Hybrid Working Survey 2023 - Results

Message from Corporate Management Team (CMT)

We recently conducted a hybrid working survey, which was sent out to all our multi-located workers. Almost 1,000 of you got involved in this survey, and we are extremely grateful that you chose to take part. 

The survey has now closed, and your responses have been analysed – you can find out more by visiting our Hybrid Working Survey - Results intranet page. CMT have met to go through the results, and we’d now like to update you with the findings and how they will translate into some ‘tweaks’ to our way of working. 

It is clear from the feedback that hybrid working is working well for both managers and staff, with many of you citing multiple benefits ranging from improved work life balance to increased productivity. We can also see that many of you split your time between office and remote working. However, it is apparent that there is inconsistency, which is leading to a feeling of unfairness amongst some. We do not want to remove hybrid as an option but, what was clear in the survey was that it is being used in very different ways and in some cases used as a reason not to come into the workplace, this is not hybrid working! It is worth noting at this point that many responded to say that they prefer coming into the office full time, and that is fine. 

Hybrid working is a discretionary not a contractual benefit, and we’re continuing with it on this basis. We wish to maintain the flexible working offer, but want to ensure this way of working benefits ALL, i.e., you and the business. 

So, to move forward in a more consistent way, we will now look to make the following changes: 

The team - we expect all our people, who work in a hybrid way, to attend the workplace for at least (minimum) 40% of their working week. This is what many of you are already doing but to ensure fairness and consistency we need to bring us all together. This will ensure the way we work has the greatest impact on achieving our objectives. 

People Managers - visibility is key when leading, whether that be leading a team of one or a team of hundreds. It is not one of simply being ‘present’ but more one of physical interaction, wellbeing (of you and your team), team culture and ethos. As such we expect to see leaders having a slightly more physical presence and would ask they plan in a minimum of 50% of their time physically with their teams.  

You have told us about some of the practical challenges of hybrid working, that include: 

• Insufficient space for team meetings and in-person collaboration. 
• Offices that are not well equipped in terms of furniture and facilities. 
• Poor Wi-Fi connectivity in some of our buildings. 
• Unreliable or inadequate IT equipment in our touch down areas. 
• Appropriate skills to use the hybrid meeting technology on offer as well as inadequate instructions for users. 
• Access to car parking. 

We have therefore asked our Transformation team to work with senior officers to address these challenges and will publish further information on our Staff Voice intranet page once it is available. 

Some of you have also talked about the risks that come with hybrid working, which include: 

• Loneliness / isolation when working remotely. 
• Reduced sense of connection and belonging.
• Teams becoming disjointed. 
• Reduced opportunities to build and maintain working relationships. 
• New starters not understanding the culture of the organisation and learning from others. 
• Slower decision making / query resolution. 
• Ability to support the well-being of our staff. 

Additionally, the findings of external studies, as well as the lessons learned from other organisations, show us that face-to-face collaboration enhances innovation and creativity and plays a big part in ensuring we maintain our team culture. 

As a Corporate Management Team, we feel that the proposed consistent approach to hybrid working will help us overcome these risks. We will of course review these arrangements periodically to make sure they continue to work for us as an organisation. 

Our People Services team will be sending information to all our staff that work in a multi-located role to confirm what this means from a contractual perspective. 

As we’ve said from the very start, this is a new way of working, not a contractual one. The survey tells us it is working but needs adjustment and that’s normal during a change process. 

If you have any questions in relation to this message, please speak to your manager or Head of Service. You can also find information on our Hybrid Working intranet pages. 

From your Corporate Management Team:

Chief Executive - Wendy Walters

Assistant Chief Executive - Paul Thomas

Director of Community Services - Jake Morgan

Director of Corporate Services - Chris Moore

Director of Education and Children Services - Gareth Morgans

Director of Place and Infrastructure - Ainsley Williams

Head of Administration and Law - Linda Rees Jones