Being a fair and inclusive council

Our People Promise sets out what we should all experience working here. It states our key commitments to each other. One of those commitments is our promise to be a fair and inclusive place to work.

To deliver this commitment, we first co-created our Fair and Inclusive Action Plan in 2019 in collaboration with our employee networks, trade unions and stakeholders from across the organisation. In June 2023, following a stakeholder review, the Corporate Equality Delivery Group agreed an updated plan for 2023 to 2027 that reflects our fair and inclusive priorities for our workforce and city.

The Fair and Inclusive Action Plan is built around the themes of:

• ensuring accountability and consequences for our behaviours
• improving learning and development on equality and diversity
• making sure our recruitment, retention and progression is fair and inclusive
• improving how we engage with and understand the city’s diverse communities so that we can deliver inclusive services 

Making sure the council is a fair and inclusive place to work is the responsibility of everyone within our organisation.

Find out more about the work we have done for our staff and the progress we have made in our workforce equalities reports.

1. Leadership, accountability and consequences

Key outputs

1.1 - staff understand expectations and consequences of behaviour, are confident to speak up and know where to access support

1.2 - early intervention and mediation to resolve issues where appropriate

1.3 - working with our Trade Unions

1.4 - accountability for continuous improvement of inclusive leadership ensured via a sound performance management framework

1.5 - fair and more consistent application of formal employment procedures

Measures

• staff survey
• number of mediation cases
• number of HRAS cases
• timely resolution of casework
• exit interview data
• feedback from staff networks
• leadership appraisal process

2. Learning and development

Key outputs

2.1 - an effective and collaborative approach to equality, diversity and inclusion learning and development

2.2 - mandatory induction and probation with clear expectations of behaviour

2.3 - positive action initiatives to develop and retain under-represented groups

Measures

• staff survey
• L&D data: compliance, evaluations
• PDP completion rates
• workforce profiles

3. Recruitment, retention and progression

Key outputs

3.1 - the council’s developing recruitment strategy will ensure robust and inclusive recruitment processes that are reviewed regularly for effectiveness in reducing barriers and disproportionate outcomes for under-represented groups

3.2 - inclusive workforce and outreach strategy to raise employer brand and engage applicants from diverse communities across the city

3.3 - develop and deliver a more accessible and inclusive workplace for disabled staff

3.4 - a wellbeing offer that responds to the emerging needs of diverse staff groups

Measures

• recruitment data
• acting up, promotion and secondment data
• workforce profiles
• staff survey
• exit data

4. Community engagement and communication

Key outputs

4.1 - services engage with residents and communities in an accessible, intersectional way using best practice to ensure customer-informed services

4.2 - the council has a reputation as a learning organisation that is open to challenge and growth, readily and strategically seeking communities' feedback to create equitable outcomes, voice, access and community cohesion.

Measures

• Customer Experience team
• feedback from CAG and other panels

5. Service delivery

Key outputs

5.1 - council services intentionally capture and use community experiences, learning and data to respond effectively to communities they work with and to the changing demographic of the city.

5.2 - embed EDI in services through systematic review of policies, processes and practices, using EIAs effectively

5.3 - improved business intelligence through the capture, evaluation and monitoring of services' impact to demonstrate improved outcomes for different groups singularly and intersectionally

Measures

• Performance Management Framework

Key output

1.1 - staff understand expectations and consequences of behaviour, are confident to speak up and know where to access support

Activities

• 1.1.1 - embed the Behaviour Framework across all directorates and services
• 1.1.2 - embed a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination with safe spaces for issues to be raised and consequences to be communicated
• 1.1.3 - Leadership Network to role model inclusive leadership behaviours and challenge practice that creates exclusion 

Key output

1.2 - early intervention and mediation to resolve issues where appropriate

Activities

• 1.2.1 - utilise the specialist equalities training for HR advisers, investigating managers and members
• 1.2.2 - recruit and train more in house mediators to ensure an effective and timely mediation process and continue to offer in-person and online sessions.

Key output

1.3 - working with our Trade Unions

Activities

• 1.3.1 - improve practice and procedure to address bullying, harassment and all forms of discrimination

Key output

1.4 - accountability for continuous improvement of inclusive leadership ensured via a sound performance management framework

Activities

• 1.4.1 - ensure the equalities measure in the rated appraisal process for leadership roles is reviewed and monitored effectively
• 1.4.2 - directorates to actively monitor and communicate progress towards equalities objectives in the service performance management framework

Key output

1.5 - fair and more consistent application of formal employment procedures

Activities

• 1.5.1 - identify members who will sit as part of appeal hearings and provide comprehensive equalities training
• 1.5.2 - work with the member equality leads to develop and deliver a plan of action to support their work in championing equalities

Key output

2.1 - an effective and collaborative approach to equality, diversity and inclusion in learning and development

