Agenda item

(a)       That the Committee notes the progress made against the target set for the completion of appraisals for portfolios and the Council as a whole; and

(b)       That the Chief Officers be thanked for their work in making the progress so far but reminded that Committee is monitoring the position closely and reserves the right to call to account those who fail to achieve 100% completion by year end.

The Chief Executive introduced an update report with detailed completion levels of appraisals completed by services in addition to portfolios.  The end of year position would be included within Council Plan reporting as a Key Performance Indicator (KPI).

The Senior Manager, Human Resources and Organisational Development advised that at the time of reporting, 91% of appraisals had been completed and scheduled across the Council.  It had since been confirmed that a further 24 appraisals had been arranged in Streetscene & Transportation.  In acknowledging the target of 100%, it was important to note the diversity of the workforce and routine practices of managing performance such as 1-2-1 and team meetings as well as the approach used in Social Services to conduct regular detailed recorded ‘supervision’ meetings.  Assurance was given that work would continue with services and managers to monitor the completion and quality of appraisals.

The Chief Executive said that this was a positive report recognising that further improvements were needed to achieve the target.  The focus on completing meaningful appraisals linked to a forthcoming Cabinet report on pay modelling and pay progression which was drawn to Members’ attention.

Councillor Jones welcomed the progress made and the inclusion of headcount numbers for each portfolio to provide context.  Of those not achieving 100%, he praised the improved outturn for Streetscene & Transportation and questioned other services with a lower headcount and no appraisals scheduled.

The Chief Executive said that all appraisals were expected to be completed by the end of the financial year, particularly those portfolios with more static office-based teams.

The Senior Manager advised that the figures for Community & Enterprise were expected to increase following a period of change.  The improvements in Streetscene & Transportation were partly due to the development of a bespoke model which met the needs of that service.  She reported on a review being undertaken of back-office systems to further strengthen monitoring arrangements.

Councillor Jones reminded colleagues of the previous decision to invite Chief Officers to explain the reasons for their areas not achieving the target.  This was acknowledged by the Chief Executive who suggested that the Committee wait until the end of the financial year to see whether figures were at an acceptable level.  He advised that the appraisal models for employees of Theatr Clwyd and services transferred to Alternative Delivery Models - not included in the figures - were working well.

In welcoming the progress made, Councillor Axworthy said that the completion of appraisals was a key responsibility for managers and that failure to do this should be escalated to a more senior level.  The Chief Executive gave assurance that the importance of completing quality appraisals was understood and expected, as demonstrated by the decision to include this as a KPI in Council Plan reporting.

Councillor Jones highlighted the Committee’s involvement in raising the importance of completing appraisals which was acknowledged.

The Chairman thanked the Chief Executive and the Senior Manager and her team for their work.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the Committee notes the progress made against the target set for the completion of appraisals for portfolios and the Council as a whole; and

(b)       That the Chief Officers be thanked for their work in making the progress so far but reminded that Committee is monitoring the position closely and reserves the right to call to account those who fail to achieve 100% completion by year end.