8 November 2019
Website
You should all be aware that we have been redeveloping our website and Infonet over the last year or so. Well, the time to launch our new website and intranet (Kaonet) is finally approaching. We are planning to launch both in the week of 25 November 2019.
The new website is designed to be mobile-first (54% of our visitors are using them), easier to understand and more transactional, so that our users can complete tasks online. Its design has been based on over two years’ worth of statistics on how people use our site, as well as customer feedback.
This is what part of the homepage of the website will look like:
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The new Kaonet has been designed with your feedback from the Infonet survey in mind – thank you again to everyone who took the time to give us your thoughts. The new Kaonet will be regularly updated with the latest staff news and events, be more user friendly and will feature a new staff directory, where everyone will have a photo (more on that next week).
If you have any questions about the new website or Kaonet, contact Simon Pipe.
WIS is changing
The launch of Kaonet gives us an opportunity to increase our internal communications. We plan to use Kaonet to keep you updated about staff news and events throughout the week, and not just when WIS is published.
This month, WIS will have been published for 16 years and in that the time it has largely been in the same Word document format. Now is the time to use new technology to improve how we communicate with you.
This is an example of how the Kaonet news page will look:
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From the end of November, every Friday before midday you will receive an e-bulletin straight into your inbox rounding up the latest updates on Kaonet. This will also provide links to the latest staff and council news which has been published during the week.
We have listened to your feedback from the recent WIS survey and this is the basis for the new format. There will be new features launched with the return of the ‘getting to know teams’ feature, a regular ‘health and wellbeing in focus’ feature and a new ‘my day’ item, which will help staff learn a bit more about each other and what you do.
We are going to focus more on articles submitted by staff, and it doesn’t all have to be about work, so articles on what you are doing out of work, fundraising events, births and marriages are welcome. Staff and internal events will have their own page on Kaonet and be linked to in the e-bulletin. Kaonet also provides better capability of sharing videos and clips within articles and more images.
These are examples of how articles will look:
You will still be told about the same issues, which would appear in WIS, like pay and pension changes, staff development and training opportunities, internal changes, budget developments and the big stories affecting you and the town. But these will be available to read when they happen, not a few days or a week later in WIS.
The latest headlines from the Senior Management Board will also be shared with you and My Week will continue.
If you have any questions about the changes please email Communications.
#OurDay
We will be taking part in #OurDay next Tuesday 19 November 2019. This is a day-long national social media campaign celebrating council staff who help people and improve their lives. A number of teams are set to take part. There will be a roundup of the day’s activities in next week’s WIS.
If you would like to take part there is still time, please contact Jeenina Francis.
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S taff survey 2019 latest
Thank you to all colleagues who have already taken the time to complete the 2019 staff survey.
If you haven’t completed the survey yet, I want to encourage you to please take the time to do so. It should take no longer than 10 minutes and can be completed during work time.
If you have started the survey but just need to finish, we can arrange for the link to be emailed to you. If you do not wish to leave comments for the comment-only questions, you can record n/a as a response.
And don’t forget, you have until midnight on 30 November to complete your survey.
If you have any questions about the survey, please email [email protected] or contact the Policy and Performance Team.
My week – pay matters, election and education
On Monday (11 November) the voluntary living wage, set by the Living Wage Foundation, increased from £9 an hour to £9.30. We have been a Living Wage employer since 2013 and this voluntary living wage rate is paid to everyone aged 18 and older and is based on the cost of living. I am pleased to say we will implement the new rate for those staff affected immediately.
Latest on pay scales:
Meanwhile work continues on the review of salary scale spinal column points for implementation from 1 April 2020 onwards. This will form part of the budget proposals for next year. The review looks at our pay scales in comparison to the national pay scales. These new pay scales will also take into account any national pay offer for 2020 onwards, which is currently being negotiated between local government employers and the unions. This April staff received a 2% pay increase as part of a two-year offer.
Election latest:
Yesterday we announced the candidates for the general election on Thursday 12 December. Three candidates handed in their nomination papers before the 4pm deadline yesterday. The candidates standing are: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat), Robert Halfon (Conservative) and Laura McAlpine (Labour).
Staff still needed:
On election day we need two polling station clerks and 14 count assistants. The pay for count assistants is £80 and poll clerks receive £185. Both rates of pay are subject to the usual deductions. If you are interested in working or know a member of family or friend who is complete this form.
This week a meeting of the new group, Education Harlow, was held and chaired by me. This was a meeting between the council, the college and head teachers from secondary and primary schools. We spoke about the relationship between us and education providers and how we can work together, particularly to promote STEAM activities and now that we’re running Harlow Museum once again.
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This week’s meetings:
We also talked about improving relationships with local businesses including Public Health England. Other topics included the provision of youth services in the town, safety and crime and how we can engage young people better. The group will meet regularly to discuss these kinds of issues.
Today I attended a meeting of the Central Zone Alliance which is made up of us, Broxbourne, Epping, East Herts, Essex, Hertfordshire and Uttlesford councils. The alliance is part of UK Innovation Corridor.
The meeting was held here and Harlow was very much the main topic for today. We talked about the recent secretary of state visit to the town and the High Streets and Town Deal funds which have the potential to secure millions of pounds of investment to the town.
You may have seen that the alliance is currently recruiting for an Economic Development Adviser whose role will be to secure investment and support for economic growth activities.
Harlow remembers
On Monday (11 November) colleagues joined the Chair of the Council and members of the Royal British Legion when we held a two-minute silence outside the Civic Centre in the Water Gardens at 11am for Remembrance Day.
The service was broadcast live on our Facebook and Twitter pages.
I want to thank everyone who joined us in honouring our brave servicemen and women, and remembering those who lost their lives in conflict.
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Science Park home to Harlow’s 100th sculpture
A public sculpture which is a centrepiece of a new development in Harlow for innovation, science and technology has been unveiled.
The sculpture by Nick Hornby, Twofold, has been unveiled in the Harlow Science Park. Twofold is the 100th piece in Harlow’s public sculpture collection.
Its unveiling also marks the completion of the first phase of construction of the park with the development of our Nexus office building and ARISE – Anglia Ruskin’s University’s Business Innovation Centre.
Over the past fifty years Harlow Art Trust has built up a remarkable public art collection including works by Auguste Rodin, Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore, Ralph Brown, Lynn Chadwick, Lee Grandjean, Elizabeth Frink amongst many others.
Christmas party
It’s payday so it’s an ideal time to get your tickets for the Christmas party, which will take place on Friday 13 December at Burnt Mill Snooker and Social Club.
Tickets are £10 each – please contact Emma Crouch if you would like to come along.
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Christmas shutdown
Arrangements for the Christmas and New Year closedown for this and the next for the next five years can be found here.
This year the offices will close on Tuesday 24 December and open again on Thursday 2 January 2020.
More information about what you will need to do before we break up for the festive season will be published nearer the time.
Brew and Bake in aid of Prostate Cancer UK
A special tea and cake event will be held in the Staff Wellbeing Room on the first floor of the Civic Centre on Tuesday 19 November.
The event, which runs from midday until 2pm, is being held to raise money for Prostate Cancer UK. Come along for a cuppa, some cake and to help raise funds for radical improvements in the diagnosis, treatment, prevention and support to help beat prostate cancer.
There will also be raffle tickets on sale – tickets will be £1 each or £3 for five. The draw will take place on 29 November and you could win Playhouse panto tickets, a sweet tree, shopping vouchers and more.
Kelly Rees, who is organising the event, is also looking for more raffle prizes so if anyone is able to help out with this please contact her.
The Great Christmas Cake Off – 13-24 December
It's nearly Christmas. Jack and Lily are getting everything ready for the big day – putting up the decorations, wrapping the presents, and making a cake for Father Christmas.
If only they knew what type of cake to make, and they actually knew how to bake – things are going to get messy!
Following last year's Sleigh Ride, Harlow Playhouse is proud to present another festive adventure. The Great Christmas Cake Off is a brand-new, fun-filled, singalong, interactive show for 2- to 6- year-olds, their families, pre-schools and nurseries.
After the performance, children will get the chance to meet Santa and receive a special Christmas gift.
“...a bright vibrant show. The creators get the balance right between dialogue, songs and action. There is also plenty of opportunity for audience participation...a wonderfully child-friendly production." - Your Harlow on The Great Christmas Sleigh Ride
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Jack And The Beanstalk – 29 November-5 January
Harlow Playhouse presents this year’s gigantic pantomime.
Fe-fi-fo-fum – ready or not, here we come!
Life is good for the Trott Family with their farm thriving more than ever, but there is one slight problem…Giant Blunderbore!
It all takes a turn for the worse when the giant kidnaps Daisy the Cow and the rest of Dame Trott’s beloved animals. Will Jack be able to fight Giant Blunderbore and save Daisy? What might be just a bag of old beans could just be the start of a new adventure for the Trott family!
Expect new surprises, jaw-dropping effects and lots of old and new laughs for all the family!
Starring Harlow favourites Jimmy Burton-Iles as Dame Trott and Ben Parsley as Silly Billy, alongside a professional cast and live musicians, there really is no better home for pantomime in Essex this Christmas!
Items for WIS
If you would like items considered for inclusion in WIS, please contact the Communications Team. Back issues of WIS can be found on Infonet by following this link: WIS archive
If you have a bright idea to help improve the way we work, you can submit a bright idea
Once you have submitted your idea, the bright ideas staff panel will review it and make recommendations to the Senior Management Board (SMB) who will decide which ideas are adopted.
The panel will meet four times a year or sooner depending on the number of ideas submitted.
You will always get feedback on your idea, regardless of whether it is adopted. If your bright idea is adopted, it will be published in WIS and you will receive up to £50 in shopping vouchers.
Employee benefits scheme
Did you know Harlow Council has an employee benefits scheme where you can earn cashback on your online purchases and receive special discounts from national chains and High Street retailers?
For more information on the scheme and other discounts available to you visit Staff Discounts
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Employee Assistance Programme
For free, confidential information and support, 24 hours a day, for employees and their immediate family residing at the same address, visit www.thurrockeap.co.uk using the username ‘wellbeing’ and password ‘employee’. For telephone support, call 0808 168 2143.
Remember you can ask Brian a question or make a suggestion at: Put Your Question to Brian
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