North Ayrshire Council
Background
North Ayrshire Council provides local government services to the North Ayrshire region of Scotland. In addition to budgetary constraints, with the establishment of the new Scottish Parliament, the council is dealing with an increase of more locally focused initiatives and the subsequent pressure to deliver quality services within a reduced budget.
While unemployment in North Ayrshire is among the highest in Scotland, there are shortages of labour in certain skills groups, such as Craft Workers and Social Workers. The council is experiencing all of the countrywide issues of resourcing its Social Services, with the additional burden of new legislation in this area. Absence, especially among the traditional manual workers sectors, was running at a high level at the start of the project.
The council is perceived by many of its staff as offering a fair degree of flexibility, although managers' approach to work-life balance policies and procedures was felt to be inconsistent.
Project Aims
The aims of the project were to reduce absence, particularly among the target employee groups, to improve recruitment and retention, and to improve morale through making access to flexible working more consistent throughout the council. In addition, a major focus of the project was on the support and training of managers within the targeted services, so that they increased their confidence and skills in managing flexible working.
The project concentrated on four key services: Finance, IT, Building Services and Social Services, and is piloting flexible working options within those services.
Main Activities
1. Communications
The purpose was:
- To raise the profile of work-life balance and flexible working generally within the council;
- To gather staff perceptions of wlb existing within the council;
- To give all staff information on the flexible working options available and how to apply to work flexibly.
This was achieved through:
- A work-life balance seminar ;
- Focus groups to canvas staff views on work-life balance;
- Articles on pilots in the Council magazine;
- All related information, including project progress and flexible working guidelines posted on the Intranet.
Presentations to senior managers were essential in gaining commitment to the project
Unions were involved at each stage and are represented on the Task Force, as well as participating in the work-life balance seminar
Profile of work-life balance is now much higher. The project co-ordinator and other Personnel staff are regularly dealing with questions and comments.
2. Workforce Survey
A work-life balance survey was distributed to staff from the four target services, investigating workload, attitude to work-life balance, and the benefits and barriers to flexible working within the organisation.
The purpose was to gather data on the particular types of flexibility staff would value, and the barriers they perceive to achieving work-life balance.
Many staff welcomed the opportunity to express their views. The survey was distributed via intranet and on paper, and the response rate was much higher from the intranet. This led us to think that perhaps the surveys did not all reach staff, as the services are geographically dispersed. The Council will probably tighten up on distribution channels in future.
3. Flexible Working Pilots
The project team worked with volunteer teams from the targeted services to explore possible variations to working patterns. A workshop was held with each volunteering groups to identify how they could achieve flexibility within the constraints of their service delivery targets.
The purpose was to introduce teams to the guidelines, which frame the pilots.
To encourage individuals to talk about variations in working patterns which might impact positively on their work-life balance and to promote problem solving and cooperation.
Teams clearly appreciated the opportunity to trial more flexible patterns of working.
The process encouraged teams to communicate and to air real concerns with the existing working patterns in a non-threatening environment.
Evidence that the existing flexitime system is not sufficiently flexible has resulted in the council conducting a review of the flexitime policy.
Positive results from the pilots have already been seen in terms of absenteeism and extended availability / convenience to customers.
4. Manager Workshops
Workshops for managers were organised to cover the target services. Each workshop covered the guidelines to flexible working, introduced a process to help managers balance flexibility within their team, and described in detail the implications of the new legislation of flexible working for parents.
The purpose was to introduce managers to the guidelines for flexible working, and to give them the skills to manage requests for flexible working fairly. In addition, the workshops informed managers of the changes in legislation, and supported them in making decisions on flexible working options within their teams.
Comments from managers so far have been extremely positive, and most have expressed real enthusiasm for flexible working, though some perceive barriers to achieving more flexibility within their teams.
Overall impressions by the client
"Support from our Consultant was instrumental in allowing us to devise a framework within which work-life balance policies and practices can be further developed. Timing of support was excellent in that it gave us a 'head start' on meeting new legal requirements.
The project has a high profile within the Council and has been very positively received by staff, who have shown a high level of commitment to and enthusiasm for testing new patterns of working. It has given us an opportunity to work in partnership with the Trade Unions in a very positive manner, fostering good employee relations.
We are beginning to change the balance of power and responsibilities. Work-life balance is not about staff determining or demanding working patterns regardless of the impact on customers and other team members or managers rejecting options because they challenge the way things are done. The success of new patterns of flexible working is hallmarked by joint working and joint responsibility for addressing problems and finding solutions."