Agenda item

To receive the discussion paper - Recruitment Update. 

RESOLVED: That the Committee commented on and noted the Discussion Paper on Recruitment Update.

Audio Recording – 28 Minutes 10 seconds

The HR Services Manager presented the Information Note entitled ‘Recruitment Update’ and advised that:

·       The employment market was challenging in several services areas, including previously easy to recruit roles.

·       The HR Team were working on improving how North Herts attracted and retained candidates.

·       There was a national downward trend in vacancies, which generated a competitive market for good candidates.

·       There had been changes to the social media adverts, including a new format, colours, and an increased use of images.

·       The recruitment webpages had been updated to be more modern, informative and easier to navigate and, where possible they contained video content and images of current employees and the district.

·       The webpages highlighted that North Herts was a good employer and included a section with employee comments.

·       There was an area on the website to focus on particular teams and it was anticipated that this would be used for hard to fill vacancies.

·       There was improved content regarding how to apply for positions.

·       For hard to fill vacancies and where there was a national skill shortage, candidates   would be considered for career graded roles and they would be supported to develop within their role at the Council. These vacancies would be highlighted as Learning and Development opportunities on the webpage.

·       Work was ongoing to modernise the recruitment documents and processes for both candidates and recruiting managers.

·       Work was ongoing to create a candidate pack with more comprehensive details of the working terms and conditions and these would then be included in an online pack to candidates at the interview invite stage.

·       A trial was being undertaken regarding transparent interviews, these provided candidates with their interview questions, 24 or 48 hours prior to the interview date. The results to date had been positive.

·       A recruitment campaign aimed at encouraging people to work in Local Government had been trialled in north east England. There was a Local Government Association meeting in November, following which more details were expecting, including around potential funding.

The following Members asked questions:

·       Councillor Rhona Cameron

·       Councillor Ruth Brown

·       Councillor Claire Strong

 In response to questions, the HR Services Manager stated that:

·       There was a policy to develop talent within the Council, and this was particularly relevant in the areas with hard to fill vacancies.

·       Employees were supported and offered opportunities to study and progress.

·       There was a work from home policy on the website, and it was important to understand the differences between flexibility and hybrid working especially in different service areas.

·       Managers were encouraged to discuss flexible working with candidates, and to highlight the other benefits of working at North Herts. The flexible working details and all other benefits were included in the candidate pack.

·       It was noted that some candidates were highly skilled in answering interview styled questions, however this did not always enable them to perform the required role.

·       Questions for the transparent interviews were given to candidates 24 to 48 hours before the interview. Managers would be requires to test and probe the answers and to establish further details at the interview.

·       Some interviews required candidates to take part in tests or to provide a presentation.

·       There was a policy linked to professional qualifications and this included an expected period of post qualification employment to ensure that there was an achieved benefit.

·       It was expected that the staff survey would generate further information that could be utilised to increase candidates interests in working for North Herts.

In response to questions, the Service Director – Resources stated that:

·       As a result of the previous staff survey, work commenced on making North Herts a more attractive place to work.

·       There was work ongoing regarding genuine flexible working and ensuring that this was promoted to candidates and staff. This was especially relevant for hard to fill posts and to ensure a healthy work life balance.

·       North Herts tried to be a genuinely fully flexible employer and this needed to be emphasized throughout the recruitment stages.

Councillor Daniel Allen stated that the idea of a transparent interview was really enabling for a neurodiverse person.

The Unison Representative stated that they had taken part in transparent interviews in the past and that they found interviewees were more prepared and performed better, however they expressed some concerns over the use of AI for answers.

The SCF Representative stated that the Inclusion Group had recently discussed the pros and cons of transparent interviews and recommended that the Committee reviewed the minutes of the meeting. They also stated that the interview techniques of managers within North Herts had improved throughout their employment.

RESOLVED: That the Committee commented on and noted the Discussion Paper on Recruitment Update.