I want to start by thanking you for all your hard work and outstanding commitment during the first few weeks of the Coronavirus crisis. As I have said before the demands on our staff and the council are unprecedented and we are facing the biggest challenge of our working and personal lives.
Many blogs ago I mentioned that innovation often springs from a reaction to crisis and chaos and I’ve been made aware of numerous examples of staff generating new ideas to help us win this battle. Our working lives have been revolutionised. At the moment I’m writing my blog from my office in the Guildhall but over the last three weeks I’ve worked mainly from home, using Microsoft Teams to conduct business that would normally be done face-to-face. My twice daily meetings on Microsoft Teams with senior staff and councillors have been invaluable in co-ordinating effort and getting things done. My regular conference calls with the local health board and regional partners have removed the need to travel and working remotely is the new normal for many of us. The current crisis and the need for social distancing and self-isolation has required these changes and I suspect this will influence our ways of working in the longer term.
I will say it again. There is no doubt the people of Swansea need their council services more than ever.
These are not normal times and it is not business as usual for our workforce and our services. I have been, and I will have to continue, asking you to go beyond the normal call of duty. This virus knows no boundaries and this means we’ll need staff to work different hours and patterns so that we are available during the night, weekends and on Bank Holidays. Many of our critical services are now becoming 24/7 operations to cope with the growing demands of Coronavirus.
I am grateful to our trade unions for their support in issuing a joint call to arms to you. We need you to continue going that extra mile for the people of Swansea, many of whom will be our family, friends, neighbours and colleagues. As an employer and with joint union agreement secured, we desperately require our workforce to be flexible over where and when you work. We are confident we can meet the huge challenges we now face. We know this is a big sacrifice for you to make at a time of growing personal and work pressures but we really have no choice as we head towards the peak of the crisis.
We will be launching an app next week to make it easy for you to volunteer into other roles in the council.
You have already shown huge loyalty and commitment and this is not going unrecognised by us and the people of Swansea.
Our commitment back to you is that despite the massive organisational and financial challenges we’re facing, we will:
• Ensure no-one loses pay because of Covid-19.
• Pay the appropriate rates of pay for work outside of your normal patterns of work.
• Be as flexible as possible on the accumulation of TOIL and leave, and to allow this to be converted into additional cash payments, where appropriate.
• Of course we will provide the necessary PPE to staff who are working or volunteer to cover critical care roles.
• And we will continue to listen to employee concerns and give advice.
Many of you will at some point need to self-isolate during this crisis. Many of you will not be able to work as normal because of your, or a loved one’s ill-health. We will all rely on the critical services provided by the council and our NHS.
This is our chance to help the NHS save lives and I thank you for everything you are doing. Once again I hope that you and your loved ones stay safe and well.
Well done to all those front line services. In particular I have the utmost respect for our refuse collection teams. They are out there on the frontline doing an amazing job. Please could they be provided with packed lunches. Their shifts must be challenging enough supporting so many at self-isolating or working from home without having to wait in line at a supermarket for food.
I know they would appreciate a grab and go bag!
Keep up the great effort everyone!
Thanks Alison I will suggest that to the team.
I have taken to giving all our refuse workers the “thumbs up”. I would like as many people as possible to do likewise. They are doing a great job.
Hi Phil, are there any plans to freeze the staff car parking charges while we work from home. It would be a lovely gesture if you could do this – we could use the money to pay for the extra electricity/gas/wi-fi bills we will be paying when we get back to normal. Many thanks.
Hi Amanda
We’ve put in place arrangements so that staff can cancel their permit via Oracle ‘self-service’. When the crisis is over, the team will issue refunds backdated to the day the request was received to make sure no-one loses out if they want to cancel. Although anyone who wants to cancel their permit now can re-apply when the crisis is over, there is currently a freeze on applications.
Phil
Well done one and all .
TOGETHER STRONGER
Indeed Mike.
Is there any news on testing for council workers? Many are having to self isolate who may, following a test, be able to get back to work sooner.
Hi Anne,
Arrangements are being put in place for the testing of between 15 and 20 social care staff each day. The Leader and I have both made representation to the Welsh Government to increase this number rapidly so that all staff on the front line are tested at the earliest opportunity. We are also working with the Welsh Government on the establishment of additional testing sites in the region and this will increase capacity. The speed at which test results come back is also an issue and we are pressing Public Health Wales on this too.
a shame that we cannot acknowledge the employees by stopping their care park fees for 3 months as a thank you for their hard work and commitment.
Other government resources have done this as a goodwill gesture.
Hi Wendy,
We’ve put in place arrangements so that staff can cancel their permit via Oracle ‘self-service’. When the crisis is over, the team will issue refunds backdated to the day the request was received to make sure no-one loses out if they want to cancel. Although anyone who wants to cancel their permit now can re-apply when the crisis is over, there is currently a freeze on applications.
Hi Phil
It may seen like small fry when people across our services are going above and beyond and happily doing what they can for the greater good to protect our public health and support wider health and support services, but surely a freeze on payment for car park permits across the board would help everyone, whether they are working from home or a Council building.
Returning the situation to ‘as is’ once everything is over, would be a pragmatic approach. I know that car parking and the issue of permits is a sensitive one given how much we struggle to find spaces even when we have permits, but isn’t that a discussion for another day?
Thanks
Paula
Thanks Paula. You are right and the discussion will need to be had in the context of how the organisation has changed over recent weeks. I will be asking CMT colleagues for their views on this and the future accommodation strategy in light of the enforced move to remote working. I mentioned in an earlier blog that I think the current situation will re-shape our future working patterns completely.
I think the concern for all is that if they cancel they will not be guaranteed a permit when this crisis is over.
Hi Caroline,
Arrangements have been put in so staff can cancel their permit via Oracle ‘self-service’. Refunds will be issued backdated to the day the request was received to make sure no-one loses out if they want to cancel now. Anyone who wants to cancel their permit now can re-apply when the crisis is over but there is currently a freeze on applications.
Phil
Can guarantee that if you cancel your permit that you will get it back again for the same car park as you had ? I ask this as you were unable to get a permit any longer for Paxton Street car park before all this happened so obviously more people want permits for that car park than there are spaces. Could you not just put a freeze on the permit fee until this is over ?
Hi Samantha,
At the moment we’ve put in place arrangements so staff can cancel their permit using the Oracle ‘self-service’system. After the crisis is over the team will issue refunds backdated to the day the request was received to make sure no-one loses out if they want to cancel now. Anyone who wants to cancel their permit now can re-apply when the crisis is over but there is currently a freeze on applications.
Phil.
Hi i am working from home due to the COVID-19 , are we able to have a refund that we are paying every month for parking, without cancelling our permits. Otherwise there is a risk that we cannot renew our permits which means it could cost us £7 per day when we are working back in Civic.
Thank you.
Hi Tracy,
We’ve put in place arrangements so that staff can cancel their permit via Oracle ‘self-service’. When the crisis is over, the team will issue refunds backdated to the day the request was received to make sure no-one loses out if they want to cancel. Although anyone who wants to cancel their permit now can re-apply when the crisis is over, there is currently a freeze on applications.
Phil.