Staff News - March 2023

Town House relocation to HQ update - March 2023

In February 2023 you received a communication from Mark Rogers Housing and Property ECO representing all Service ECO’s, providing you with information on the planned change process for relocating staff currently situated in the Town House to allocated space with Service colleagues in Council Headquarters. We outlined why this move was occurring and what that would mean for staff affected. The aim is to maintain wherever possible current HQ Service locations so that Town House teams can co-locate with same Service teams in HQ.

As outlined in previous communications the Council is reviewing its current property portfolio to reduce budget spend on properties that are no longer fit for purpose and importantly, to provide a working environment that reflects the way the Council wants to work in the future, ensuring that the needs of the communities we serve, the organisation and staff are met. This relocation is the first in this programme of property reviews, so your input and support is required to help make the transition as straightforward as is possible. 

What has happened so far

A member of the Asset Management Team will have contacted each Manager affected by this relocation exercise to discuss Phase 1 of the process which is the office move. Each Manager either within Town House or based in Council Headquarters who will be affected by the relocation should either have met with a member of the Asset Management Team or should have a meeting booked in their diary to meet within the next few working days.

If you are a Manager based in the Town House and have not been contacted as yet, please email alastair.campbell@highland.gov.uk as soon as possible. If you are a Manager within Council Headquarters and have not been contacted, then your team will not be affected by the relocation.

This initial engagement with Service Managers is to validate information the team have gathered as a desk top exercise, to understand and record the current needs of the team and to work with each Manager to try and create appropriate HQ Service zones to meet the required desk ratio of 4 desks to 10 staff for hybrid workers and 9 desks to 10 staff for those that require a fixed desk.

Once the initial engagement meetings have taken place the project team will start the matching process and then re-engage with Managers to outline options that can be offered and continue to consult until a decision is made on best fit for Phase 1 of the process. The deadline for the relocation is 31March 2023 and the team will do everything they can to ensure the process and support provided allows the relocation exercise to work as smoothly as possible.

As stated in information previously provided, once Town House teams have settled into their new accommodation the Asset Management team will continue to work with Managers and their teams to redesign (as necessary) the allocated workspace, reflecting the needs of a shared space (e.g., to have more facilities for collaborative work, touch down desks, meeting rooms etc.), and help them develop supporting processes (space sharing agreement, desk booking, building user groups etc.) through workshops and the development of Workspace Agreement.

If the redesign identifies changes to provide a working space that reflects the needs of the teams e.g., redecoration, new furniture, different layouts etc.), this will then be planned for but may require short term decanting either within HQ, an alternative Council building perhaps nearer to staff home, or appropriate extended homeworking if this is an option. There will also be opportunity to then review the process, obtain feedback and gain a better understanding of office utilisation.

Adopting hybrid working, developing your team agreements, and continuing to understand what we need to do collectively to develop SMARTER working environments that reflect improved Service delivery outcomes and staff needs is part of this process.

As the conversations and engagement continue for SMARTER office environments that bring benefits to the organisation, individual employees, and the environment the key principles that we reaffirm are that we will:

• manage by outcomes not presenteeism.
• work is what you do not where you do it.
•  create a continuous change and improvement culture, and that.
• our office space should be used for: o Direct Service requirements.
  • Meetings, where face-to-face contact is appropriate/best.
  •  Access to paper files (but working towards digitalisation/appropriate record management, printer/scanner, or other equipment.
  • Collaborative work.
  • Inducting new employees.
  • Learning and Development opportunities.
  • Health and wellbeing.
  • Practicalities, e.g., unsuitable workspace at home.

In preparation for the move practice this policy ensuring:

• that you leave your desk or working area clear of all personal or confidential information/documents when you are away from your desk.

• Laptops must not be left on desks at the end of the working day.

• Personal items should be stored and only on desks during periods of active occupation.

• When a desk is vacated or is to be left unoccupied for more than 2 hours, it must be clear for use by other members of staff.

De-clutter your office and identify storage required

A constraint teams will face is the dependency on paper documents and other physical resources. While there will be some statutory obligations to retain paper files, the reasons for using and generating paper must be challenged. Teams will be provided with a shared storage area as required; however, we would expect that all staff make a concerted effort to clear any existing clutter and only to print essential items.

The project team will aim to provide personal storage lockers, but existing lockable pedestals are another alternative in the interim. Wherever possible, Services should move to digital working and storage solutions as this will effectively untether staff from the physical office. Office space is costly and must be prioritised for meeting and collaboration spaces not as a storage facility.

Where can you get further information?

If you have any queries regarding any information outlined above please email nwow@highland.gov.uk