Agenda item

The Committee heard from the People and Organisational Development Manager with the results of the second staff survey regarding covid-19. She explained that although the response rate was slightly lower than in June, the second survey was well received, with an overall response rate of 61.4% or 132 responses (compared to 73.7% or 177 responses previously) and the vast majority of staff continued to feel well supported by their manager. She provided the following summary of results.

·         Management Team were trusted to make decisions in the best interests of staff and staff felt that the right amount of information was being disseminated across the organisation.

·         Staff overwhelmingly felt that the Council was doing everything it possibly could to support them, with initiatives such as the Steps Challenge cited as something that had been hugely beneficial to mental wellbeing and something which staff would like to see return.

·         More staff were reporting adverse impacts on their mental health compared to June, with a higher number of people also worried about the impact of COVID-19 on their lives. .

·         More staff reported feeling very or fairly satisfied with their working from home arrangement compared to June, though network connectivity and a lack of physical workspace remained a persistent issue for some.

·         A higher percentage of staff had settled into a regular working routine and were working more productively compared to June.

·         Childcare and caring responsibilities appeared much less of an issue than in June, though concerns remained about school closures and the impact this would have on working from home.

·         Limiting hotdesking, the availability of a vaccine, staggering start and finish times and improved cleaning regimes would all make staff feel more comfortable about returning to the office.

·         Fewer people wanted to see a return to the office with more respondents preferring to work from home with scheduled office time compared to June.

·         An increase in people's workload and feeling under pressure as a result had emerged as a new issue with this being the single biggest work related concern that staff had.

·         Social isolation and missing social interaction in the office remained the biggest reasons why staff were missing the office environment.

·         Conversely, noise and distraction remained the single biggest thing that staff were not missing about working in the office.

·         More staff reported enjoying the flexibility and work/life balance that working from home brought compared to June.

The Chairman thanked the People and Organisational Development Manager and invited any questions or comments from Committee Members. There was widespread support for the efforts of staff to have continued providing services as usual through what had been, and continued to be, challenging times. It was acknowledged that working practices were unlikely to return to what had been ‘the norm’ before the pandemic.

Members expressed concern that staff were feeling more pressure than previously but there was also support for the measures put in place by management. It was stated that Members had received positive feedback and appreciation from their local communities and it was important that staff knew people were appreciative of their work. It was acknowledged that, as the country came out of lockdown and restrictions were eased, it would be a continually changing situation but Members were assured that Management Team would ensure the balance between service need and individual impact.

Thanks were expressed to the People and Organisational Development Manager with further thanks extended to staff.

With no further comments, the contents of the report were NOTED.