Equality, diversity and inclusion annual report 2023

To maintain an inclusive and supportive environment which promotes a culture of participation and celebrates diversity and employee voice, we have a number of methods for employees to provide feedback and to participate in improving the organisation.

Culture and leadership stocktake

In 2022 we conducted a review of culture and leadership focusing on the following areas:

• learning and innovation
• goals and performance
• teamwork
• vision and values
• support and compassion
• equality diversity and inclusion

The review included interviews with senior leaders, employee focus groups and a workforce survey.

The feedback from the stocktake showed that our employees value clarity, consistency and compassion.  The areas of improvement relevant to EDI included:

• the need for all leaders to understand the challenges employees face
• more compassion and support
• for employees to be trusted and empowered to do their jobs
• for employees to have the support and confidence to ‘speak up’ against poor behaviours​

The next two years will see the development of a new set of corporate values and a leadership and management development programme.

Employee survey

We undertake an employee survey every two years. The last survey was undertaken in November 2021. 2,395 employees completed the survey– a response rate of 44.15%, which is a reduction on the 2019 survey where 47.86% or 2540 employees completed the survey.

The following questions provide an overview of employee experience including:

• line management support
• career progression
• health and wellbeing
• receiving abuse at work

The percentage and number of respondents (in brackets) who answered positively to each question are shown in the table below by:

• sex
• aged 50+
• carers
• ethnicity
• disability

Please note that a respondent may not have answered every question or shared their personal characteristics.

The survey also includes questions which collect information about work engagement using the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9). The UWES-9 defines work engagement as "...a positive, fulfilling, work-related state of mind that is characterized by vigour, dedication, and absorption.”

The overall engagement scores from this survey fall within the band of average scores 2.89 – 4.66.

Exit questionnaires

Exit questionnaires are voluntary.  They are completed when people leave the organisation or move to another role within the organisation.  The completion rate is low and there are opportunities to encourage a higher completion rate next year.

The HR department review exit questionnaires and discuss with managers if they raise any concerns. 

The employee also completes information around protected characteristics. The forms are monitored to identify if the individual has given a reason for leaving that relates to their protected characteristics.

Exit questionnaire statistics 2022 to 2023

• There were 111 exit questionnaires completed and 678 leavers in 2022 -2023. The number of interviews completed is a reduction from 156 in 21-22.
• 34% (35) of responses state that they left to pursue a different career. This was the most common reason for leaving.
• 81.1% (90) of responses agreed that their manager promoted and supported equal opportunity and fair treatment of employees
• 46.8% (52) of exit questionnaires were completed by employees aged 50 and over.  This is slightly higher than the percentage of leavers who were over 50 (42.5% or 288)
• There were fewer than 10 exit questionnaires completed by employees with a disability. Half of the responses agreed that their manager promoted and supported equal opportunity and fair treatment of employees.
• There were fewer than 10 exit questionnaires completed by employees from an ethnic minority background.  Approximately 80% of responses agreed that their manager promoted and supported equal opportunity and fair treatment of employees. 
• 80.4% (78) of exit questionnaires were completed by female employees.  This is higher than the percentage of females who left the workforce (66.9% or 451)
• 82.4% (75) of female respondents agreed that their manager promoted and supported equal opportunity and fair treatment of employees compared with 75.0% (15) of male respondents.
• 1 response referred to experiencing racist remarks from colleagues. This was looked into and addressed by the relevant assistant director.

Staff networks

There are four established staff networks in the council

• Disability Staff Network
• Identify (BAME group)
• LCC staff Carers Network
• LGBTQ+ Staff Network

There are over 200 staff members within the networks.  The groups:

• are a vital source of information sharing and peer support for the members
• provide their members with a safe space to share their experiences, a sense of belonging and support.  This empowers members to discuss concerns confidently with others
•  give us the opportunity to engage with the different communities within the workforce and contribute towards equality impact assessments
• have helped to provide advice and guidance in areas such as including the impact of transformation projects and COVID-19 working arrangements on the workforce.

All staff networks are represented on the Corporate Diversity Steering group.  They share a common terms of reference. They support our Employee Health and Wellbeing strategy and the Equality and Diversity agenda.  They work very closely together providing an important source of mutual support and solidarity on common issues.

