior roles, thereby growing internal talent and forgoing the need to look outside the organisation. In addition, benchmarking exercises against other Local Authorities had been undertaken to ensure pay parity, and where short, the Council was paying market supplements as required, in order to incentivise prospective employees to come and work for Slough.
How many staff members were on fixed-term contracts?
This data could be provided following the meeting, but it was important to recognise that anyone on a fixed-term contract was employed by the Council and not an agency. The same rights and benefits applied to these employees as pertained to permanent staff, e.g. entry into the pension scheme. Salaries were equivalent to permanent staff.
What was the Council doing to ensure that talented staff were not lost to other employers?
Employees were incentivised to join Slough and continue to work for Slough in the long term via attractive benefits such as flexible working, smart working and pay parity. This ensured that all employees were enabled to retain a healthy and positive work/life balance.
Members were disappointed that a report could not be brought to the meeting, and agreed that Mr Parkin would forward an interim report to all Members of the Employment & Appeals Panel as soon as possible.