Issue - meetings

To receive a discussion paper on Attracting and Rewarding Scarce Talent.

RESOLVED: That the Committee commented on and noted the Discussion Paper on Attracting and Rewarding Scarce Talent.

Audio Recording – 14 minutes 29 seconds

The Human Resources Service Manager presented the Discussion Paper entitled ‘Attracting and Rewarding Scarce Talent’ and advised that:

·       Recruitment and retention had been a focus for many months due to employment conditions nationally, including positions which were previously easier to fill.

·       Improvements had been made to the use of social media to promote roles, with images used to stand out and text to highlight key areas of specific role. Examples of these adverts was included within the reports pack.

·       As the Council cannot always compete on pay, the benefits of working for the Council are being promoted more, including flexible working arrangements.

·       Pay bands are now included on Job Adverts.

·       Recruitment and Retention Policy had been put to use to attract people to hard to fill roles.

·       The Council had a good record of career development, with staff often developing skills with the Council before moving onto further employment.

·       Apprenticeship scheme was still running and often apprentices were able to find roles at the Council following the end of their apprenticeship contract.

·       Had looked to expand the use of career graded roles in areas like Planning and Licensing.

The following Members asked questions:

·       Councillor Claire Strong

·       Councillor Terry Hone

In response to questions, the Human Resources Service Manager advised that:

·       They noted comments regarding use of positive wording on social media adverts and would guide recruiting managers on the use of these.

·       Training and development was dependent on the role, where a professional qualification is possible then this might be considered a career graded post which would allow a candidate to enter at the lowest level, with a commitment from the Council to provide ongoing development.

·       Information on future development was available on the recruitment pages on the website and would then form part of the induction process of new staff and into the Regular Performance Reviews.

·       Where a qualification is expected to be worked towards, this would be specified in the advert.

·       Ongoing development of existing staff would form part of the appraisal process, which takes place at least annually, and can be referred to throughout the year.

·       Managers have access to information on development and training, but further information could be provided by HR.

RESOLVED: That the Committee commented on and noted the Discussion Paper on Attracting and Rewarding Scarce Talent.