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COVID-19 Staff Survey – the results
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More than 1,300 of you completed the COVID-19 Staff Survey at the end of May 2020 and we are now able to share with you some of the results. Your directors will be receiving service breakdowns next week, so look out for more detailed information later in July.
The survey identified what a massive impact COVID-19 has had on our workforce, with almost 90% of you stating that your usual place of work has changed (with the vast majority of that number working from home). And the indication is that lots of you are finding added positives to working from home – reduced travel and improved work/life balance come out as the top benefits. A total of 74% of you said you were content with current working arrangements and almost as many felt you were working just as effectively as you were before lockdown.
Almost three quarters of you would like to see a change to working practices, either instead of or in addition to how we previously worked. Some of the changes that people would like to see include more remote working, more flexibility and fewer meetings. While the majority of you (73%) say you have access to a work desk or table of the right height, 59% of you have never completed a home working self assessment. Don’t forget you can find everything you need to know about support available on remote working here.
Some of the challenges that you have encountered have centred around IT. When asked if you had experienced IT issues in the few weeks prior to completing the survey, 79% of you said you had IT problems which impacted on your ability to do your job. Skype and access to Outlook and shared files while on the VPN were the most frequently identified issues. Changes to Barnet’s remote network infrastructure in May resolved many of the issues first experienced by staff and continual work is being done to ensure optimal performance in response to the increased numbers of staff working from home.
We will now be using these results, and service-level data, to feed into the next phase of the TW3 programme, looking at how we work in the future, what we need to do around tools and technology, and how we use our offices while still retaining some of the benefits that remote working have brought. We will continue to keep you updated on this area of work.
Cath Shaw, Deputy Chief Executive, said: “The COVID-19 Staff Survey results identify some really interesting outcomes around many elements of lockdown – from remote working to IT and mental health and wellbeing. We are currently producing analyses by directorate to help inform actions for individual areas and our next steps as an organisation, as we ease out of lockdown and consider what the next phases, and the future of work, will look like.”
You can access the full headline results here.
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Focus on… the works at Oakleigh Depot, with Vikky Foulger
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Further easing of lockdown set for this weekend
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Vikky Foulger talked to First Team this week about how her team have kept the Oakleigh Depot works, and team spirit, on track through COVID-19.
Who is Vikky Foulger, Site Transformation Officer?
“I have worked with Barnet since April 2018 as a Service Change Officer. I’ve never worked in the waste/cleansing sector before, so have gained a lot of knowledge in this role. I worked in the construction world previously, which has helped with my current role. I’ve got to work with people who have a lot of knowledge. Working on this project has been absolutely amazing, I have loved doing this role. I care very much about Street Scene and the people that work here. It’s important for me to know that everything I am doing will create a nicer environment for the staff.”
Talk us through the progress that’s been made with the Oakleigh Depot works.
“The main aim of the project is to stabilise the ground movement and reinstate the east section of the depot, which was previously the main entry and exit point for vehicles and pedestrians as well as the fuelling area. Due to the nature of the remedial works and our operations, it was vital that Street Scene developed a strong working relationship with the contractors carrying out the works to ensure that they can progress without causing disruption to our operation. While we have continued to operate out of the depot on a daily basis, there have been ongoing operational changes to the Depot which Street Scene teams have worked hard to adapt to and ensure continuation of our services.”
Have there been any COVID-19-related challenges during the period of works for the building programme, or that have impacted on yourself and the team?
"Before COVID-19 hit the UK, the contractors and myself put measures in place to ensure that Street Scene staff and the contractor staff were kept apart for the safety of both. We were also lucky that the remedial works could continue to operate during this time due to the measures we had put in place. We planned ahead to ensure works were agreed and covered. At the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, I supported the leadership team, we had daily calls to track numbers and monitor the situation to see what services we could continue running. We temporarily made recycling collections fortnightly to cover any instances of staff shortages, but we were able to return to weekly collections quite quickly– despite the COVID-19 situation."
What are you and the team most looking forward to when the works are finished?
"When the works are completed, we will mainly be going back to how it was before, I’m sure it will be strange for everyone based at Oakleigh Depot to either go back to driving or walking in the original way!"
Click here to see the full interview and some pictures of the Oakleigh Depot Works in progress.
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The country has been following a phased easing of lockdown since 13 May as COVID-19 infections and death rates have kept on a broadly downward trend. This weekend is set to see the most significant phase yet, with restaurants and pubs allowed to open (with certain restrictions including changes to shift patterns, mandatory table service and more use of hand sanitiser), alongside a range of other settings that will be allowed to reopen to the public.
