Agenda item

The Work Smart Programme is the workstyles strategy based on a hybrid model of working. The covid pandemic has offered a unique opportunity to re-think ways of working with the aim to combine the benefits seen from remote working – reduced travel time, efficiency through technology and improved work/life balance, with the advantages of a workplace – face-to-face communication, team interaction and collaboration. The Committee are invited to comment and provide input on the work undertaken and planned.

Contributors:

John Chilver, Cabinet Member for Finance, Resources, Property and Assets

Sarah Murphy-Brookman, Corporate Director for Resources

John Reed, Service Director for Property and Assets

Papers:

Work Smart report

The Committee received a report on the Work Smart Programme which was the programme created to focus on the design of a future working model which met the needs of the Council going forward, as well as reducing costs in line with the unitary business case.

Councillor J Chilver, Cabinet Member for Finance, Resources, Property and Assets presented the update, highlighting the following key points:

• Very recent Government guidance had requested that, once again, staff work from home where possible, which would pause the Work Smart return to the office for the time being.
• The benefits of hybrid working were highlighted, including less commuting, a better work-life balance, fewer working days lost to illness and decreased costs in printing and travelling. By spending two days in an office environment, collaboration between teams could be maintained.
• Since 22 November, the hybrid model of staff spending two days a week in the office had been in operation. Staff had been categorised under four categories of worker type, with the majority, 57 % identified as ‘any-desk’ workers – those who will work remotely for 3 days per week and were not fixed to a particular location.
• The importance of engagement for new starters and entry-level workers was emphasised. Face-to-face contact and extra support had been implemented for this group of staff as noted in the report.
• Feedback from the early stages of implementation of the programme, including from new starters who had been employed through the Government Kickstart initiative had been positive. It was hoped that through offering flexible working arrangements this would also ensure the Council was seen as a top employer and attractive option to potential employees.
• Hybrid working offered opportunities for potential property rationalisation through significant downsizing.

During discussion, the following questions and comments were raised by the Committee:

• The Chairman welcomed the Work Smart initiative and praised its efficiency in terms of flexibility for staff and potential for reduction in office space.
• A member was interested in the rationale behind working remotely for three days rather than two. Cllr Chilver and the Corporate Director for Resources explained that an examination of staff calendars displayed that for ‘Any Desk’ workers that there was a mix of collaborative meetings, 1-1s but also ‘quiet work’.  On average the collaborative working and 1-1s were assessed to be about 2 days a week, with the rest being quiet work.   In many cases, staff members report that they benefit from having a quiet space at home for focused work. The two days in the office is then focussed  collaborative meetings, training sessions and one to one meetings with line managers. It was also highlighted that the two office days would be the minimum, with staff being able to visit the office more frequently if they wished.
• Members were concerned about the negative mental health implications of being at home more frequently. The Corporate Director for Resources advised that mental health implications were different for different people. Some members of staff had expressed anxiety about returning to work, including clinically extremely vulnerable staff. Those staff members had been assured that the office environment would be made as safe as possible, with additional measures in place such as spacing between desks. It was also noted that people who wished to come into the office more frequently for mental health or other reasons could do so and this had been communicated to staff. Members were advised that the Work Smart initiative allowed for greater flexibility at work.  The Council had also seen in the first lockdown a significant reduction in sickness due largely to decreased social mixing, this reduction in sickness in turn meant that there was greater productivity.  There was also the benefit of colleagues still being able to work remotely when suffering from the lesser illnesses, such as colds, whereas in the past these colleagues may have had to take a day’s sickness absence.
• A member highlighted the importance of face-to-face contact for new starters and colleagues in entry-level positions and the committee was assured that this group of staff had continued to receive proper induction and support was in place. The Committee was advised that new strategies had been developed over time to adapt to different ways of working. Induction tools had been produced for online use and the ‘Being a Buckinghamshire Manager’ programme had been rolled out to managers to support them with the training of new members of staff.
• A member asked how the Council ensured that customer demands were going to be met in the future through Work Smart. It was pointed out that customer service centre and all customer contact channels remained open throughout the pandemic.  It was noted that in order to remain competitive in the employment market, flexibility and homeworking was in demand, and was now expected from a large number of applicants.
• Several members queried the discrepancy between the office space available and the utilised space eighteen months into the Council’s formation. It was asserted that due to the pandemic, exceptional ways of working had been adopted and therefore, not enough data had been acquired to give an entirely clear picture as to what office space the Council needed to retain.  Additional evidence would need to be collected once the Work Smart programme was re-introduced to understand the Council’s operational footprint in more detail. Some surplus office space in High Wycombe, Amersham, Aylesbury, and Denham was already being let out to generate additional revenue. It was also noted that less office space had been available for us in light of the pandemic and requirements to practice social distancing. Furthermore, the office space was not only used for staff working at their desks, and consideration had to be given for other spaces such as meeting space. Members expressed that they would like to see a more detailed plan produced on this topic.
• A member queried how much space of the former New County Offices (Walton Street Offices) was presently occupied by staff. Cllr Chilver advised that most of the floors would be occupied once the Work Smart programme was in full force.
• A member was interested in whether there had been an increase in staff moving from part-time to full-time roles in light of more flexible working being introduced. The Corporate Director for Resources advised she would examine the data and feed back to members, although believed this pattern was not evident.
• A question was raised in respect of the ways Work Smart had been implemented and monitored among teams. It was explained that each manager discussed the days their team members would come into the offices with them directly. This was also subject to desk availability. Teams had been encouraged to spread their office presence across the week, both to use meeting rooms and desk space efficiently but also to collaborate with different teams/team members across the services. All staff were supported in this process both by their line managers and corporately.