Activities

• 2.1.1 - develop our approach to fair and inclusive learning to support staff to deliver the council’s equality duties and ambitions, ensuring compliance with mandatory training
• 2.1.2 - all staff to use 1-2-1s and Personal Development Plans (PDPs) with their line manager to identify individual learning needs and overcome barriers to development in relation to equality, diversity and inclusion
• 2.1.3 - use staff survey, customer experience and other council-wide data to identify and support teams to meet development gaps in inclusion awareness, knowledge and skills
• 2.1.4 - provide anti-racism and disability related development including lived experience learning to improve leadership, staff management and service delivery
• 2.1.5 - review and improve our learning offer to support understanding of gender identities and sexual orientation

Key output

2.2 - mandatory induction and probation with clear expectations of behaviour

Activities

• 2.2.1 - communicate values and behavioural expectations explicitly as part of the recruitment process and during induction 
•  2.2.2 - provide safe space for new starters to give feedback confidentially, where required 

Key output

2.3 - positive action initiatives to develop and retain under-represented groups

Activities

• 2.3.1 - line managers to lead career conversations and offer targeted job shadowing, mentoring, acting ups and/or other opportunities with clear development objectives -  internally and externally where relevant - through PDPs and 1-2-1s and address any barriers to access these initiatives
•  2.3.2 - deliver corporate positive action learning and development programmes for under-represented groups, using data analysis to ensure positive action is applied and communicated transparently across the organisation

Key output

3.1 - the council’s developing recruitment strategy will ensure robust and inclusive recruitment processes that are reviewed regularly for effectiveness in reducing barriers and disproportionate outcomes for under-represented groups

Activities

• 3.1.1 - mandatory training for everyone on interview panels, with compliance monitoring and reporting  
• 3.1.2 - fair and consistent application of recruitment, fixed-term, secondment, acting up and redeployment policies and procedures
• 3.1.3 - undertake data driven interventions during recruitment in prioritised service areas or pay bands where there is under-representation
• 3.1.4 - develop graduate, sector-specific and other career pathways to recruit diverse talent
• 3.1.5 - update the council’s senior level recruitment and progression processes to achieve proportionate representation in roles graded M8 and above 

Key output

3.2 - inclusive workforce and outreach strategy to raise employer brand and engage applicants from diverse communities across the city

Activities

• 3.2.1 - identify work experience opportunities for under-represented groups, notably young people and with local education providers including apprenticeships and other government initiatives
• 3.2.2 - provide corporate, directorate and service open events and workshops for communities who are under-represented at the council, including refugee and migrant communities to increase confidence in gaining employment at the council 
• 3.2.3 - design and develop corporate diverse recruitment campaigns with the Communications team, employee networks and city communities

Key output

3.3 - develop and deliver a more accessible and inclusive workplace for disabled staff

Activities

• 3.3.1 - deliver the outcomes of the IT&D accessibility and digital inclusion workstreams
• 3.3.2 - directorates to ensure line managers implement the reasonable adjustments process in a timely and psychologically safe way

Key output

3.4 - a wellbeing offer that responds to the emerging needs of diverse staff groups

Activities 

• 3.4.1 - deliver an inclusive and accessible corporate wellbeing offer informed by the council’s Wellbeing steering group
• 3.4.2 - provide opportunities for staff groups to share their experiences and be heard and responded to by leaders

Key output

4.1 - services engage with residents and communities in an accessible, intersectional way using best practice to ensure customer-informed services

Activities

• 4.1.1 - services utilise existing council relationships with Community and Voluntary Sector groups to support engagement with different communities when developing and reviewing services, commissions and strategies

Key output

4.2 - the council has a reputation as a learning organisation that is open to challenge and growth, readily and strategically seeking communities' feedback to create equitable outcomes, voice, access and community cohesion

Activities

• 4.2.1 - continue a council-wide approach to proactively communicate EDI activities, events and progress

Key output

5.1 - council services intentionally capture and use community experiences, learning and data to respond effectively to communities they work with and to the changing demographic of the city

Activities

• 5.1.1 - develop directorate-specific and service-specific equality, diversity and inclusion change projects based on 'customer' insight
• 5.1.2 - develop and deliver Anti-Racism Strategy actions with partners
• 5.1.3 - develop and deliver Accessible City Strategy actions with partners
• 5.1.4 - continue council's participation in the Inclusive Cities Programme and seek reaccreditation as a city of sanctuary

Key output

5.2 - embed EDI in services through systematic review of policies, processes and practices using Equality Impact Assessments effectively

Activities

• 5.2.1 - refresh the Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) template and guidance 
• 5.2.2 - each directorate to maintain an up-to-date EIA timetable and associated engagement plan, consistently producing high-quality EIAs and conducting associated consultations and data gathering well in advance of any change 
• 5.2.3 - develop a sustainable process for sharing best practice on EIAs within and across directorates 

Key output

5.3 - improved business intelligence through the capture, evaluation and monitoring of services' impact to demonstrate improved outcomes for different groups singularly and intersectionally

Activities

• 5.3.1 - directorates to annually prioritise a service for improving the evaluation and monitoring of their impact on 'customers' by protected characteristic