Progress Report on the Council's People Strategy 2021-26
Renfrewshire Council · 20 November 2025
Back to Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board — 20 November 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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1 OFFICIAL ___________________________________________________________________ To: Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board On: 20 November 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Finance and Resources ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Annual progress report on the Council’s People Strategy ‘Our People Our Future 2021–2026’ ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The Council’s People Strategy was approved by the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board on March 2021, with ongoing progress reports regularly submitted to members for scrutiny and oversight. Since its approval, the Council has made strong progress in delivering the agreed actions set out under each priority of the strategy, all in line with the agreed timescales. 1.2 Annual progress reports are presented to members for noting and scrutiny. The most recent, approved in November 2024, detailed delivery against Year 3–4 priorities and set out the workforce planning priorities for the period. 1.3 The purpose of this report is therefore to provide members with an update on the progress made within the last 12 months. Appendix 1 of this report provides a key summary of progress made across the key priority areas, with approximately 90% of the way towards implementing the strategy in full. Progress reports continue to be provided to all the Trade Unions for information and discussion as part of our six weekly Joint Trade Union Liaison Meetings. 1.4 Work is underway to develop a refreshed People Strategy that will shape the Council’s workforce agenda for the next three to five years, with approval by members planned for mid-2027, as outlined in the recommendations section.
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2 OFFICIAL 1.5 In May 2025, the Accounts Commission published its findings on the Council’s Best Value Report, prepared by Audit Scotland. While the auditors identified areas for improvement, the overall assessment highlighted no significant concerns. Notably, the report commended our commitment to leadership development and the positive working culture we have fostered here in Renfrewshire, which are key outcomes of our People Strategy. These commitments are outlined in detail in Appendix 1, which highlights key progress against our priorities. 2. Recommendations 2.1 Members are asked to: • Note the progress achieved over the past 12 months in delivering the Council’s People Strategy, ‘Our People, Our Future 2021–2026’. • Note that the next progress report will be submitted for scrutiny in April 2026. • Approve an 18-month extension to the current People Strategy (2021– 2026) to ensure its planned review is fully aligned with the vision and key priorities of the new Council Plan, which is scheduled for implementation in 2027. 3 Background 3.1 As highlighted in previous reports to members, the Council has undergone significant transformation in recent years and continues to adapt to both immediate and long-term financial and national policy challenges. To support this, the People Strategy 2021–2026, approved in March 2021, set out a clear approach for delivering key workforce priorities throughout ongoing change and reform programmes. The strategy established three strategic outcomes, each underpinned by a framework of activities for delivery across its lifecycle. 3.2 Since its launch, the People Strategy has been central to creating a resilient, capable, and future-ready workforce. Over the past four years, it has delivered substantial progress across a wide range of priorities. We have strengthened leadership and skills capabilities, launched best practice and award-winning HR policies, promoted health, safety and wellbeing as our number one priority, and introduced innovative ways of working beyond the pandemic. 3.3 Building on this, our internal communications have been enhanced through a range of digital platforms, making it easier for our people to stay informed and connected. Equality, diversity and inclusion have been embedded across the organisation, while workforce planning has been reinforced to meet future needs. The strategy has also accelerated digital skills and technology adoption, supported talent attraction and retention, and improved the overall workplace experience.
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3 OFFICIAL 3.4 To ensure continuity and capability, succession planning and comprehensive learning and development initiatives have been implemented. These efforts have been complemented by targeted actions to strengthen organisational culture and values, including values-based recognition programmes, culture workshops, engagement sessions, and leadership development aligned to our core principles. 3.5 Employee voice has been amplified through surveys and focus groups, while inclusive practices and diversity networks promote equality and belonging. Internal campaigns such as Living Our Values have reinforced key messages, and induction and onboarding programmes ensure new employees are introduced to our culture from day one. Wellbeing initiatives and community projects further connect our values to wider societal impact, embedding a culture that empowers and engages our workforce. 3.6 Finally, agile and flexible working practices are now firmly embedded, and sustainability and social responsibility have become integral to how we operate. These combined efforts have resulted in increased participation in development programmes, greater workforce adaptability, and successful adoption of new communication channels. Collectively, these achievements position the Council to meet current challenges with confidence and adapt effectively to future demands. 4. People Strategy Progress 4.1 Appendix 1 provides members with a summary of key progress made with the following priorities: • Priority 1 - Improving our Employee Experience to Evolve our Culture; • Priority 2 - Workforce Planning to Support Service Redesigns; and • Priority 3 - Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. 4.2 These updates demonstrate evidence of the strong progress achieved in delivering the People Strategy and the positive impact on our workforce and organisational culture. They also highlight areas where work continues to ensure full implementation by 2026. The learning and insights gained from delivering these priorities will be used to shape the refreshed People Strategy for 2027–32. 4.3 This will ensure the new strategy builds on what has worked well, addresses areas for improvement, and remains aligned with the Council Plan. Our focus will always be on creating a resilient, sustainable inclusive, and future-ready workforce. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – The People Strategy is supporting the Council’s ongoing financial sustainability which is dependent on the ability of the Council to transform and modernise services.
