 Wakefield MDC
Background
The need for more flexible working options was first recognised by the Council as far back as 1987 when the existing Flexi-time scheme was introduced. The range of options available was amended in 1994 and again in 1998, however the value and take-up on the policy was not fully evaluated. Perceptions of staff appeared to be that the existing flexi-schemes favoured office based staff over manual workers.
The Council is committed to a programme of far-reaching change with the realisation that the adoption of more flexible working patterns may lead to increased or enhanced service delivery whilst simultaneously tackling some long standing operational issues such as sickness absence.
It was recognised that the size of the staff population (16,000) would make it difficult to engage everyone. It was therefore proposed to use pilots to build motivation within the group of key influencers to ensure long-term benefit and momentum once the initial project is complete.
Wakefield MDC sought to build on the work-life balance work completed to date and maximise staff take-up of existing and new flexible working policies. This was identified through achieving greater awareness of the work-life balance opportunities, improving morale, increasing the amount of part-time work, reducing complaints and increasing the response rates to staff surveys. The evaluation process was to reflect these aims.
The quantitative result of achieving these aims were required to translate into a reduction of absence and an improvement in retention correlated by enhanced recruitment. Evidence of improved staff morale and motivation was also sought. It was hoped that savings would translate into more funds being used in front line services.
Key Initiatives
Establishing the business case and base line measurement
A Target Setting and Evaluation framework was first established. A number of reports were made to Resources Department Management Team to ensure understanding, commitment and buy-in. A presentation to G100 (the top tier of managers in the organisation) was made by Swiftwork.
Baseline measures for Absenteeism and Retention were a key target and data for these was already available. In addition, work has been done to establish the key areas on which the Council would like to focus. These included an improvement in morale, increased awareness of work-life balance opportunities, more part-time working, decreased complaints and a greater involvement in staff survey processes.
Gaining commitment and engaging people (communications)
The communication aspect of this activity was in order to add focus and ensure widespread and consistent commitment to the project from senior managers in order that they could support line managers and team leaders. Base line measures were clarified in order that the impact of the project could be evaluated and the results disseminated at the end of the project. The communication programme added impetus to the business case for supporting flexible working options across the authority and aimed to:
- Promote best practice;
- Inform on developments;
- Understand any problems or issues;
- Create an open culture for work-life balance.
In addition, every effort was made to "involve" as many people as possible through active participation in the programme.
Since the start, regular articles regarding work-life balance issues were published in Wakefield's newsletter, "Insight". A further staff survey was been commissioned to analyse the understanding and take-up of flexible working issues within the authority. Initial findings suggested that there was greater understanding of work-life balance issues within the organisation, but that there is still an underlying training need to further boost the confidence of managers to deal with work-life balance issues brought to them by their team members.
Training
A training/support programme was established to help managers manage a more flexible workforce with the objectives of:
- Understanding and owning the work-life balance initiative and the manager's role in contributing to these objectives;
- Meeting service delivery needs and maintaining work-life balance objectives as complementary aims;
- Showing how work-life balance would be integral to achieve other performance plans;
- Growing trust in allowing employee flexibility (and corresponding focus on performance not presenteesim);
- Gaining practical experience of handling work-life balance situations;
- Creating an open and transparent process of handling employees' flexible working needs;
- Giving managers appropriate tools for output/performance based management;
- Helping them manage to reduce long hours culture and offer more flexibility for short term need.
Pilot projects
Five pilots were originally planned in each of the five Departments: Public Services, Development, Education, Housing and Social Care and Central Services, but the actual take-up was significantly higher. In total, this section of the project supported 16 individual pilots ranging from very small teams to large (up to 200) groups of staff. There was demand from other groups that could not be managed in the time scale.
Key Outcomes
Without exception, all the pilot areas have chosen to keep their pilot schemes going and are now embedded as working practice.
Anecdotal evidence collated from the various teams have cited improved team working, enhanced service provision due to longer opening hours, increased morale and motivation due to more flexibility over when holidays, "owed hours" and breaks could be taken. Coroner's office and Environmental Services both report reduction in overtime payments since the start of the scheme. Short-term sickness absence also reduced in the majority of the pilot areas.
Members of staff in internal audit quote some examples of how their scheme has worked in practice:
"Greater flexibility has enabled me to improve performance by starting early and achieving more, as there are less distractions/interruptions."
"My job satisfaction has increased. I am able to build my work around my home life and childcare arrangements instead of the other way around."
Summary
Benefits to employees:
- Increased flexibility and ownership of their working day has led, in many cases, to improved morale, better team working and communication and a heightened sense of Wakefield as a caring employer (Environmental Services);
- Further benefits include noticeable reductions in journey times to work (Environmental Services), which have the knock on effect of reducing stress.
Benefit to employer:
- Increased productivity due to improvements in morale/commitment (Environmental Services, Internal Audit);
- Reduction in Special Leave requests (Internal Audit);
- Falling sickness absence (Internal Audit);
- Decreases in overtime payments (Coroners Office and Environmental Services);
- Improvement to customer service (Environment Services, Legal).
Environmental Services reported that the number of managers with "no concerns" about the introduction of their flexi-scheme arrangement was higher after the introduction of the scheme, indicating that managers had found the process largely problem free or easier than they anticipated.
Benefit to Customers:
Customers have benefited through increased access to services (calls answered monitored by Environmental Services over the period, anecdotal evidence from Electoral Services, Legal Services). |
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