Agenda and minutes

Venue: Jeavons Room, First Floor. View directions

Contact: Patrick Adams  03450 450 500 Email: democratic.services@scambs.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies for Absence

To receive Apologies for Absence from Committee members. 

Minutes:

Apologies for Absence were received from Councillors Philippa Hart, Dawn Percival and Peter Topping. Councillor Claire Daunton was appointed as Vice-Chairman for this meeting only.

2.

Declarations of Interest

Minutes:

None.

3.

Minutes of Previous Meeting pdf icon PDF 115 KB

To confirm the minutes held on 7 November 2018 as a correct record.

Minutes:

The Committee agreed the minutes of the meeting held on 7 November 2018 as a correct record.

4.

Retention and Turnover Report: July to September 2018 pdf icon PDF 287 KB

Minutes:

The Head of People and Organisational Development presented this report on the turnover of staff between 1 July 2018 and 30 September 2018. It was noted that the figure of 3.9% for voluntary leavers was slightly over the target figure of 3.25%.

 

Exit interviews

The increase in the percentage of exit interviews from 33.3% of leavers to 63.64% of leavers was welcomed.

 

Apprentices

Two apprentices had been recruited in the second quarter, bringing the total of apprentices in post to 5. It was noted that the Council started apprentices on Grade 1 pay scale, which greatly exceeded the minimum wage for apprentices.

 

Recruitment and retention

It was noted that the Council were preparing to adopt a “golden hello” policy to assist in the recruitment of new staff. A re-location policy already existed, which compensated new staff for the costs of moving to the area up to a maximum of £7,000, which had to be paid back if the employee left the organisation early. The Council had agreed to pay the Government’s proposed £60 charge for all EU nationals wishing to remain in the UK after Britain leaves the EU.

 

The recruitment process had been made less onerous for the applicant and CVs were now accepted.

 

It was suggested that the Council could make better use of free applications such as Linked-in and Indeed.

 

It was suggested that the figures in the table showing reasons for leaving should be expressed in percentage terms by service area.

 

It was noted that a discussion on career progression was included in the annual appraisal process. Training and coaching needs were also discussed.

 

Safeguarding

It was noted that Safeguarding training for councillors would be arranged for March 2019.

 

Task and Finish Group

It was agreed that a proposal for a Recruitment and Retention Task and Finish Group should be discussed at the next meeting of the Committee.

 

Organogram

It was agreed that the Committee should be provided with an organogram of Executive Management Team and team leaders.

 

The Committee NOTED the report.

5.

Sickness Absence: July to September 2018 pdf icon PDF 240 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Head of People and Organisational Development presented this report on sickness absence for the period 1 July to 30 September 2018.

 

Category of sickness

It was noted that the plan was to remove the category “other” for reasons for sickness. Concern was raised about the need for confidentiality.

 

Stress

It was suggested that more effort should be made to manage the expectation of residents, especially those who received a service from a section that was understaffed.

 

Waterbeach Depot

It was noted that the recent promotion of health and safety for depot staff had resulted in a reduction in the number of accidents. It was noted that depot staff appeared less likely to seek assistance on health issues than those staff based in Cambourne.

 

The Committee NOTED the report.

6.

Verbal Feedback on Disability and Employment

Minutes:

The Head of People and Organisational Development explained to the Committee that research had been carried out. Approximately 3% of staff were registered as disabled. A full report will be taken to the next meeting of the Committee. It was suggested that the views of disabled people should be included in the report.

7.

Draft Staff Survey Questionnaire

Minutes:

The Committee examined the draft employee survey.

 

It was noted that there was usually a low number of responses to surveys from the depot. The Head of People and Organisational Development explained that allowing staff to skip a question led to skewed responses.

 

The Committee NOTED the survey.

8.

Date of Next meeting

The Committee’s next meeting has been scheduled for 17 January 2019 at 10am in the Monkfield Room.

Minutes:

It was noted that the next meeting would be held on Thursday 17 January at 10am in the Monkfield Room.