The Strategic Director of Transformation and Resources presented a report on the current position regarding the completion of Performance Appraisals (PAs). The current outturn figure at January 2016 for Performance Appraisal 2015 -16 was 72.8%. There had been regular communication to Managers from the HR/OD function with the Chief Executive outlining the requirements to undertake performance appraisals. However, four months after the completion deadline there were a number of service areas where large numbers of performance appraisals had still not been completed.

The report gave details of the Performance Appraisal process, the timetable, the support in place for the process, the key issues preventing service areas achieving the target and the next steps. A table of the latest figures on PAs was circulated to the Committee which showed that 75.3% were now complete with just one Directorate not hitting the target of 80%.

In response to comments from Members, the Strategic Director of Transformation and Resources stated that ‘appropriate action’ against managers would include holding them to account in their performance management and may lead to formal or informal action being taken against them.

The Director of Children’s Services stated that there was no way to excuse the figures for her department. With over 300 social workers Social Work Managers carried out regular ‘supervision’, for those newly qualified this was fortnightly and with hindsight the PAs should have been added on to this regular supervision.

With regard to the number of employees and the discrepancy in the figures of those employed by the Council between the figures circulated at the meeting and those attached originally to the report, now showing 68 more, the Acting Head of Human Resources and Organisational Development informed the Committee that there were would be a number of reasons for this including casual and concessional staff, a number of new starters and staff who were multiple job holders. The Council establishment did vary from week to week. With regard to the manager to staff ratio this did vary from service to service between 1:6 and 1:12.

Responding to further comments the Strategic Director expressed his disappointment with the figures. Over 1,000 staff in his directorate had now had their PA and this included some areas of dispersed workers, such as libraries, where there would be staff who just worked on a Saturday and in One Stop Shops. He acknowledged that the process had got off to a really slow start but over 3,000 staff had now received their PA and this was a significant improvement over the situation just a few months ago. The Chief Executive did continue to enforce the message. He accepted the challenge to improve performance next year and that next year the same reasons for poor performance would be unacceptable. There was no reason for those staff who were building based not to have had their PAs completed on time. The target for next year was yet to be determined. No action had been taken against a manager solely on the issue of failing to complete a PA but April 2016 would see the start of a new PA cycle and all managers would be signing an accountability statement. The suggestion of targeting those people missed this year and ensuring they were at the start of the process in the new municipal year could be explored.

Resolved – That the report be noted.