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4 OFFICIAL 2. HR & Organisational Development – As outlined in the report. 3. Community Planning – None. 4. Legal – None 5. Property/Assets – None. 6. Information Technology – None. 7. Equality & Human Rights - The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health & Safety – None. 9. Procurement – None. 10. Risk – None. 11. Privacy Impact – None. 12. Climate Risk – None. 13. Children’s Rights – None. 14. Cosla Policy Position – None. _______________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers None ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Eddie Simpson, Strategic Lead OD Partner Finance and Resources
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1 OFFICIAL Appendix 1 – Progress on key priorities PRIORITY 1 – Improving our employee experience to evolve our culture Living Our Values and Strengthening Organisational Culture In October 2025, we celebrated World Values Day by promoting our values training and publishing an article that highlighted employees nominated by peers or customers for demonstrating fairness, helpfulness, collaboration, and a commitment to learning. Building on this momentum, we continue to equip managers and leaders to act as visible role models through training designed to help them bring our values to life and strengthen engagement and communication within their teams. To reinforce this culture, we regularly share updates showcasing individuals who exemplify these values and those who have recognised them, while ensuring training remains accessible to everyone. So far, approximately 6,490 employees, (75.6% of the Council’s workforce), have completed the modules, and this sustained focus helps colleagues feel valued, supported, and productive through ongoing team meetings and one-to-one performance discussions. As part of the recent Best Value review, the Council’s Cultural Assurance Model, developed in partnership with the Improvement Service, was highlighted by the Accounts Commission as an innovative approach to measuring and improving organisational culture. The model uses a structured self-assessment across key areas including leadership behaviours, employee engagement, values alignment, communication, and continuous improvement, all critical elements that shape how effectively we work together and deliver services. Our assessment showed strong alignment with our organisational values and commitment to collaboration, while also identifying improvement opportunities around communication and leadership visibility, which we are addressing through targeted actions. The Commission welcomed the model’s development, encouraged us to embed it within our improvement cycle, and recommended sharing it more widely, reflecting its value as an example of good practice in the sector. Further evidence of our commitment to values was highlighted earlier this year when the Council featured prominently in an HM Inspection of Education report on services across Scotland. Inspectors praised the quality of education in Renfrewshire schools, reflecting positively not only on what we offer pupils but also on our reputation as a great place to work. Our Council value “We value learning” was clearly demonstrated through the inspection’s recognition of the work led by the central team, supported by schools, to “grow our own” and invest in employee development. Similarly, “We value collaboration” was evident in how our education teams share best practice, both within local school clusters and across subject networks.