The current networks are a great asset to the Council.  The networks have identified that they need additional support and resources to ensure that all groups can work effectively, communicate and engage with the workforce and be sustainable.

In addition, we have an e-mail address for staff to raise an equality issue directly with a senior HR officer.

Disability staff network

The Evolve staff network, formerly known as the Disabled Staff Engagement Group (DSEG) is at the forefront of providing a wide range of support to colleagues with disabilities across Lincolnshire County Council. The group currently has over 50 members who are based across different service areas, and have varying levels of seniority, and interest from within the organisation.

As part of the Joint Staff Network Committee (JSNC), the Corporate Diversity Steering Group (CDSG) and other working groups, the network regularly gets involved in projects and requests across the Council to provide valuable insight and contribution. The group exists to provide a safe and confidential forum of support, aiming to highlight key risks around accessibility whilst empowering members to advocate for their own needs.

During the past year, the network has been reviewing its offering to its members, to ensure the most necessary support is provided at the time when it is needed the most.  Member engagement has helped to shape the future focus for the group.

For the upcoming year, the Evolve network plans to:

• Establish an alternative group structure and appoint active key members.
• Re-launch the network intranet site.
• Increase disability awareness and raise the profile of the group.
• Join with Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue colleagues to develop support and understanding for colleagues who are neurodivergent.
• Understand the practical and procedural challenges faced by employees when accessing buildings and workplace facilities. To support with escalation, reporting and resolution of problems.
• Develop guidance on reasonable adjustments so group members are able to advocate for themselves confidently.

Identify staff network

The Black and Minority Ethnic Staff Engagement Group has 40 members. It provides representation and positive promotion of ethnic minority staff members, giving them peer support and safe spaces to share their experiences.

The group shares corporate, national and international information and discusses relevant topics that may otherwise not be discussed.  They provide innovative solutions to the CDSG.

The group has also engaged with other public authority BME staff groups such as the NHS and external networks including:

• the University of Lincoln
• the reimagining Lincolnshire Research project
• the Wolds Community Committee
• the Midlands BAME network chairs development group

The group has launched a number of beneficial programmes that support colleagues and customers. These have included:

• "Listening Ear" a confidential, supportive phone line for colleagues who needed an informal conversation
• KwickLincs service where colleagues in the council who speak other languages offer up their skills to support emergency requirements. 
• Addition of topical information and resources on the network intranet page for all staff to access
• Promotion of the #mynameis campaign to encourage employees who find that people mispronounce their names, to add a phonetic spelling on their e-mail signatures

The group contributes to Equality Impact Analyses such as the review of HR policies allowing consideration of the needs of people from a Black, Minority Ethnic background. The group has also fed back on guidance for risk assessments for colleagues at risk of COVID-19.

In the last year the group has

• held a conversation café for colleagues to chat about their experiences and the impact of the death of George Floyd and Black Lives Matter 
• Attended Race Equality Matters webinars
• Created and delivered Children’s Social Work Anti- Racist Practice Training Days
• Hosted bi monthly lunchtime drop in sessions
• Presented to the apprentices' group to raise awareness about the staff network
• Delivered a four week program for employees to mark Black History Month 2022
• Initiated the process for LCC to be involved in Race Equality Matters ‘spotlight organisation’
• Took part in Race Equality Week February 2023

The network priorities for 2023 to 2024 are to:

• gain additional support and resources for the running of the network
• contribute to events and communications throughout the year. 
• organise staff social events
• continue to keep up to date through equality, diversity and inclusion training
• contribute to any future Heritage sites and activities which highlight the cultural diversity of Lincolnshire
• Promote the Windrush 75th Anniversary in June 2023.
• Deliver a four week program to mark Black History Month in October 2023
• Host Race Equality Week in February 2024

Staff carer network

There are over 90 members of our growing Staff Carer Network. 524 employees who completed the 2021 employee survey consider themselves to have a caring role outside of work. The network provides support and advice for employee carers by;

• Raising awareness of employee carers through events, campaigns and communications
• Connecting employee carers to the network and wider support
• Helping each other, providing peer support across the network.

LCC is a member of the national ‘Employers for Carers’ movement. This includes many blue chip employers, who continue to innovate and share good practice in their support offerings for staff.

