Hybrid Working Survey 2023 - You Said, We Listened
Page updated: 14/08/2024
This page is intended to keep you up to date on what is being done in response to the comments you made when completing the hybrid working survey. This page will be updated as information becomes available.
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
Benefits
Managers shared their experiences of managing a team that works both remotely and in-person and talked about the benefits of working in this way. They consistently highlighted the following themes:
- Enhanced team morale and motivation
- Positive impact on productivity
- Improved communication / collaboration via Teams and other digital tools
- Increased focus on outputs and trust-based management
- Improved work life balance and flexibility for employees
Challenges
Managers also talked about the practical challenges and risks associated with managing a team that works in a hybrid way, the following themes were highlighted:
- Inconsistent approach in terms of how / when managers communicate with their teams
- Ensuring the well-being of staff when they are working remotely
- Balancing flexibility for staff with the needs of the service
- Being able to adapt your leadership / management style
- Access to space for in person collaboration
- Ongoing need for advancements in technological support to facilitate seamless remote collaboration
- Corporate support required to manage some of the challenges that managers are encountering
- Risk of not successfully building a culture of trust
- Risk that managers aren’t sufficiently connected with their teams
- Risk that the team becomes disjointed
Benefits
Our staff, working in ‘multi-located’ roles, were asked to share their experiences of working in a team that combines both remote and in-person working. They talked about the benefits of working in this way and consistently highlighted the following:
- Greater flexibility supporting improved work-life balance
- Reduced time pressures
- Positive impact on employee wellbeing
- More opportunities to focus and concentrate
- Increased productivity and efficiency with fewer interruptions when working remotely
- Reduced commute leading to a reduction in down time and increased productivity
- Reduction in travel related expenses for individuals and the Council
- Positive environmental impact and contribution to the Net Zero Carbon ambition
- Feeling of being trusted, supported, and given autonomy leading to improved morale
- Staff also stated that working close to or from home helps to reduce travel-related stress, contributing to a better work-life balance
Challenges
Our staff also talked about the practical challenges and risks associated with working in team that has adopted a hybrid working approach. General concerns about this way of working included:
- Communication and collaboration challenges
- Slower decision making and query resolution
- Harder to build and maintain team and working relationships
- Not all managers accept and support remote work as a valid and effective way of working
- Inconsistent approaches to hybrid work agreements across teams creating a sense of unfairness for some
- For some, there is no autonomy to choose when to work from the office
- Feeling of mistrust between staff and management in some areas
- Being asked to travel / commute unnecessarily
- No flexibility for some teams – rigid schedules in place
- Feeling that the commute and travel time is wasted time
- Environmental impact of unnecessary lengthy commutes
In terms of working remotely, staff highlighted the following challenges:
- Insufficient hot desking facilities
- Unreliable and inadequate IT equipment at some of the touch down areas
- Lack of skills to use digital tools effectively
- Feeling of loneliness and isolation
- Higher energy bills when working from home
In relation to working from the office the following concerns were raised:
- Access to safe, convenient, and adequate car parking facilities
- Insufficient and inadequate meeting space for in person team meetings
- Lack of accessible information in relation to booking meeting rooms
- Poor Wi-Fi connectivity in some of our buildings
- Unreliable and inadequate IT equipment at some locations
- Lack of dedicated office space
- Limited number of desks
- Poor office layout
- Not all office spaces are well equipped in terms of furniture
- Issues related to temperature and noise
- Poor physical state of the office space
- Concerns about the overall office environment affecting productivity
- Concerns about the overall office environment affecting employee wellbeing
Benefits
Staff were asked about the benefits of holding or attending hybrid meetings, the following themes emerged:
- Improved accessibility to meetings
- Increased attendance and participation at meetings
- Shorter meetings leading to less downtime and increased productivity
- Reduced needless travel
- Reduced travel-related expenses
- Positive environmental impacts e.g., decreased carbon footprint by limiting travel
- Cost-effective for organisations and individuals
Challenges
Staff were also asked about the challenges they had experienced when holding or attending hybrid meetings, the following concerns were cited:
- Lack of awareness of where facilities are located
- Room availability and booking concerns
- Lack of skills to use technology
- Inadequate instructions for users in terms of how to use the technology
- Connectivity and sound issues hinder effective communication
- Inconsistent chairing skills, leading to inequality in terms of participation – different skills required when chairing a hybrid meeting compared to a totally virtual or a totally in-person meeting
We asked our staff about their experience of using our touchdown zones. The following concerns were raised:
- Lack of awareness that these still facilities exist
- Lack of clarity on location of facilities
- Issues with booking touch down zones - request for more user-friendly processes
- Difficulty in finding available touch down zones, with locations frequently changing
- No clear / accessible information regarding touchdown spaces
- Sense that these spaces are not managed or monitored
- Some touch down zones being occupied by other teams or repurposed for different uses.