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2 OFFICIAL Empowering Employees and Driving Innovation In response to feedback from the Employee Engagement Survey and actions identified through the Cultural Assurance Model, the Council has developed a new Employee Suggestion Scheme to encourage innovation, engagement, and continuous improvement. The scheme provides a structured process for employees to share ideas that improve efficiency, enhance wellbeing, and deliver Best Value. Submissions can cover a range of themes, including service improvement, technology, collaboration, and employee experience. This initiative reflects our commitment to creating a culture where colleagues feel valued, listened to, and empowered to contribute to positive change. The scheme will operate through Business World, allowing employees to submit ideas easily and track progress. All suggestions will be acknowledged, assessed against clear criteria, and feedback provided within eight weeks. Approved ideas will be recognised through our employee benefits Vivup platform, with outstanding contributions eligible for additional rewards. An annual review will monitor the number and impact of suggestions, share success stories, and identify areas for development. The scheme is scheduled to launch in early 2026, supported by a communications plan and engagement with services to ensure strong participation. Supporting Health, Wellbeing and Inclusion Our Health and Wellbeing Plan, approved by Members in February 2024, sets out the Council’s vision to create a safe, healthy, and inclusive workplace, recognising that our people have diverse life experiences and needs that influence their physical, mental, social, and financial wellbeing. Since its approval, we’ve taken a holistic approach to wellbeing, supporting services not only in managing absence but also in preventing issues and promoting positive health. Absence data has helped us identify areas where targeted interventions, such as psychological and musculoskeletal support, can make the biggest impact. To deliver on this vision, we’ve introduced a range of tailored initiatives, including: • Expanding mental health support by increasing the number of trained Mental Health First Aiders (MHFAs) and deploying them where they’re needed most. Our current network of 91 MHFAs plays a vital role in creating opportunities for staff to talk openly about mental health and access support, and this will grow further with 24 additional First Aiders scheduled for training in November 2025. We’ve also introduced mental health awareness training and ‘Wellbeing Conversations’ e-learning across all services to embed a culture of openness. • Enhancing Occupational Health services with physiotherapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), alongside stress risk assessment training for managers to help identify and address issues early.
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3 OFFICIAL • Normalising financial wellbeing conversations by providing access to Advice Works, employee benefits, and savings schemes. This includes Safer Gambling awareness delivered in partnership with RCA Trust, with additional training for MHFAs via an iLearn module to ensure informed support. • Prioritising frontline colleagues by tailoring interventions to meet service-specific needs and ensuring support is accessible where it matters most. We’ve also strengthened our approach by using workforce data to understand common challenges such as anxiety and stress, and by promoting a culture where wellbeing is part of everyday conversations. Financial wellbeing remains a priority. In August 2025, we marked National Financial Awareness Day with events including Rentalks on the Strathclyde Pension Fund, our most popular session to date, and sessions on Credit Unions, supported by the Renfrewshire Affordable Credit Alliance and Advice Works. Earlier in March 2025, we launched our Employee Benefits platform, giving colleagues access to over 800 discounts from leading retailers, plus support for wellbeing, flexible working, and caring responsibilities. Looking ahead, we will continue to empower our people to take responsibility for their own wellbeing through self-care interventions and awareness campaigns, develop managers as wellbeing leaders, and use people analytics and feedback to measure the impact of interventions and evolve our wellbeing culture. This approach ensures colleagues feel valued, supported, and productive through regular team meetings, one-to-one performance discussions, and a workplace culture that prioritises health, safety, and inclusion. The Council is committed to maximising the value and impact of its health and wellbeing provision. We continue to closely monitor the performance and utilisation of the Occupational Health contract to ensure it delivers high-quality outcomes and remains aligned with workforce needs. This includes detailed analysis of service data to confirm we are achieving the best return on investment, while maintaining the flexibility to scale provision up or down as organisational requirements change. In parallel, officers are undertaking a review of the Counselling contract, with all options under consideration ahead of a re-tendering exercise. A new contract is scheduled for implementation in Spring 2026, ensuring continuity of support and enhanced wellbeing outcomes for employees. Supporting Carers, Menopause and Breastfeeding Supporting and retaining people with caring responsibilities is one of our key HR Policy objectives. Members will recall we were awarded the highest accreditation by Carer Positive as an ‘exemplary employer’ recognising enhanced paid leave provisions and offering bespoke support provision, using the ‘Carer Passport’ tool and the Carers Connected Forum, where working carers come together to support each other, share experiences and support the Council’s Wellbeing Agenda. Carers Week in June 2025 was our annual campaign of activities, raising awareness about the vital role unpaid
