Agenda item

The Panel had requested an update on the Council’s position in relation to recruitment and retention of staff, including challenges faced, recruitment to specialist roles, vacancy management and the use of consultants.

By way of introduction, the Assistant Director for Human Resources, Organisational Development and Engagement made the following points:

·       The Panel was reminded that nationally recruitment and retention remained difficult and the recruitment market was now increasingly employee-led, with employees being able to choose from multiple roles.  Data from the Local Government Association showed that 78% of all councils and 85% of upper tier authorities were experiencing problems with recruitment.

·       A new workforce strategy had been developed which set out where the Council would need to be in three years’ time, including the infrastructure which would need to be in place.  In terms of recruitment, the aim was to set the County Council out as an employer of choice in a competitive market.

·       Over 80% of the Council’s workforce lived in Worcestershire and over 40% worked part time.  58% of employees were within 10 years of retirement, although it was acknowledged that with early access to pensions being available with little reduction in benefits, many employees would choose to retire early.  There was a need to address succession planning in key areas.

·       In terms of interventions, payment of market forces supplements and welcome and retention payments needed to be evidence based.  Members were reminded about the successful scheme to recruit and retain social workers in Children’s Services.  As of December 2021, 92% of all positions and 99% of management posts were permanently filled.  Regionally, no other local authority had comparable figures, although it was acknowledged that Birmingham City Council was able to offer better rates of pay.  The Social Work Academy had been another success providing recruits with a clear career pathway.

·       At Quarter 4 2020/21 the Council had a turnover rate of 7.03% compared with an average rate for local authorities of 13.6%.  Workforce engagement was important and the Council had been responsive to points raised in the staff survey.  The employee value proposition (EVP) was key and would set out the unique set of benefits that the Council would offer.

·       An Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Policy had been developed and an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager was currently being recruited.

In the ensuing discussion, the following main points were raised:

·       The Chairman noted that the report was wide-ranging and, although some interventions were possible, many other factors were not under the Council’s control with market forces playing their part.  It was confirmed that exit interviews were undertaken in key areas (such as social work) and reasons given for leaving often included better flexible arrangements or a more convenient location.  However, it was not always possible to follow up with applicants who chose not to take up offers of employment.

·       The CMR noted that recruitment was currently a problem for local authorities and businesses worldwide.  Low unemployment meant that workers could choose who they worked for and it was critical that the Council became an employer of choice.  In relation to the age of the workforce, he noted that people had experienced life differently through the pandemic and many senior experienced people were choosing to take themselves out of the workforce.  There was a need to consider succession planning and apprenticeships offered an opportunity for clear career progression.  It was noted that apprenticeships were not just aimed at young people.

·       The Council wanted to give its employees freedom within boundaries and empower staff to get the job done.  It was critical that the Council recruited and retained the right staff, although it was accepted that some turnover was healthy.

The Panel was given an opportunity to ask questions and the following main points were noted:

·       With reference to the need to recruit younger staff, a question was asked about plans to include a salary sacrifice scheme for childcare vouchers.  It was confirmed that the Council was looking to develop a ‘My Benefits’ portal which would include access to a childcare voucher scheme.  The portal would aim to reduce monthly spend for employees and ensure financial well-being, and may offer discounts within Worcestershire and to national leisure activities.

·       A Member noted the importance of succession planning including the nurturing of individuals by more experienced colleagues.  The Assistant Director reminded Members that each service area was also using the Workforce Strategy to develop annual Workforce Plans which would focus on succession planning.  This plan would follow through into team and individual objectives as part of the performance review process.  This work was supported by HR Operations Partners who worked with Managers to identify internal talent.  Workforce Plans were due to go live on 1 April 2022.

·       A Member informed the Panel that he was impressed by the report and felt it demonstrated a good understanding of how to engage the workforce and drive it forward.  He went on to ask about what was being done to mitigate the impact of staff leaving on those colleagues who remained.  In response the Assistant Director suggested that the use of agency staff was part of the answer, although this needed to be done in a planned way with, for example, long term placements of social work agency staff being arranged in order to ensure continuity and the building of strong relationships.

·       In response to a question about what a healthy age profile would look like for the Council, it was suggested that this would be different for different service areas with, for example, an older workforce in adult social care and a younger profile in support areas.

·       In response to a question about delivering the strategy, Members were informed that this would include looking at data (for example reasons for absence) and engagement with staff and recognised trade unions.

·       The percentage of the workforce who felt valued was given as 39% in the Workforce Strategy.  It was suggested that a higher figure might have been expected in a local authority setting.  Members were informed that work had already started to tackle this with a revised engagement strategy.  More recent figures had been more positive.

·       It was confirmed that the Council had signed up to the Investors in People and Disability Confident schemes but perhaps more could be done to promote this.

In conclusion, the Chairman welcomed the positive story and suggested that consideration should be given to publicising the work done on staff recruitment and retention in order to further promote WCC as a good place to work.