Cascade December 2012 Monthly briefing to keep you up to date with news from across the council

Contents The best laid plans… Lead to success for council planning service Clear position Joint statement on union/member roles Hubbub on The Hub Improvements to our online staff resources Your views count Employee survey results summarised Up to scratch? Employee performance improvement policy approved From your views – to My View How to use the online HR resource It’s in the post Postal contact details for HR It’s good to talk Services link with communications team

Planning to succeed It’s been a very successful year for Argyll and Bute Council’s planning service, with teams winning three major awards. The Craignish Community Plan was commended in the Community Involvement category at the prestigious Scottish Government Awards for Quality in Planning. At the same event, the Argyll and Bute Woodland and Forestry Strategy won an award in the Development Planning category. The same strategy also achieved a coveted UK Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Planning Award in the Rural and National Environment section.

Planning to succeed Over the past year, the planning application approval rate has been 96 per cent – demonstrating the council’s commitment to making development happen. The planning service has also introduced a ‘grow our own’ policy which aims to retain excellent staff by assisting them with career progression – in some cases from admin to technician, and from technician to professional officer. The Planning Performance Framework (PPF) which sets out how the planning service has performed over the last year has now been approved by the Planning, Protective Services and Licensing Committee (PPSL) for submission to the Scottish Government. The PPF seeks to allow each planning authority in Scotland to demonstrate its level of performance, customer feedback, achievements and challenges by publishing them in a single document. It’s available to view at and-environment/planning-performance-framework-2012www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/planning- and-environment/planning-performance-framework-2012

Joint statement – roles of trades unions and elected members The Joint Trades Unions met with Argyll and Bute Council Leader, Roddy McCuish and Councillor Dougie Philand, Lead Councillor for HR and Sport. The purpose of this constructive meeting was to clarify and understand the respective roles of the trades unions and elected members on employee matters. It was confirmed that the Lead Councillor remit related to strategic HR policy issues and, as with all other Lead Councillor roles, does not involve the Lead Councillor in operational issues within the council. The role of the joint trades unions as employee representatives in terms of employer negotiations and in representing individual employee members was recognised.

Both sides were keen to recognise the contribution that they each made to the efficient and effective running of the council and to continuing the development of positive industrial relations in Argyll and Bute. The council has a number of HR policies and procedures in place to support staff. These can be accessed via The Hub under My HR, through the HR Advice Line or from your line manager. These policies and procedures have been agreed with the Joint Trades Unions at both a national and local level. Joint statement – trades unions and elected member roles

At the heart of it all The Hub aims to be the one-stop shop for information for council employees, with a wealth of useful information for staff new and old alike. The web team have been working on changes to The Hub in order to make it as simple, user-friendly and accessible as possible. To help you navigate your way around and find out what’s at the heart of The Hub, see the following slides outlining some of the changes.

Current Hub (sharepoint)New Hub (Drupal) Changes to the Hub In order to improve the Hub for users and to make future development more efficient, the web team is moving the site from it’s current system (SharePoint) to the same system used for the main council website (Drupal). This will provide: Easier content creation for authors. A faster, and easier to use, site. More useful site features.

What’s changed? Colours changed to match corporate style guide Quick links bar moved and rotated Staff news and Noticeboard lists merged Navigation has been re-designed. Now based on ‘top tasks’ like the main council website Background colours removed from menus to improve clarity and accessibility New homepage features: Recent ‘for sale/wanted’ ads Polls Popular pages Improved search (faster, better results) All services will be able to log in and post to site (e.g for sale/wanted board)

Comparison - cascade page Current HubNew Hub

Comparison - Sickness and absence page Current Hub New Hub

Your views count IBP Strategy and Research recently prepared a survey of Argyll and Bute Council employees. The aim was to establish employees’ views on working for the council, and compare these to 2009 survey results, so that any changes could be identified and incorporated into priorities for future improvement. This included employees’ views on their jobs, training and development, council objectives, individual contributions to council success, communication, dignity at work and general opinions. The full survey presentation is available at bute.gov.uk/Documents/Argyll%20and%20Bute%20Council%20Employee% 20Survey%20Presentation% ppthttp://intranet.argyll- bute.gov.uk/Documents/Argyll%20and%20Bute%20Council%20Employee% 20Survey%20Presentation% ppt The findings are outlined in the following slides.