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4 OFFICIAL working carers play in supporting family members and friends. The campaign was launched by Provost Lorraine Cameron and included a RenTalks session and sessions held in collaboration with our partners in the Renfrewshire Carers Centre. Our partner, Carers UK provided access to their digital resources, that supports the wellbeing of our working carers. 'Care for a Cuppa' events continue to be popular, with sessions run virtually to allow colleagues to connect in a safe, supportive and friendly environment to share experiences. We achieved recognition as finalists for the Carers UK awards held on 16th October 2025 in the Transformational Employer category. This award recognises a Transformational Employer who is an ambassador for carers internally and embeds the lived experience of carers in everything that they do. In November 2024, the Council was recognised nationally at the Carer Positive 10-Year Anniversary Awards, winning the award for Best Organisation for Carer Identification. This award reflects the Council’s commitment to supporting employees with caring responsibilities through initiatives such as the Carers Register, Carers Passport, and awareness campaigns. These measures, alongside policies like paid carers leave and wellbeing support, align with the People Strategy priorities of promoting inclusion, supporting wellbeing, and creating a positive employee experience.” We are providing a range of supports to women experiencing menopause, raising awareness of what menopause is, and encouraging open and confident discussions for those who wish to participate. In October 2025, we hosted a RenTalks session on lifestyle medicine for menopause, alongside other sessions during the year on topics such as Buying Additional Annual Leave and Holistic Wellbeing. To provide ongoing peer support, we established the Supporting Menopause Forum, similar to the network available for working carers. Our forum, ‘Let’s Pause’, launched in April 2025, offers monthly virtual sessions where colleagues can connect and share experiences in a supportive, relaxed, and friendly setting. Currently, 76 employees are members of the forum, and we will continue to promote and encourage participation and membership to ensure everyone who wishes to engage has access to this valuable resource. We are currently working towards national accreditation as an accredited employer for menopause, reinforcing our commitment to creating an inclusive and supportive workplace. This accreditation will bring significant benefits, including external recognition for best practice, enhanced credibility, and reassurance for colleagues that we meet high standards in supporting wellbeing. We are proud to be an accredited Breastfeeding Friendly Scotland Employer. In collaboration with our NHS Scotland partners, we developed new training and guidance to help managers and colleagues provide the best possible support for women who are breastfeeding. This training, along with other resources, was promoted during World Breastfeeding Week in early August 2025. To create an inclusive and supportive environment, we launched a dedicated Breastfeeding Friendly Scotland course on our iLearn platform. This training offers practical guidance on supporting employees who are breastfeeding, in line with national policy and best practice. We encourage all managers to complete this course and champion a culture of inclusion and respect. These measures also align with our New Ways of Working, ensuring support for employees working in hybrid or remote locations. We will continue to promote and encourage participation in this training and membership of related support networks, helping to embed a workplace culture that values inclusion and wellbeing.
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5 OFFICIAL Listening to Our Workforce The Council’s Employee Engagement Forums, launched in late 2024, are helping to build stronger two-way communication across the organisation. These forums give employees a space to share ideas, raise concerns, and contribute to service improvements in a meaningful way. They now exist in every service, ensuring representation and engagement across the Council. While still in their early stages, the forums are already being adapted by some services to better suit local needs, by expanding the number of forums within their service or tailoring their format. Importantly, they are providing valuable input to the Council’s Workforce Planning Group, offering insights and views from across the workforce to help shape the planning agenda. This makes them a key source of intelligence for future workforce strategies. As they continue to evolve, we’re confident they’ll become an integral part of how we listen to and involve our workforce in shaping the future of our organisation. In September 2024, the Council launched the ‘Improving Our Workplace’ employee engagement survey as part of our People Strategy, supported by Trade Unions and Services. The survey achieved a response rate of nearly 2,000 employees (22.9%), providing valuable insight from across all services. Results were encouraging, with high levels of job satisfaction, strong relationships with line managers, and most employees feeling clear about their roles and expectations. Many respondents also recognised that the Council lives its values, with 71% saying they would recommend the Council as a great place to work. While the feedback was largely positive, the survey also highlighted opportunities to strengthen awareness of the Council Plan and decision-making processes, and to further enhance wellbeing support. In response, a Council-wide action plan and service-specific plans have been developed, supported by employee engagement forums, and we are now progressing these actions in line with agreed timelines. Members will receive the first annual progress report on these actions in February 2026. Celebrating Excellence Throughout this year, our people have delivered service excellence in a number of areas that have received recognition by external bodies, for example, the Association for Public Sector Excellence (APSE). Earlier this year our Waste and Neighbourhood Services teams achieved national recognition at the APSE Striving for Excellence Awards in May 2025. The team secured a Gold Award in the Waste and Recycling category and a Silver Award for the Play Park Renewal Programme. The Council also achieved national recognition at the APSE Service Awards in September 2025, winning the prestigious ‘Council of the Year in Service Delivery’ award. This is the highest accolade in the UK for excellence in frontline services and reflects the outstanding work of our teams across the organisation. The Council was also shortlisted in seven categories, including workforce initiatives, health and wellbeing, community projects, and innovation, demonstrating the breadth of our commitment to delivering high-quality, inclusive, and innovative services.
