Agenda and draft minutes

Councillor Hugh Hughes and Carl Worrall apologised for their inability to attend the meeting.

Councillor Elizabeth Evans would be attending the meeting late due to other Council duties.

None.

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Councillor Bryan Davies as Leader and Cabinet Member for Democratic Services, Policy, Performance and People and Organisation presented the report outlining the new HR Policies. The People & Organisation Service had been continuing to review, develop and update key policies. Following consultation, the following policies had been discussed, amended and agreed by the recognised trade unions:

•         Dignity at Work Policy

•         Grievance Policy

•         Health & Safety Policy

•         Recruitment and Selection Policy

•         Capability Policy

•         Menopause Policy (for schools)

The purpose of all employee policies and procedures was to clearly set out the behaviours, processes and procedures required, how they could gain advice and support and, where applicable, the consequences of not adhering to the policy and/or procedure. The introduction of these policies had a negligible financial impact, and it expected result in an overall cost saving through the reduction of sickness absence and the associated cost of providing cover for that absence.    

Following questions from the floor, it was AGREED to recommend to Cabinet that the following policies were APPROVED: -

i.         Dignity at Work Policy

ii.        Grievance Policy

iii.       Health & Safety Policy

iv.       Recruitment and Selection Policy

v.        Capability Policy

vi.       Menopause Policy (for Schools)

Councillor Bryan Davies as Leader and Cabinet Member for Democratic Services, Policy, Performance and People and Organisation presented the report upon the People Survey. It was reported that as part of the commitment of the County Council in enhancing employee engagement and fostering a supportive and inclusive workplace, a People Survey across Team Ceredigion was conducted.

The survey aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the employee experience, covering areas such as:

•         Job satisfaction

•         Management and leadership

•         Development opportunities

•         Health, safety, and wellbeing

•         Workplace relationships

•         Communication and change management

•         Organisational values and behaviours

To ensure benchmarking against sector standards, they incorporated questions from well-established national surveys, including the CIPD Wales Good Work Index, NHS Wales People Survey, and the Civil Service Survey. Additionally, new WLGA benchmarking measures were included, along with selected questions from their annual Employee Health and Wellbeing Survey to track trends over time.

The survey was accessible through multiple channels, including internal online platforms, posters, and paper copies for teams with historically lower engagement. The survey was anonymous and therefore the Council were confident that participants were able to be honest in their responses.  

The survey was open from the end of November 2024 and closed in the second week of January 2025. During this time 1,017 of the corporate workforce participated in the survey and this equates to 50.3%. 

•The corporate average exceeds (sometimes significantly) all national comparators.

•Where trends could be tracked, there was either stability or positive improvement across all indicators, except for ‘manageable workloads’ (which declined from 81% to 76%) and ‘I am well supported by my line manager’ (which declined from 91% to 88%).

It was reported that the survey had provided valuable insights into the experiences and perceptions of the workforce. The high level of participation and the positive feedback across all areas reflect the dedication and engagement of Team Ceredigion. These results would require further analysis and assessment so that the full results could be understood and used for future planning purposes.  Whilst the Council were pleased to see that their corporate averages exceed national comparators, and that there was stable or improving trends in most indicators, it was recognised there was some areas which would require further support and engagement. 

Discussion emanated from the constant criticism of employees of the Council in the local press and on social media which was totally unacceptable due to their commitment to the County. It was also suggested that the Council should upskill their employees by providing qualifications that would enhance their career path and to ‘home grow’ young people to remain in the County by providing opportunities for training/apprenticeships etc in the Council.

It was AGREED to:-

(i)  note the encouraging findings of the People Survey 2024; and

(ii) that a message be sent from the Committee to all employees of the Council that they should disregard the constant negative criticism in the local press and on social media regarding their work; and that the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

It was RESOLVED to confirm as a true record the Minutes of the Meeting of the previous meeting subject to noting that Councillor Amanda Edwards was present at the meeting.