Summary of views My job Respondents’ level of agreement in relation to aspects of their job is high overall and remains broadly similar to the results found in Agreement is highest in relation to having an interesting job (88%), getting support from colleagues (86%), being treated with respect by colleagues (86%), being clear about their duties (83%), enjoying their work (82%) and being treated with respect by line managers / supervisors (80%). Conversely, disagreement is highest in relation to regularly receiving constructive feedback (26%), being able to cope with the amount of work expected (17%), having authority to make decisions (15%), making good use of skills and abilities (14%) and work contribution being recognised by line manager (13%).

My training and development The level of agreement with statements about training and development has shown improvement for almost all aspects since Agreement is highest in relation to being aware of job opportunities / vacancies within the Council (72%) and having agreed development and training needs with a line manager in last 12 months (65%). Conversely, disagreement is also highest in relation to having agreed development and training needs with a line manager (20%) and having had the agreed training and development needed to do the job (20%). Summary of views

Council objectives The level of agreement with statements about council objectives has also shown improvement for most aspects since Agreement is highest in relation to being aware of the council’s Customer Service Charter (73%), being aware of the council’s Improvement Plan (72%) and being aware of the council’s Corporate Plan (70%). Conversely, disagreement is highest in relation to being kept well informed of council decisions affecting individuals’ sections (28%); being aware that individuals’ sections have a team plan (20%) and knowing the council’s corporate aims, values and objectives (18%).

Summary of views Contribution to council objectives Improvement can also be seen in the level of agreement with most statements about individuals’ contribution to the council’s success. Agreement is highest in relation to knowing what standards are expected of their work (86%), knowing how well they are meetings standards (76%) and believing what they do is important to council success (75%). Conversely, disagreement is highest in relation to having the resources to do their job (18%), having ideas that are welcomed as a way to improve services (15%) and feeling that their team works towards clear objectives (11%).

Summary of views Communication Most statements in relation to communication show improvement in terms of level of agreement when compared to the results from Agreement is highest in relation to knowing how to report an accident at work (80%), clear communication from line managers / supervisors (69%), team briefings keeping employees up to date (61%) and having regular team briefings (60%). Conversely, disagreement is highest in relation to management seeking employees’ views and opinions (30%), management communicating effectively with employees (29%) and overall satisfaction with communication in the council (27%). Awareness levels are highest in relation to the Council website (91%), payslip messages (90%), the Hub (78%), Cascade (77%) and Team meetings (71%) as methods of communication. However, the most useful methods of communication are perceived to be team meetings (84% stating very useful or useful), The Hub (82%), the council website (75%) and Cascade (69%).

Summary of views Dignity at work 71% of respondents are aware of the council’s policy and procedures which can be used in relation to bullying and harassment or discrimination at work, while 25% are not aware and the remaining 5% did not answer this question. The most likely sources of information about Human Resource policies and procedures are the Hub (58%), line managers (45%) and colleagues (39%).

Summary of views Overall views of the council Agreement with statements about the council overall are highest in relation to team/section presenting a positive image of the council (75%), the council taking Health and Safety at work seriously (67%) the council taking equalities seriously both as an employer and a service provider (64% in both cases) and employees being encouraged to use resources efficiently (63%). Conversely, disagreement is highest in relation to poor performance being dealt with effectively (30%) the council valuing its employees (26%). The top three perceived priorities for improvement are training and development / career progression (49%), consultation with employees (48%) and communication with employees (43%).

Summary of views Final question Amongst respondents that work in council premises considered for closure between Christmas and New Year, the majority (69%) agree with the proposal and the remaining 31% do not agree with the proposal.