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6 OFFICIAL PRIORITY 2 - Workforce Planning to support service redesigns Developing Our People Our planned programme of learning and development for employees and managers continues to be maximised by our people. Our programmes align to our organisational values and are designed to build capability, confidence, and resilience at every level. Our programmes focus on equipping our people with the skills to deliver excellent services, lead through change, foster an inclusive culture, and support their wellbeing, growth and development, ensuring collectively we are prepared for both current and future challenges. To support the Council’s cultural change journey and new ways of working, we’ve launched a range of training programmes on topics such as Managing Virtual Teams, Business Continuity, and Coaching. These programmes continue to be promoted and rolled out across the organisation, alongside other key initiatives including Purchase to Pay (P2P), Prevent, Information Classification, and additional Council priorities delivered in collaboration with subject matter experts. Following a review of the leadership development programmes delivered in partnership with SOLACE and our in-house CMI-accredited pathways, feedback from participants has informed the next stage of our leadership development journey. A new programme is now being designed to support leaders at every level, from frontline supervisors to the Chief Executive. This refreshed approach will be needs-based, practical, and flexible, supported by a suite of resources and self-directed learning tools that allow participants to learn at their own pace while focusing on strategic priorities. The proposed model will be presented to the Corporate Management Team in the coming weeks, with a view to piloting and rolling out the programme in early 2026. The Council recently hosted the CMI Celebrating Success event at Paisley Town Hall to recognise our people who have completed our Chartered Management Institute-accredited management development programmes. The event celebrated the achievements of 137 learners over the past four years, with several earning double qualifications across CMI Levels 2, 3, and 5. In total, 569 colleagues have gained CMI qualifications through our in-house programmes, reflecting our commitment to developing confident, skilled leaders who can drive high performance and continuous improvement across the organisation. Embedding a Learning Culture Learning at Work Week 2025 provided an excellent opportunity to bring our People Strategy to life and reinforce learning as a core organisational value. Throughout the week, we showcased key initiatives such as our Health and Wellbeing Plan and New Ways of Working approaches. Each day featured a diverse programme, including mental health and financial wellbeing resources, free learning opportunities, and creative workshops. We also introduced AI training through
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7 OFFICIAL Copilot Chat, enabling colleagues to explore innovative tools that support smarter working. The week was not only about learning, it demonstrated how continuous development underpins wellbeing, growth, and future ways of working. RenTalks remained highly popular, offering sessions on topics such as financial wellbeing, managing money worries, employee benefits, and energy advice. In addition, we promoted lifelong learning opportunities to encourage skill development, including Digital Drop-in sessions at Renfrewshire libraries, adult literacy programmes, language learning, and OpenLearn, the Open University’s free learning platform. Strategic Workforce Planning The Council’s Workforce Planning Group continues to drive initiatives that supports the People Strategy agreed priorities and outcomes. Workforce planning training has been rolled out to managers across all services, strengthening capability and embedding a consistent approach to planning for future workforce needs. The group is taking forward recommendations from the Best Value audit on workforce innovation, embedding these within Service Improvement Plans for each service. Actions include introducing performance indicators for skills, development and performance monitoring, maintaining service delivery through greater workforce flexibility, and improving succession planning for critical roles. In addition, the group is focusing on strategic actions such as aligning workforce planning with financial sustainability, enhancing talent pipelines, and using workforce data to inform decisions on recruitment, retention, and skills development. These measures will ensure the Council continues to have the right people, in the right roles, at the right time to deliver Best Value and high-quality services for our communities. Members will be aware that, as part of the Council’s People Strategy update, workforce demographics and key people metrics are provided twice per year to