The staff carer network provides access to high quality information, such as Employers for Carers guides for employees, managers and employers. They hold regular ‘Carer’s Cuppas’ online and periodic meetings, offering a friendly and supportive space. The members of the network support each other providing information about useful services, increasing awareness of colleagues’ rights at work and the many benefits that we offer to our staff.

The Carer's rights day event in November 2022 was particularly successful. There were talks by members of the network sharing their personal experiences, a talk from Carers First and the Lincolnshire Carers Service, information about Connect to Support and our employee health and wellbeing offer.  The event also attracted new members to join the network.

A presentation was also delivered to LCC’s senior leaders to raise awareness of carers in the LCC workforce with a further event for managers delivered by Carers First.

The network has developed a useful manager’s resource that complements our employment policies and contributed to the new Personal Support Passport. The network is well supported by the corporate leadership team. It offers opportunities for its members to be representatives at meetings including the Corporate Diversity Steering Group, the Organisational Development Steering Group and the Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue EDI steering group.

Network priorities for 2023 to 24 are to:

• Continue to promote and raise awareness of the staff carer network to employee carers through communications and events
• Promote the use of the new Personal Support Passport
• Promote equitable access to flexible working
• Ensure that staff are not required to use annual leave for caring duties.

LGBTQ+ staff network

The network started in 2022 and has approximately 50 members from roles across the organization. The group have an active core of members working towards supporting LGBTQ+ individuals within LCC and providing a knowledge base for allies or anyone wishing to learn more about the topic.

Over the last year members of the network have attended events across the county such as the Networking with Pride Conference (organised by Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Trust) and Lincoln Pride. The group has also worked with colleagues in Children’ Services to pilot Practice Lead sessions delivered successfully to the whole service. The aim is to establish a template for such sessions in the future and liaise with other services such as Adult Care to tailor an event for their project work.

The group has also launched an intranet page with information and links to other websites covering LGBTQ+ issues.  The network is developing a peer support resource where any colleague who is struggling with their identity or would like to know more about the subject can contact an LGBTQ+ champion from in the network for an informal discussion. The network has also worked closely with colleagues in HR regarding amending the pronoun and gender options on recruitment forms and the personnel record system. 

Next year, the network is planning to have a more official presence at events such as the numerous Pride events happening around the county. They will do this by continuing to strengthen links with the other EDI networks and maximizing available resources.

Another key project is to establish an awareness campaign all through Pride month (June) to assist colleagues with understanding the history of the LGBTQ rights movement and the further progress we still have to make.

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue EDI steering group

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue’s EDI Steering Group is Chaired by Chief Fire Officer Mark Baxter. It has membership from representatives from all areas of the service and at all levels.  It also has LCC EDI strategic representative and an external Group Manager from Derbyshire Fire and Rescue as a critical friend to help drive forward our EDI Strategy. 

The Steering Group has reinforced the message to all staff that through positive EDI culture we will ensure that:

• all of our people will have opportunities to reach their potential
• everyone will have the confidence to be themselves at work in a safe and secure environment

Since forming in 2021 the group has been meeting monthly to embed knowledge and understanding of the benefits of EDI to everyone within the service.  They have been delivering a focused awareness campaign to all colleagues within the service.  Our priorities for this year have been built around the recommendations of the HMICFRS report.  This report identified areas for improvement. We have addressed these areas through:

• the development of robust equality impact assessments
• positive action campaigns for our Wholetime and On Call recruitment
•  delivery of our foundation training to all colleagues
• the embedding of the steering group as a strategic priority for the service

The Steering Group have developed several active employee groups within the service such as women’s group, LGBT+ group and careers group.

The progress that has been made through the steering group to ensure EDI is a priority for the service and that all staff have better understanding and awareness of the benefits of EDI has been recognised through a re-visit by HMICFRS.  The inspectors stated that good progress has been made in this area and were pleased with the significant progress within 2022 to 2023.

Our three year action plan is monitored and scrutinised through the steering group and Performance Management Board.  We have linked into community data sets to ensure our EDI agenda has expanded to influence areas of our business such as recruitment and prevention to ensure we will be representative of our local communities.  This is our focus for year two of our action plan to develop our data gathering and have more analysis of the impacts our EDI strategy is having in all of our activities.

