Archived Blogs

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Overview

Archived NRS Blogs for News and Service Updates including key information, advice and support during 2023.

December 2023

Latest News and Service Updates for the month of December:

Tuesday 19 December 2023

January and February 2024 - Health and Wellbeing Training/SAMH Mental Health Support Sessions on MS Teams

Sleep and Mental Health - Bitesize Webinar
Monday 15 January 2024
11:30am until 12 noon

This session will build participant's understanding around the relationship between sleep and mental health.

The session will cover:

• understanding of the science behind sleep
• the signs of poor sleep and guidance to improve this
• explore tips and tools for better sleep, as well as further supports available.

This session is for anyone with an interest in this subject.

Sign Up

Having the Mental Health Conversation - Bitesize Webinar
Wednesday 24 January 2024
11:30am until 12 noon

In the run up to 'Time to Talk' Day on 1 February, this course will help anyone who wants to learn how to have a conversation about mental health.

The session will cover:

• explore the definition of mental health and wellbeing and how this shapes our understanding of creating a mentally healthy workplace
• supportive language and signposting for having a mentally healthy conversation.

This session is for anyone with an interest on this subject.

Sign Up

Mental Health in the Workplace - Manager's Guide
Friday 26 January 2024
9:30am until 1pm

This course will provide participants with skills to support and manage positive mental health in the workplace.

The session will cover:

• Use of proactive and intervention tools to support staff with their wellbeing in both 121 and team settings
• Spotting the warning signs that someone may be struggling with their mental health
• Common mental health problems and ways to support
• Helpful ways to have the conversation and offer support within the remit of your role
• Practical tools for creating a mentally healthy workplace culture
• Collective responsibility to contribute to workplace welIbeing
• Ways to build capacity in others throughout the organisation to champion mentally healthy workplaces

This course is for managers, supervisors, team leaders to build their awareness on how best to support the mental wellbeing of team members and encourage a mentally healthy workplace culture.

Sign Up

Men's Mental Health - Bitesize Webinar
Thursday 1 February 2024
11:30am until 12 noon

This session highlights the current statistics in relation to men's mental health and common mental health problems men may experience.

At the session you will:

• gain an understanding the impact of stigma and toxic masculinity
• explore contributors to poor mental health in men
• find out what support options are available to signpost to.

Suitable for anyone wanting to know more about men's mental health and the support available.

Sign Up

5 Ways to Wellbeing - Bitesize Webinar
Tuesday 6 February 2024
11am until 12:00 noon

Evidence suggests there are 5 actions people can do which will improve their wellbeing.

The session will cover:

• introduce participants to the 5 Ways to Wellbeing toolkit
• Understand a variety of ways in which wellbeing can be included into regular routine
• Self-reflect of current wellbeing strategies
• demonstrate practical steps to help improve wellbeing.

This course is for anyone with an interest on this subject.

Sign Up

Tuesday 12 December 2023

As we all prepare to enjoy the festive season, there may be some of you with more on your mind at this time of year for lots of different reasons.

Please remember that there is always someone available to chat to in confidence about how you are feeling, and we have highlighted below a few of the support routes available to you - along with other information on staying safe when out and about.

Please don't struggle alone at this time of year - reach out and chat to someone as your mental wellbeing is so important to you, and you are so important to us.

Dedicated Support - Visit NRS People for a range of links and information:

Staying Safe

Festive Safety Team - plan ahead for your night out

• If you are planning a festive night out in Glasgow you are being urged to plan your journey home in advance to ensure the perfect end to an amazing night out.
• Organisers of Glasgow's Festive Safety campaign are urging people to beat the crowds and bad weather by downloading a licensed taxi firm's app ahead of their Christmas night out and pre-book their journey home.
• Top tips for a safe night out include:
  • Making sure your mobile phone is fully charged before heading out
  • Choose a rendezvous point with your friends in case you get separated
  • Arranging your transport home in advance by pre-booking a taxi, checking the time of the last train or bus home or locating the nearest Nitezone to your chosen venue.
  • Pace your alcohol consumption and keep money in reserve to pay for your journey home
  • Check out the city's Best Bar None venues where staff are trained to safeguard vulnerable people. Best Bar None Glasgow

• More information at Festive Safety Team Hit the Party Scene - Glasgow City Council

Road Safety - Drug Driving

• You may have already seen the Scottish Government's new Drug Driving Campaign which was recently launched to coincide with Police Scotland's Festive Safety Drink and Drug Driving Enforcement activity.  
• During the festive period Police Scotland will be ready to catch drug-drivers with roadside tests using drug wipes for any motorist they suspect of drug-driving. If the test is positive, drivers will be arrested.
• Driving under the influence of drugs, or any other substance such as alcohol, can destroy lives. Drugs can slow down your responses, making a collision more likely. For more information visit Road Safety Scotland Website - Drug Driving and you can watch the advert below.

Friday 8 December 2023

Message from George Gillespie, Executive Director Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability

Colleagues

As we move into the festive season, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued hard work over the past twelve months.

Your efforts keep Glasgow safe, clean, and moving for residents and visitors and you are helping to build a thriving, prosperous and more sustainable city.

This year saw the culmination of many years of hard work bringing to fruition the planning and the delivery of the UCI World Championships, which took place over 11 fantastic days for Glasgow.  Over 500,000 spectators enjoyed the world class cycling action in Glasgow either lining the streets or at the city's five cycling competition venues and the GO LIVE! programme of more than 50 free cultural and community participation events proved a huge hit. We once again proved to the world Glasgow's ability to plan and deliver world class events.

As always, the City and our service rose to the challenges 2023 posed.