support transparency and informed decision-making. The information provided to members provide a clear picture of the size, structure, and trends within our current workforce. Regular reporting of this nature is essential because it enables members to understand the data in context, scrutinise performance against agreed priorities, and hold the organisation to account for progress. These metrics inform decisions on workforce planning, recruitment, retention, absence management, and training, helping us to manage risks and allocate resources effectively. They also highlight emerging challenges, such as succession planning and skills gaps, and identify opportunities to strengthen resilience and improve service delivery. By continuing to review and challenge this information, members play a vital role in driving improvement and ensuring the Council remains responsive to future demands. The next report will be presented to members in November 2026 and will include quarter-by-quarter comparisons and targeted interventions to address areas requiring improvement. We are currently reviewing our induction and onboarding processes to make them more streamlined, consistent, and inclusive. A key part of this work is the development of a new managers’ induction module, which is being aligned with the wider Onboarding Project. Feedback gathered from across the Council has shaped the redesign, and the module is on track to launch before the end of 2025. The new resource will act as a one-stop shop of bite-sized learning for both
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8 OFFICIAL new and existing managers, covering essential topics such as system access from a manager’s perspective, managing absence, health and safety responsibilities, and supporting staff development. This approach will not only make it easier for managers to access the information they need but will also help build confidence, improve consistency in management practices, and strengthen leadership capability across the organisation. Ultimately, this investment will support better employee experiences and contribute to delivering high-quality services for our communities. Modernising People Practices Following an update to Members in November 2024 on Terms and Conditions negotiations with the Trade Unions, which could not be agreed at that time, Council officers again in June 2025 presented revised proposals to modernise the legacy arrangements which have remained unchanged since 2009. The revised package aimed to create a fairer, more flexible, and financially sustainable framework aligned with the Council’s People Strategy. Key elements included the conversion of public holidays to annual leave, improvements to annual leave entitlements, changes to the festive closure arrangements, modernisation of flexitime arrangements, recognition of NHS service, and a refreshed approach to overtime, redeployment, and notice periods. The proposals were designed to support workforce wellbeing, enhance service continuity, and maintain competitiveness in the labour market. Following feedback from the Trade Unions, the proposals were once again enhanced and a final offer was made in early September, reflecting significant movement from the Council’s original position. Despite this, union ballots have now concluded, and all three Trade Unions, Unison, Unite, and GMB have rejected the proposals. As a result, the formal negotiation process has ended, and no further changes will be made to the current offer. While formal negotiations have concluded, officers will hold a debrief with Trade Union colleagues to understand the reasons behind the outcome. This will help identify whether concerns relate to specific elements rather than the overall package. If there is clear scope for meaningful progress on these areas, options for future engagement may be considered. Any further discussions would only proceed if there is a realistic prospect of agreement. As part of our HR Policy Review Plan, we have continued to modernise and strengthen HR policies to ensure they are inclusive, accessible, and aligned with best practice and employment legislation. This work is central to creating a positive and supportive workplace culture, embedding our values, and promoting equality, diversity, and wellbeing across the organisation. Since the last update to members, we have successfully reviewed and implemented three key policies: the Parenting Leave and Pay Policy, the Respect at Work Policy, and the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy. These updates demonstrate our commitment to fairness, flexibility, and creating a safe and respectful working environment for all employees. We will continue to deliver our ambitious programme of policy review to ensure our framework remains modern, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of our workforce, supporting the People Strategy priorities of building capability, fostering engagement, and enabling cultural change.