Employee Health and Wellbeing Group Project Team

This group was established in early summer 2020 to oversee the delivery of our Employee Health and Wellbeing Strategy. In light of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health and wellbeing the delivery plan for the strategy was reviewed and refocused. This ensured a range of support is available for employees and managers with both physical and mental health and wellbeing. The group ensures work is focussed and targeted appropriately.  It also links in with work currently being led by Lincolnshire Community Health Services Trust (LCHS) to support employees with health and wellbeing particularly across the health and social care sector in Lincolnshire.

The LCC group is made up of representatives from HR, Health and Safety, Public Health, Adult Services, Children’s Services, Fire and Rescue and Communications.  This ensures relevant intelligence can be fed into all initiatives we undertake to support employee health and wellbeing and to reflect our supportive and inclusive culture. We engage with the Chairs of the Staff Network groups regularly to ensure feedback from the networks is captured and the offer developed appropriately to ensure support for all employees including:

• carers
• employees with a disability
• Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic employees
• LGBTQ+

Through the work of the group colleagues are offered healthy lifestyle initiatives.  A recent offer included a 12 week physical activity programme ‘Miles Better’ which was very well received.

As an organisation we know that it is hugely important we take care of our mental health. As part of our employee health and wellbeing offer we have a wide range of support open to all.  This ranges from advice to specialist sessions and practical assistance.

This includes:

• Employee Support and Counselling Service
• Resilience workshops
• Mindfulness Hour
• Mental Health First Aider network
• Being a Mindful Employer

Our Health and Wellbeing offer has been enhanced in the last year and a comprehensive package of support is now available to both employees and managers on all aspects of wellbeing. This includes both proactive, preventative measures such as resilience and mindfulness workshops, mental health first aiders,  personal support passports, grief and loss workshops, menopause cafes and trauma support as well as reactive support such as an enhanced counselling offering including one off wellbeing check ins.

In addition, all our staff can access The Staff Wellbeing Hub run by LPFT (Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust).  This provides a confidential space to share concerns and worries without the fear of being judged.

Organisational Development Steering Group

The Organisational Development Steering Group is made of representatives from across the council. It is one of our key engagement groups for workforce issues.  It meets quarterly and works collaboratively and creatively to support the delivery of our initiatives including:

• Employee Health and Wellbeing;
• Engagement and Development; and
• People Strategy

Mindful Employer Charter

The Mindful Employer Charter shows our commitment to supporting employees' mental wellbeing. As a Mindful Employer we are committed to creating a supportive and open culture, where colleagues are able to talk about mental health with confidence that they will be supported.

We are making mental health and resilience training available to all colleagues.  There was a particular focus on managing mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic and we continue to enhance the support we offer.

We worked with health partners to set up a priority referral process to the Steps2Change service. This is a free NHS service that provides a range of evidence based talking therapies for problems such as:

• depression
• anxiety
• post-trauma reaction
• panic
•  phobia
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Ageing better

A programme of work was developed by Public Health and HR to consider the support in place for our employees aged 50 plus. In 2021 we reviewed the support in place which enabled us to identify areas for future focus, this was updated in 2022.

The work forms part of our partnership with the Centre for Ageing Better. This is a charitable foundation, whose vision is for a society in which everyone can live a good later life. More information on the national Ageing Better charity can be found on the ageing better website, or on the partnership with Lincolnshire pages here.

For the - 'Fulfilling Work' part of the programme and as part of our commitment as an ‘Age Friendly employer’, we are introducing:

• the personal support passport, a tool for employees to use to share information about their personal circumstances that may affect them at work
• data analysis on the characteristics of employees who sign up for health and wellbeing support and initiatives to understand how the services may be improved
• age positive imagery in recruitment advertisements
• an age positive approach to workforce planning, career progression, learning and apprenticeships
• the day one right to request flexible working
• ‘your life’ MOTs to provide information to support wellbeing for your health, finances and career

This will help to improve our employees’ wellbeing and financial security in later life.

We are also an advocate for employers in Lincolnshire and we have developed a toolkit of our templates so that others can follow the same process to become an Age Friendly employer.