- Lack of cleanliness and maintenance, with reports of unclean work surfaces and chairs
- Personal items left behind
- Concerns about not having enough or the right equipment, such as monitors, docking stations, cables, and peripherals
- Unreliable IT equipment at some locations
- Issues with connectivity
- Challenges related to privacy
- Overhearing confidential discussions
- Noise disruptions in work areas, making it difficult to concentrate
What action have we taken?
Access to safe, convenient, and adequate car parking facilities
Parking is an area that is continually being reviewed. We have information available on car parking on our Intranet – further information can be found by visiting our Staff Car Parks intranet pages. If you know that parking is likely to be an issue, try to plan ahead. Consider carpooling, using public transport, or walking where possible.
Poor Wi-Fi connectivity in some of our buildings
If you experience any WIFI issues in any of our buildings, a call should be logged to notify ICT of the issue. Calls can be logged via the ICT Self - Service function on the desktop or alternatively through the following link - CCC ICT Corporate Self Service. It is important that we all take responsibility for logging these types of issues.
Unreliable and inadequate ICT equipment
For any equipment issues a call should be logged to notify ICT. Calls can me logged via the ICT Self - Service function on the desktop of or alternatively through the following link - CCC ICT Corporate Self Service (gov.wales), It is important that we all take responsibility for logging these types of issues.
Information about booking meeting rooms
The new managed booking system, called Occupeye, will allow you to view information about the room you are booking such:
- Floors plans of all buildings to guide staff in unfamiliar buildings,
- Room capacity
- Facilities available in each room.
This should make booking a room much easier going forward. Detailed information on how to use the new system can be found here: New way of booking a meeting room.
Lack of dedicated office space / Poor office layout
Dedicated, single occupancy offices, are seen as a waste of office space and to help us make better use of our buildings, most managers have already given up their offices. During any office changes, you, along with your Head of Service and manager, have the ability to reconfigure the space to meet your needs – which will include identifying the number of workstations, team zones and what facilities you need in these workspaces. If services find the space isn’t working for them, managers are advised to speak to the Facilities Management Team to discuss the matter.
Not all office spaces are well equipped in terms of furniture
If you have office furniture requirements, speak to your manager who will liaise with the Facilities Management Team. They will be able to identify any surplus equipment that you might be able to use, prior to purchasing new.
Important: When office furniture requirements within workspaces change, managers are advised to liaise with the Facilities Management Team. The Team is then able to keep a track of surplus items and reuse them where appropriate to equip other spaces. This helps to reduce the costs associated with buying new furniture. It is important to note that the cost of removing any furniture that is broken, or cannot be relocated, will be the responsibility of the service.
Issues related to temperature and noise
It is quite difficult to set a temperature level that everyone is happy with. However, any significant issues with temperature need to be raised by your manager with the Facilities Management Team.
We recognise that, particularly in our open plan spaces, noise can be an issue. This may be addressed through changes to room layouts. Any issues need to be raised by your manager with the Facilities Management Team.
Poor physical state of the office space
Any issues around the physical state should be raised with your line manager immediately who will liaise with the Facilities Management Team. They will address any queries with the maintenance section.
Access to collaboration / meeting space for “in-person” meetings.
Increasing the amount of meeting rooms available in all buildings has been one of the goals of our building rationalisation project. Managers have given up offices to help us achieve this, and underutilised spaces, like Committee Rooms 1 and 2, and the Chamber in Spilman Street are set to become bookable areas accessible to everyone. The Corporate Property team will use the feedback from the new booking system to gauge how successfully a space is being used, which will guide any future improvements.
Digital skills support to facilitate remote collaboration
We have an ongoing digital skills programme designed to support staff using their devices remotely. We offer opportunities to attend training sessions such as Microsoft Teams and other Microsoft 365 programmes to enable staff to develop their knowledge and skills to collaborate effectively. We have a Supporting your digital skills intranet page dedicated to free digital skills resources and courses that staff can access to develop their skills remotely.
We are also in process of implementing a Digital Mentor programme that aims to support staff accessing peer-to-peer support with their devices. Digital Mentors help to develop staff’s confidence and skills in using digital technology. Digital Mentors inspire staff to use digital technology and support them through their first steps using their devices and the internet.
General lack of awareness and general information
We currently have a dedicated intranet page that staff will find useful. We are also creating two new zones in Carmarthen to compliment those already in place in Ty Elwyn (Llanelli) and Ty Parc yr Hun (Ammanford). Further information will be provided at the end of March.
Inadequate ICT equipment at some of the touch down areas
The Touchdown Zones were equipped with ICT kit relevant for the area. Due to the nature of the area being a non-team specific zone, elements of kit have been taken by staff and used elsewhere. A review into the ICT kit within Touchdown Zones has been undertaken to ensure minimum requirements are being met.