In our service, we care about our people. That's why just under two years ago, we created the NRS People Programme. I am delighted with the transformational change this programme has brought to you and your colleagues. Throughout 2023 we have continued to roll out this programme, focusing on supporting Health and Wellbeing, improving access to Learning and Development, and continuing to increase Communications and Engagement. This has been achieved through our 10 Health and Wellbeing Roadshows engaging with over 700 employees, access to health checks with medical professionals, sessions around gambling, drugs and alcohol and mental health informal workshops and ensuring that during this cost of living crisis, the services that can help you are clearly highlighted.

Sometimes people can find this time of year difficult. We have a range of services at our NRS People microsite that you can access which provides support and this can be accessed at any time on a personal or work device. We are also increasing training for mental first aiders and training our managers and supervisors on how to spot and support our colleagues with a range mental health and wellbeing supports.  Not forgetting the successful Compassionate Manager workshops rolled out, ensuring we take care in supporting our staff in the workplace and treating each other with dignity and respect.

I do not take for granted the dedication and commitment you have shown and continue to show. During 2023, members of the Leadership team have attended workplaces, listening and learning from you about how NRS can improve the service and this will continue into 2024. We will also come together again as a service with our next Staff Engagement sessions later in 2024.

Finally, it is important to thank those of you that will be working throughout the festive period, including Christmas day as several of our services operate 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

From myself, the leadership and senior management team, we wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

George

Friday 8 December 2023

Welcome to the 8 December 2023 edition of the Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability E-News.

This fortnightly e-mail will provide you with a range of updates all in one place! With a range of actions, responses required as well as workplace, service and corporate updates.

Link: 8 December 2023 (PDF, 1 MB)(opens new window)

November 2023

Latest News and Service Updates for the month of November:

Thursday 30 November 2023

Message from Annemarie O'Donnell, Chief Executive

Colleagues,

I said I would update you when more information was available about the plan for pay and grading. Senior officers have continued to work in partnership with our Trade Unions on this planning and the information below provides details about what you can expect as we work towards an implementation date in the later part of the financial year 2024/2025.

As you are already aware, job evaluation is the route to laying the foundation for a fair pay and grading structure (PGS) - providing everyone with equal pay for equal work. Job evaluation will provide a rank order of all jobs, based on the demands of each job, on which we will design the new PGS.

Around 80% of employees are in "Primary benchmark jobs" and the data from these evaluations will provide us with information to start pay modelling and developing the new pay and grading structure. We expect the rank order for Primary benchmarks to be concluded in the Spring of 2024 to form the base of progressing consultation with the Trade Unions.

All other employees are within a Secondary benchmark or Unique jobs, and these will continue to be evaluated and the data fed into the ongoing work to design the new PGS. 

The pay modelling and consultation process with Trade Union representatives will continue throughout the Summer and early Autumn, with a shared aim of reaching agreement on new arrangements.

In the Autumn of 2024, we expect to be finalising the Council's proposed pay and grading structure and tell you what this will mean for you, on an individual basis   When we reach this stage, we will also be able to confirm any elements of pay protection and back dating of pay, to the effective date of 15 October 2023, which are appropriate to you.

You will have the right to appeal the results of your job evaluation outcome and information about how you can do this will be provided by the end of October 2024.

Before any changes are made you will be given plenty of notice. We are currently scheduling the implementation of the new PGS for February 2025.

There is still a long way to go on the complex path to a new pay and grading structure. We are determined to work at pace, in close dialogue with your Trade Unions, and ensure the integrity and transparency of the process.

I very much appreciate the significant effort from colleagues who have contributed to the job evaluation process to date and look forward to wider involvement as we finalise the evaluations for Primary benchmark roles and move into the Secondary benchmark and Unique role processes. There is a very busy and intense year ahead as we work together to remove uncertainty and meet the commitment to equal pay for all colleagues. 

Although I can't answer questions about individual circumstances you can send questions to me at Ask Annemarie and I will ask officers to publish frequently asked questions to help support you all during this time. You can read the latest questions and answers on the website.

Friday 24 November 2023

Welcome to the 24 November 2023 edition of the Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability E-News.

This fortnightly e-mail will provide you with a range of updates all in one place! With a range of actions, responses required as well as workplace, service and corporate updates.

Link: 24 November 2023 (PDF, 1 MB)(opens new window)

Friday 10 November 2023

Welcome to the 10 November 2023 edition of the Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability E-News.

This fortnightly e-mail will provide you with a range of updates all in one place! With a range of actions, responses required as well as workplace, service and corporate updates.

Link: 10 November 2023 (PDF, 853 KB)(opens new window)

Thursday 9 November 2023

Pay Update 2023 to 2024

At a COSLA meeting on 3 November 2023, it was agreed by Council Leaders to implement the pay offer made on 21 September 2023, as soon as possible.

The pay offer agreed in September along with backdated pay to 1 April, is planned for payment on 12 December.

If there are any future pay changes required to be made, these will be made in 2024 and in the February pay, at the earliest.

What this Means for You

This means that the pay levels in each grade have increased and you can see the latest pay table on the website. 

For staff in receipt of Non-standard Working Pattern and Work Context and Demand Payments - these payments will be increased by 5.5%.

The pay award is calculated based on work patterns and will be pro-rated for part-time employees.

Staff in Receipt of Universal Credit - Check Your Claim

You need to be aware that this backdated pay could affect payments. The amount you get could change if your take-home pay changes.

These benefits are calculated on your personal circumstances. Because of this we, as your employer, do not know how, or if, you may be affected. The backdated payment may mean you will either receive less credit than normal, or you may even earn too much to qualify, and your claim will close.

