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Over 50 employees were given an opportunity to provide potential solutions to problems they felt slowed the pace of change within the Council.

On January 28th and 30th, listening events, held in the Council Chambers, saw employees from across HR & Business Transformation come together to highlight the good – and the bad – of working for Falkirk Council.

Attendees were then asked to work together to find a solution to a hurdle they’d identified, whether a Council-wide issue or one related to their day-to-day job. The outcomes from the day are now being considered by managers.

Karen Algie, Head of Human Resources & Business Transformation, opened both events by thanking the teams for their continued hard work and encouraged them to always ask: “How can we do things differently?”.

She said: “Events like these allow us to take time out, step back, and think about what we can do differently, not just as a Council but within our teams. You are all talking to services each day. You hear their thoughts and you have your views. We want to know, what do you think needs to change so we can rise to the challenge? What do you think the solutions could be? We don’t have all the answers, and that is why we need to hear from you so we can work together to find solutions and make it happen.”

Karen highlighted examples of how the division had embodied the Council of the Future capabilities of being Responsive, Innovative, Trusted, and Ambitious (RITA) over the past year:

  • Responsive: Processing 429 requests for additional annual leave, helping the Council save £175k, and re-grading 110 jobs.
  • Innovative: Ensuring policies were more accessible online and automating premise manager processes.
  • Trusted: Reviewing 360 evaluations, expand learning opportunities for staff, and re-defining the Council’s relationship with Trade Unions.
  • Ambitious: By launching a new graduate and intern scheme and driving forward Anytime Anywhere and hot desking in different offices.

She added: “What we do as a division protects the Council from a huge number of risks. I know our roles can be tough at times, and we face a lot of challenges, but we should never forget that we are extremely good at what we do. We need to build on that and continue to instil RITA every day in the work that we do.”

A summary of outcomes from the two events and an FAQ can be found on Inside Falkirk - Council of the Future - Council of the Future Events - Listening Events.