Agenda item

To update the Committee on the Council’s current activities that relate to Employee Engagement and Health & Well-being.

Minutes:

There was submitted a report by the Head of People, Performance and Projects (A.3) presented by the HR and Business Manager (Katie Wilkins), which provided the Committee with an update on the Council’s current activities that related to Employee Engagement and Health and Wellbeing.

 

The Council’s Partnerships Portfolio Holder (Councillor McWilliams) was welcomed to the meeting for this item.

 

It was reported that there was much evidence to suggest that an ‘engaged’ workforce described employees who were healthier, happier, more fulfilled or more motivated. Employee engagement was the extent to which employees felt passionate about their jobs, were committed to the organisation in which they worked and put discretionary effort into their work (CIPD, 2019).

 

It was further reported that research had revealed that high levels of engagement were clearly linked with higher levels of performance, customer satisfaction, productivity, innovation, staff retention and efficiency.

 

Members were informed that the Council had regularly undertaken an independent and confidential staff survey, which was partly funded by the Local Government Association to establish current levels of employee engagement. The last reported findings from the survey compiled by Dr Martin Reddington, had demonstrated the following:-

 

·         From an employee perspective, Tendring District Council continued to have a committed workforce, investing time, energies and concentration to get the job done well, and feeling a sense of pride in doing so.

·         Reported levels of organisational engagement had increased – this was the sense of loyalty and advocacy that employees felt towards the Council.

·         The Council had relied on good will and high levels of motivation and performance from staff, in terms of ‘going the extra mile’ and ‘engagement’ with organisational objectives and values.

·         The perception of Tendring District Council as an ‘employer’ continued to improve.

 

This had been further evidenced from the staff survey which had been conducted as a part of the Investors in People (IiP) Gold Assessment in January 2019. The final Assessment Report had stated:-

 

“It was apparent from the assessment TDC employees, many of whom are long serving, think TDC is a great place to work.

 

They have embraced the Investors in People principles and continue to strive for further improvement. This will continue to be achieved by maintaining a culture of openness and trust where staff are regularly asked for opinions, ideas and suggestions for improvement.”

 

To gain further insight into how staff felt about working for the Council, a TEDD Lite Survey would be undertaken, again managed by Martin Reddington Associates, during February/March 2020.

 

Members were further informed that the results would help Officers assess progress during 2020/21 and identify and prioritise actions where more improvements could be made. The focus of the survey would be to establish:-

 

·         What was good about working for the Council?

·         What was not so good? What could still be improved?

·         What made an employee go the extra mile at work?

·         What got in the way of them doing a good job?

 

Understanding the importance of an engaged workforce, and the reported link between this and the health and wellbeing of its employees, the Council was committed to a proactive approach towards workplace health and wellbeing. Good health and wellbeing could be a core enabler of employee engagement and organisational performance (CIPD, 2019).

Research had suggested that adopting a positive culture around employee engagement and wellbeing was likely to contribute to reduced turnover of staff, reduced levels of sickness absence/presenteeism and encouraged the Council to be ‘an employer of choice.’

 

Members raised questions which were responded to by Officers and there was some discussion in regards to the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) which was available to Officers and Members.

 

Following discussion it was RESOLVED that:

 

(a)    the contents of the report be noted;

 

(b)   the Committee recognise and acknowledge the hard work of the Human Resources team and thanks them for their efforts in regards to Employee Engagement and Health and Wellbeing; and

 

(c)   there should be more engagement with Members about the help that is available to them in regards to Health and Wellbeing.

 

 

 

 

 

Supporting documents: