4. The wider local government agenda includes such issues as staff engagement, necessary budget savings (‘Gershon’ issues) and the promotion of local government as a career choice for capable individuals. The recognition of the contribution of all our staff in a structured and positive way is very much part of this.

CONSULTATION

5. Consultation has taken place with UNISON, who have made helpful and constructive suggestions.

FINANCIAL/BUDGET IMPLICATIONS

6. One of the threads running through this policy is the recognition of suggestions by a process of reward linked to the value of the suggestion. While some suggestions are ‘unquantifiable’ – and therefore a system of reward is proposed linked to the organisation’s perception of the value – others are quantifiable and can therefore be rewarded according to the savings proposed, which will in turn cover the cost of the reward. There is a small ‘set-up’ cost related to small recognition gifts to encourage individuals to make suggestions and to encourage them to feel valued for having done so; a budget of £1,000 has been approved. The Staff Benefits Officer will take on the small amount of administration involved.

LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

7. There are no obvious legal implications.

OPTIONS

8. Members may:

i. approve the scheme;

ii. amend or refer it back for further consultation.

EVALUATION/RISK MANAGEMENT

9. It is recommended that the Committee approve option (i), as part of the Authority’s strategic objective of being seen as an ‘employer of choice’.

There are no other risk issues connected with this scheme.

RECOMMENDATIONS

10. The Committee is recommended to approve option (i).

Contact Point : Report author: Virginia Gledhill, HR Manager (Employment Strategy). (01983) 823120; [email protected].

Head of Service

Max Burton, Head of HR

PAPER C Appendix 1

‘BRIGHT IDEAS’

THE ISLE OF WIGHT COUNCIL

STAFF SUGGESTION SCHEME

WHAT IS IT?	1.	In times of increasing pressure on businesses to succeed, and public services to improve the service they give their clients, organisations cannot afford to work on the principle of ‘we’ve always done it this way so we’ll go on doing it this way’. Times and expectations change, and councils, like all businesses, must change with them if they are to continue to serve the community and make the best possible use of the public money which supports them.

	2.	This is where the staff suggestion scheme comes in. Large organisations such as the Isle of Wight Council employ substantial numbers of people, all with their own skills, background and knowledge. While clearly the senior officers and elected members have the primary role of leading and directing the way the Council carries out its business, they also have the expertise of the rest of the workforce to call on. This expertise, if properly channelled, has the potential to benefit the organisation and the community.

	3.	The scheme aims to do just that, by encouraging staff to ‘think outside the box’ about ways the Council can do things better. While many of our staff do that constantly in their working lives, gives a structure for recognising their suggestions and making appropriate rewards for ideas which will have a positive impact.

WHO CAN MAKE A SUGGESTION?	4.	Anyone who is an employee of the Isle of Wight Council can submit a suggestion and have it considered under this scheme. All staff are eligible and all suggestions are welcome regardless of grade or salary level, though in general terms the more senior the employee the more s/he would be expected to think more widely and more corporately around work-related issues as part of his/her normal job. Elected members are not employees and are not eligible to participate.

conflict of interest	5.	It must be emphasised, however, that if an employee has a direct interest in an issue about which s/he wants to make a suggestion – for example, links with an external contractor – s/he must declare it at the outset and the assessment panel (see paragraph 11) will take it into account.

HOW DOES IT WORK?	6.	The Council has a wide variety of functions, most directly provided, but some working in partnership with other organisations. It would be impossible to list them or ways in which they could be improved, which is why it is so important to harness the knowledge of the staff who are directly involved in each particular service. In general, however, the things which would ‘make a difference’ are changes which would: · save money: for example, reduce current spend by doing something more efficiently, or change or remove a process which has become unnecessary and costly; · improve the council’s image with the public; · improve ways of doing things which might not necessarily save money but would make a difference in other ways.

SO WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO?	7.	First of all, if you have an idea which you think might make a difference in one of the ways above, you should download the application form from the Council’s intranet (or telephone the Staff Benefits Officer on 07976 009460 if you don’t have access to the intranet) and fill it in in such a way that it can be clearly understood what your idea for change is and what effect it will have if it is implemented. If your idea saves money, you should try to quantify how much.

CAN I SUGGEST ANYTHING?	8.	There are some limitations on the sort of suggestion which would be considered under this scheme: · if you are already required to do something as part of your normal job, it wouldn’t constitute a ‘suggestion’ under this scheme. For example, if your job requires you to design forms, you couldn’t submit a new form as a staff suggestion. On the other hand, if your job requires you simply to use a form, and in your use of it you identify an improvement which could be made to it, you could submit that for consideration; · a suggestion which would be very costly to implement with little or no immediate benefit would be unlikely to be successful, since all suggestions need to be practical and reasonable.

