HR Bulletin – January 2021
INTRODUCTION
Welcome back to our HR Bulletin. It has been a long time since we last published a bulletin mainly due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. Our working lives changed dramatically and previous routes of communication were postponed and replaced with more immediate methods like staff updates, team briefs and manager briefings that allowed us to manage the initial emergency response, recovery and renewal, prior to returning to a lockdown in the New Year. Now, we are well on our way into the recovery phase, we are aiming to reinstate more of our regular communications and activities in the virtual environment, starting with this HR Bulletin.
BREXIT
Guidance is currently under development to help you understand the impact of Brexit on our recruitment procedures and should be available early February. Keep an eye on the Interchange for more information.
LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
Remote working and eLearning are not just options anymore but a requirement for many of us in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. CLIVE (our eLearning Platform) has proven to be an invaluable resource during these challenging times as it enables our colleagues to acquire knowledge or develop new skills while traditional forms of training are not possible. Don’t forget we have many eLearning modules that can support new employees joining the council too including the corporate induction.
The Organisational Development team will continue to develop new modules and are already working in partnership with the Health and Safety team to revamp any Health and Safety related modules. This will ensure they remain current and engaging. If you would like to discuss how eLearning might benefit your team and service please contact employee.development@moray.gov.uk
WINTER BLUES
Whilst we hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year, the post-Christmas period can be a particularly tense time. All of us have worries and concerns at different times in our lives and usually we have ways to manage them as part of everyday life. January & February can be the climax of all our worries, it’s cold and gloomy, we may be in debt after present buying, we are still in lockdown, we might not have seen family for a long time, and the resolutions have already failed. If this sounds familiar to you and your team, try and make time to chat with your staff – virtually or social distanced, grab a brew, maybe a couple of biscuits, and take a few minutes to make sure everyone is feeling ok.
If you don’t feel able to manage your/their worries and concerns, please contact our Employee Assistance Programme – Time for Talking. http://interchange.moray.gov.uk/int_standard/Page_108013.html
Additionally we have more information on specialised support services which you may wish to access or signpost a colleague to, these details can be found here: http://interchange.moray.gov.uk/int_standard/Page_132138.html
MENTORS REQUIRED
Career Ready is a programme designed to “connect disadvantaged young people with the world of work, unlocking their potential and levelling the playing field.”
Moray Council have been supporting this programme for a number of years and we have pledged 8 mentors to this programme this year; that is one mentor per secondary school.
There is no denying that being a mentor is a commitment. It requires regular contact with the young person over the 2 years and the organisation of a 4-week internship, but there are huge benefits to giving your time towards this enriching commitment.
Mentor Briefing – There will be briefings to share the details of the programme with the mentors and answer any queries they have. Dates to be confirmed.
Launch Event – Wednesday 17th February @ 14:00 –15:50. The event will be virtual and will include a presentation to the group and individual time for each student & mentor in a separate virtual space.
This opportunity isn’t just for managers, any employee is eligible to volunteer to be a mentor. For further information and to ensure you are on the list to be a potential mentor please contact: glen.dunn@moray.gov.uk
PERSONAL RESILIENCE DEVELOPMENT – March dates now fully subscribed. Watch for further emails on upcoming courses
Email invitations have been sent out to all Tier 3 Managers and Heads of Service regarding the Promoting Resilience in the Workplace courses delivered by NHS Grampian via Microsoft Teams in January, February and March 2021.
Personal Resilience is the capacity to maintain well-being and work performance under pressure, including being able to bounce back from setbacks effectively.
The sessions will enable managers to create a greater understanding of how to build personal resilience in their workplace and provide them with the knowledge and skills to deal with issues that arise.
If you feel that you would benefit from attending this course and haven’t already registered your interest, please contact heather.haylett-andrews@nhs.scot directly and cc employee.development@moray.gov.uk
EMPLOYEE APPRECIATION SCHEME
Due to the Corona virus pandemic, it has been an extremely challenging time and here at Moray Council we would like to acknowledge and appreciate the scale of effort being made every day by our colleagues to keep services going and bring services back on board.
In the absence of the STAR Awards in 2020 due to the Corona virus, an Employee Appreciation Scheme Noticeboard will launch in February 2021 on the Interchange where colleagues and managers have the opportunity to display messages or quotes showing their appreciation of the work our employees are doing. Further details will be announced soon with how to submit your comments and where to view the noticeboard.
SCOTTISH MILITARY COMMUNITY PAGE
Do you or any of your team have connections to the Military in Scotland? If so please visit our Scottish Military Community page on the Interchange. It is updated regularly and has a wealth of information regarding Financial, Education, Deployment, Job Hunting, Relocation, Personal and Community information.
LOCKDOWN GUIDANCE UPDATE
With the new lockdown well under way, you may be facing additional challenges with your team potentially affected by shielding being reactivated, some service closures and schools returning to remote learning. Managers should ensure that they are abiding by the new changes, that all Covid safety measures are in place and ask all of their teams to follow these closely. Homeworking will continue to be the default during this period if it is possible.
If you need additional help, the following stages should be used to provide flexible and creative support to finding effective solutions:
- Flexibility – allow employee to homework where feasible and can be undertaken effectively, including considering temporary adjusted duties to facilitate homeworking
- Creative and flexible use of range of types of leave e.g. use of annual leave, flexi leave, where appropriate, TOIL
- Paid Special Leave may be applicable
- Unpaid parental leave or unpaid leave
Exceptions (i.e. where an employee has several instances where a child/children are sent home, or flexible working arrangements are not possible) can be considered on a case by case basis.
For more details please see the flexible working policy: https://secure.moray.gov.uk/interchange/secure/docs/pandplib/HR_Human%20Resources/FlexibleWorking.docx