Our workforce improvement offer provides support that recognises and responds to significant workforce needs faced by councils.
National collective bargaining
The pay and terms and conditions negotiations support offer provides leadership of national collective bargaining arrangements for all bargaining units relating to local authorities. This role involves provision of tools and resources to support effective industrial relations support to local authorities, delivered through the LGA’s secretariat and officer function for National Employers.
This support offer will also provide data to support the redesign of the local government pay spine.
HR policy and employment law support
We provide councils with support on HR policy and employment law, including bespoke advice, updates and guidance shared through Employment Law Advisory bulletins and Workforce bulletins.
This offer also delivers support to, and facilitation of, a Heads of HR network for Combined Authorities, providing opportunities to share learning and good practice relating to capacity and other workforce challenges.
This year we are providing a new Equal Pay Support Offer to improve the ability of local authorities to adopt and apply measures and interventions that minimise and mitigate risks arising from potential unequal and inequitable practices and actions relating to pay and terms and conditions and equal rights. This also includes training and support for councils on job evaluation.
Workforce transformation support
Recruitment
Workforce transformation support offer has a focus this year on helping councils improve recruitment and retention in skills shortages areas. This includes the continuation of skills hubs programme and specific improvement support to help a council review and improve it’s approach to recruitment.
This year we are also undertaking practice research into recruitment and retention in local government with a focus on improving talent management.
Apprenticeships
Workforce Transformation support also includes our apprenticeship support programme and features our new Apprenticeship ‘Gateway’ which we aim to develop into a one stop shop for all of our apprenticeship tools, networks and guidance. The Apprenticeships Programme also includes the annual Apprenticeship Health Check helping councils map their progress using Apprenticeships Maturity Model.
HR data analytics
We will be working with CIPD to improve how councils use people data and HR metrics to improve evidence-based decision-making in HR teams.
Organisational structure reviews
We are also providing support to councils who are facing specific challenges in improving/changing their senior structures and organisational design, with an invest to save programme looking at layers, spans of control and decision making.
Bespoke support
We also provide bespoke HR and workforce support to address specific issues in local authorities most at risk due to or compounded by complex workforce challenges – including issues regarding councillor and officer relations, IR and HR service capacity and capability improvement using our HR service review maturity model.
Sharing practice, networking and online resources
The support offer also includes the provision of national networks, national on-line workshops/webinars, and our online resources, tools and access to collaborative platforms like khub and basecamp. We are continuing to support regional employers by contributing to their regional heads of HR networks and support the national regional employer’s association providing regular updates and information.
Workforce research and data
Our workforce research and data programme this year will including quantitative and qualitative research on pay and a national workforce survey. To do this we will continue working on research with regions and national government on HR / people management metrics / indicators.