Hello PPMA members and friends
Last week, the MJ published an article written by PPMA President Gordon McFarlane, about the continuing difficulties in recruiting and retaining good people. It’s such an important issue that we are sharing it again as a blog post. We hope that it gives you some help and great ideas that you can use in your own organisations.
One of the biggest challenges facing local authorities today is the ability to attract and retain the people we need to deliver high quality services.
A hot labour market means we have to fight harder than ever to recruit. Inflation-busting pay rises and higher salaries in the private sector make competition tough in a number of areas, and cost of living pressures are creating acute challenges in others.
So what can councils do to win the war for talent and keep those services on stream?
From what I see talking to colleagues within the PPMA there are areas that require immediate attention.
- The big picture
The nature of the labour market has changed due to expectations around flexibility and shortages in key areas.
HR will need to understand in detail the nature of the crunch in each area and create a long term plan for each service or job family.
Without effective workforce plans, Councils will struggle to put in place fit for purpose recruitment and training plans or be able to fully assess how realistic any change programmes which must be delivered due to budget cuts will be.
HR’s job is to use this data and insight to guide leaders and help them make effective workforce decisions. Even when we are in the thick of solving day-to-day challenges, we must always make a case for strategic insight and actions which deliver long term solutions.
- Focus on retention
In the short term, the most important lever for local authorities is that of employee retention as this has the greatest positive impact on an organisation.
Two major drivers for people leaving are lack of opportunity and cultural differences with other sectors and local government needs a plan to overcome this.
Essex County Council has done good work in both of these areas. When it found that staff recruited from the private sector were most likely to exit within the first two years due to cultural differences, it trained managers to spot early warning signs and to intervene.
When it came to increasing retention, the team found that while some roles such like finance and legal jobs offer vertical progression within an organisation, others such as project management and HR can benefit from experience gained outside the organisation.
Recognizing this, Essex developed partnerships and shared service agreements with other public services that enable staff to move laterally and return with greater experience and knowledge.
Creating new pathways at entry level through apprenticeships gives access to a pipeline of people who you can develop in areas where you need to develop new skills. It is important to have comprehensive entry to work programmes across all levels and functions of the organisation. To avoid having to import new skills from the private sector such as climate protection and sustainable building, Essex developed an award-winning apprenticeship scheme to home-grow this talent.
- Target non-pay support in order to retain people
New research from the CIPD confirms that money isn’t enough in the race for talent.
Pay increases and market supplements aren’t sustainable options and employees increasingly want to work for organisations that offer flexible working, career development opportunities and that value their wellbeing.
Find out what non-pay support your employees would like. Analyse the results by role and pay-band and devise a plan that supports all workers.
Worcestershire County Council did this with its employees as part of its new Workforce Strategy, where women are represented heavily in the workforce. It received a clear mandate from staff through its annual survey which 71.5% of the workforce completed. The response was clear, concentrate retention efforts on staff wellbeing, including a focus on menopause support. Its extensive wellbeing programme uses local resources and sponsorship to achieve high levels of employee engagement and satisfaction at a low cost. In terms of staff engagement and return on investment, the stats prove it all. 97% of those who attended the last wellbeing week said they would attend a future event and 93% of people said the session they attended was beneficial. 13% of bookings across the whole Wellbeing Week were for Menopause session and 97% of menopause session attendees found the session beneficial.
- Identify and promote what makes you a great place to work
Talk to employees and recruitment agencies to verify what makes you a great employer in your local area. It could be flexible working arrangements, entry pathways, career development, company culture, impact on the community you serve, as well as employee benefits and financial rewards.
Capitalise on the fact the private sector is demanding a return to the office at a time when candidates expect greater flexibility. Identify opportunities for flexible and remote working and promote these.
Distil your offer into an employee value proposition to help promote your offer in a consistent way. Making a difference to the communities you service remains your unique selling point. Sell this hard as emotional messages have greater power to win people over than purely rational ones.
Two years ago Essex County Council reviewed which aspects of its employee value proposition appeal the most and reshaped its resourcing strategy accordingly. This included a revamp of the careers site to showcase real-life stories of employee experience, growth and career development, diversity of work, and impact of work on the community it serves.
Culture and purpose need to be communicated sensitively. For our lowest paid workers neither will put food on the table or pay the bills. Investigate ways to boost the overall financial position of all employees through employee benefits, employee savings schemes and a financial wellbeing programme. Make sure the support you offer reaches all workers. Worcestershire County Council has engaged many wellbeing partners including a Barclays to visit sites across all Worcestershire to provide financial wellbeing support from a specially adapted van reaching all its workers including front line.
To help bring your employer brand alive, partner with marketing and communication colleagues who know how to engage people in the target audiences you wish to attract. For Essex this has meant a conscious move to develop a presence on Instagram and Tik Tok to engage people and to reach as wide an audience as possible.
As you implement your action plan remember to keep listening to your people. They will often have the best ideas about the range of actions you can take as organisations to inspire others to come to and work with you.
Gordon McFarlane, PPMA President and Assistant Director, Leicestershire County Council
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