FESTIVE PERIOD – MANAGEMENT COVER ARRANGEMENTS

The festive period is nearly upon us and as Managers you will be busy making sure that services still operating during the holidays are appropriately covered, to ensure smooth delivery for our customers and service users.

This is just a reminder to make sure that the appropriate management cover arrangements are also in place and have been notified to those colleagues working over the festive period to ensure that they feel appropriately supported and know who to turn to should a situation arise.

The wider seasonal arrangements for service delivery are currently being advertised on the Interchange.

SICKNESS – EMPLOYEE MEDICAL CERTIFICATES

If an employee is off sick for more than 7 calendar days they are required to provide a medical certificate from their doctor – these are called Statement of Fitness for Work.

If the Doctor provides a paper certificate to the employee then they should send the original certificate in with a note of their payroll number, they should not email a photograph or a scanned copy of it.

If you require to see the certificate first, please ask the employee to send it to you and then forward to payroll as soon as possible.

If your employee is sent an email with the certificate attached directly from their medical practise they should forward the email to both manager and payroll (payroll@moray.gov.uk) at the same time adding their payroll number to the email.

MILEAGE CLAIM FORMS

When claiming mileage all employees must read and acknowledge that they are complying with the points in the Claimants Statement, all paper forms sent to payroll should be physically signed by the employee to prove this.

If your service is using the excel version of these forms and emailing them to payroll, the email trail from employee to manager should be sent to payroll with the form attached so we can see the employee has completed the statement themselves.

If this causes any problems or you are unsure how to authorise the forms whilst attached to the email trail, please contact payroll to discuss – 01343 563100 or email payroll@moray.gov.uk

CAREER READY

With the dedication and support of our wonderful mentors, we are very pleased to announce we have been able to provide more Moray students with a place on the Career Ready Programme.

The programme is in full swing since October’s launch event, where students and mentors met for the first time. Since then, students have welcomed their mentors to their school for a tour, chat, and the occasional cup of tea. The students have also attended the first of many Master Classes delivered by Career Ready.

Mentoring a young person is a profoundly rewarding experience that benefits both the mentor and the mentee.

• It provides a sense of purpose and fulfilment as you contribute to the personal and professional growth of a young individual.
• Interacting with a different generation can bring fresh perspectives and innovative ideas with the mentee's unique outlook inspiring creative thinking, encouraging you to see situations from different angles and fostering a culture of continuous learning.
• Guiding a young person hones your own communication and interpersonal skills as you tailor your guidance to suit them.
• And finally, mentoring offers a chance to refine your own skills. Guiding someone through challenges, providing constructive feedback, and fostering a positive learning environment contribute to your own growth.

Moray Council continues to partner with Career Ready to offer these amazing opportunities to students in Moray and we ask that anyone interested in mentoring in 2024 to please contact organisational.development@moray.gov.uk so that we continue to support our young people.

EMPLOYEE SURVEY 2023

Thank you to everyone who has taken part in the Employee Survey for 2023.

The survey analysis is ongoing and due to be reported to Committee at the start of year. Headline results will be available soon so keep an eye on the Interchange for more information.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE STAR AWARD WINNERS!

Thank you for the great response to this year’s STAR awards.

STAR (Special Thanks and Recognition) Awards formally recognise the outstanding contributions of our colleagues.

Chief Executive, Roddy Burns and Council Leader, Cllr Kathleen Robertson presented the star awards to the deserving winners in their respective workplaces.

We are pleased to announce this year’s winners at Star awards 2023

BUDGET SUPPORT AND UPDATE

You will be aware that there is formal consultation underway on a range of budget savings proposals that will contribute to the Council’s aim of future financial sustainability. Indeed, some of you will be involved in supporting members of your team through this process where they are impacted by proposals.

Managers have been asked to lead interactive discussions called Team Talks. The aim of these discussions is to raise awareness across the workforce of the major issues facing the council and put this into context within services and day to day working.

Just a reminder that you will all have already received information on the vacancy restrictions that are currently in place to support essential recruitment only and the Vacancy Management Form (VMF) has been updated to accommodate a range of options that managers should consider when they are thinking about recruiting. The new version of the VMF can be found here: Recruiting Staff and HR Forms.

MANAGERS FORUM

Save the Date - The next Managers Forum is tentatively planned for Thursday 1st February 2024 at 2pm. The topic is still to be confirmed but will be advertised shortly.

The managers forum continues to be an opportunity for managers to meet, discuss and share best practice. During this year’s sessions, we have explored a variety of topics ranging from supporting mental health, responding to the climate crisis through to printer procurement.

In preparation for future sessions, we would love to hear what topics you would like to be discussed and if there are any managers interested in hosting this session.

Are there any emerging themes you would like to explore, or do you have any examples of good practice you would like to share? All suggestions are appreciated.

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 glen.dunn@moray.gov.uk.

PRE-RETIREMENT COURSES

Are your retirement savings on track? Do you know how much income your pension savings may provide? And have you thought about how much income you might need when you retire?

