Agenda item

Report of the City Surveyor.

The Sub-Committee took items 4 and 5 together

Opening the discussion, the Chairman, whilst welcoming the focus on our future ways of working, expressed his concerns about the implications of excessive remote working once covid restrictions were lifted. Whilst he accepted that a return to five days in the office was unlikely in the medium term, there needed to be a recognition from all involved about what the organisation and employees could lose with the absence of people working in the same place at the same time. We needed, in short, to consider the objectives or the ends first, and not rush immediately into the mechanics.

Several points were made:

Shrinking the estate – what might that mean for the Corporation’s footprint?

Officers responded that, in the short term, the aim was to to keep staff and Members safe whilst we continue to contend with the pandemic.

In the medium to longer term, the aspiration was that the organisation would move towards having a hybrid working pattern for staff which would complement a smaller and more sustainable property footprint; this would, in turn, align with the objectives in the Corporate Property Asset Strategy and the Corporation’s Climate Strategy. If achieved, this would result in significant savings due to a reduction in demand for energy, catering, cleaning, and repairs, and would provide a refreshed working environment fit for the future.

Regarding energy, officers would be looking at the implications for the Corporation’s Climate Strategy of staff members working from home, as their energy usage was likely to be higher, on average, than being based in Guildhall.  

The Chairman noted that the Report referenced the need to consider the provision in Guildhall (and other operational buildings), and the likelihood that these spaces will need to be reconfigured to complement the types of activities that people want to do when they come into the office. For instance, a focus in Guildhall will be on providing more and varying types of meeting rooms and communication hubs (the latter providing a quiet space for individuals to join virtual meetings).

Noting that the temporary legislation concerning local government meetings was due to expire in early May, a Member emphasised the vital importance for democracy that Members and officers are visible and accessible to the public, both in Committee meetings, and, more broadly, in and around the operational buildings; excessive remote working, once the pandemic had abated, could severely damage democratic accountability.  A Report concerning the future of Committee meetings would be discussed at the April meeting of the Policy & Resources Committee.  

The Chamberlain added that a corporate approach to how best to streamline the footprint of the estate would be required over the coming eighteen months.

Digital Tools

Officers added that any reconfiguration of our buildings would go hand-in-hand with further development and incorporation of digital tools, particularly software which encouraged collaboration. The key aim was to try to avoid, or at least minimise, the risk of excluding staff members who worked from home from the discussions taking place amongst their colleagues in the office. This would need to be complemented and supported by protocols, devised and led by the HR department, so that those not in the room are kept involved. It was also important that members of staff embraced these tools when offered them.

Incentives and disincentives to return

An officer pointed out that, as per internal surveys, whilst staff had doubts about a return to a 5 day-a-week frequency, they were, in the main, keen to come in for between 2-4 days.

We needed to be mindful that certain groups in the workforce, including new starters, junior staff and apprentices, would likely gain more from coming in on a more frequent basis for things like training and building up their own networks. It should also be pointed out that their provision (desk space etc) at home was likely to be somewhat less equipped than that for more senior staff members.

Members pointed out that transportation to and from the office will be a barrier to encourage people to come back. People were rightly concerned for their health in the short term, and it was likely that high train ticket costs would prove a disincentive over the longer term. It was noted that discussions were taking place between government and the train operating companies about the introduction of flexible season tickets, which would, it was envisaged, bring costs down for those working in a hybrid pattern.

Officers informed Members that options around the future of London Weighting were being considered, a Report would be submitted to the appropriate Committees in due course.

Separately, a Member identified two downside risks of remote working, namely;

Staff maintaining good mental health

This was difficult for managers and HR to monitor when people were based predominantly at home. The organisation may need to think about policies around the hours that people work. Clearly, working excessive hours would have a detrimental impact on people’s mental health and it was important that people maintained a good work-life balance. The Chamberlain’s department has looked at Workplace Analytics tools which monitor and alert line managers to individuals working excessive hours, but this would first need to be approved as a corporate policy before being rolled out.

Gender equality

Given the issue around presenteeism often being a gateway to promotion, we needed to guard against a situation where women, who are also mothers, choose to spend a greater part of the working week at home caring for children, compared to men who may come into the office more frequently. This would need to be monitored closely. Officers confirmed that the Corporation’s Women’s Inclusive Network and Carers Network were honing ideas on these types of issues and will be coordinating with the Human Resources Department over the coming months.

Next steps

Members emphasised that the optimal future model will not be achieved over the short term. A cross departmental strategy, incorporating the buildings, the IT infrastructure, and people would need to be carefully considered, with an emphasis on clearly identifying the needs of the organisation and individuals, the benefits of coming into the office, and striking the correct balance for all. Whilst excessive remote working should be avoided, it was clear that we could derive significant benefits from new hybrid ways of working.

Summing up, the Chairman thanked Members and officers for their contributions, this was a useful topic for this Sub-Committee to monitor in future, and he suggested that, given the focus on the operational buildings and IT, there might also be scope for E&P to hold a joint meeting with the Corporate Asset Sub-Committee and Digital Services Sub-Committee to examine these issues further.

The Chamberlain informed Members that the Return to the Office Group, composed of chief and other senior officers, were looking at these issues in depth. She would let the Group know of the comments made by Members today and would, in turn, keep E&P updated as to developments and progress made by the Group.

RESOLVED – that the Committee noted both the Report of the City Surveyor and the Report of the Chamberlain.