Article 13 criteria for selection:
Braintee District Council is an excellent example of what engaging with employees can produce in the public sector, when embarking on a period of transition.
Business Insights
Turnover: N/A
Core Service: District Council
Profile: Braintree DC, in Essex, serves a population of 127,000 citizens. The area covered is some 61,000 hectares, covering 54 parishes and two town councils. The council was selected pilot the UK Government initiative of ‘Best Value’, which has now been rolled out nationwide.
Vision:
We want a healthy, prosperous and safe District, now and for the future. We will work with the community to continue to deliver world class services, which meet the needs of our communities. We will constantly seek to improve services and achieve best value. We wish to be recognised as the premier organisation in the district addressing the needs of both individuals and communities. (Council website)
Goals: Braintree DC has identified five themes that are central to its strategy for the next four years:
Engaging and communicating with employees
Braintree DC was one of the first authorities to adopt the best of private sector principles in local government, such as the introduction of performance management, harmonisation of terms and conditions of employment and team working. The following practices have been implemented in the organisation to aid it in the transition to these principles in a heavily unionised environment:
1. Communication
All teams are regularly briefed and consulted on relevant issues through monthly meetings. The council also has twice yearly open workplace meetings attended by all staff. The feedback from these meetings is fed into the corporate management team and the Union representative also keeps a tally of the feedback so that action on the issue is monitored.
2. Teamwork and increased responsibility
Becoming a non-hierarchal organisation is restricted by the requirements of being accountable for public funds (e.g. ‘authority to sign’), but employees are still encouraged to choose their job assignments and influence how their team is organised as much as possible.
3. Trade Union relations
The unions have regular, quarterly meetings with the chief executive and the management team and have been responsible for drafting the Council’s employment policies on equal opportunities, racial harassment, sexual harassment, sickness absence, mental health, HIV/Aids and bullying. There is also an open-door policy for communication between all parties.
4. Continuous Improvement
Staff are encouraged to suggest improvements for everyday working practices, and there is an ‘Enterprise Award Scheme’. Every staff member also has a Personal Development Plan. The Council’s involvement in the Best Value pilot also signals its commitment to continuous improvement.
The business benefits
Engaging with employees eased Braintree District Council through a period of change, with employees giving their support to Best Value. Staff turnover is low and the council finds its employees to be invariably positive. This is borne out by the annual survey of residents who found the staff to be helpful (84%), easy to get hold of (82%) and efficient (82%). Residents were also satisfied with the final outcomes of complaints and queries (71%). The council is accredited to Investors in People and ISO9000.
Sources:
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© Article 13 2003 | 
