PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

The official public holidays for the Council over the spring period are:-

• Friday 15th April
• Monday 2nd May
• Friday 3rd June (additional for Queens Platinum Jubilee)

If you are a 7 day service then as the manager you should confirm the allocated public holidays for your service to your teams.

MENTAL HEALTH & WELLBEING SURVEY

Following on from the Mental Health & Wellbeing Survey completed in July 2021, the results and recommendations for improvements have been analysed and the findings will be cascaded to you shortly. You should arrange to share and discuss the findings with your teams. An employee booklet will also be shared on the interchange so you should also make sure all line managers, supervisors and team leaders are briefed on this and that they alert their teams to lookout for forthcoming communications on this.

PLATINUM JUBILEE

To remind all managers, it is the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June and to celebrate the council have given an additional day of annual leave fixed to 3 June 2022 (pro rata for part-time staff) to all staff in recognition of this significant occasion. All schools have also been approved to close on this date.

Those staff unable to take the leave on this date because they do not work that day, or for service reasons, will be able to take the extra day of annual leave at another time as agreed with their line manager.

STAR AWARDS ARE RETURNING!

The appreciation scheme was really successful in acknowledging and appreciating the scale of effort being made every day by everyone to keep services going and bring services back on board during the pandemic, in place of the STAR awards.

We are however pleased to announce the STAR (Special Thanks and Recognition) Awards are coming back in summer 2022. They celebrate the achievements of employees as nominated by their colleagues/managers. The date is to be confirmed but watch out for updates shortly!

LONG SERVICE AWARDS

2021 long service awards are in the process of being organised. There is a bit of a backlog to work through as we try to catch up on normal work however they will be distributed over the coming months.

PRE RETIREMENT COURSES

Affinity Connect are running pre-retirement courses to anyone considering retirement within the next 3 years. The courses will encourage a positive and realistic approach to a financially secure retirement and help employees make informed choices.

The booking process has changed for 2022 and there will now be an automated delegate registration system operated directly by Affinity, accessed by a link.

How it works - Employees register online via a bespoke link, they’ll receive a confirmation email and a reminder email one week before the course date. Employees can also opt to receive a text message reminder 24 hours before the course is due.

When courses are fully subscribed employees will be able to register on a waiting list and they’ll automatically be booked should a space become available. If there are no date’s available, employees will still be able to click on the link and register their interest for upcoming dates.

All employee information recorded is for course registration purposes only and will not be shared with any third parties or used for marketing purposes.

To book your place on an upcoming course please use the following links:

Online Course Booking System Link: https://affinityconnect.event-registration.co.uk/events/moray-council/pre-retirement/2-hour-30-minute-course-online

Face-to-Face Course Booking System Link: https://affinityconnect.event-registration.co.uk/events/moray-council/pre-retirement/1-day-course

For any additional information please email organisational.development@moray.gov.uk

DIGITAL CHAMPIONS

The Digital Champions network is now live. A huge thanks to all who have volunteered, we are very fortunate to have a wonderful team who are ready and able to help.

Not only have they been assisting colleagues with queries ranging from using PDFs through to editing photographs they have also contributed to a review of our eLearning platform and published a digital skills survey that will enable us to plan how best to support colleagues to become more digitally confident.

If you or a colleague have a technology-related query & need to know how to do something please contact the Digital Champions team via DigitalChampions@moray.gov.uk with an outline of what help is needed and an available champion will be in contact.

Finally, if you are interested in becoming a champion please get in contact via the same email address and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

MANAGERS FORUM

The next Managers Forum is tentatively planned for Thursday 31st March at 2pm. An invitation will be sent closer to the date to confirm the details.

In this session, we will be meeting with Rod Lovie, Principal Climate Change Strategy Officer and discussing the Moray Councils Climate Change Strategy and our plans to become carbon neutral by 2030.

We would also love to hear what topics you would like to be discussed at future sessions and if there are any managers interested in hosting a session please get in touch.

Remember, although facilitated by the OD team, the topics and direction of the forum are led by forum members.

If you have any ideas or suggestions for future sessions please contact .

DISTANCE AWARE SCHEME

As restrictions ease and more of us begin to return to the workplace, it feels like we’re getting closer to pre-Covid ‘normality’.

For some of us, that will be welcome; others perhaps not so much. If you’re feeling nervous or anxious about mixing with others, in and out of the workplace, please be reassured that as employers we’re supporting the Distance Aware scheme.

Distance Aware badges or lanyards are available in libraries, most Asda stores, or available to purchase online. Wearing one lets people know – colleagues, customers, friends or family – that you feel more comfortable when you have more room, and it’s a non-confrontational way of asking others to respect your individual space.

If you have any concerns about your or your team’s safety at work, please raise these with your line manager. Equally, if you see that a colleague is anxious or struggling, please be kind and offer your support.

HYBRID WORKING

The Scottish Government recently advised that organisations can resume hybrid working following the loosening of Covid-related restrictions and some colleagues have been returning to the office.

We understand that there remain ongoing requirements for information and training needs with adopting and managing hybrid working, remote and virtual teams, and would like to remind you that there are a number of resources on interchange that could be helpful to your current situations.

You can access information and guidance on hybrid working through the Manager Support link. This page will link and signpost you to a number of resources to support a remote or hybrid workforce, guidance documents, hints and tips alongside training resources to assist with your ways of working.

