Posts

The Best Place to be Gay??

One of my most memorable interactions here was about three years ago, when I bumped into a new starter. I asked how they were and was told that Somerset County Council was the best place to be if you’re gay. I think I looked a bit incredulous at this, and asked why, we don’t exactly shout about things. And I was told that was exactly it, our differences as individuals are just accepted here. I’ve been asked to write some words to support Pride 2022, on its 50th anniversary in the UK, but at the moment I don’t particularly feel like celebrating. I’ve been affected by developments in the USA and the language coming out of the recent Supreme Court ruling and those who have moved against a woman’s right to choose her situation. Some people are now suggesting they move on, against access to contraception and same-sex marriage, and this is making me genuinely scared. Because I’m also picking up similar voices in the UK; an absolute minority, but a vocal one. And it seems utterly crazy to me ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Gareth 'Hottie' Southgate (and working arrangements after 19th July)

  Warning, there is talk of football in this blog, but it should segue nicely (or convolutedly) into working arrangements...   That was an incredible evening's entertainment last night. It's the morning after and I'm still feeling a little befuddled by the experience. I watched it with a group of friends, all of whom have been double-vaccinated and two of the group are doctors, just in case anything goes wrong...  It is so good to see the national swell of support for the England team and I really hope that the 2-hours of the game were a lonely place for those who boo the England players for taking the knee before games. The cheers of support now drown the jeers and the players continue to highlight the evils of racism. Such brilliant leadership from Gareth Southgate, discussing with the team what they wanted to do and then supporting them with their decision. The transition of the England Manager from the player who missed a crucial penalty in Euro 1996 to national lea...
Post a Comment
Read more

Post-Pandemic Workforce Shortages

I want to use my blog this week to present some of the pressures that we and our partner organisations are currently facing. Many of you will be affected by these, either as employees or Somerset residents (or indeed both). In the space of three days this week, I’ve been contacted about three different recruitment emergencies. These aren’t the ‘standard’ problems that we’re normally faced with, such as not being able to recruit to a specific role, but they are very real and are having a huge impact on our services and, in one of the cases, our response to the pandemic. What is being reflected is how busy this organisation and our partners are and how things are being made more difficult by a shortage of workers in particular areas. So where are we seeing these problems? The first to contact me was the Somerset Waste Partnership, regarding a shortage of drivers and loaders. Quite standard roles, with good rates of pay and conditions. But there’s a national shortage of these workers,...
Post a Comment
Read more

Working Out the Workplace

I was without broadband a couple of weeks ago, so booked myself into County Hall for a couple of days. Having purchased additional mobile phone data to avoid the potential wellbeing issues that lack of Wi-Fi could have on teenage lives in my house (one of the first tiers of Maslow’s Teenage Hierarchy of Needs, just above battery-life), I prepared myself for walking into the office and how that might feel. Someone on the radio this morning described the deserted Covid-office as something out of a zombie-apocalypse, but I have to say that’s not quite true (County Hall is extremely clean, for a start…), but it certainly was a bit eerie. It was really good to see some familiar faces, do a bit of catching-up, and there was even a fire-alarm on the first morning! I was also fortunate enough to have a late-afternoon tour of the new A-Block – it’s stunning, beautiful in places, just needs some people. The national debate on how people return to offices is ramping-up. The feedback from our sum...
Post a Comment
Read more

Lockdown Boogie

I’m sat in my ‘inspiration-isolation’ cell at home, looking out onto what is gearing up to be one of the warmest days of the year. The weather’s been incredible, but my work-room faces north and I’m often sat with a blanket around me, looking at people walking-by in shorts and t-shirts. This was thrown into stark relief yesterday when our Chief Executive video-called me. Quick removal of the blanket, fortunately I was ‘decent’ underneath. Pat did, however, ‘beard-shame’ me on the Senior Leadership Team call this morning, with the team then calling out for me to show myself. I haven’t trimmed my beard since lockdown started, wondering if I could get away with things until restrictions were lifted, much like Adam Hill on the Last Leg during the period leading to Brexit. One of my daughters started hacking at it with scissors during our virtual pub-quiz last week; it’s time for it to be cut-back. This week I want to describe and celebrate some of the team work and support that’s hap...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Worldwide Dose of Kindness

Image
A Worldwide Dose of Kindness Thank you. Simply thank you to everyone for your response to Coronavirus. Mobilising an organisation the size of ours, with all our commitments to other organisations, and the lead role we have in Somerset has been incredible to see – electric at times. As I write, the majority of us have been working at home for seven days (not including the weekend). That’s seven-days of Skype, Teams, telephones, emails. Crikey, the emails… New policies, guidance, planning, interpretation of national instruction. Views and advice that change and are out-of-date after 24-hours. It’s tough and I don’t mind admitting that I’m finding it difficult at times. I miss the people I work with; work is a social setting, we are social creatures. And it’s tough, because we work in public services to improve lives, strengthen communities and to ‘do the right thing’. And I see many friends in local authorities and the NHS really struggling; this is somet...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listening Up

Image
The Alpacas are Coming... I've met some really wonderful people in the past few months, who have spoken with me about how they're feeling and how well or unwell their mental health is. The stuff that life throws at you, the impact of different things on different people. "Why do you react like this and I react like that?" I've heard of brilliant support from teams and managers. And I've heard of some quite dreadful things in places where you'd expect people to be more understanding. I've had colleagues so thankful of Somerset County Council for the support through mental health issues and others who perhaps feel they've been let down by an organisation whose main purpose, really, is to look after people. As we keep saying, our vision is to Improve Lives in Somerset. Stress and mental health issues are the number one cause of absence at SCC. Mental health is as important as physical health; actually, I feel the two are intertwin...
Post a Comment
Read more