Financial education specialists ‘Affinity Connect’ would like to personally invite you to attend an interactive full day course around the key aspects of planning for a financially secure future.

Retirement might be up to 10 years away but it’s never too soon to start planning. This course is perfect for anyone thinking about retirement or already at the planning stages.

During the course you’ll learn how to:

• Help you plan for the lifestyle changes ahead
• Maximise the benefits of your State and workplace pensions
• Make the most of your tax-free cash
• Understand the income options available from your pension
• Achieve your retirement goals

Affinity is also offering a new course ‘Your Financial Wellbeing’ on the following dates:

This course is designed to help employees clearly identify the 4 steps towards becoming financially well that can support employees through working life and beyond.

Booking links for the above courses:

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

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

Online Your Financial Wellbeing Link: https://affinityconnect.event-registration.co.uk/events/moray-council/your-financial-wellbeing/1-hour-30-minute-course-online

You can also find more information on how to join a course here - Planning for the Future

ARMED FORCES COVENANT GOLD AWARD

The Council has been awarded the Gold Award in the Armed Forces Covenant Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) 2023. Council Leader, Cllr Kathleen Robertson collected the award in November which we are proud to display in the Council Headquarters.

SCOTTISH MILITARY COMMUNITY PAGE

The latest edition of the Scottish Military Community Update has been published on Interchange: Latest Updates

This month there is information on a new scheme to improve healthcare for veterans, views sought for a public consultation by the Office for Veterans Affairs, a free calendar for older people from Age Scotland, as well as new funding opportunities, plus much more!

TIME FOR TALKING

Christmas can be a painful and lonely time for some people, if you or anyone in your team need support over the Christmas period please contact Time for Talking (the Councils Employee Assistance Provider) who are open 365 days a year for any support that may be required.

They offer a number of resources, from blogs and podcasts to videos, planners and online information on their website.

You can contact them 365 days a year, via their website www.timefortalking.co.uk, by phone on 0800 970 3980, by app (downloaded from the app store or google play) or chat online to a counsellor through their Live Chat using the password TfTnow

All chats are totally confidential, people don’t need to give their name or email address unless they want to.

More information can be found at Time for Talking

ICY CONDITIONS AND WINTER WEATHER

Slip and trip accidents increase during the autumn and winter season for a number of reasons: there is less daylight, leaves fall onto paths and become wet and slippery and cold weather spells cause ice and snow to build up on paths. There are effective actions that you can take to reduce the risk of a slip or trip. Regardless of the size of your site, always ensure that regularly used walkways are promptly tackled.

Ice, frost and snow

To reduce the risk of slips on ice, frost or snow, you need to assess the risk and put in a system to manage it.

Identify the outdoor areas used by pedestrians most likely to be affected by ice, for example: - building entrances, car parks, pedestrian walkways, shortcuts, sloped areas and areas constantly in the shade or wet.

Monitor the temperature, as prevention is key.

You need to take action whenever freezing temperatures are forecast. Keep up to date by visiting a weather service site such as the Met Office.

Put a procedure in place to prevent an icy surface forming and/or keep pedestrians off the slippery surface.

Use grit or similar, on areas prone to be slippery in frosty, icy conditions.

Divert pedestrians to less slippery walkways and barrier off existing ones if hazardous.

If warning cones are used, remember to remove them once the hazard has passed or they will eventually be ignored.

Gritting

The most common method used to de-ice surfaces is gritting as it is relatively cheap, quick to apply and easy to spread. Rock salt (plain and treated) is the most commonly used 'grit'. It is the substance used on public roads by Roads Maintenance.

Salt can stop ice forming and cause existing ice or snow to melt. It is most effective when it is ground down, but this will take far longer on pedestrian areas than on roads.

Gritting should be carried out when frost, ice or snow is forecast or when walkways are likely to be damp or wet and the floor temperatures are at, or below freezing. The best times are early in evening before the frost settles and/or early in the morning before employees arrive. Salt doesn't work instantly; it needs sufficient time to dissolve into the moisture on the floor.

If you grit when it is raining heavily the salt will be washed away, causing a problem if the rain then turns to snow. Compacted snow, which turns to ice, is difficult to treat effectively with grit. Be aware that 'dawn frost' can occur on dry surfaces when early morning dew forms and freezes on impact with the cold surface. It can be difficult to predict when or where this condition will occur.

Lighting

Is there is enough lighting around your workplace for you and your workers to be able to see and avoid hazards that might be on the ground? The easiest way to find out is to ask your staff. Another way is to shadow your employees for a couple of days, walk the main internal and external routes that they use throughout their working day. It is important to do this both inside and outside of the workplace, as the effect of light changes during the day. If you can't see hazards on the ground you will need to improve the lighting (e.g., new lights or changing the type of bulb).

Please ensure that your winter maintenance plans are up to date, and arrangements have been made for its implementation.