How has your department responded to the Staff Survey 2024 findings?

• The Chief Executive, Wendy, organised a departmental event to review and discuss the findings of the Chief Executive’s departmental results. Over 300 staff members attended the event, where they had the opportunity to ask Wendy questions and listen to her feedback.

• Wendy continues to hold her Staff Forum meetings every quarter, giving her the opportunity to meet staff from across the Council in person and to learn about them, their role and the work they do. It also gives her the opportunity to talk about her priorities for the Council.

• Two Corporate Induction events have taken place, with two more scheduled before the end of 2025. These events were organised to warmly welcome new staff members to the council, providing them with information about our culture, values, and expectations.

• We have organised two staff recognition events: a Learner Celebration Event to acknowledge the achievements of our learners, and a celebratory gathering for our Volunteer Network of Health and Wellbeing Champions.
 
• Permanent funding for the Wellbeing Team was secured, to support the organisation in promoting mental and physical health initiatives among staff. This team will focus on creating a supportive work environment, offering resources and guidance for personal wellbeing, and developing initiatives that encourage a healthy work-life balance.

• A new Managers' Handbook was launched, serving as a reference point for managers to access the information and support needed to perform their roles effectively. 

• The Sexual Harassment Staff Survey allowed staff to share their experiences with workplace harassment. This survey helped us assess compliance with new legislation and identified areas for improvement. 

• Our Internal Review Team has conducted follow-up interviews with staff to further explore the findings of the 2024 Staff Engagement Survey. This piece of work aims to gain a deeper understanding of the reasons why some employees do not consistently feel appreciated for their contributions, as well as to evaluate our current appraisal process.

• The department organised a People Managers' event providing managers with valuable networking opportunities as well as the opportunity to discuss organisational culture within the organisation and how culture impacts on motivation and performance.

• A number of Social Work Development Sessions were held for staff who carry out assessments covering topics that included: 

• Prevention Never Ends - This theme highlighted the roles and experiences of Social Workers and provided an overview of the Well Being Service in Carmarthenshire.
• Professional Curiosity - The session revisited the purpose and principles of “Professional Curiosity” and how this can underpin best practice when working with individuals, children and families.

• We held a Trainee Social Worker event to get feedback on placement experiences.  This feedback is used to inform improvements for the following year.  The event also allows students to meet with the Director and Heads of service and learn about different areas of work and the support available to newly qualified Social Workers.

• Departmental staff induction events for new staff have been held, new staff were given the opportunity to meet with the Director and Heads of Service and gain an understanding of the Departments work. 

• The Director and Head of Housing recently met with a group of staff to gather insights on how staff feel that they would like to be recognised, the feedback will be used as a discussion point in the next People Managers’ Meeting.  

• A new intranet page dedicated to the Department for Communities is under development. The pages will provide key information and serve as a central location for departmental resources.

• Head of Services have held Divisional workshops involving their teams to discuss their business plans and performance. 

• The Cabinet Member for Health and Social Services continues to present a monthly Team Achievement Award, recognising outstanding contributions across the department.

• We have focused on giving our staff the opportunity to talk about their accomplishments with their managers and set clear expectations. To help these important conversations, we've planned appraisal sessions for everyone.

• We also plan to conduct a series of themed workshops to better understand and address concerns arising from this and subsequent staff surveys.

• To make sure our staff are supported and knowledgeable we organised financial services training and engagement sessions on the statement of accounts and budgets.  We have run 4 face to face training sessions with more to follow later in the year and helped to strengthen financial accountability and support improved understanding of council budgets.

• To ensure ongoing recognition of our staff's achievements, the Audit & Governance Committee has formally acknowledged our employees for being the first Council in Wales to complete audited accounts last year. The Director has also circulated emails to commend staff for this significant accomplishment.

• So that staff feel better informed, we now publish termly newsletters to all staff and have created a system to ensure staff are informed about colleagues who have joined or left the department.

• We've started encouraging staff to share their ideas and opinions during team meetings and one-on-ones. These discussions are kept confidential, and staff can talk to managers beyond their direct supervisors if they want. We also collect anonymous feedback centrally for the Director and Heads of Service to review and act on.

• Heads of Service and all People Managers have been reminded that every member of staff should receive an annual appraisal that includes a discussion on Continuing Professional Development (CPD) including Welsh medium learning.  

• We have re-established the Departmental Wellbeing Group (DWG).

• All new staff meet with the Director, Owain, providing him with an opportunity to get to know more about them and their role, it also gives Owain the opportunity to talk about his priorities for the Department.

• A “Coffee Carousel” initiative has been introduced where staff members are paired with colleagues they do not know for conversations over coffee, allowing them to learn about each other and their roles.

• We are currently working with colleagues in Digital Services to create a page on the Intranet that lists all our staff and their key roles.

• In June, we will host a Departmental Conference for all staff. This event will provide Owain with the opportunity to speak directly to all staff as well as offering staff invaluable networking opportunities. We will continue to run this event every year.

• To look at ways of improving how we run our services, The Director, Ainsley, has been meeting teams across the department in a ‘Meet & Greet’ event to get to know staff. This event has been attended by over 90% of non-operational staff. Every effort will be made to arrange for operational staff to attend these events over 2025/26. 

• The Director also hosts long-serving staff members to allow him to have the opportunity to convey his appreciation for their dedicated service and to learn more about them on an individual basis.

• Ainsley and his Heads of Service also hold “coffee and cake” meetings with staff members who are about to retire. These informal gatherings provide the senior management team with an opportunity to express their gratitude and appreciation for the employees' contributions and to extend their best wishes for the future.

• To ensure visibility, Ainsley is also visiting teams at their workplaces to get a better understanding of their day-to-day work; it also provides an opportunity for staff to learn more about him.

• The Place & Sustainability Division has held staff awaydays. These events were attended by 78 staff who were given the opportunity to introduce their teams, participate in themed discussions and activities. 

• The Service Improvement and Transformation Division also hosted an away day for its staff, over 75 people attended the event, and the ideas put forward have been used to develop a plan of action for the service. 

• The Environmental Infrastructure Division is in the process of arranging its first away day in recent years, this is planned for September 2025. The Head of Environmental Infrastructure, Dan, is starting to visit his teams at their workplace to get a better understanding of their daily activities and to listen to any concerns or ideas they may have.

• So that staff are kept up to date, a dedicated intranet page has been created and promoted, which provides staff with information that is relevant to Place, Infrastructure & Economic Development Department. Further information is available here.

• A programme of themed learning sessions have been arranged covering a range of topics that are specifically useful to PIED staff, further information can be found here.