Improving employee performance policy The council has approved its policy on improving employee performance. The main purpose of this policy is to encourage any employee whose standard of and/or performance at work is unsatisfactory to improve and reach the standards of the council. This procedure sets out the way in which Argyll and Bute Council will deal with any performance issues that may arise during the course of the employee’s employment. The council places great importance on maintaining levels of performance at an acceptable standard and this procedure provides a fair and objective process to enable managers to ensure that those standards are met in every aspect of the council’s operations. This procedure aims to support under-performing employees in reaching the required standard of performance within a reasonable timescale. Where an acceptable standard of performance cannot be maintained consideration will be given to taking disciplinary action under the council’s disciplinary procedures. The policy does not apply to teachers, where the Framework for Teacher Competence applies.

My View All office based staff were given log on details for My View in January 2012 so that they could access their payslip online via My View. My View is a secure web based programme that allows you to get your basic HR information, including an online payslip from your PC or laptop. If you are an office based employee and have not tried to access your payslip or are having problems accessing you should with immediate My View connects directly with Resourcelink, which is the council’s integrated HR and payroll system. Details on the system, and how to access it are available on The Hub. (Note this is only office-based employees at this point).The Hub

My View Rollout There will be a roll out of My View to all employees in the very near future so that all employees of the council can access their payslips online. Your department will be contacted with details nearer the time and employees will be invited to come along to road shows to find out more. Login details and a link to access My View will be sent to employees. You will be asked to set security questions to make sure that your details remain secure.

My View – online expenses Online Travel and Expenses module A pilot for online travel and subsistence claims has been running since March 2012 within My View for employees in Improvement and HR, and Customer and Support Services, to allow them to submit travel and subsistence claims electronically. The pilot has gone very well, and any issues raised have been addressed. Those staff within the pilot group will continue to use the online travel and subsistence functionality. This online service will be rolled out to all employees in the near future. Information updates will be provide via Cascade, Newsflash and Staff News during the rollout to all. For those office based staff in Customer Services and Improvement and HR who are using the online travel and expenses module: If you have any problems with your car details, if you need car details added, or if you have recently changed your post and are having trouble submitting a claim, please

HR Postal Mail Please be advised that as of Monday 20 th August all postal mail for HR and Payroll teams must be sent to the following address. Please detail the section the mail relates to: FAO: Improvement and HR, Argyll and Bute Council, Whitegates Office, Whitegates Road, Lochgilphead, Argyll, PA31 8SY Please do not send any postal mail to the HR Offices in Kilmory/Dunoon or Campbeltown from this date. Please note: Time sheets only for Payroll should still be sent for the attention of: – Argyll and Bute Council, Improvement and HR, Witchburn Road, Campbeltown, PA28 6JU. Also please be advised that travel and subsistence claims should continue to be sent to the following address for the Creditors Section and should not be included with HR mail: FAO Creditors Section, Argyll and Bute Council, Customer Services, Witchburn Road, Campbeltown, PA28 6JU If you have any queries regarding postal mail please do not hesitate to contact

Keep in touch! Argyll and Bute Council’s communications team is here to help you – and now each council service has been allocated a communications officer to work alongside: Development and Infrastructure – Lindsey Ingram ( ) Community Services – Sheila Faichney ( ) Customer Services – Aileen McNicol ( ) - Over the coming months, we’ll be getting to know your service better – and while most people may know us from dealing with reactive press enquiries, we are also keen to hear about the good news stories in your service and teams. We can help in lots of different ways. Do you have a brochure or leaflet to produce? Some material to write? A photo opportunity? Contact the communications team for support with all this and more.

Got something for Cascade? Cascade is normally issued to managers on the first Friday of the month, and goes live on The Hub one week later. If you have anything for future issues of Cascade please send it to the communications team at: or contact Aileen McNicol on Cascade depends on your contributions, and we’re happy to help with layout, content and presentation if you wish. The next Cascade is due for issue early in January. If you have anything you’d like included, please send it by Friday 31 December. We can help with formatting and creating slides – don’t hesitate to call if you would like some assistance with this or any other communications issue.