Hi everyone,

In June, I shared six commitments based on last year's Employee Survey feedback. I wanted to give you an update on the progress being made.

Across services, people have been working together to turn feedback into action. The common thread has been the same: better communication, more regular conversations, and creating clearer pathways for development and progression.

As many of you will know, we launched our new Learning Platform this month. It gives you easier access to learning opportunities and makes it simpler to build your skills. It's one part of wider work being undertaken to support people throughout their careers with us.

In Transformation, Communities and Corporate Services, the focus on career development has led to more apprenticeships and graduate roles, and strengthened succession planning, with several people who completed the Future Leaders programme now in promoted posts. In the Health and Social Care Partnership, new supervision and professional development support has put wellbeing and development at the heart of regular conversations between managers and staff.

We've also seen real progress in how we communicate more widely. In both Education and Place, changes have been made to help people stay informed and connected to the wider work of their service and the organisation. This includes a new monthly all-staff bulletin in Education and the introduction of Place Services News, a quarterly newsletter. Alongside this, better use of channels such as Teams and Viva Engage is helping people share information, ask questions and stay connected to what's happening in their service and across the Council and Health and Social Care Partnership.

These examples show the commitment across services, but what matters most is whether these changes are making a real difference to how you experience work.

When this year's Employee Survey launches in September, I hope as many of you as possible take part. Your responses will tell us whether we're genuinely making a difference and where we need to focus next.

Improving how we work is something we all contribute to. Your feedback has already led to changes, and we'll keep listening, acting on what we hear and keeping you updated on the progress being made.

Kenneth