ERDP’s

Thank you to all managers that have already completed their team ERDP’s.

If you haven’t yet commenced or completed your Employee Review and Development Process (ERDP) discussions for 2023/24, please remember to schedule them for your teams. ERDP’s are an important opportunity to pause, and both reflect over the last year, and to look forwards to what is coming in the months ahead. An ERDP complements regular performance review through supervision, workload meetings and just checking in with your teams.

M365 UPDATE

Exchange Online (Email)

The M365 Team are currently rolling out the migrations to everyone’s mailbox to Exchange Online. To date, colleagues in ICT, Organisational Development, HR and the Digital Champions have been successfully migrated across and it is planned that further teams will be migrated in the very near future. With HQ Campus based staff to be scheduled first and then the outlying offices.

Further guidance on how you can prepare for your migration and what you can expect will be provided before the actual migration takes place. So, keep your eyes peeled for further information when it’s your turn.

Additional benefits after migration will include (but not limited to):

• Calendar available in Teams – this means you can view your Outlook calendar and create and join meetings from within the Teams application.
• Tasks by Planner and To Do – a great workload planning tool for managing your tasks.

Microsoft 365

Once successfully migrated to Exchange Online, users will be provided with step-by-step instructions to install Office 365. This process will replace your existing Microsoft Office applications with the latest versions of Word, Outlook, Excel, and more.

As with Exchange there will be further guidance and extra information including several eLearning modules will be provided closer to the roll out. Keep checking the IT Skills category on CLIVE (aka LearnPro) for new modules and to keep yourself updated.

HSCM Federation

Moray Council, NHS Scotland, Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeenshire Council are currently working together to allow greater sharing and collaboration when working together in M365.

The first phase is to allow the sharing of free/busy availability between our colleagues in NHS Grampian (and the wider NHS Scotland body) and Aberdeen City / Aberdeenshire Councils. External organisations will only be allowed to see free/busy at this phase. Work is progressing well, and we are preparing to complete testing and sign off with NHS Scotland and our local authority neighbours. We will update you as soon as this work has been completed.

STAR AWARD NOMINATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED

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

Judging will now take place shortly.

All nominations will receive a letter of thanks and awards will be presented to the winners in due course. Watch out for the results which will be announced here soon!

In the meantime, here is a reminder of this year’s schedule

STAR Awards 2023 schedule

Please note that under GDPR legislation, nominees will be contacted, following judging, and asked to consent to their personal information being used.

EMPLOYEE SURVEY 2023

Opinion Survey: 21 August – 15 September 2023

The Employee ‘Your Voice’ Survey 2023 is now closed

Thank you to everyone who has taken part in the Employee Survey for 2023. Now the survey is closed, the analysis work will begin… Keep an eye on Interchange and Connect to see an update on our final response rate!

So, what happens once the survey is over?

All the remaining paper surveys will be collated and added to the online data. Once this is completed, we will start to analyse the data and produce reports with the results. This will show us where you have said things are working well, and where there may be room to make some improvements.

Additionally, by comparing to previous survey results we will be able to track trends and see where previous improvements have made a positive difference.

Ultimately what we want is to identify any issues and help managers to improve things for you at work…. or if everything is great we might need your help to spread best practice to other areas!

SMARTER WORKING UPDATE

Managing a Hybrid Team

We’re pleased to announce that we have dates for our new course, Managing a Hybrid Team. This workshop will be running on the following dates:

• 19 September 2023 – 09:30 till 12:30
• 2 October 2023 – 13:30 till 16:30

The purpose of this workshop is to give you a greater understanding of the skills required to manage a hybrid team. If it’s the first time you’re managing a hybrid team, or just looking for a refresher then this course is for you. We’ll be able to do this by introducing you to range of tips, tools, and interventions that they can be used to manage your team where employees will be working from both the workplace and from home.

During the workshop we’ll look at the following areas:

• What does hybrid working mean?
• What are the potential challenges to hybrid working?
• Communication and engagement tools, and
• How to re-engage the disengaged

If you have any questions regarding this workshop, please email jamie.gordon@moray.gov.uk or for any questions regarding the Smarter Working project please email SWDG@moray.gov.uk

DELEGATED AUTHORITY REPORT (DAR)

A new version of the DAR has been created to reflect the new flexible working styles and you can find it here: HR Policies, Procedures & Guidelines, HR Forms and Recruiting Staff

BUDGET SUPPORT AND UPDATE

Following the workforce communications you will be aware that CMT/SMT continue to work on proposals to develop our approach to a financially sustainable future for the council with proposals being presented to Committee for consideration in late October. In readiness for moving in to a period of substantial change managers are being asked to prepare their teams by leading on interactive discussions called Team Talks. The aim of this 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. A dialogue planner will support the structure of these discussions and you will be able to collate views of the workforce and share these with CMT via a survey monkey feedback form.

A Skills for Change workshop is also now available for managers who are leading on change and will provide the opportunity to understand and deploy effective change management skills. Please speak to your line manager in the first instance should you wish to attend this course.

You will all have already received information on the vacancy restrictions that are currently in place to support only essential recruitment and the Vacancy Management Form has been updated to accommodate these requirements. The new version of the VMF can be found here: Recruiting Staff and HR Forms

CAREER READY – YOUR HELP IS NEEDED

Career Ready, a programme designed to connect disadvantaged young people with the world of work, unlock their potential and level the playing field, is looking for volunteers.

Moray Council have been supporting this wonderful programme since 2014 by creating opportunities for interested staff to volunteer as a mentor.

