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Wednesday 16 September 2020
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Our Stars Awards 2020 – shortlist announced!
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The first ever virtual Our Stars Awards night is getting closer, and today we are excited to be able to share with you the shortlist for each category. At the beginning of September we told you about all 118 nominations, today our panel has chosen its shortlist of potential winners. Click here to view the short list of “Our Stars” on Yammer.
The awards will be announced over two nights (20 and 22 October), with the ceremony run over Microsoft Teams to ensure that all nominees, nominators and other attendees have the ability to interact, praise colleagues and get involved for what is shaping up to be a fun and engaging event/evening. As well as announcing all the winners and highly commended colleagues, attendees will also be able to watch short summaries of each category and clips from shortlisted nominees, as we build up to the big announcements. We’ve also got a few surprises up our sleeves to make the night extra enjoyable, despite the fact that this year it is totally online.
On Tuesday 20 October, the winners will be announced for the following categories: Employee of the Year; Team of the Year; Apprentice/Graduate of the Year; Talent Award; Support Staff Star of the Year. On Thursday 22 October, we will be announcing our COVID-19 Heroes, plus Manager of the Year; Values Awards; Outstanding Contribution to the Community Award, plus our Long Service announcements, recognising those members of staff who have been working at Barnet for 25 years or more.
Chief Executive John Hooton said: “We are now just five weeks away from the big announcements and I hope that our shortlisted nominees and their nominators are as excited as me about finding out the winners at the end of October.
“The Our Stars awards nights are a great opportunity to recognise the hard work of so many across our organisation, including the council and our partners. This year has of course been a year like no other, but the values of our organisation and the commitment of our staff have shone through time and again. Congratulations to everyone on the shortlist. I look forward to announcing the winners on the night.”
Invites to the online ceremonies will be going out over the next week, so if you are a nominee or nominator, look out in your inbox for all the details you will need. We will be sharing more information about the night over the coming months, and sharing lots of footage and material with the whole organisation following the events in October.
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Focus on... the new class of 2020/21 – ready to join your team
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Innovative partnership COVID-19 scheme nominated for award
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There is now just over a week for managers to submit a proposal to have a graduate join their team.
The input of graduates over the past few years has proven to be extremely valuable to both teams and the graduate involved – so this year a total of eight graduates will be joining the organisation as of October. We will have eight graduates on the programme, so we are looking for eight placements to begin on 12 October. Five graduates are looking for their first placement, and three will be looking for their third placement. Pictured above are some of our current graduates (in the office, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic).
So, in order to gage the added ‘value’ of having a graduate in your team, what better way than to hear about the experiences from some of our existing graduates?
Kirsty Dutton joined Barnet as a graduate in 2019: “The grad scheme at LBB really allows you to get involved in projects that are good for your development and interesting to you. All of the staff are so nice and managers have always asked me what I would like to be involved in and how I would like to develop, shaping my experience around that. At Barnet you also get a fantastic range of departments to choose from – every department offers something different to experience and get involved in. This kind of choice is unique to Barnet and is what helped me to pick it above other councils.
"Furthermore, everyone at Barnet is so nice and supportive. I really feel as though I have been given opportunities I wouldn't have had at other councils, but I have been able to ask for help if needed so it has always been a good challenge. The opportunity to get involved in Barnet Equalities Allies (BEA) has also been very exciting and I would encourage all staff and the new graduates to get involved as this is a key time for change. Opportunities like this, and other offers like Mental Health First Aiders (MHFAs) and training options, really are unique to Barnet and allow you to develop not only professionally, but personally.”
Senior managers have been emailed all the relevant guidance and information needed to submit a bid earlier this week and the deadline is Friday 25 September. Managers who want to discuss the scheme further should email amanda.buchanan@barnet.gov.uk.
Click here to find out more about the experiences some of our existing graduates have had at Barnet Council so far.
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Remember our interview with Tim Kellman (pictured above), the Mayor’s Driver who at the height of the COVID-19 lockdown volunteered to deliver oxygen saturation monitors around the borough? The scheme – and the Barnet SATS Probe Delivery Team – have now been nominated by MPs Theresa Villiers and Mike Freer for a NHS Parliamentary Award for Excellence in Primary Care.
The team was set up and launched on 10 April. The aim of it was to allow people with COVID-19 symptoms to measure their oxygen levels at home, helping their GP to understand if they needed admittance to hospital or if they could remain and manage their conditions at home – meaning staying with loved ones and reducing the strain on the NHS.
Tessa Newton, Senior Primary Care Transformation Manager from North Central London CCG, explained more: “The team represents a completely innovative approach to COVID-19, not only with SATS probes being used remotely for the first time by GPs but also that the team itself is made up entirely of redeployed council staff and local resident volunteers with no prior experience in health care. We are absolutely delighted that the contribution they have made has been recognised."
In Barnet, the scheme is a partnership venture between the council and the North Central London CCG. Barnet was the first borough to go ‘live’ but the guidance and learning from the scheme has now been shared across the other five boroughs in the region to provide a similar offer. The scheme is now being delivered solely through local resident volunteers.