For any equipment issues a call should be logged to notify ICT. Calls can be logged via the ICT Self- Service function on the desktop or alternatively through the following link CCC ICT Corporate Self Service
Issues with booking Touchdown Zones
Desks in Touchdown Zones are available on a first come first serve basis. No booking is required.
Sense that Touchdown Zones are not managed or monitored.
The Occupeye system will enable our Corporate Property team to get feedback on how well the Touchdown Zones are being used. This valuable information will then be used to make evidence-based decisions on meeting future needs.
Touchdown Zones being permanently occupied by teams or repurposed for different uses.
It is difficult to police how the touchdown spaces are used. We ask all staff to be mindful of others and to act as ‘one team’. Touchdown Zones should not be occupied continually or re-purposed. If you have evidence that this is happening, then please speak to you manager or the Facilities Management Team.
Lack of cleanliness and maintenance
The Touchdown Zones are on the cleaning rota for the building and should be cleaned accordingly. Regarding chairs and workstations, the onus is on individuals who are using the stations to ensure they are left in the condition in which they are found. If you come across broken items or poor cleanliness, please report this to the Facilities Management Team.
Personal items left behind
We ask that everyone is considerate of others. The onus is on the individual to ensure no personal items are left at a Touchdown Zone and that these areas are left in the condition as when they arrived.
Missing Equipment - monitors, docking stations, cables, and peripherals
The Touchdown Zones were equipped with ICT kit relevant for the area. Due to the nature of the area being a non-team specific zone elements of kit have been taken by staff and used elsewhere.
Communication has been put out about not removing items from the touchdown areas and a review into the ICT kit within Touchdown Zones has been undertaken to ensure minimum requirements are being met.
For any equipment issues a call should be logged to notify ICT. Calls can be logged via the ICT Self- Service function on the desktop or alternatively through the following link CCC ICT Corporate Self Service.
Noise and confidentiality concerns
Our Touchdown Zones, except for Ty Parcyrhun, which is open plan, are self-contained spaces, thus limiting any noise from main office areas. Due to available space, it has not been possible to further divide Touchdown Zones.
The Touchdown Zones operate as an extension of office space. When confidential conversations are required, the onus is on the individual undertaking the conversation to ensure that the conversation is being done within the correct environment. We would remind all staff to consider others and to consider those we may be talking with or about. Everyone should consider the appropriateness of where they may be holding a confidential conversation.
Issues with WIFI connectivity
For any WIFI issues a call should be logged to notify ICT of the issue. Calls can logged via the IT Self- Service function on the desktop of or alternatively through the following link; CCC ICT Corporate Self Service.
Unreliable ICT equipment
For any equipment issues a call should be logged to notify ICT. Calls can be logged via the ICT Self- Service function on the desktop of or alternatively through the following link CCC ICT Corporate Self Service.
Lack of awareness of where facilities are located
The launch of the new ‘Resource Scheduler’ booking system will help to address these issues. The system will show:
- Floors plans of all buildings to guide staff in unfamiliar buildings,
- Room capacity.
- Facilities available in each room.
All corporate meeting rooms will have clear labels on the doors too.
Detailed information on how to use the new ‘Resource Scheduler’ booking system can be found here: New way of booking a meeting room
Room availability and booking concerns
The launch of the new ‘Resource Scheduler’ booking system will address these issues. The systems will show:
Floors plans of all buildings to guide staff in unfamiliar buildings,
- Room capacity
- Facilities available in each room.
- All corporate meeting rooms will have clear labels on the doors too.
Detailed information on how to use the new ‘Occupeye’ booking system can be found here: New way of booking a meeting room.
Lack of skills to use technology
ICT have recently produced a guide on the use of hybrid working kit, which will cover the use of hybrid systems. Hybrid Meeting Room Kit.
We also have an ongoing digital skills programme designed to support staff using their devices remotely. We offer opportunities to attend training sessions such as Microsoft Teams and other Microsoft 365 programmes to enable staff to develop their knowledge and skills to collaborate effectively. We have a Supporting your digital skills intranet page dedicated to free digital skills resources and courses that staff can access to develop their skills remotely.
We are in process of implementing a Digital Mentor programme that aims to support staff accessing peer-to-peer support with their devices. Digital Mentors help to develop staff’s confidence and skills in using digital technology. Digital Mentors inspire staff to use digital technology and support them through their first steps using their devices and the internet.
Connectivity and sound issues
It is recommended that staff ensure that they are familiar with the kit that will be used ahead of any meetings so that any queries can be raised via the ICT help desk and dealt with ahead of any meeting.
As a result of your feedback, we’ve refreshed our guidance and resources to support you to work in or manage a hybrid team. Find out more by visiting our dedicated Hybrid Working pages..
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