Becoming a Career Ready mentor is a fun, flexible way to inspire a young person, unlock their true potential, and guide them through the early stages of their career journey. There is no denying that being a mentor is a commitment. It requires monthly contact (about an hour a month) with the young person over the 18 months and the support of a 4-week summer internship but the benefits are clear:

• 91% of students say Career Ready raised their career aspirations
• 87% of alumni said Career Ready had a positive impact on their life
• 89% of mentors report their mentoring and coaching skills as excellent or good at the end of the programme, compared to 40% at the start
• 98% of Career Ready students’ progress onto positive destinations in education or employment

This is what Sheila Strong – Mail Room Team Leader had to say about her recent experience as a Career Ready Mentor.
 

“Being new to Career Ready I was a bit apprehensive initially, however I needn’t have worried. Both the Career Ready Team and the Organisational Development Team have made the whole process seamless and always there with a helping hand if required. I’d definitely recommend Career Ready Mentorship to anyone who is interested”.

We ask that anyone interested in becoming a mentor, contact us so that we can begin to fulfil our commitment to the next programme which is due to start in October.

For further information please contact: organisational.development@moray.gov.uk

NEW E-LEARNING CONTENT

What’s Live on CLIVE?

A brand-new climate change module is being launched on CLIVE in time for Scotland’s Climate Week on 25th September.

The module is aimed at all staff as an introduction to climate change - covering the causes, impacts and required response to the crisis, and the council’s role in this. It also looks at how staff at every level can contribute to the council’s response, offering a variety of examples of how they can do this.

Please encourage your teams to take this short module (approximately half an hour) and help us strengthen the council’s ability to act on climate change. You can find it under the CPD tab.

Login to CLIVE to check out this course, and why not have a look at the other 70 plus modules we have on offer.

If you’ve got any questions about eLearning, please email: organisational.development@moray.gov.uk.

MANAGERS FORUM

Save the Date - The next Managers Forum is planned for Thursday 28th September at 2pm. The topic is still to be confirmed but will be advertised shortly.

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

CORPORATE TRAINING CALENDAR

The Corporate Training Calendar hosts a variety of options for development. These courses are bookable via CLIVE.

Should you have any queries or need help with a booking please email organisational.development@moray.gov.uk

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 HM Armed Forces veterans’ cards roll out, a new Unforgotten Forces directory, new initiative with people with sight loss, Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Scotland information event (HIGHLANDS), as well as Age Scotland free workshops, plus much more!

EMPLOYER RECOGNITION SCHEME – GOLD AWARD

Proudly supporting the Armed Forces Covenant, Moray Council has reached the gold standard in the Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) 2023.

The scheme encourages employers to support serving and retired armed forces personnel and inspire others to do the same. The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise from the nation ensuring that those who serve or who have served in the Armed Forces, and their families, are treated fairly.

The scheme consists of bronze, silver and gold awards for employer organisations that pledge, demonstrate or advocate support to defence and the armed forces community, and align their values with the Armed Forces Covenant. We are delighted to be awarded the Gold Award.

The award demonstrates that Moray Council recognises the value of service personnel, Veterans and military families.

We offer support to its our workforce with ties to the Armed Forces community with a dedicated hub on our Interchange page for the Scottish Military Community and Veterans with updates from Age Scotland as well as hosting reservist recruitment events. The council has also demonstrated to the Ministry of Defence that service personnel and the Armed Forces community are not unfairly disadvantaged during recruitment and selection processes and we regularly attend recruitment events hosted by the Armed Forces.

TIME FOR TALKING

If you feel that you need someone to talk to or need a bit of extra support, either via private individual counselling, couples counselling, family & parent support, or relationship mediation, then Time for Talking may be able to help.

Time for Talking (TfT) the Councils Employee Assistance Provider, can offer counselling services for adults, families and children, for a wide range of issues.

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

TfT produce monthly newsletters, read the September issue here - September Newsletter

THINK! TRAVEL LIKE YOU KNOW THEM

This month sees us remind colleagues, family and friends about the new highway code rules and about the vulnerability of certain road users and why they need particular consideration. All road users need to better understand each other and encourage positive behaviours. This will ultimately build a more positive and mutually considerate experience that is safer for everyone.

Those of us that can cause the greatest harm, drivers of lorries, vans, cars, motorcycles, etc, have the greatest responsibility to reduce the risk we may pose to others.

People don’t see people on the roads, they see the vehicles. But inside or on every one of them is a person –it could be your brother, your mum or your mate.

It’s a little over a year since the changes were made to The Highway Code to help improve road safety for people walking, cycling and horse riding. Hopefully in the time since the introduction, we have all made ourselves familiar with the new rules and follow them when required.

Just in case you need a wee reminder, here’s the main points again:

The Hierarchy of Road Users – Perhaps the biggest sweeping change to the revamped Code - with cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders among those being defined as the most vulnerable and children, older adults or disabled people described as those more 'at risk' of serious injury.

Cyclist Positioning – Cyclists are encouraged to ride in the centre of the lane or two abreast in certain situations, whilst allowing others to overtake when it is safe for them to do so.

When travelling at up to 30mph, leave at least 1.5 metres when overtaking people cycling, and give people more space at higher speeds.

Junctions - People crossing, waiting to cross or cycling straight ahead have priority at junctions.

Overtaking Horses - Pass horse riders at under 10mph, with at least 2 metres of space.

Passing Pedestrians - Allow at least 2 metres of space and keep to a low speed when passing people walking on the road.

Dutch Reach - If they’re able to, vehicle users should open their door with the hand furthest from the door so they can see people walking or cycling behind them.

Stay updated and follow the link for more information at “Think – Travel Like You Know Them” and Drivers Handbook