Our Workforce
A Strategy to 2020
FOREWORD BY DAVID CARTER, STRATEGIC DIRECTOR,
RESOURCES GROUP
Warwickshire is a successful authority that is working hard to transform the services we
provide to our communities. Our Workforce Strategy to 2020 sets our intentions in making
the most of our staff and their talents. We need to ensure that we have a skilled and
motivated workforce which is flexible and innovative and works with our communities to find
solutions.
The One Organisation Plan 2020 sets out the core purpose of the County Council to ensure
that:
Warwickshire’s communities and individuals are supported to be safe, healthy and
independent
Warwickshire’s economy is vibrant and supported by the right jobs, training & skills &
infrastructure
Organisational Health Outcome
WCC Makes the Best Use of Available Resources
Our Customer and Transformation Board has set out the following key behaviours which will
be embedded across the Council to support the transformation journey
The 6 key behaviours
We will:
Do what we say
Help people and communities find their own solutions
Move with purpose and energy
Build strong working relationships
Focus on solutions
Be the best we can be
The next four years and beyond will be challenging for Warwickshire. We will need to make
tough decisions, reprioritise services, reconsider all service delivery models and ensure
effectiveness. Our workforce is central to our success and is fundamental to developing an
organisation that is transformed and fit for the future.
Public Sector Reform will drive wide reaching change for the workforce across public
services with emphasis on integration, collaboration and less clearly defined boundaries.
Against this background this Workforce Strategy outlines the future needs of our workforce
now and in the future. From attracting and retaining the right people, providing the
development they need to allow them to grow and progress, managing the talent and
planning for the future the way in which we lead and manage our people is key to the
successful delivery of quality services for Warwickshire people. Here we set out our high
level aspirations for our workforce and how we will lead, support and develop the people
within our business to give of their best in a high performance culture which delivers great
services
This Strategy sets the overarching principles which are then embedded in the
detailed Workforce Plans developed at Corporate, Group and Service Level.
1
OUR 5 KEY AIMS
We have developed Our Workforce Strategy around 5 Key Aims
Flexibility and
Agility
Leadership
Innovation
Customer
Focus
Productivity
and
Efficiency
Collaboration
Customer Focus sits at the heart of the Strategy
2
THE AIMS IN MORE DETAIL
LEADERSHIP - HOW WELL DO WE LEAD, INSPIRE AND MOTIVATE OUR STAFF?
Creating a vision for a better tomorrow
Leadership in Warwickshire will be valued and recognised as a key activity in motivating staff to
be the best they can be and developing a culture of high performance. We recognise the clear
link between good management, the morale of staff and good customer service.
We will deliver this aim by:






Embedding leadership behaviours so that leadership is valued and rewarded
Making 1-1s effective and crucial conversations commonplace so that our people
understand what they need to achieve and learn as they work
Supporting leaders to create the time and space to be visible, communicative and
inspirational so that we drive change and high performance
Providing clarity of vision and responsibilities with enhanced decision making through
effective delegation so that our people are engaged and empowered to act on their own
initiative and are accountable for their actions
Prioritising Leadership and Management Development at all levels so that our people
have the skills they need to lead and manage well
Role modelling good Leadership practice from the top so that our people experience
leaders who work with purpose and energy and live the values daily
3
PRODUCTIVITY AND EFFICIENCY – WHAT DO WE DELIVER AND HOW WELL?
Making the best use of our time and resources
Our workforce work hard and have responded well to pressure to transform our services.
Increasingly we will require our people to work smarter, more flexibly and with a greater
emphasis on outcomes. Effective use of technology, modern office space and Smarter working
will help to develop a more modern and flexible approach to how and where our people work.
Performance management will be seen as part of the day job at all levels from strategic
business planning to 1-1s and supervisory meetings. We aim to ensure that our workforce are
empowered and accountable for their actions.
We will deliver against this aim by:







Embedding positive values so that we are more cost aware and make the best use of
our time
Applying Better – Quicker – Cheaper principles to our work so that we are more
productive
Focussing on agreed priorities so that we are doing what we say we will do
Ensuring that leaders recognise and appreciate effort, innovation and initiative so that we
drive continuous improvement and a focus on solutions
Recognising and celebrating success so that our people feel valued
Working with pace and energy so that things are delivered on time
Reducing bureaucracy and slimming down processes and policies so that we are more
efficient
4
COLLABORATION – HOW WELL DO WE WORK
TOGETHER AND WITH OTHERS?
Building strong working relationships
Effective collaboration will be required to bring about
the radical change in public service. Strong working
relationships will help us to manage demand and
maximise capacity across the council, with partners
from the private, voluntary and independent sectors
enabling people and communities to find their own
solutions
We will deliver against this aim by:




Developing commercial thinking and behaviours so that we are business-like and
efficient
Facilitating partnership working and collaboration so that we are creating and
sustaining relationships which help people to find their own solutions
Clarifying joint vision / purpose when working collaboratively so that there is a clear
line of sight for all parties between actions, outputs and joint outcomes
Developing thinking and programme management tools and techniques so that we
are able to help people find effective solutions
5
INNOVATION – HOW DO WE DEVELOP NEW IDEAS AND DIFFERENT
SOLUTIONS
Translating ideas into products, services and solutions that create value for our customers
The need to think and behave differently in the new world of public service is clear. Finding
new and better ways to maximise our resources, develop new operating models and ways of
meeting the needs of our customers is critical to managing within reducing budgets and
increasing demand.
We will deliver this aim by:






Developing an entrepreneurial spirit in our staff so that they can bring new thinking
and ideas and develop practical solutions and new ways of working
Building resilience so that we manage risk and respond well to challenge and change
Embrace new technologies and processes so that we can deliver effectively in the
changing world
Encourage learning from mistakes so that we develop creativity and innovation
Providing feedback and encouragement when people take measured risks so that we
can find innovative solutions
Work smarter so that we drive a modern approach to work
6
FLEXIBILITY AND AGILITY – HOW WELL AND HOW QUICKLY DO WE RESPOND TO
CHANGE?
Responding with pace and energy
A flexible workforce is able to respond quickly to service and customer needs. We need to
ensure that the services being delivered are not confined by traditional office hours, locations
or restrictive working practices. As customers become more demanding, and new service
delivery models are developed, it is important for the workforce to work smarter.
Responding to change in a timely manner is crucial as organisations are tasked with
addressing an increasing number of emerging priorities. Success hinges on strategic agility
and the ability to respond quickly and effectively.
We will deliver against this theme by:





Recognising and rewarding behaviours that role model and support
smarter working so that we can be adaptable and agile
Developing generic skills and thinking so that our workforce can be
deployed flexibly in line with the needs of the business
Challenging siloed thinking and recognising where skills are
transferable and where new skills can be learned so that we can
respond quickly and effectively
Undertaking smarter workforce planning so that we have the skills we need to
deliver solutions
Supporting development throughout the employee lifecycle so that we can be the
best we can be in a high performance culture
7
Appendix 1
HOW HR AND OD WILL DELIVER THE STRATEGY
AIM
HR AND OD WORK PROGRAMME
Deliver programmes to support staff to have the skills, attitudes and behaviours to deliver
excellent customer service
Customer Focus


Leadership
Creating a vision for a better tomorrow




Productivity and Efficiency
Making the best use of our time and
resources






Collaboration
Building strong working relationships




Innovation
Translating ideas into products,
services and solutions that create value
for our customers




Flexibility and Agility
Responding with pace and energy



HR and OD deliver professional leadership, activing as guardians to ensure WCC is a good employer and develops
WCC as an employer of choice
Deliver a leadership and Management Development Strategy that ensures development in line with organisational
aspiration (e.g. Personal Leadership Programme)
Promote the importance of regular performance conversations through 1:1/supervision meetings
Deliver a coaching framework that develops coaching skills in our Leaders and Manages and offers coaching and
mentoring provision
Develop and embed our Behavioural Framework, giving clarity of expectation to all staff and encourage positive role
models
Develop the organisation to adopt SMARTER working principles, supported by the accreditation of Timewise Council
status
Deliver a fit for purpose appraisal scheme which gives feedback on performance and records agreed priorities
Facilitate shared peer learning programmes through focussed Management Huddles, Performance Management,
Change and Absence Surgery Sessions
Deliver bespoke programmes of support to enhance productivity and efficiency
Deliver programmes to recognise and celebrate success through formal schemes such as Staff Thanks and
Recognition (STAR) and Long Service Awards
Deliver development programmes to support commercial thinking, skills and behaviours
Deliver bespoke programmes and support for the development of newly created teams and to support multi-agency
working, e.g. development of MASH, HomeFirst staff integration
Deliver the Employee Engagement Strategy and activity, including the Your Say survey, and the Engaging Manager
toolkit
Deliver Employee Forums to ensure there is an opportunity to hear the ‘Employee Voice’ through Equality and
Diversity Groups and specific staff networks
Deliver a comprehensive catalogue to support multi-agency learning
Deliver an effective Employee Relations framework
Exploration of tools and programmes to support innovative thinking
Deliver frameworks to support managers and staff to develop resilience in the face of constant change through
effective absence management approaches and our Health, Safety and Wellbeing service
Deliver support and development to deliver WCC’s objective of Digital First services
Deliver effective Workforce Planning frameworks throughout the whole employee lifecycle, from recruitment and
retention strategies, development of talent,, succession planning, re-deployment, redundancy and retirement
schemes
Deliver bespoke programmes to support teams and individuals experiencing change
Deliver a learning catalogue that provides generic skills programmes so that our staff are transferrable across the
organisation
Offer bespoke team and individual development to address specific challenges
OUR WORKFORCE
A PEOPLE STRATEGY 2014-18
WARWICKSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
HUMAN RESOURCES AND ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT