Presentation by the Head of Corporate Resources
Minutes:
The Committee received a presentation from Stephan Van Arendsen, Head of Corporate Resources on Agile Working - Potential Approach and Principles.
Mr. Van Arendsen provided information on the following:-
· Agile working, amongst other things, was the ability for an individual to work flexibly in variable locations, that enabled the completion of duties in the most efficient and effective manner possible; that in order to facilitate this the appropriate policies, processes and technology were required; and that savings that would be realised by the adoption of agile working
· In a Sefton context and in keeping with the Sefton 2030 Vision and the Framework for Change, agile working would be a key enabler to the successful delivery of a number of projects; and would provide the opportunity to work differently and required the business requirements to be defined in order that the appropriate solutions could be provided. A substantial cultural change was required to embrace new ways of working to allow the Council to work smarter, to make staff more productive and to become a more agile workforce
· The key objectives of agile working would be to support the delivery of the Council’s 2030 vision; that it was a key enabler in the Framework for Change - PSR 8 – Asset Maximisation, ICT and Digital and Early Intervention and Prevention (EIP) projects and would improve the customer interface of the Council; to contribute to the financial and environmental sustainability of the Council there needed to be a demonstrable financial case to support the investment; and that It could support the efficient use of (expensive) space and deliver the ICT capability to enable an agile workforce to work productively in more than one location
· Agile working has multiple benefits and should not be considered solely in the context of reducing the accommodation footprint as It offered the freedom to work in the optimum location (for the employee and the customer) making the best use of time and resources and that it utilised technology to its best advantage
· How agile working worked which included the Business defining its requirements and the evaluation of the technology and accommodation solutions to demonstrate how requirements can be met and savings delivered. Document sharing would be made easier via remodelled digital storage and accessibility (archiving policy); HR Policies would need to be reviewed and adapted; and work etiquette and building management policy and protocols introduced (depersonalisation of desks/clear desk)
· Work currently underway including the recent Accommodation Strategy Working Group review; ICT transformation requirements currently being defined which could maximise potential; ICT User Groups were being; that gains could be made without some ICT development; and the defining requirements for immediate projects e.g. EIP and Merton House decant and business case
· The next steps which included the Overview and Scrutiny Working Group findings supporting the process; the defining of business requirements on key projects that supported operational and financial business case (EIP and Merton House); the identification of what can be delivered pre and post ICT transformation; the development of ICT transformation business case; confirmation that the approach should be developed and embedded across the Council; and the refining of user groups and the identification of building and infrastructure needs
· Examples of agile working would be Teams working together in assigned clusters or zones; workstations set up for particular user groups to maintain synergies; ratios (proposed) of 0.75 and 0.5 used i.e. one desk per 1.3 people or one desk for two people; existing furniture will be graded and retained if practicable; colleagues who occupied a desk 100% the time would still be required to maintain a clear desk at all times; and ICT hardware, software and infrastructure being key to the success of rolling out an agile and lean hot-desk environment
Members asked questions/raised issues on the following matters:-
· Consultation with staff seeking their views on home working and the development of home working patterns
· The involvement of trades unions in revised HR policies associated with agile working
· To ensure staff don’t feel isolated from their colleagues whilst home working a system should be introduced to enable effective dialogue and communication amongst team members
· Performance management issues related to home working
· The cultural change associated with home working
RESOLVED:
That Mr. Van Arendsen be thanked for his informative presentation.