Check you claim status, if your claim closes, you will get a message telling you about this.

You can get independent help and advice about Universal Credit from Advice First on freephone 0800 328 5644.

You can also visit Universal Credit Website.

Further financial information and support including grants, benefits and advice is available from the Scottish Government cost of living support website.

If you need to chat in confidence about any financial issues you may be experiencing you can also contact PAM Assist, our Employee Assistance Provider. They are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year on freephone 0800 247 1100 or email counsellingteam@pamassist.co.uk or info@pamwellbeing.co.uk. 

More details at Employee Assistance Programme - Glasgow City Council.

Friday 3 November 2023

New Pay and Grading Scheme: Your Questions Answered

Following the last update about the new pay and grading scheme, various questions were received relating to both job evaluation and future pay and grading. Your questions have now been collated into frequently asked questions to help everyone understand the topics that you said are important to you.

Below you'll find the link to questions and answers. If you have any further questions you can continue to send these to Ask Annemarie.

Link: New Pay Grading Scheme Managers' Brief (PDF, 145 KB)(opens new window)

There is also more information and more frequently asked questions on the job evaluation webpage.

October 2023

Latest News and Service Updates for the month of October:

Friday 27 October 2023

Welcome to the 27 October 2023 edition of the Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability E-News.

This fortnightly e-mail will provide you with a range of updates all in one place! With a range of actions, responses required as well as workplace, service and corporate updates.

Link:  27 October 2023 (PDF, 663 KB)(opens new window)

Wednesday 25 October 2023

Colleagues 

Your health and wellbeing at work is our highest priority and we are always looking for ways we can enhance the support we provide. That's why we've partnered with Able Futures who deliver the Access to Work Mental Health Support Service on behalf of the Department of Work and Pensions.

Able Futures offer up to nine months of free, confidential one to one mental health support from a qualified mental health professional from the Better Health Generation. Support is available over the phone, through email, or video calls at a time to suit you.

They can help you deal with issues relating to anxiety, depression, grief, or stress, or to deal with problems such as debt, disrupted sleep or relationship breakdowns. Whatever is playing on your mind and affecting the way you feel, Able Futures can support you so that you can feel better and have more good days.

Book a Virtual Appointment

We are pleased to offer NRS staff the opportunity to book a 30 minute virtual appointment for a confidential chat by clicking on one of the links below and selecting a time that suits you.

You will receive confirmation of your booking by email, and a mental health professional from the Better Health Generation will call you at your chosen time to discuss how they can help. During the call, they will answer any initial questions you have about the service and can complete your application there and then for the free mental health support if you wish to proceed.

Further information

Further information about the support service and online application can be found on the Able Futures website.

Alternatively you can call Able Futures free on 0800 321 3137.

It's a completely confidential service and Able Futures won't inform us, your colleagues, family or friends that you have accessed the service.

For further information on NRS People and your Health and Wellbeing, please visit: www.glasgow.gov.uk/nrspeople

Friday 13 October 2023

Welcome to the 13 October 2023 edition of the Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability E-News.

This fortnightly e-mail will provide you with a range of updates all in one place! With a range of actions, responses required as well as workplace, service and corporate updates.

Link: 13 October 2023 (PDF, 1 MB)(opens new window)

Wednesday 4 October 2023

COSLA's Pay Negotiations and what this means for Glasgow Staff

Over recent weeks, COSLA, the umbrella body that represents Scottish councils and trades unions, have been continuing their negotiations on a pay offer for staff - for the current financial year, 2023 to 2024.

COSLA Pay Offer

They have asked that we share their 'Your Pay: The Reality' (PDF, 78 KB)(opens new window) document with all staff.

alongside their 'Your Pay: The Facts' (PDF, 141 KB)(opens new window) which explains what the offer is.  

What does this offer mean for Glasgow City Council staff?

However, we are aware that it may be difficult for you to understand upon first glance, how this offer applies to you - as we currently have a pay scheme that is significantly different from most other local authorities.

For example, the COSLA offer is based on a 37-hour week, rather than 35 hours - and it uses a different scale, with no Working Context or Non-Standard Working Pattern payments.

So, in order to ensure that you have the same information as other local government workers, we have calculated what the impact of the COSLA offer would be to a range of Glasgow City Council roles.  The table below shows an example of what the current rates of pay are and what they would be for Grades 1 - 8 under the new offer. 

Non-Standard Working Pattern and Work Context and Demands payments 

• For staff in receipt of Non-Standard Working Pattern and Work Context and Demands payments - there is a proposed 5.5% pay increase across the board for all pay points.

For more detailed information please refer to the above linked COSLA documents.

September 2023

Latest News and Service Updates for the month of September:

Friday 29 September 2023

Welcome to the 29 September 2023 edition of the Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability E-News.

This fortnightly e-mail will provide you with a range of updates all in one place! With a range of actions, responses required as well as workplace, service and corporate updates.

Link:  29 September 2023 (PDF, 938 KB)(opens new window)

Friday 15 September 2023

Welcome to the 15 September 2023 edition of the Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability E-News.

This fortnightly e-mail will provide you with a range of updates all in one place! With a range of actions, responses required as well as workplace, service and corporate updates.

Link:  15 September 20231 (PDF, 1 MB)(opens new window)

Thursday 14 September 2023

Colleagues,

Please see below this inspiring news story from our Chief Executive and details of how to register for the in-person MCR information session taking place next week.

Our Chief Executive, Annemarie O'Donnell first started mentoring with MCR Pathways back in 2018. She decided to get personally involved after working alongside them to promote the initiative to our staff. Annemarie said "I was really impressed by the positive impact MCR was having on the city's young people and specifically by reports of increased attainment and improved confidence of those young people involved with MCR. Their approach and work have had an enormous impact on career paths and life achievements of young people involved with them.