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9 OFFICIAL For almost three decades, our approach to employee recognition has remained largely unchanged, relying on traditional retirement and staff awards. Feedback from employees and benchmarking shows it’s time for a more inclusive and meaningful approach. A new Reward and Recognition Scheme is currently in development and is planned to be presented to Members for approval in early 2026. This modernised approach will replace the legacy 2003 Retirement Award Scheme and the Annual Staff Awards programme, which has not run since before the pandemic. The scheme is being designed to reflect our organisational values and support a culture of appreciation, continuous improvement, and employee engagement. It will introduce flexible recognition options, including peer-to-peer acknowledgements, formal service awards, long-service milestones, and an annual awards celebration to recognise outstanding contributions across the organisation. This initiative goes beyond traditional awards, it aims to create a workplace where employees feel proud, connected, and inspired to deliver the best outcomes for our communities. It also reinforces our commitment to fairness, inclusivity, and living our values in everyday practice. Enabling Transformation and Inclusion The Council’s Digital Strategy 2025–2030, approved by Members in April 2025, sets out a bold vision for transforming how we work and deliver services. It aims to create a modern, connected organisation that uses technology and data to improve outcomes for colleagues and communities. The strategy focuses on four key objectives: building digital capability for staff and residents, driving corporate transformation, making data a critical asset and preparing for the future. Delivery is structured around six strategic themes developed through consultation with senior leaders, and progress will be reviewed in 2027/28 to ensure alignment with new opportunities. Since approval, we’ve begun implementing targeted actions, including expanding digital skills training for colleagues to support confidence and capability, introducing new collaboration tools to improve communication and break down operational silos, developing a corporate data framework to ensure consistent standards and enable better insights and piloting automation and AI solutions in key service areas to improve efficiency and customer experience. This integrated approach ensures digital transformation is not just about technology, it’s about people, culture, and smarter ways of working. AI assessment is currently underway to help us to better understand how AI solutions can potentially create capacity and improve how we delivery services to the communities. By embedding these principles, we will deliver services that are more accessible, efficient, and responsive to the needs of our communities. Since its launch in February 2024, the Council’s new iLearn platform has delivered a step-change in how our people access and experience learning and development. With a modern, intuitive design and over 500 courses, iLearn offers flexibility and choice for employees to learn at a time and on a device that suits them, whether on desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone. The upgrade has improved flexibility and accessibility, enabling a wider range of employees to complete both mandatory and non-mandatory learning. The impact has been significant: 6,583 employees have logged in and completed 52,872 courses to date, demonstrating strong engagement and a culture of continuous learning. Importantly, iLearn is not static, it is continuously developed and enhanced to improve user experience, ensuring the platform remains
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10 OFFICIAL relevant, responsive, and aligned to the evolving needs of our workforce. It is now a cornerstone of our approach to workforce development, equipping colleagues with the skills they need to deliver excellent services for our communities. The Council also has 30 Digital Champions, who provide peer support and build digital confidence and enablement across the workforce. In September 2025, the Council and its partners delivered a highly successful Employability Month, led by the Renfrewshire Local Employability Partnership (RLEP). The programme featured a series of events designed to connect residents with job opportunities, training, and skills development. Highlights included sector-specific recruitment fairs, careers advice sessions, and workshops on self-employment and public sector careers, with major employers such as WH Malcolm, Scottish Leather Group, and Thermo Fisher taking part. This initiative directly supports the Council Plan priorities of inclusive economic growth and reducing inequalities, by helping residents access sustainable employment and skills pathways. It also aligns with the People Strategy priority of building a skilled, adaptable workforce, ensuring that both current and future workforce needs are met. Over the past year, more than 1,900 residents have been supported into work, education, or training through the Council’s employability services. This programme demonstrates the value of partnership working in creating opportunities for local people and delivering better outcomes for our communities. The Council continues to prioritise compliance with mandatory training requirements to ensure a skilled, informed, and compliant workforce. All employees are required to complete a core set of modules via the iLearn platform, including Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Living Our Values, Data Protection, Information Governance, and Cyber Security. Additional modules such as Display Screen Equipment and Prevent Duty are required for specific roles, while managers and senior officers complete training on Risk Management and Governance responsibilities. To strengthen compliance, in 2025 the Council introduced automated alerts through Business World and email reminders, ensuring employees are notified when training is due or overdue. Since implementation, over 3,500 mandatory course completions have been recorded, demonstrating significant progress. By ensuring all employees have the knowledge and skills required for their roles, we are reinforcing high standards of governance, safety, and service delivery, while supporting an engaged and confident workforce that is equipped to deliver better outcomes for our communities. A separate report scheduled for presentation to members in November 2025 outlines that mandatory training completion rates have now increased to 71%, up from 58% in June 2025. Agreed plans are in place to support Teaching colleagues to complete mandatory training during scheduled in-service days. PRIORITY 3 - Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Driving Inclusion from Policy to Practice We have continued to make strong progress across the three outcomes set out in the Council’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Plan, approved by members in February 2024. The plan focuses on: (1) Immediate Priorities – delivering the fundamentals of inclusion; (2) Next Steps – embedding inclusion more deeply across services; and (3) Sector-Leading