	9.	In summary, the things you should think about before submitting a suggestion, and the criteria against which it will be considered, could include: · does the suggestion contribute to the achievement of the council’s mission and objectives? · service delivery/customer care – will it result in a better service to the public? · efficiency – will it reduce costs, either by reducing current costs (materials, energy, time) or by doing something in a different way (simplifying/improving procedures, making better use of technology); or alternatively will it increase income? part of the day job – should you already be doing it anyway? · external relationships – will it improve them/improve the image of the Council? If so, with whom? · safety – will it contribute to safer ways of working/ improve the working environment/improve security? · practical – is it reasonable? · innovative – is it a brand new suggestion, or an amendment to a current process? · impact – if the idea were implemented, would it affect the whole council or a particular section or function? · quality – is the proposal well-structured and thought through? · effective – will it work?

‘BLUE SKY’ THINKING	10.	However, genuinely original and innovative ideas may not fall into any particular category; they are particularly welcome and you should submit them in a way which makes it clear what improvement they will make to the Council’s work.

SUBMITTING YOUR IDEA	11.	All must in the first instance be submitted to the Staff Benefits Officer (based in Human Resources) and will be acknowledged immediately. They will then be considered by a panel of assessors. Membership of the panel may vary according to the type of suggestion submitted (though a senior member of HR staff and an elected member will normally take part): for example, if it were a very complex or technical suggestion, a senior officer from that particular specialism would be consulted; if it suggested changes to the work of a specific section, an officer with knowledge of that work would be involved; if it anticipated financial savings and/or projections, the Chief Financial Officer or one of his staff would take part.

	12.	The panel will sit regularly, though the number of times it meets will depend on the number and type of suggestions received. As soon as it has considered your idea you will be contacted with feedback, including whether your idea will be implemented (since the panel will take cost/benefit issues into account and may consider that a suggestion simply isn’t practicable) and, if so, when, and what reward is considered appropriate.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?	13.	There are two types of suggestion: · quantifiable: ideas which, if implemented, will make specific monetary savings or generate income, or in some other way make a change which can be put into facts and figures; · unquantifiable: ideas which ‘make a difference’ but in a way which cannot be assessed in the same way as ‘quantifiable’ improvements (‘customer care’ or practice improvement suggestions would normally fall into this category).

Quantifiable improvements	14.	If your suggestion involves making savings or generating income, you should make it clear whether, if it is implemented, the savings/income are ‘one-off’ or recurring and what amount of money is involved. In order for your suggestion to be adopted, you should do sufficient research to show that your proposal is realistic, with practical suggestions on how to implement it. The assessment panel must have sufficient information to be able to make a judgement about it.

	15.	If it is decided that your proposal is a good one and either will or could be implemented, you will be considered for an award which will be linked to the amount of savings or income which could be generated. Any award will be non-taxable and will be subject to an upper limit of £5,000 (to ensure that it falls within the Inland Revenue limits for such payments). It is possible for a suggestion to be a ‘team effort’ where all the individuals involved share any award; otherwise the person who generates the suggestion will be rewarded.

Non-quantifiable suggestions	16.	If your idea is about practice improvement but you cannot put the improvement into figures, it will be considered for an award according to the panel’s assessment of its practicality and the extent to which it will achieve the improvement you suggest. The awards for this type of suggestion are at three levels:
		Level	Description	Award
		High	a highly original idea with a wide application which the panel can immediately see will achieve the improvement suggested and which should be put in place straight away	£200
		Medium	an idea which is likely to be helpful and can be readily implemented; an immediate small-scale but effective improvement in ways of working locally	£100
		Low	an idea which will or could make some difference to the relevant practice, but in a relatively low-key way	£50

certificates	17.	In addition to any monetary award, which will be made as soon as possible after the assessment panel has made its decision, you will receive a recognition certificate which will be awarded at the annual Awards Ceremony (or some other appropriate forum).

REPORTING AND AUDITING	18.	A report on the scheme activity will be made at least annually to the HR Committee; to include · quantity of suggestions and by whom (section/directorate, male/female, grade etc.) · quality of suggestions overall · number adopted/put into practice · amount of awards · impact on overall business/savings

SUMMARY/PURPOSE

CONFIDENTIAL/EXEMPT ITEMS

STRATEGIC CONTEXT

EVALUATION/RISK MANAGEMENT

WHAT IS IT?

certificates