"One of our council values is 'to be fairer and more equal, giving everyone the chance to flourish and improve their life chances and choices'; mentoring with MCR gives us a real opportunity to put this into practice. It provides an avenue for us to support young people in the city who need it the most - and it is such an easy thing for us to do - but it is life changing for the young people involved.

"I would encourage staff to consider getting involved as it not only benefits the young person but enhances your own personal skills.  As a mentor you will develop your listening and communication skills and your awareness of the challenges faced by young people today. Within your own network of friends and colleagues it is usually possible to identify opportunities that would benefit your young person, such as job shadowing or workplace visits. As a mentor, I get immense satisfaction seeing my young person grow in confidence and open up about their challenges and ambitions.

"If you are interested in finding out more about becoming a mentor, I would encourage you to please speak to your MCR ambassador. You can find their details on our MCR Staff Page. The council fully supports MCR Pathways and where possible staff will be given the time needed to meet with their young person. Why not have a chat with your manager and see how it could work for you."

Come Along and Find Out More

MCR are hosting an in-person staff information session in September:

20 September, 3:30pm-4:00pm at 40 John Street, G1 1JE.  Please book in with Donna.cunningham@glasgow.gov.uk as numbers are capped due to room capacity.  Attendees should please report to reception on the day.

Monday 4 September 2023

Your health and wellbeing at work is our highest priority and we are always looking for ways we can enhance the support we provide. That's why we've partnered with Able Futures who deliver the Access to Work Mental Health Support Service on behalf of the Department of Work and Pensions.

Able Futures offer up to nine months of free, confidential one to one mental health support from a qualified mental health professional from the Better Health Generation. Support is available over the phone, through email, or video calls at a time to suit you.

They can help you deal with issues relating to anxiety, depression, grief, or stress, or to deal with problems such as debt, disrupted sleep or relationship breakdowns. Whatever is playing on your mind and affecting the way you feel, Able Futures can support you so that you can feel better and have more good days.

Book a Virtual Appointment

We are pleased to offer NRS staff the opportunity to book a 30 minute virtual appointment for a confidential chat by clicking on one of the links below and selecting a time that suits you.

You will receive confirmation of your booking by email, and a mental health professional from the Better Health Generation will call you at your chosen time to discuss how they can help. During the call, they will answer any initial questions you have about the service and can complete your application there and then for the free mental health support if you wish to proceed.

Further Information

Further information about the support service and online application can be found on the Able Futures website.

Alternatively you can call Able Futures free on 0800 321 3137.

It's a completely confidential service and Able Futures won't inform us, your colleagues, family or friends that you have accessed the service.

For further information on NRS People and your Health and Wellbeing, please visit our website.

Friday 1 September 2023

Welcome to the 1 September 2023 edition of the Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability E-News.

This fortnightly e-mail will provide you with a range of updates all in one place! With a range of actions, responses required as well as workplace, service and corporate updates.

Link: 1 September 2023 (PDF, 1 MB)(opens new window)

August 2023

Latest News and Service Updates for the month of August:

Wednesday 30 August 2023

First Bus - Staff Discounted Travel Scheme

As part of our commitment to support our staff with the cost-of-living crisis and to help promote sustainable travel - we are pleased to announce that the council is now a First Bus Travel Partner.  

This means that staff can now benefit from discounted bus travel with the First Bus Commuter Travel Club across the Greater Glasgow area with both a monthly ticket or flexible bundle tickets.

Every journey you make by bus makes a difference in reducing congestion, tackling air pollution, and creating healthier communities.

First Bus Commuter Travel Club

• To benefit from 10% off your bus travel with First Bus simply sign up to the scheme, select and pay for your monthly or flexible bundle tickets and you will then automatically receive your discount.
• Payment for the scheme is made each month with Direct Debit - which allows your ticket to be added to your First Bus M-Ticket account each month.
• There are no sign up, or cancellation fees, and your Direct Debit can be cancelled at any time.
• You need to use the First Bus App to benefit from this discount - the app allows you to buy tickets in advance, plan your journey and even track your bus in real-time.   
• First Bus Flexible Bundle Tickets have been created with hybrid working in mind, ideal for those not working in the office every day, or with changing travel needs.

 Join the Scheme - Secure Your Discount:

• Visit www.firstbus.co.uk/greater-glasgow/ctc 
• Go to the bottom of the page and register with your name
• Set up your personal password 
• Select Glasgow City Council from the dropdown menu
• Login using Password: GCC-FIRSTBUS-CTC  

Monday 21 August 2023

A message from the Executive Director George Gillespie

Colleagues
 
As the world's biggest ever cycling event ended in Glasgow last week, the UCI World Championships were declared to be a magnificent 11 days for the city. 
 
Well over 500,000 spectators enjoyed the world class cycling action in Glasgow either lining the streets or at the city's five cycling competition venues and the GO LIVE! programme of more than 50 free cultural and community participation events proved a huge hit.  
                                                                                                      
NRS officers have been involved for several years in the planning and delivery of the UCI World Championships, our support has really ramped up in the last 12 months, whether that was supporting Glasgow Life directly with the road race route design or colleagues within our regulatory teams including Environmental Health, Building Standards and Trading Standards ensuring the delivery of a safe event - your efforts were critical to the success of the event.
 
As with most major events, much of the NRS work is done in the background and as we moved into the delivery phase our Cleansing, Roads, Graffiti, Events, Parks and Roads operational teams responded dynamically to random requests for all our service areas across the City to support the event. 
 
