The Human Resources Committee of Somerset Council is scheduled to meet on Wednesday 8th October 2025. The committee is expected to discuss and potentially approve the council's People Strategy for 2025-2028, and to endorse several updated HR policies. The committee is also scheduled to receive updates on planning recruitment and retention, workforce matters, and health and safety policies.

Here are the topics that are listed for discussion:

People Strategy 2025-2028

The committee is scheduled to consider and potentially approve the People Strategy 2025-2028. According to the report pack, a people strategy defines and communicates an organisation's intentions as an employer, from recruitment to retirement. The proposed strategy focuses on three pillars: Reset and Refocus, Attract and Retain, and Improve and Thrive. The strategy is intended to align the workforce with the organisation's long-term goals, fostering a culture of innovation, inclusivity, and continuous development. The report pack states that this is the first People Strategy for Somerset Council, building on the organisational transformation and change following the Local Government Reorganisation¹ (LGR).

The strategy is scheduled to be measured using a suite of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), along with relevant people and performance data. HR Committee Members have been engaged in the development of the People Strategy, and it has received endorsement at Corporate and Resources Scrutiny Committee on 27 August and at Executive on 8 September 2025. The report pack includes the People Strategy 2025-2028 in full, a People Strategy 2025-28 One Page Summary, and an Equalities Impact Assessment.

The foreword to the strategy from Duncan Sharkey, Chief Executive, notes the challenges faced by the council, but also highlights the progress made and the potential for future achievements. He emphasises the importance of working together to shape the future of the organisation, stating:

On the whole, it's about getting back to our core values and behaviours that we set together strive for excellence, work as one team and build belonging - but no one of us can change this on our own. We need to be engaging in meaningful conversations, and setting a clear direction of travel, which all link in to where we want to be.

The strategy outlines a 'One Team Commitment', detailing the expectations of both managers and team members. It also sets out actions for each of the three pillars:

• Reset and Refocus: Prioritising health and wellbeing, ensuring understanding of contributions to council aims, improving employee engagement, developing tools for performance and development, ensuring fundamental management skills are in place, supporting opportunities in change, bringing values to life, and supporting innovative, collaborative, and agile working.
• Attract and Retain: Developing recruitment processes, building a workforce focused on attracting and retaining young people, creating an Employee Value Proposition, paying and rewarding people fairly, valuing people and recognising achievements, developing talent, building a culture of continuous learning, and driving the creation of a new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.
• Improve and Thrive: Developing cutting-edge people policies, treating everyone as an individual, developing opportunities to balance the workforce, utilising modern technology, collecting the right data, having fit-for-purpose systems, learning from experience, trusting employees, and fostering collaboration.

HR Policies

The committee is scheduled to endorse the following HR policies:

• Alcohol and Substance Misuse
• Induction and Probation

The committee is also scheduled to approve a new Social Media policy.

According to the report pack, these policies are being reviewed and updated to ensure they are legally compliant and support the values and culture of the council. The Summary Table October 2025 outlines the changes made to each policy.

The Alcohol and Substance Misuse Policy has been updated with improvements to language and the inclusion of the use and misuse of prescription drugs. The Induction and Probation Policy has been updated to clarify the scope, tailor the induction process, streamline the language, and formalise the processes for extending probation and conducting final review hearings. A probation process flow chart has also been added for line managers. The new Social Media Policy is intended to support employees in understanding how they are expected to use social media, both within the workplace and for personal use.

Workforce Update

The committee is scheduled to receive a workforce update. The update will cover a number of areas, including:

• Pay and Reward Programme: Korn Ferry² is working with the council to finalise the project plan and engage with senior leaders and Trade Unions to agree on an approach to Job Evaluation and to develop updated role profiles and proposals for a new work architecture for the organisation.
• SAP Success Factors Project: Project playback sessions have been completed to review and finalise system functionality. System integration testing has started to identify and resolve system defects and ensure requirements are met.
• HR Operations:
  • Payroll & Compliance: Annual Pay Awards paid to staff in August/September 2025 and to Chief Officers in Sept 2025 across Somerset Council and External Clients. Supported implementation of new Recruitment & Payroll form to support establishment management process.
  • Data, Insights and Analytics: Focus is on developing and reviewing the Directorate and Workforce dashboards, supporting pay and grading data updates, including adding JE references to SAP, extracting SAP data for the Korn Ferry pay and grading project, and reporting on allowance data.
  • Recruitment & Early Careers: Rolled out the new establishment management process for recruitment. Supported multiple hard-to-fill vacancies across various services. Completed initial testing for SAP Success Factors Recruitment & Onboarding modules. Held a workshop for CSC/ASC locums to promote the benefits of permanent Social Work roles in Somerset Council. Introduced a new advertising framework within Dillington Advertising Service to ensure value for money. First cohort of 6 supported Interns started working in ICT, Data and Career for a 12-month placement.
• Strategic HR Business Partnering: Back to basics work being undertaken to support Directorates with implementing effective new Establishment Control principles, addressing SAP structure anomalies & recruitment and retention allowance queries.
• Organisational Development and Employee Experience: Concluded the annual staff survey, analysed and shared results. Created suite of engagement sessions based on emerging themes for staff to support the co-production of actions. The People Strategy has passed through all stages of governance, bar HR Committee. This 'people' focussed work culminated in a special all-staff Q&A in September.
• Employee Relations, Inclusion & Policy:
  • Policy: 4 HR Policies reviewed and published. Chief Executive and Chief Officers' Pay Award agreed. Informal Policy Working Group set-up and TOR agreed.
  • Employee Relations: Successfully completed 3 TUPE transfers (2 in and 1 out), with a further 2 TUPE transfers planned within the next quarter. Successfully appointed to the People Manager (SOM 11) post to provide additional support to HRA. The team are currently providing advice and support on 157 cases. In Q2 the team have supported managers on 100 new cases.
• Health and Safety:
  • Strategic Risk: As part of the recent review of the corporate performance framework, a revised H&S Strategic Risk has been recorded. The health and safety risk considers the cumulative impact of operational risks across the authority, ensuring the Council monitors their effect. The report was designed to enhance senior leader understanding, ensuring health and safety performance is a key consideration in the Council's overall risk landscape.
  • Performance: The H&S Service has introduced a quarterly performance report to provide senior leaders with succinct, high-level oversight of key health and safety metrics. The report consolidates critical indicators, supports informed decision-making through clear targets and RAG ratings, and ensures effective monitoring and organisational accountability.
  • Benchmarking: Somerset's H&S Service has launched a regional benchmarking initiative to strengthen ties with neighbouring councils, share operating models, identify best practices, and support ongoing improvement.
  • Audit of New and Expectant Parents Policy H&S recently audited the Council's policy to ensure pregnant workers and those returning from maternity leave receive appropriate risk assessments. A final report will be ready for the October Health, Safety and Wellbeing Steering Group meeting.
  • Lone Working Contract: During the reporting period, the Health & Safety Service has overseen the retrieval of approximately 1000 lone working devices from staff across the organisation. Upon conclusion of the contract, corporate lone working services have been transitioned to Somerset Lifeline.
  • Audit Committee In September, the H&S Service provided an update report to the Audit Committee outlining actions taken in response to findings from the Culture Review conducted by SWAP Internal Services in January 2024. Appendix 1 of the report, which addresses these findings, has also been shared with the HR Committee for informational purposes.

Planning Recruitment and Retention Update

The committee is scheduled to receive a verbal update on planning recruitment and retention. No further details are available in the report pack.

Health and Safety Policies Update

The committee is scheduled to receive a verbal update on Health and Safety. No further details are available in the report pack.

HR Committee Work Programme

The committee is scheduled to consider and note the work programme.