Number of staff ... 304
Male/female ratio ... 34/66
Average age ... 42
Staff turnover ... 11%
Earning £35,000+ ... 9%
www.wychavon.gov.uk

Practices At Wychavon District Council in Worcestershire the staff sounding board provides opportunities for employees to be asked for their views on key issues. These are taken into account in the decision-making process, which helps staff to feel that they have an opportunity to influence decisions.

As part of Learning at Work week, charitable donations were made to the charity Heartstart UK. The charity taught 23 employees what to do in an emergency to try to keep someone alive long enough for the emergency services to arrive. Also during Learning at Work week, members of the senior management team shadowed other staff. The deputy managing director shadowed a traffic warden for a day and the head of planning followed a dog warden.

Wychavon encourages managers to get involved and lead on innovative projects to expand their skills and experience and take risks beyond their day-to-day role.

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Related Internet Links

• Best Councils 2008 table

BACKGROUND

• Best council rules

• Special award winners

The council is supporting employees in the Global Corporate Challenge, encouraging those reluctant to go to the gym to wear pedometers for three months to measure every step they walk with the aim of doing 10,000 or more steps a day. The information is recorded on a website showing league tables of teams walking “virtually” round the world. The new café has healthy menus, pool bikes are available and cycling to work is encouraged.

Pay and benefits All employees are offered the full range of flexible working options. It has no set core times. allowing staff to have greater scope to tailor their working hours.

It has an on-site crèche and has introduced an employee support scheme that gives staff and those who live with them free access to legal, professional and emotional counselling services. The council also provides health MoTs for all staff and offers cut-price gym membership.

When the council was assessed as excellent last year in its comprehensive performance assessment by the Audit Commission, all staff were offered £100 or a day off – recognising everyone’s effort in achieving excellent status as well as top marks for providing value for money.

Return to The Best Councils to Work For table

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