Employment monitoring report (2022-2023)

The council is committed to continuing good practice in relation to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We demonstrate this commitment via the following:

• supporting the work of the staff networks
• engaging with trade unions
• supporting the work of the staff networks
• carrying out Equality Impact Assessments
• benchmarking and sharing good practice
• training, education, and awareness raising.

Supporting the work of the staff networks

The council has four staff networks which staff can choose to join. The networks offer mutual support, raise awareness, and give advice on specific equality issues and act as a consultative voice to the council. The staff networks are:

• carers and disability network
• Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) network
• LGBT+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans) network (this is open to anyone working in the public sector, including the local authority area of Swindon).
• women's staff network.

Engaging with trade unions

We recognise and regularly engage with the trade unions via informal meetings and discussions and more formal meetings including the Joint Consultative Committee (JCC). Trade unions are regularly consulted on new and updated policies and projects, engaged in equality analysis panels, and take an active role as members of job evaluation panels.

Carrying out Equality Impact Assessments

Equality impact assessments are carried out to ensure that due regard is given to the aims of the general equality duty when we plan, deliver, and make decisions about the work of the council. Regular equality analysis panels are set up to consider the impact of new and amended policies and procedures. Representatives from HR&OD, Executive Office, trade unions and members of our staff networks attend the panels to ensure a breadth of perspective. Further information on Equality Analysis can be found on our Equality analysis page.

Benchmarking and sharing good practice

The council belongs to the South West Equalities Network (SWEN) and regularly attends meetings with colleagues from other local authorities to share information, benchmarking, and best practice. We are also members of the Bath, Swindon & Wiltshire (BSW) NHS Partnership Integrated Care System EDI Leads Network.

We have delivered and continue to deliver several equalities events, working with multiple partners across the South West and beyond, including eighteen private and public sector organisations.

Wiltshire Council is a lifetime partner of the inclusive job board Includability (opens new window) and has successfully gone through their 5-star verification process to become an Includability committed employer, demonstrating our commitment and achievements in the areas of Sustainability, Accessibility, Mental Health, Wellbeing and Diversity and Inclusion.

Training, education, and awareness raising

We have developed an Inclusion and Diversity training offer which is available to employees and external partners- including staff from across the NHS and other organisations. We have plans to introduce a new Cultural competence in the community training in 2023 which will be available to all employees and managers.

We will be launching Inclusion cafés, an opportunity for employees to share their experiences of inclusion at work; and a buddy programme which will pair up new starters at the council with existing employees with the aim of supporting new employees navigate the first few weeks at the council.

After the successful reverse mentoring pilot, we have now expanded and rolled out the programme to the rest of the organisation. In addition to senior leaders, heads of service, middle managers, and staff in key influential positions such as HR, can now also take part and be mentored by a junior employee or member of the staff networks. Reverse mentoring provides safe spaces to gain honest and relevant feedback and gives senior leaders an opportunity to learn from the lived experience of employees.

We have successfully implemented a Mediated Resolution approach, a voluntary and confidential method of resolving workplace conflict. Trained, impartial mediators have worked with over thirty colleagues in the last year to support effective dialogue to resolve conflict with a view to reaching an agreement about how to work together effectively. All respondents to the participants' evaluation survey have reported that the process resolved the conflict/issue either fully or in part, and all respondents to the referrers' evaluation survey have reported that they would use Mediated Resolution again and would recommend Mediated Resolution to colleagues.

We have launched a Mental Health Advocates (MHA) initiative to support the council to promote positive mental health and normalise talking about mental health in the workplace. The MHAs are a team of trained employee volunteers who can support employees via 1-2-1 conversations and signposting to resources.

A diversity calendar is published internally annually with regular communications to promote awareness and understanding of key dates and events through our internal weekly communications and social media.

We continue to deliver campaigns and events for LGBTQ History Month, Women's History Month, PRIDE Month, Race Equality Week and National Inclusion Week etc.

We also organise (and support our networks in organising) regular events including one-off talks, webinars, and conferences to promote awareness and understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion issues.