The Department of Health in Northern Ireland started addressing social work vacancies in late 2022 in its five HSC Trusts that provide services for children and families. The Department of Health in Northern Ireland aimed to stabilize the workforce by eliminating the use agency social workers, and improving recruitment practices. HSC Trusts employed over 200 agency workers at the beginning of 2023. This was especially true in the children’s services. Ineffective recruitment led to a high number of people using agencies, which resulted in an increase in costs of PS10.2million in 2022/23.
The Department launched an open recruitment process, encouraging social workers from agencies to apply for permanent positions. However, initially few agency social workers responded. Simultaneously it increased the number of social workers who were newly qualified by engaging universities. Healthdaq was used as a digital platform to streamline the recruitment process. Students were able to register, manage their applications, and even submit them.
In June 2023, HSC Trusts had lost all of its agency social workers. 96 were appointed to permanent positions, mainly in the children’s service. In addition, 137 new social workers qualified in the field were hired before July 2023. The cost of agency social workers was drastically reduced in 2023/24 from PS10.2 to PS3.2 and, by 2024/25 there were no agency social workers employed.
Dwr Cymru is Welsh Water
Welsh Water will introduce initiatives in 2022 to enhance career opportunities for its employees. In 2021, an employee survey revealed that employees were concerned about the lack of advancement opportunities and the excessive number of external job listings. Welsh Water, in partnership with Amazing If (an organisation that promotes career growth), partnered to address this issue by promoting the idea of a “squiggly career” and showing how career success can be achieved through different paths.
Squiggle & Stay was created to promote a growth mindset in employees and encourage them to explore the opportunities available within the company. With the support of the CEO, a group of professionals in human resources launched learning and growth programmes. The CEO closely monitored metrics like internal moves and employee engagement. Welsh Water developed a model for career progression and shared success stories to motivate others. Employees were given the opportunity to try out different careers through career conversations and’safaris.’
The results were positive. Internal moves increased to 48% by the year 2023. Staff reported that these initiatives helped them advance their careers. Safaris were seen to be beneficial for networking, and learning new skills. Welsh Water hosted an annual Career Festival to support professional development. These initiatives have reduced external recruitment and improved staff retention. Welsh Water will continue to evaluate and evolve its programmes in order to position itself as a leading career development organisation.
NHS England partners with escalla
In the NHS, there was a marked increase in violent and uncivil behaviour toward its staff. This is especially true for those who work with patients. In surveys, 37% of doctors experienced verbal abuse and 51% of general practitioners. 14.7% of NHS employees faced physical violence in the last year. The hostile environment created by this affected staff wellbeing and highlighted the need for staff to be equipped with the skills necessary to handle these situations, while maintaining their well-being. After a competitive process NHS England commissioned escalla, in collaboration NHS staff and subject specialists, to design the Compassionate Discussions training program.
The program was designed to equip primary and secondary healthcare staff with the practical and theoretical skills to handle difficult conversations compassionately. Over 2,400 employees participated in the pilot phase. Participants reported increased confidence when handling difficult conversations. Phase two saw the programme expanded to include 5,000 additional staff. Feedback from this phase led to a more tailored approach and a greater focus on workplace wellbeing. In the final phase, 1,700 more participants were trained. eLearning modules and Train-the-Trainer modules were introduced to ensure flexibility and long-term impact.
The programme has consistently delivered high satisfaction ratings and improved staff confidence. It also helped create a safer, more supportive work environment for NHS staff.
Police Now
Police Now and the Metropolitan Police collaborated on the National Graduate Leadership Programme to support the vision of the Commissioner for transforming the police culture. Police Now wanted to recruit and train graduates with diverse backgrounds in order to build a more representative force. They also wanted to build a community of leaders who would challenge racism and discrimination. Police Now was the first place many new hires considered a career as a police officer. It was therefore important to create an engaging candidate experience in order to keep them and encourage other applicants to apply.
Police Now developed an online immersive assessment with Talogy for candidates. This assessment was based upon a sensitive story involving a neighborhood police officer who is working on an indecent image case. This storyline was supported by professional actors who demonstrated the emotional and complexities of the role, while also highlighting the positive impacts neighbourhood police officers can make on society. The candidates also underwent psychometric testing to assess their cultural awareness, resilience and alignment with Police Now’s mission.
The assessment increased completion rates and engagement of candidates, with 73% of the candidates completing it, compared to 59% last year. The feedback was positive. 99% of candidates found the assessment engaging, and 98% understood Police Now’s missions clearly. This was a 220% rise on the previous campaign, and more police officers were on the streets of London.
Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council
Stockport Council’s HR and Organisational Development (OD) Service supports almost 8,000 employees. It manages the entire employee lifecycle including recruitment, payroll and wellbeing. The team, which has a PS2million budget and nearly 100 employees, has been able to drive positive change through focusing on equality, diversity and inclusion. The service supported the growth and learning of colleagues while ensuring that essential services ran smoothly.
The “One Team People Plan”, based on the values “Ambitious stockport” and “Creating Opportunities For Everyone”, has revolutionized the council’s workforce engagement. A 2023 corporate peer review praised its focus and pride-inspiring approach towards workforce development. Innovative recruitment campaigns by the council, such as job fairs held in deprived areas have led to immediate hires, and helped care leavers, young people with disabilities, and others.
The council’s focus on wellbeing is at the core of its approach. Initiatives such as mental health support and flexible work policies, along with wellbeing champions are all part of this. Over 90% of the staff feel that their leadership has been improved by the council’s “Leading Stockport”.
The survey of 2023 colleagues showed that there were significant improvements in the levels of motivation and job satisfaction. The absence rate due to illness has also decreased. Stockport Council’s people strategy has been reshaped by the HR and OD Team, which is setting a new standard in public sector HR.
Wigan Council
The HR and Organisational Development (OD) Team at Wigan Council has examined its role as public servants and focused on ways to improve the lives of community members and residents. The team, which included staff from all levels, came up with creative ideas to improve both the HR and OD services and personal development. The team redefined the meaning of being person-centred, and built stronger relationships with local communities.
The team incorporated kindness, accountability, positivity and courage into their work by questioning and adopting new processes. All levels of the team sought to better understand the economic situation in the region, including the cost-of living crisis. They also wanted to appreciate and understand the challenges that the council workforce faced. The team engaged staff in the Big Conversation sessions to gather views which helped shape initiatives like a new attendance strategy, a My Time 1-1 approach and a comprehensive wellness support package. Over half of the workforce has been able to participate in learning through an interactive Team Wigan Experience, which has received positive feedback both from employees and externally.
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During the pandemic the team created Team Wigan Days where staff members could volunteer, learn new skills or provide critical services. Managers reported improvements in resilience, team performance and leadership development. The HR and OD Team’s work reshaped Wigan Council’s culture to make it a leader in the public sector.