Our team was also involved in technology and building support for the Glasgow Operations Centre and Event Control Room operating from within Eastgate. Major events have almost become a business as usual activity in Glasgow, they happen that often, however the professionalism and dedication from teams across our service do not go unnoticed by the NRS Management team. Our contribution to Major Events within the city is led by Denise Hamilton and her team who coordinate all our service planning and delivery. 
 
Glasgow is the first UK city to be awarded UCI Bike City status which recognises cities and regions which host major UCI cycling events and invest in developing community cycling and related infrastructure and programmes.  Indeed, Glasgow will continue its journey to become a bike friendly city that favours the use of the bicycle for getting around, whether for commuting, leisure, tourism, or sport, now that the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships is over.
 
Across Glasgow there is now a total of 415.8km of cycling infrastructure and in the past five years £42m has been invested, with plans to invest a further £100m to extend the City Network with a further 270km of safer infrastructure over the next five years, subject to funding being made available.  This will enable people to reach any part of the city by bike in 30 minutes, with the aim to ensure that not one person in the city lives more than 800 metres from a safer route by 2030 with no schools more than 400 metres from the City Network.
 
As always, if you would like to ask a question directly to myself, please email AskGeorge.NRS@glasgow.gov.uk.

Friday 18 August 2023

Welcome to the 18 August 2023 edition of the Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability E-News.

This fortnightly e-mail will provide you with a range of updates all in one place! With a range of actions, responses required as well as workplace, service and corporate updates.

Link:  18 August 2023 (PDF, 1 MB)(opens new window)

Friday 4 August 2023

Message from Chief Executive, Annemarie O'Donnell

Colleagues,

I want to give you an update on where we are with introducing a new pay and grading structure. As this is about your pay, I understand that this will be an unsettling time but remember we are doing this to meet our commitment to equal pay for staff.

The council has successfully concluded funding and settlement arrangements for equal pay claims until mid-October 2023 which meets an important part of our commitment to equal pay. Our focus will now fully move to concluding the job evaluation process and introducing a new pay and grading structure.

Council Officers have been working closely with Trade Unions on job evaluation activity and joint discussions have also commenced on options for a new pay and grading structure. Both the council and the Trade Unions share the aim of concluding this work as quickly as possible, whilst recognising the scale and complexity of the work still to be completed.

This means that there will be a period between the effective date of the new pay and grading structure, 15 October 2023, and its implementation.

Your pay and grading arrangements will therefore not change in October this year.

We will also work to agree arrangements for the appropriate backdating of pay to 15 October 2023 and pay protection where appropriate.

The council and trade unions are keen to minimise this period. Council officers are working on a revised plan for a target implementation in the latter part of financial year 2024/25.

We will continue to keep you updated with further details of the implementation plan which should be confirmed in the autumn.

I can assure you of our continued commitment to supporting you in the delivery of our essential services within the current financial climate and delivering on our commitment to equal pay.

As I said earlier, I know this is unsettling time, please remember this is about equal pay for you and your colleagues. Although I can't answer questions about individual circumstances you can send questions to me at Ask Annemarie and I will ask officers to publish frequently asked questions to help support you all during this time.

Annemarie O'Donnell
Chief Executive

Friday 4 August 2023

Welcome to the 4 August 2023 Edition of the Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability E-News.

This fortnightly e-mail will provide you with a range of updates all in one place! With a range of actions, responses required as well as workplace, service and corporate updates.

Link: 4 August 2023 (PDF, 1 MB)(opens new window)

July 2023

Latest News and Service Updates for the month of July:

Friday 21 July 2023

Welcome to the 21 July 2023 edition of the Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability E-News.

This fortnightly e-mail will provide you with a range of updates all in one place! With a range of actions, responses required as well as workplace, service and corporate updates.

Link:  21 July 2023 (PDF, 1 MB)(opens new window)

Friday 7 July 2023

Welcome to the 7 July 2023 edition of the Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability E-News.

This fortnightly e-mail will provide you with a range of updates all in one place! With a range of actions, responses required as well as workplace, service and corporate updates.

Link: 7 July 2023 (PDF, 700 KB)(opens new window)

June 2023

Latest News and Service Updates for the month of June:

Friday 23 June 2023

Welcome to the 23 June 2023 edition of the Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability E-News.

This fortnightly e-mail will provide you with a range of updates all in one place! With a range of actions, responses required as well as workplace, service and corporate updates.

Link:  23 June 2023 (PDF, 1012 KB)(opens new window)

Friday 9 June 2023

Welcome to the 9 June 2023 edition of the Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability E-News.

This fortnightly e-mail will provide you with a range of updates all in one place! With a range of actions, responses required as well as workplace, service and corporate updates.

Link:  9 June 2023 (PDF, 1 MB)(opens new window)

May 2023

Latest News and Service Updates for the month of May:

Tuesday 30 May 2023

Welcome to the 30 May 2023 edition of the Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability E-News.

This fortnightly e-mail will provide you with a range of updates all in one place! With a range of actions, responses required as well as workplace, service and corporate updates.

Link:  30 May 2023 (PDF, 1 MB)(opens new window)

Friday 12 May 2023

Welcome to the 12 May 2023 edition of the Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability E-News.

This fortnightly e-mail will provide you with a range of updates all in one place! With a range of actions, responses required as well as workplace, service and corporate updates.

Link: 12 May 2023 (PDF, 1 MB)(opens new window)

April 2023

Latest News and Service Updates for the month of April:

Friday 28 April 2023

Welcome to the 28 April 2023 edition of the Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability E-News.