What does that mean for the council? Our Libraries Team are now working hard to gradually re-introduce library services over the coming weeks and months. The first phase has seen the reintroduction of the Home Library service for housebound residents from 18 June, as well as the Select and Collect service which launched and was featured in First Team last week. The next phase, towards the end of July, will see access to the Core Plus libraries during selected times for pre-booked PC use as well as expansion of Select and Collect and of our online and telephone enquiry service. The team will then gradually expand the opening of the Core and Core Plus libraries for wider use over the following months. Reintroduction of on-site library events and self-service opening will follow when social distancing
guidelines are sufficiently relaxed.
Meanwhile, our Economic Development Team alongside the Public Protection Team in Re have been continuing to support shops in our high streets over the past few weeks on their phased reopening (some of our local business owners pictured above), as well as running an accountancy scheme to help businesses access the range of help available from the Government and commercial options.
Ahead of this weekend’s next phase, the team has been liaising with and writing to restaurants, pubs, hairdressers and other businesses which will now be allowed to open, providing advice on COVID-secure measures. The team are also looking at ways to further, and quickly, enhance our high streets, working in partnership with businesses, to encourage more people to shop local and start boosting the local economy again. Look out for more information about new initiatives in First Team over the next few weeks.
Finally, our Greenspaces Team are working hard to safely reopen playgrounds and outdoor gyms in parks. Keep on reading First Team and Yammer for more on this and the further reopening of Barnet’s economy as the borough joins the rest of the country in easing slowly out of lockdown. Get in touch with First Team if you want your team’s work around COVID-19 recovery to be featured.
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Celebrations across the council for a special Pride Month
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Two important webinars planned for next week - open to all
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One of the highlights of June (apart from Wimbledon and Glastonbury to name a few) is the colourful Pride Parade, which not only takes place in London, but all over the world.
As with the other major events that usually take place over the summer, Pride Month’s celebrations also had to be done virtually. Here in Barnet, the Barnet Equalities Allies organised several activities for all staff to be a part of supporting our LGBTQ+ colleagues.
Assistant Director of Investments and Innovation, Ashley Hughes, shared his career story reflecting on being LGBTQ+ in the workplace and encouraged others to share their experiences and to actively listen to colleagues when they want to share them.
A LGBTQ+ rainbow-themed quiz night was held. Following this, a number of colleagues marked the Pride Parade weekend by watching the documentary on LGBTQ+ icon – The Death and Life of Marsha P Johnson and having a post-film discussion about the equality issues raised.
Our colleagues at the Your Choice Barnet (part of The Barnet Group) day service, Flower Lane, involved staff and service users with a range of events marking Pride Month. Flower Lane provides specialist support to people on the autism spectrum. Staff had open discussions on LGBTQ+ issues, displayed rainbow artwork, played music by gay icons and put up signage to promote Flower Lane as a safe space for LGBTQ+ people.
More information about Flower Lane can be found on the Your Choice Barnet website.
The Barnet Equalities Allies is a group of staff who are passionate about promoting equalities, celebrating diversity and challenging discrimination. If you are interested in becoming an ally, or would like to propose an event, then please reach us at BarnetEqualitiesAllies@barnet.gov.uk.
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Passionate about making Barnet a more inclusive place to work? Join the BLM workshop on Zoom, Wednesday 8 July from 1-2.30pm. Our Chief Executive, John Hooton, sent a message out to staff days after George Floyd’s murder, opening up discussion about how Barnet can address racial bias and inequality in the workplace.
The first step is developing an environment where staff feel secure to talk about and raise issues they have about diversity in the workplace. Creating this safe space is beneficial to everyone; as it will ensure Barnet leads the way in having an inclusive organisation, where everyone feels they have an equal chance at progress and development.
All staff are encouraged to join the BLM workshop to talk about diversity issues in the council, as well as topics you would like to see the Barnet Equalities Allies focus on or progress with, in the coming months. All views are valid, now’s the time to speak up. Access the Black Lives Matter workshop by going to Zoom. Meeting ID: 880 1576 6479. Password: 414654. Email bea@barnet.gov.uk to confirm that you will be joining in with the session. Access our guidance on logging into a Zoom meeting here.
Menopause Health Awareness webinar to support women’s health: did you know that women who fit into the general category of the menopause age group are one of the fastest growing demographics in the workplace?
To support women in the organisation who might be dealing with menopause symptoms at work and need advice, Adults and Health’s Jifunza Jaha is leading on a Menopause Health Awareness webinar. Jifunza is also a Naturopathic Nutritional Therapist with her own practice and wants to share natural, safe and effective ways to support hormonal balance with female colleagues.
The Menopause Health Awareness webinar is on Tuesday 7 July from 1pm-2pm. You can join the webinar by joining at this link.
There will be the opportunity during the webinar to post further questions about menopause health in the webinar or you can email Jifunza directly at jifunza.jaha@barnet.gov.uk which she will answer following the event. If you have an interest in menopause health issues and women’s health generally, join the Women’s Health group on Yammer.
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