Core priorities and actions summary 

Our January 2025 staff check-in informed us that many staff were not aware of how we were responding and focusing on the agreed four key priorities from the 2024 staff survey which are: 

  • Leadership effectiveness
  • Change management and involvement 
  • Bullying, harassment and abuse
  • Pay and workload. 

Below gives a summary of the corporate level actions, agreed by the People Board, and then highlights those initiatives that will be pursued by the various Directorates in response to their survey feedback.    

Leadership effectiveness 

  1. Leadership visibility: Hold monthly drop-in meetings, away days, service tours and surgeries. 
  2. Leadership behaviour framework: Embed the Leading Lancashire framework through daily interactions, structured reviews and by attending key courses. 
  3. Performance management: Implement consistent performance management and regular one-to-ones which involve discussions about personal development and achievements. 

Change management and involvement 

  1. Digital: Enable non-networked staff to access corporate systems and be innovative in our approach and use of systems.  
  2. Engagement and involvement: in regular team meetings, workshops, Q&A sessions, promote participation in staff surveys  
  3. Networks and forums: Refresh and build on staff voice groups and forums, use our Change Influencer's. 
  4. Communication: Co-produced plans to improve information sharing, listening groups, change updates. 

Bullying, harassment, and abuse 

  1. Training: Bullying and harassment training for all staff. 
  2. Wellbeing action plans: to be updated by, shared and discussed with teams 
  3. Safe reporting spaces: Introduce safe spaces for reporting bullying and harassment with a nominated colleague to support. 
  4. Awareness: Key policy briefings, sharing best practice approaches with colleagues, promote zero-tolerance approach, use Staff Voice Groups and Change Influencers to better understand and help address issues. 

Pay and workload 

  1. Recruitment strategies: Develop strategies for recruitment and retention. 
  2. Workload reviews: Review workload and capacity regularly. Staff involvement in these discussions. 
  3. Automating tasks: Use digital tools to automate time-intensive tasks. 
  4. Career progression: Provide shadowing opportunities, promote learning and development and showcase career pathways. 

Here is a summary of the key initiatives that will be a focus for the various Directorates to support responding to the four priority issues: 

Adults 

Leadership effectiveness  

Visibility: Establishing regular monthly drop-in meetings for all staff, away days and greater senior management presence to increase visibility, enhance communication, and provide opportunities to discuss changes.  

Change management and involvement 

Communication and engagement: Progress the digital project to enable non-networked staff to access the corporate system.  Further embed communication channels and introduce monthly staff engagement meetings.  

Bullying, harassment and abuse 

Awareness and training: Ensure appropriate staff take part in bullying and harassment training and attend courses such as key conversations, and briefings on the organisation's harassment and whistleblowing policies.  

Pay and workload 

Support to be regularly discussed during team meetings, 1-1s and supervisions. Identify professional and reflective supervision opportunities to maintain best practice. Attend ASYE events to support newly qualified social workers with any difficulties, including workload. 

Education and Children’s Services  

Leadership effectiveness 

Embed performance management and development: Introduce and ensure consistent performance management practices across all services, including regular one-to-ones, improved induction processes, and embedding frameworks like the Leading Lancashire Framework to support staff progression at all levels. 

Change management and involvement 

Engagement and updates: Engage Change Influencers and Staff Voice Groups to explore current practices and gather staff feedback for improvement. Provide consistent updates and involvement through tools such as Sway and Q&A sessions.  

Bullying, harassment and abuse 

Implement a service wellbeing plan. 

Pay and workload 

Enhance recruitment and retention strategies: Develop a comprehensive recruitment and retention strategy, including targeted recruitment activities towards new sectors, embedding apprenticeship routes, and reviewing workload and capacity against current salaries. 

Growth, Environment, Transport and Health 

Leadership effectiveness 

Visibility and engagement: Commence a programme of service tours and depot surgeries over the next quarter. Head of Service to attend more team meetings and team together days. Establish Q&A opportunities.  

Change management and involvement 

Communication and improved succession planning: 

  1. Provide quarterly change/delivery updates, discuss change in team meetings and hold Q&A sessions. Strive to improve staff survey engagement.   
  2. Explore barriers to career progression and effects of restructuring and integrate this into succession planning. 

Bullying, harassment and abuse 

Enhance understanding to address BHA: Use Staff Voice Groups to understand the nature and circumstances of incidents. Work with other services to share best practice about developing targeted actions.  

Pay and workload 

Review workload and use digital tools: Assess workload, capacity, and utilisation of staff time across the service. Make innovative use of tools such as Copilot to automate time-intensive tasks.  

Resources 

Leadership effectiveness 

Foster leadership and staff development: Continue to embed Leading Lancashire framework. Head of Service to participate in 'back to the floor' days to understand frontline roles. Establish consistent biannual career progression reviews, quality 1-1's and PE’s. Use Staff Voice Group to understand service issues and challenges. 

Change management and involvement 

Engagement and development:  

  1. Develop structured communication programmes to ensure effective information cascading and mutual understanding of change programmes. 
  2. Support teams to develop change resilience and readiness through dedicated events and interventions.  

Bullying, harassment and abuse 

Create safe reporting and support mechanisms: Introduce a BHA buddy system to provide a safe space for reporting. Ensure effective monitoring and escalation systems are in place. Head of Service to set aside time for staff to share experiences relating to BHA, both in person and anonymously. Promote zero-tolerance approach. 

Pay and workload 

Manage and balance workloads: review workloads and team structures to ensure work is balanced and can be done efficiently. Use collaborative tools such as Planner to help track activity.