About Winchester City Council

The Health at Heart group in the Council works hard to provide a balanced programme for health and wellbeing. As representatives within their various teams they have been able to gain first-hand information as to the needs of staff. The group has promoted events such as massages, walks, flu-jabs, dancing sessions and fruit days. Flexible working has also been a strong factor in enhancing the wellbeing of employees. The Flexible working Policy enables a variety of different working patterns to be used, including working from home and hot desking, working a nine-day fortnight and agreeing part time hours when returning from maternity or sickness. In 2015, the Council achieved the Investors in People Health and Wellbeing Award. As part of their management responsibility, Managers also keep employees up to date regarding changes, expectations and their own performance and this not only keeps them on track but also reduces feelings of stress and anxiety. Employees are also encouraged to take breaks to relax, re-group and disengage from technology and general work related interactions.

The 1Team approach is fully embedded in the Council, with very good results. Introduced several years ago, the 1Team approach is a way of working across the organisation, making the most of the skills and resources available. The approach aims to benefit the customer, organisation and the individual. Through the 1Team approach, staff have been able to secure secondments and have been involved in projects across and outside of the Council. The organisation also encourages team working through Task and Finish Groups. They are a great way for staff at all levels to get involved in a new project and work with colleagues who they might not have worked with before. In 2016, the Task and Finish groups delivered a number of projects, which included gathering of information, preparation for the Customer Service Excellence reaccreditation and reviewing how the Council purchases stationery with a view to ordering. 11 apprentices participated in a team building day hosted by Lasham Training. As part of the day the apprentices completed a Strength Deployment Inventory as a psychometric and received input on group dynamics and leadership. They also engaged in a variety of short team tasks to build trust and enable the team to bond, before going to a ropes course challenge where they learnt to coach one another and use positive self-talk language.

Trinity Winchester provides vital practical and emotional support to around 700 people each year, ranging from food and healthcare to mentoring and employability skills. Trinity Winchester receives core grant funding from the Council towards its running costs. The Council is always looking for ways to add value to their financial support and active volunteering by staff provides a perfect opportunity for the organisation to help. Staff from Winchester City Council took time out of their busy work schedules to cook and serve 150 lunches to clients from Trinity Winchester, the city’s centre for the homeless and vulnerably housed. The apprentice team at Winchester City Council delivered a project focussing attention on National Volunteer Week and the volunteer policy that relates to staff having the opportunity to take up to three volunteer days to support an organisation or community project within the district. Six Council funded charities and a variety of other local organisations were invited to an event to explore what volunteer opportunities they might have available for staff to consider. Fifty staff attended the event and a review of how many took up volunteering opportunities will be completed at the end of the year. Winchester City Council has also been working with Southampton City Council to produce a monthly jobs bulletin for young people living in the Winchester District.