This fortnightly e-mail will provide you with a range of updates all in one place! With a range of actions, responses required as well as workplace, service and corporate updates.

Link: 28 April 2023 (PDF, 1 MB)(opens new window)

Thursday 20 April 2023

How are you feeling right now?

April is Stress Awareness month - held every year to raise public awareness of the causes and cures for modern-day stress.

Did you know that good stress can motivate us to take action, increases our focus and helps improve our performance?  However, sustained and excessive amounts of stress can have a negative impact on our physical and mental health. It is therefore important to recognise the symptoms of stress, understand what helps to manage our stress effectively, and know who and where to turn to for support.

To mark Stress Awareness Month, we have refreshed our Staff Health and Wellbeing Handbook (PDF, 523 KB)(opens new window) and Your Staff Health and Wellbeing Resources Guide (PDF, 192 KB)(opens new window). These detailed guides contain lots of really useful wellbeing support routes, broken down into key topics and themes - with quick links for ease of reference.  In particular, they contain new sources of information and resources in relation to managing stress and looking after our physical and mental wellbeing.

So, if you are looking for support in a key area, to aid your health and wellbeing - at work or at home, you can check out the guides, along with other important information on our staff web pages at Workforce Wellbeing Support - Glasgow City Council.

More information on Stress Awareness Month

• Visit the Stress Management Society Website for campaign resources and guidance on managing stress.
• Visit the Mental Health UK Website for tips and coping strategies to help you manage your mental health and wellbeing at work.

Friday 14 April 2023

Welcome to the 14 April 2023 edition of the Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability E-News.

This fortnightly e-mail will provide you with a range of updates all in one place! With a range of actions, responses required as well as workplace, service and corporate updates.

Link: 14 April 2023 (PDF, 1 MB)(opens new window)

Thursday 13 April 2023

2023 UCI Cycling World Championships: We Need You!

Background
This summer Glasgow will once again host another major sporting event, and we need you to help us deliver.

The Event

From 3-13 August 2023, the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships will be hosted in Glasgow and across Scotland. It will be the single biggest cycling event in history, bringing together 13 existing individual cycling world championship disciplines into one mega event. Glasgow will provide five venues for the 2023 UCI Cycling Worlds including Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, Emirates Arena, George Square, Glasgow BMX Centre and Glasgow Green.

What We Need

We will be looking for passionate and enthusiastic staff to help us deliver in a variety of roles supporting areas like Event Operations, Spectator Services and Workforce to name but a few. Much like previous We Need You campaigns for Glasgow 2018 European Championships and COP26, this is a great opportunity to see a major sporting event up close, meet new people and enhance your skills. You'll be embedded in a large, dedicated event team, be fully trained and will support delivery as the world watches the biggest cycling event ever!

Key Information

• You should seek approval of your line manager and then your Head of Service before making an application.
• We are looking for people to be available for the Championships period (3-13 August) with most roles likely to start in July prior to the move to venue.
• Specifics will be discussed with successful applicants and their line managers.

Key Dates:

• Applications open throughout April
• Applicants reviewed and contacted throughout May including informal skills matching discussion
• Final confirmations for successful candidates in June with relevant managers notified
• Most posts will last from mid to late July until 13 August.

Register Online

More Information 

• More information and FAQs is available in the We Need You Manager's Briefing (PDF, 252 KB)(opens new window)
• For more information on the roles, what is required and a list of available posts, view the We Need You Role Profiles (PDF, 379 KB)(opens new window)
• Please contact UCIWorkforce@glasgowlife.org.uk if you have any questions.
• Information is also available on our staff web page for non pc facing staff at Get involved this month with... - Glasgow City Council.

Wednesday 5 April 2023

Over 850 staff have now participated or are scheduled to participate in job evaluation interviews as part of the process to evaluate jobs in the council. These evaluations will support the development of a rank order of jobs, laying the foundation for a new pay and grading scheme, to make sure everyone in the council is paid equally for equal work.

Staff who do what we call benchmark jobs (the most common jobs in the council that represent around 80% of the workforce) are being evaluated first and this information will support the early design phase of the new pay and grading scheme.

There are still some benchmark jobs that need more volunteers to complete this part of the process. If your job is listed below and you've not already volunteered, then we need you to tell us about your job. You can volunteer by talking to your line manager and emailing the Job Evaluation Team.

To take part, you must have been in the same job for at least two years, this is to make sure that you have experience of the full range of demands of your role including any seasonal or cyclical work.

Every job holder doesn't have to be interviewed, we need a representative sample of our workforce, therefore it is possible that if you volunteer you may not be needed to attend an interview.

Group Interviews - Take Part with Your Colleagues

From April, evaluations will be conducted through group interviews, with no more than five people in a group. You'll be asked to complete a questionnaire before the interview and come along to one of the job evaluation offices to talk about your job in your own words, together with some colleagues who do the same job.

Each group interview will be facilitated by trained job analysts and participants will discuss the demands of the job being evaluated, based on the 13 factors in the scheme.

Before an interview, you will be invited to a briefing session to tell you more about the job evaluation process.

For more information about evaluation interviews read the questions and answers section on the website.

Evaluating Other Jobs

There are thousands of jobs in the council family and all jobs will fall into these three categories:

1. Benchmark Jobs, the most common jobs currently being evaluated.
2. Secondary benchmark jobs (sometimes called generic) jobholders who do broadly the same work, these jobs will be evaluated next in group interviews, with a representative number of staff being interviewed for each job.
3. Unique jobs (carried out by one person or fewer than five people) - these will be the final group to be evaluated.

