Employees can now access the latest internal news and policies via the Council’s external website and receive the top news stories from across the Council direct to their inboxes each month.

Following the outcomes of the Employee Engagement Survey, two projects were undertaken to tackle one of the major issues unearthed by the survey – the need for the Council to improve how it communicates with its staff.

At the first Employee Engagement Group of 2019, on January 18th, representatives from across services including Roads & Grounds, Catering & Cleaning, Fleet Services, and Economic Development heard how the communications team had:

• Launched the Falkirk Five: The new, monthly staff e-zine which is automatically sent to all staff with a Council email address. The e-zine provides staff with the top news stories in an easy to access format. Any employee without a council email address can sign up to receive the e-zine using their personal email address.
• Created an employee information section on Falkirk.gov.uk: The new area on the website offers employees an easy way to tap into a range of information, from news and policies to benefits and pensions, without having to access the Council’s intranet. Staff can visit www.falkirk.gov.uk/employees from their own mobile, tablet or laptop to stay up-to-date.

Discussions at the meeting also centred on the development of a council-wide staff suggestion scheme and the creation of an employee awards event.

Speaking to the group, Chief Executive Kenneth Lawrie emphasised the important role effective communication played in keeping staff informed.

He said: “Good communications is at the heart of every successful organisation but this is a real challenge in any council because of the huge variation in people’s expectations and requirements.

“There are lots of great things happening within the Council; it’s an organisation that is full of dedicated and energetic people who want to do their best for the people of Falkirk. But, if we want to be an ambitious, successful council, we need to create an open, empowered, positive culture with quality leadership and management, and have a more corporate and joined up approached. Communicating that message is critical.

“That can be quite challenging, and as Chief Executive I sometimes get a filtered view of the world. Sometimes people say the things they think I want to hear, but that can be a real barrier to change. What I need you to communicate to me is how it really is - what you think the barriers are and what the solutions could be.”

The Employee Communications Group provides staff with an easy way to highlight communication issues and provide potential solutions.  

The next meeting of the group is set to take place in spring. If you’d like to attend, or want to find out more about the group, simply email communications@falkirk.gov.uk.