We want to say a big thank you to all council staff deployed to the team. Led by Seher Kayikci, the team also included: Charlotte Anderson, David Chamberlain, Laura Ryan, Louis Bynoe, Madhu Nambiar, Tayo Robiti, Tim Kellman, Amelia Stanley and Anna Berus.
Seher Kayikci, Senior Public Health Strategist, said: “I can’t say a big enough thanks to those colleagues who made this happen. Within just 48 hours of the request coming from GPs in April, we had mobilised and launched the service. Added to that, this all happened over the long Easter weekend, and so many people gave up their time selflessly to be on call to support vulnerable patients. Well done to all.”
Following this nomination, the shortlist is set to be announced in November with the next awards ceremony planned for July 2021. Good luck to the team!
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Workplace Wellbeing Month - what’s in store for Week 4?
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Being an ally is open to everyone: join the new Anti-Racism Group
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This week’s Workplace Wellbeing Month ends on a very ‘Zen’ note with a morning yoga class with Phoebe Georgiou and tai chi in Oak Hill Park with Sally Foxcroft tomorrow. So how is Week 4 looking? It is the final full week of Workplace Wellbeing Month – so now’s the time to join a class and reap the benefits of trying to have a healthier lifestyle as we approach autumn. Details of the activities to look forward to are below - look out for tomorrow's email with joining instructions for each activity.
Monday 21 September, 1pm
Stop Smoking Q&A with Nicky Coote – look out in tomorrow's dedicated email for joining instructions.
Final week of the photo competition, Week 4, ‘The Future of Work’
If you have been back to the Colindale office or have some interesting photos of working while social distancing – post them to the Workplace Wellbeing Group on Yammer.
In a special twist, we have decided to keep the suspense of announcing the winners of the Workplace Wellbeing photo challenge until the Our Stars Virtual Awards Ceremony - winners for each category will be revealed on the night.
Tuesday 22 September, from 2pm
BOOST webinar on support with drug and alcohol support: the stresses of the pandemic have led to many people increasing their intake of drugs and alcohol. BOOST is running a session on how young people aged 16-24 years can get help and support with any issues they are having.
Wednesday 23 September, from 5.30pm
Wednesday night yoga: Karen Morrell’s relaxing yoga class is a wonderful way to tackle the mid-week blues. You can join it here.
Thursday 24 September from 1pm
Tai chi in Oak Hill Park: this traditional Chinese martial art combines deep breathing and relaxation that can help with weight loss, sleeping and general wellbeing when done on a regular basis. Sally Foxcroft, an experienced tai chi instructor, will be doing an outdoor session in Oak Hill Park, East Barnet. Look out for joining instructions tomorrow.
Thursday 24 September, from 5.30pm
Join Natural Chef Sheila Tompkins for the second of our cook-a-longs to learn how to make a healthy chicken curry from scratch. Sign up to join here. We will share ingredients and further joining details with all attendees in the next few days.
Friday 25 September, from 5.30pm
End the week on a high energy note and join the Our Parks bootcamp – yes it’s for a wide range of abilities, but prepare to work hard and sweat!
Join the Workplace Wellbeing Month community here on Yammer for more information every week on how to join in!
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We already have the Barnet Equalities Allies, who are now around 60 colleagues who have an interest in creating an inclusive environment for all staff and partners at Barnet.
As you may already be aware, attached to the Barnet Equalities Allies are several groups that have specific objectives covering the world of equalities at Barnet:
• LGBTQ+ Staff Network
• Staff Disability Network
• Women’s Network
• Black Staff Resource Action Group
• Anti-Racism Group
• Communities (Action) Group – launching soon
The Anti-Racism Group is a network that will coordinate a forum aiming to meet the needs and aspirations of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff members and to drive forward the commitment of advancing race equality in Barnet Council. We welcome everyone with an interest and passion in equalities, diversity and inclusion - whether you are at the beginning of a journey and towards being a part of creating an anti-racist organisation or you have already developed knowledge/skills in this through your own experience.
The work of the Anti-Racism Group will help to develop, shape and advance race equality and foster good race relations through active involvement, consultation and feedback on the corporate EDI strategy, policies, practices and guidance.
As a sister group to the Black Staff Resource Group, it will provide a space and safe environment for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff and others to network, share ideas, experiences, expertise and discuss issues.
Membership of the network is open to all staff who share an interest in supporting equality for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff and residents. There is an Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) steering group which meets quarterly to table issues and concerns of members, discuss policy, provide feedback for consultation and drive solutions.
The first Anti-Racism Group meeting is on 30 September 2020 from 3.30pm-5pm. If you are interested in becoming a member or supporting the Anti-Racism Group in any way, please get in touch by emailing bea@barnet.gov.uk
The second meeting of the LGBTQ+ Staff Network is on Thursday 24 September at 12pm. You can join the meeting by using this link or email ella.goschalk@barnet.gov.uk for more information.
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