We are nearing the end of the evaluation of benchmark jobs and preparing to move onto evaluating secondary benchmark jobs. Information about which jobs are secondary benchmarks or unique and the evaluation process will be explained in future communications through your line manager.

More Information

Go to the Job Evaluation Webpages

Is your job listed below? Volunteer Now

March 2023

Latest News and Service Updates for the month of March:

Friday 31 March 2023

Welcome to the 31 March 2023 edition of the Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability E-News.

This fortnightly e-mail will provide you with a range of updates all in one place! With a range of actions, responses required as well as workplace, service and corporate updates.

• 31 March 2023 (PDF, 1011 KB)(opens new window)

Monday 27 March 2023

Glasgow Living Wage Increase

The Glasgow Living Wage increases to £10.90 per hour from 1 April 2023.  We will apply this new hourly rate to the salaries of all grade one employees from 1 April 2023 with the first payment in 4 April 2023 pay.   

This increase is in advance of the 2023 to 2024 pay settlement, when that is reached we will update all staff as soon as possible with the changes and any back dated pay at grade 1 will be for any increase above the £10.90.

Friday 17 March 2023

Welcome to the 17 March 2023 edition of the Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability E-News.

This fortnightly e-mail will provide you with a range of updates all in one place! With a range of actions, responses required as well as workplace, service and corporate updates.

• 17 March 2023 (PDF, 701 KB)(opens new window)

Wednesday 15 March 2023

Glasgow Club - discounted membership offer for council family staff

All council family staff now qualify for a discounted Glasgow Club membership.

You can sign up to FitClub for just £10 per month instead of the standard rate of £27. If you already pay for a membership, you can apply for the discount and reduce your monthly fee. FitClub is Glasgow Club's most popular membership plan.

You can enjoy the following at all Glasgow Club venues:

• unlimited Gym Sessions
• unlimited access to all fitness classes (in-club and digital)
• unlimited Swimming
• free personal appointments with a qualified fitness instructor
• pay-as-you-go for other activities (for example, football, badminton).

Why not make a difference to your health and wellbeing and enjoy a saving too?

To get started or visit the Glasgow Club website.

Friday 3 March 2023

Welcome to the 3 March 2023 edition of the Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability E-News.

This fortnightly e-mail will provide you with a range of updates all in one place! With a range of actions, responses required as well as workplace, service and corporate updates.

Link: 3 March 2023 (PDF, 907 KB)(opens new window)

February 2023

Latest News and Service Updates for the month of February:

Tuesday 28 February 2023

Update on equal pay claims - offers and payments

We are committed to keeping you updated about all matters relating to equal pay and we realise that it has been some time since we last provided you with information.

Last November we said that an agreement had been reached with the main claimants' group to end the current equal pay dispute with the Trade Unions and pave the way for the final settlement of claims - an end to the long-running equal pay litigation against the council.

Over the last few months all sides have been working intensely on agreeing the details that will allow individual offers to be determined and issued. This is a complex process which is still ongoing. Whilst the details remain confidential, we are optimistic that we will have agreed claims and pay data by early April to allow us to then engage with HMRC on how to deal with the payment of tax and national insurance contributions. We hope to conclude that process in time to allow individual offers to be made to claimants from late May with payments starting from June/July.

We understand that this information is what claimants have been waiting for and all sides remain committed to progressing these offers as quickly and efficiently as possible.

We will continue to keep you updated and all information about equal pay matters is on our website.

Monday 20 February 2023

Welcome to the 20 February 2023 edition of the Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability E-News.

This fortnightly e-mail will provide you with a range of updates all in one place! With a range of actions, responses required as well as workplace, service and corporate updates.

Link: 20 February 2023 (PDF, 1 MB)(opens new window)

Friday 17 February 2023

Message from George Gillespie, Executive Director

Yesterday (Thursday 16 February 2023), Elected Members discussed and agreed the Council's budget for 2023/24 at a meeting of the full Council, having considered a range of savings options.                     

Glasgow City Council faces a £49.3 million funding gap for the next financial year. The budget setting process directly impacts Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability (NRS).  

NRS was asked to present a series of budget options to the Cross Party Budget Working Group which includes representatives from all the political parties within the Council. Budget planning is a difficult process for all involved and our proposals were carefully considered by many teams over the past months.

NRS now needs to deliver savings of £13.1m by finding efficiencies, implementing service reforms and increasing income.

Whilst our priority is to protect jobs, a number of these options will result in a reduction to our overall workforce. We will manage the change process by not filling vacancies in some areas, redeploying staff where possible with appropriate retraining and undertaking early retirement and/or voluntary redundancy in areas supported by a business case.

We are working with managers across the organisation to determine the next stages of this process. We will keep you and your Trade Unions informed on progress. Managers will meet everyone affected in due course.  We ask colleagues to be as flexible as possible while these discussions take place.

All of Glasgow City Council's 2023/24 budget savings can be viewed on the Council's website.

I will be meeting with the Trade Unions on Wednesday 22 February 2023 to discuss the outcomes of the budget in more detail.  In the meantime, should you have any questions or concerns, please speak to your line manager in the first instance.  

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued hard work and appreciate your ongoing support in delivering vital services for the citizens of Glasgow.

George Gillespie
Executive Director

Thursday 9 February 2023

Free Gaelic classes for staff - places still available: sign up today!

Staff across the council family are invited to sign up for Gaelic classes for the start of World Gaelic Week (February 20-26) - a celebration of Gaelic across the globe.

We have worked with Fèisean nan Gàidheal over many years - they have an excellent reputation for delivering high quality Gaelic learning for young people and adults.