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11 OFFICIAL Inclusion – positioning Renfrewshire as the best place for people to work. The following section highlights the key achievements delivered to date. • All HR&OD policies are equality impact assessed prior to approval and are written using a friendly and inclusive language and tone. Earlier this year, the Council implemented a revised Respect at Work Policy and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy, with refreshed training for employees and managers due to be rolled out before the end of the year. • The Council is embedding our economic development employability programmes throughout our recruitment processes ensuring barriers faced by employees and interns are removed, creating parity. Recently the Corporate Management Team approved guaranteeing an interview to any care-experienced candidate who meets the essential criteria for the role they are applying for. As part of the commitment to #KeepThePromise, the Council has created a Care Experienced Staff Network. This group is for those who are Care Experienced both directly and indirectly, who work in Renfrewshire, where group members can input and share learned experiences and advice. These are ways the Council is demonstrating our commitment to supporting care experienced people into work. • Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Awareness is now one of the Council’s mandatory training modules and all employees are being supported and encouraged to complete the training, whether that be online or via face to face/toolbox talks. 76.4% of our workforce have completed their training to date. • Work is ongoing with our partner Inclusive Employer to re-establish Employee Equality Forums, focusing on Race and Disability. This will ensure people from minority backgrounds/underrepresented groups have their voices heard, feel represented and included and any barriers throughout the employee journey are removed. • Communications were sent to the workforce throughout November 2024 to encourage employees to update their personal equality monitoring information currently held by the Council. This will enable the Council under its statutory duty to ensure the most up to date information is held and policies/strategies, etc are meeting the needs of our people. Further communications will be sent during November 2025. • We have refreshed our successful Lead to Succeed management development programme by embedding a new module on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. This ensures our managers clearly understand their responsibilities and act as role models for EDI across the Council.
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12 OFFICIAL • In April 2025, the Council published its statutory bi-annual Equality Mainstreaming and Outcomes Report. This report demonstrates how we are meeting our legal duties under the Equality Act 2010 and advancing equality across all services. It provides an update on progress against our published Equality Outcomes, highlights key achievements, and sets out the actions we are taking to further embed equality, diversity, and inclusion in everything we do. The report also reinforces our commitment to transparency and continuous improvement in creating a fair and inclusive organisation. • As reported in June 2025, the Council has made significant progress in closing the gender pay gap, with the latest figures showing a gap of 0.52% in favour of female employees, compared to 4.59% in favour of males in 2018. This improvement reflects targeted actions including a revised pay and grading model, expanded leadership development opportunities, family-friendly policies, and initiatives to support progression for women in lower grades while encouraging male applicants for traditionally female-dominated roles. This achievement demonstrates our ongoing commitment to fairness and equality across the workforce and aligns with our People & Organisational Development strategy, which prioritises inclusive leadership, equal access to opportunities, and a culture where everyone can thrive. • The Council has appointed a new Equalities Development Officer to lead and coordinate our approach to equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). This strategic role will provide expert advice to senior leaders and elected members, ensure compliance with equalities legislation, and drive delivery of our Equality Outcomes. The post will lead on developing and implementing policies and action plans, strengthen Equality Impact Assessment processes, and build strong engagement with services, partners, and communities. This appointment reflects our commitment to embedding EDI principles across the organisation and ensuring our services are fair, inclusive, and accessible to all. • In October 2025, the Council launched a public consultation to help shape the next phase of our Equality Outcomes for 2025–2029. This engagement included online surveys and community events, ensuring that the voices of residents, employees, and community groups informed our priorities. This approach reflects our commitment to transparency, collaboration, and continuous improvement in advancing equality, diversity, and inclusion across all services. The next stage will involve analysing the feedback received and using it to finalise the new Equality Outcomes, which will be presented to members for approval in early 2026, alongside an updated action plan to deliver measurable progress over the next four years.
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