Agenda item

A Wilkie took the report as read, highlighting steady and gradual improvement around sickness figures which was expected to continue, ongoing work on the people strategy with some products due to start coming through the committee in the coming months, and successful recruitment campaigns for Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and at the Corporate Leadership Team (CLT) level. Digital and ICT were confirmed to have high availability, with only one incident of note in the past three months that was relatively quickly resolved, and a vacancy in the team was stated to be in the process of being filled. Communication was noted to have had a busy quarter, covering a lot of events over the summer, with internal communication and staff engagement of particular focus, and steadily growing social media and digital channels comparing favourably with other local authorities. The volume of digital traffic was identified as being significant, with the channel representing an opportunity to provide good service to residents.

S Choudhury explained that a number of projects were starting to deliver on the customer strategy across the organisation, ramping up over the next few months, including a review of the PMO function to improve the delivery and appropriate oversight of all projects, and work on improving the way performance is managed. It was noted that annual leave had an impact over the summer, with average wait times confirmed to still be higher than target but improving; a trend expected to continue into next month. Splitting job roles between individuals was highlighted as one strategy to better manage the peaks and troughs of demand, as was offering call-back opportunities at times of high demand. A dedicated training officer role was confirmed as having been implemented to bring new customer service agents up to speed faster in a wider range of areas, and improved coordination across the rest of the organisation to try and avoid surges in call numbers. The new KPI (key performance indicator) measuring performance against complaints was identified as being below target, with S Choudhury explaining that the current focus was on a high quality of response, although it was acknowledged that there had been a bit of a trade-off whilst bedding the new processes in, and it was hoped timescales would now start to shorten.

Cllr Hannell referred to paragraph 3.1 and the average call wait time target of five minutes, with the actual average time of 6 minutes and 11 seconds. He wondered at what point waiting callers were asked whether they wanted a call-back. S Choudhury explained that it used to be after a few minutes, but should now be sooner, with the message kicking in once the system recognises the average call wait time for the subject area has reached a certain length, adding that offering call-backs up to 3:00pm was also being tested for effectiveness. It was clarified that the figures were slightly skewed, as the system was recording people waiting for a call-back in a virtual queue that was contributing to the average call times. S Choudhury also stated that the system was being tweaked and monitored to try and find the optimal balance for resources. Cllr Hannell suggested the next report should include the fact that not everyone 'waiting' were physically waiting for that length of time.

Cllr Hannell asked for clarification on what a 'stage one' complaint was, and how it became a 'stage two' complaint. S Choudhury explained that 'stage one' was the first stage where someone would make a complaint that would be investigated and responded to, and if the response was felt to be incorrect, unfair, or incomplete, the complainant could submit a request to escalate it to a 'stage two' complaint, which would then be investigated by someone at a higher level.

Cllr Guest referred to sickness absence on page 12, paragraphs 2.3 and 2.4, and wondered at what point the regular contact by managers for staff off sick would kick in. A Wilkie explained that the expectation was for it to be immediate, with a new system in place to support it, so if he was off sick, his duty would be to make his manager aware, starting an ongoing conversation about his return to work, at which time there would be a return to work interview, with everything logged and monitored through the iTrent system. Training to enforce the importance of the procedure was confirmed for all managers, with ongoing communication and assessment through staff surveys. The expectation was confirmed to be for a daily conversation, or at the conclusion of a sick-note, although it was acknowledged that there was a degree of flexibility based on the circumstances, including how contact took place. Cllr Guest further wondered how the system would help those off sick return to work. It was noted that there appeared to be positive evidence across industry, and it was a good way of supporting staff, and it was clarified that the average days of absence lost due to sickness for September 2023 was for the quarter to September 2023.

Cllr Elliot questioned whether the effectiveness of using LinkedIn to advertise for staff was being monitored. A Wilkie confirmed it was, and may have played a part in a larger number of applicants than expected, although it was still early to draw any direct correlation, but that it was felt to be something worth doing.

Cllr Elliot asked what the staff turnover in the CSU (Customer Service Unit) was and how it compared to other departments. S Choudhury admitted that he didn't know off the top of his head, but could send it through, explaining that it was usually higher than other departments as it was typically the entry point and a lower paid role in the council, providing subject matter expertise for individuals to move into roles in other departments.

Cllr Elliot wondered if complaints were broken down by type. S Choudhury confirmed that each department would deal with its own 'stage one' complaints, providing a breakdown at team level, and that at operational level it would be managed at department level, with the figure provided that of the overall corporate level. Cllr Elliot further wondered if that meant the SLT team would get a report identifying spikes in, for example, housing. S Choudhury agreed that it did.

Cllr Capozzi referred to paragraph 3.5 and wondered why complaints in the last quarter had increased significantly. S Choudhury explained that the new policy had been in place since December 2022, and it hadn't been possible to identify any particular reason, although he suggested that it was often due to repairs not being undertaken on time etc. adding that further levels of detail were planned in the future. It was also noted that it wasn't possible to compare to the previous year's data, and that complaints often had a degree of lag which might not correlate with when they were made.

The Chair noted that there were some new staff policies, and wondered if the employment policies were visible publicly. A Wilkie said he didn't know off the top of his head, and would need to check, but that it was his ambition that they should as part of the offer to incoming staff, and they were mentioned and reflected in the blurb around job adverts. The Chair also asked whether there was an electric vehicle leasing policy for staff, or any intention to make one if not. S Choudhury explained that there was a salary sacrifice car lease scheme which had an option of electric, and with better tax benefits for the electric. It was confirmed to have existed for a while and been renewed earlier this year.

The report was noted.

Action: S Choudhury to confirm CSU staff turnover figure with Cllr Elliot.

Action: A Wilkie to check whether employment policies are publicly visible.