Guidance Documents include support on:

• Hybrid Working Good Practice Guide (Word)
• Treating-staff-fairly-in-hybrid-working
• Supporting-and-managing-staff-in-hybrid-working
• 10 top tips for conducting online meetings
• Effective Online Meetings April 2020
• Tips for managing conversations about mental health and wellbeing
• 10 top tips for healthy remote working (MC) (managers)
• 10 Top Tips for Managing Culture and Behaviours Remotely

You can find more assistance with managing remotely on:

• Managers toolkit for ensuring the mental health and wellbeing of all employees
• Interviews
• Home Working & Staying Healthy Infographic

Elearning packages are also available through the Council’s learning management system (CLIVE).

Modules to assist you with managing hybrid/remote working include:

• Managing Remote Workers
• Managing Effective Meetings (available soon)
• IT Security
• Coaching & Mentoring
• Questioning & Listening
• Time Management

Further information and guidance is also available by contacting the OD Team at organisational.development@moray.gov.uk

SCOTTISH MILITARY COMMUNITY PAGE

The latest edition of the Scottish Military Community Update has been published on the Interchange: February 2022 Update

This month’s edition has information on the treatment of LGBT+ service personnel, free energy advice workshops and a new toolkit to help support wellbeing in communities as well as much more!

NEW E-LEARNING CONTENT

We’re pleased to announce that the following eLearning modules have launched on CLIVE:

• An Introduction to the 3 Horizons Framework
• Leading in Complexity

The 3 Horizons Framework and Leading in Complexity were part of the Leadership Development programme in 2019. These two modules are designed as a refresher for those that have completed the original programme. We will shortly be writing out to those managers that weren’t able to take part in this programme, offering dates for future intakes. In the meantime, please feel free to access these modules.

These new courses will cover the following:

An Introduction to the 3 Horizons Framework:

Explore present challenges and tensions alongside some possibilities of what the future might look like. We will:

• Explore each horizon
• Consider steps to transformation - Letting go of the old and embracing the new
• Consider reflections and observations

Leading in Complexity:

Following on from the 3 Horizons Framework session, this workshop will build on the key outputs from the 3 Horizons exercise and consider how we can lead collectively across Moray Council.

• Working in Complexity
• Whole Systems Approach
• Personal leadership, Organisational leadership, System leadership
• Leadership Challenges
• Characteristics of Collective Leadership
• Leading Collectively in Moray Council
• Actions and next steps

CYCLE TO WORK SCHEME

This year’s scheme is due to open before the summer, details are yet to be finalised. The salary sacrifice scheme offers an opportunity for all employees to hire a bike (manual or electric) and/or accessories over a 12 month period, with the option of purchasing the bike at the end of the 12 month hire period, taking out an extended hire agreement at no additional cost or returning the bike. To qualify for the scheme the bike should be utilised for 50% of travel to your work place. This is a hire agreement so please ensure you fully read all the terms and conditions surrounding the scheme.

Further details will be communicated nearer to the launch.

DRIVING SAFELY – BEING PREPARED

Driving to work and as part of our daily working routine may well be the most hazardous thing any of us do on any given day. When you’re behind the wheel of a car – whether alone or with passengers – driving safely should always be your number one priority. We have more distractions around us than ever, so it’s crucial to know the basics of safe driving and practice them every time you’re on the road in order to drive responsibly.

Police road accident data shows that every year over 500 people are killed (almost one third of all road deaths), 5,000 seriously injured and more than 40,000 slightly injured in collisions involving drivers or riders who are driving for work. This includes other road users, as well as at-work drivers and riders themselves. In fact, 70% of those killed in a work-related journey are passengers, pedestrians and riders rather than the at-work drivers and riders.

We should all try to keep up to date with any changes to regulations and guidance including the recent updates to the Highway Code - Changes to the Highway Code - and mobile phone/hand-held device requirements - Mobile Phone Requirements

Here are some safe driving tips:

Focus on the driving - Ignoring distractions while driving and maintaining focus on the road is key to driving safely. In order to keep focused while driving, you should follow these steps:

• Keep 100% of your attention on driving at all times – no multi-tasking.
• Never use your mobile phone or any other hand-held electronic device while driving. (Council policy strictly prohibits their use while driving)
• Slow down. Speeding gives you less time to react and increases the severity of an accident.
• When you’re on the road, pay attention to the changing road, traffic and weather conditions.
• Be ready to slow down and take more care if you need to, particularly on bends and exposed roads. Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security - even if you drive every day on the same stretch of road.

While all council vehicles are maintained to a high standard of serviceability by the fleet department, it is incumbent on all staff to follow council driving safety policy and driver handbook while being responsible for a council vehicle.

Breaking down is never a pleasant experience – especially if you have to wait for recovery in the cold and rain.

You’ll want your vehicle to be in the best condition to handle difficult driving conditions in severe weather. This is just as relevant to your own personal vehicle as it is to council vehicles.

• Ensure you have enough fuel for your journey
• Check fluids are topped up
• Damage - check wipers, lights, etc. for signs of wear and tear or damage
• Electrics - check lights, indicators and controls are working properly
• Rubber - are your tyres well inflated, legal, with good tread and free from damage?
• Yourself - are you fit to drive? - have you slept well? - are you taking any medication(s) that could make it unsafe for you to drive?

Carry an emergency kit of handy items including a first aid kit and torch. Other items such as warm clothes, blankets and cold weather footwear may also be appropriate in the winter months.

Updates on the Move

• When you take a break, take the time to check the traffic conditions on the road ahead.
• Keep listening to the radio for traffic and weather updates or visit www.transportscotland.org
• Alternatively, you can download the Traffic Scotland mobile app.