Thanks to the generous support of Bòrd na Gàidhlig, this block of classes is free to all staff across the council family. They will be delivered online, over a six-week period, starting mid-February and running until late March.  

Sign up today- places are limited!

Registration is fast and easy. Just follow the instructions at this link. Please note places are on a first come first served basis.

Sign up

More information

If you have any questions about the classes or council's wider Gaelic work, please contact Donald MacPhee, Gaelic Development Officer.

Tuesday 7 February 2023

Opportunities to Develop a New Career - Trainee Assistant Registration Officer x 5

Do you work well under pressure? Is providing excellent customer service important to you? Are you a good and confident public speaker?  If so, then this may be the opportunity for you.  You can work in a busy fast paced front-line service, supporting the delivery of statutory specialised registration activities to a diverse client group, conducting civil ceremonies and supporting the citizens of Glasgow during some of the most significant moments in their life.

You will receive full training and support but must commit to a period of study over 2 years.  We have 5 posts available, all based within the Chief Executive's Department, Registration Services.

The benefits of this role:

• You will receive in house training as well as participation in a National study programme that leads to a Certificate in the Law and Practice of Registration Services in Scotland and the opportunity to begin building a career in registration.
• A full-time permanent position, 35 hours per week (weekend working required, any 5 days over 7 days).
• A salary of £21,063 - £22,699 per annum (Grade 3) plus a non-standard working payment at Level B - £1,131.00 per annum
• Following successful completion of training and achievement of the Certificate in the Law and Practice of Registration Services in Scotland the opportunity to secure a Grade 4 post as an Assistant Registration Officer.

Information:

Registrars is responsible for the delivery of a number of statutory functions, including.  the registration of Births, Deaths, Stillbirths, Marriages and Civil Partnership and other related functions. 

• Conducting Marriages, Civil Partnerships and British Citizenship ceremonies. 
• Searching, preparing and issuing extracts of birth, death, marriage and civil partnerships.
• Scrutinising documents attached to marriage and civil partnership paperwork and identifying any discrepancies.
• Other Non-Statutory services include the running of the Genealogy Centre, based within the Mitchell Library, preparing paperwork for British Citizenship ceremonies and conducting Baby Naming, Renewal of Vows ceremonies.

These specialised services provide the citizens of Glasgow with the necessary guidance and a professional, effective and efficient delivery of service at highly emotive times in their lives.

The training programme includes in house training and support from qualified staff, a National Government study programme, work shadowing and home study over a two year period.  An exam diet is followed, which ends with the final examination in the Law and Practice of Registration Services in Scotland. You must be committed to both work and home study to achieve this.

You can find out more about the role by contacting Audrey McMullan, Registration Service Manager or Janice Coakley, Registration Service Team Leader.

Interested in joining the team - to apply visit www.glasgow.gov.uk/internalvacancies

Friday 3 February 2023

Welcome to the 3 February 2023 edition of the Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability E-News.

This fortnightly e-mail will provide you with a range of updates all in one place! With a range of actions, responses required as well as workplace, service and corporate updates.

Link: 3 February 2023 (PDF, 1 MB)(opens new window)

January 2023

Latest News and Service Updates for the month of January:

Friday 20 January 2023

SAP - important information for staff,  Friday 20 January 2023

Background

We use SAP to manage our essential business processes such as HR, payroll, accounts payable and accounts receivable.  As you are aware SAP is currently unavailable for use - this is due to ongoing technical issues following a planned upgrade that took place last weekend.

CGI are working hard with the council to resolve this issue and have confirmed that a system restore is required. 

In the meantime, we are unable to make timely payments from the system for example to staff, suppliers and other key stakeholders. As a result, these payments will be delayed, and this includes some council family payroll runs.

Payments to Staff

We have contingency measures in place for our payroll runs to make sure that staff are paid despite these technical issues - this is a priority for us.  

Please be reassured that all staff will be paid.

However, as these contingency measures will be using previous data, the affected pay runs may not include elements such as recent overtime or deductions for industrial action.  At this time, Education (teachers) and City Building staff payrolls are impacted.  Any salary anomalies will be rectified as soon as possible. 

If you are affected by this issue, you will receive further communications from your Service/ ALEO directly.  Due to these issues, CBS staff are unable to provide any information on individual cases.  Access to My Portal also remains unavailable for all purposes, this includes booking annual leave and viewing your payslip.

Full System Restore

The restore will start today, Friday 20 January 2023 and is expected to run until Sunday 22 January 2023, when we expect only a limited number of critical users will be granted access to progress priority payroll activity.

Following a full restore council teams will then need time to verify and check all data in SAP.  Further work may be required to update the system following these checks.

All staff will be kept updated on developments.

This message has been approved by Colin Edgar, Head of Communication and Strategic Partnerships

Friday 20 January 2023

Welcome to the 20 January 2023 edition of the Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability E-News.

This fortnightly e-mail will provide you with a range of updates all in one place! With a range of actions, responses required as well as workplace, service and corporate updates.

• 20 January 2023 (PDF, 1 MB)(opens new window)

Tuesday 17 January 2023

Please find attached a Manager's Brief for your local managers on how to support 'Time to Talk' with their teams.

Time to Talk Day is a national mental health campaign which takes place on Thursday 2 February.

It is organised by See Me, Scotland's national programme to tackle mental health stigma and discrimination and is all about us taking the time to connect with someone and start a conversation about our mental wellbeing. This year the theme is around the importance of making space in our day for a conversation about mental health.

Please ensure you share this with your staffing groups by 27 January 2023 - so that staff know how to take part during the week and attend the webinar. A text message will also be issued to all staff who do not have access to a PC/Laptop and promotional material on our interactive screens.