Agenda item

(To consider a report from Karen Cassar, Assistant Director – Highways and Kevin Kendall, Assistant Director – Corporate Property, which invites the Board to consider a Smarter Working Programme which is being presented to the Executive on 3 November 2020. The views of the Board will be reported to the Executive as part of its consideration of this item)

The Board considered a report and presentation from the Assistant Director – Highways and the Assistant Director – Corporate Property, on a Smarter Working Programme which was being presented to the Executive on 3 November 2020. The views of the Board would be reported to the Executive as part of its consideration of this item. The Executive would be asked to note and support the Corporate Leadership Team's vision, goals and objectives for Smarter Working and the ongoing work to enable delivery of the project and, note the outcome of a Smarter Working Staff Survey.

The Covid-19 pandemic had required the workforce to work in a very different way with staff delivering services through innovative and creative approaches and IMT enabling staff to work virtually. This had opened up the opportunity to radically review how work was undertaken in the future. The Smarter Working programme had been established and sought to explore and define how the Council could operate in a more flexible and blended way to the traditional approaches to work, building on the strengths of our current delivery model.

The report outlined the vision, goals and how performance would be managed as objectives would focus on results and outcomes rather than presence. It also included:- how the use of office space across Lincolnshire could be maximised through designing options to create even smarter ways of working; how the risks to the environment from climate change could be managed; how to attract even more highly-skilled staff, retaining existing employees and being the employer of choice; how to improve connectivity and technology to improve business processes and reduce waste. The report highlighted that the number of office buildings would reduce by 50% and there would be savings from reduced maintenance and running costs. Reference was also made to the proposal for 'bookable workspaces' and how work spaces and offices would be occupied in the future, with no officers having their dedicated offices.

A Smarter Working survey had been completed by 2,610 employees. The survey addressed the benefits and challenges of working from home and a Smarter Working Project Group would be identifying priority actions to be taken, informed by the analysis of the survey results, to support smarter working now and in the future.

Members considered the report, and during the discussion the following points were noted:

·         It was suggested that the proposed hybrid arrangements should aim to maintain the benefits of team?working and office contact, for example, informal training, creativity, idea?sharing, and providing mutual support to colleagues. The future arrangements should aim to be sustainable and workable and consolidate on the learning so far.  Providing opportunities for peer to peer meetings without the involvement of managers was seen as one area for consideration.

·         It was suggested that there should be an emphasis in the proposed hybrid arrangements on reducing isolation and enabling social contact, supporting both physical and mental wellbeing of members of staff.

·         In addition to the challenges, there was a request for mitigations to be considered for all the challenges listed on pages 63-64 of the agenda pack.

·         There was a request to consider any learning from good practice from the Council's own experiences as well as from other organisations.

·         Although the impacts of Covid-19 were expected to continue for some time, it was stressed that the Smarter Working programme was focused on the medium to long term, which was Covid-19 free or where its effects were under control. 

·         It was stressed that one size did not fit all and the needs of each service area would be taken into account in developing the Smarter Working programme. 

·         It was confirmed that the Corporate Leadership Team would act as role models and early adopters of the shared space approach. 

RESOLVED:

1.    That the Board support the recommendations to the Executive, as set out in the report;

2.    That a summary of the above comments be passed on to the Executive as part of its consideration of this item.