The
facts
Client: Sheffield City
Council
Location: Sheffield
Services: Project management, behavioural
change
Sector: Local authority
Contract Type: Framework Agreement
Project Value: N/A
Start/Completion: 2010 - 2011
The project
‘Workstyle’ is Sheffield City Council’s
inaugural approach to flexible working. It provides the opportunity
for staff to work flexibly across the city, improving customer
contact and reducing wasted time and travel.
The project was a pilot ‘proof of concept’,
focussing on introducing flexible working into the council’s
Redvers House office with the objective of increasing the occupancy
from 500 to over 700. This was to be achieved by improving the
space efficiency by nearly 50% by adopting new ways of working,
utilising technological tools, and enhancing the working
environments. The additional staff were being decanted from other
offices, which in turn allowed Sheffield City Council to realise
the financial benefits of terminated leases, leading to reduced
operating costs, whilst simultaneously improving service through
better team cohesion, collaboration and flexible work tools.
Capita Symonds’ Strategic Property and
Workplace Projects team designed, developed and delivered the
engagement and education programme to change behaviour, and acted
as a ‘glue’ to bind the various workstreams together, ensuring the
council’s businesses were maximising the benefits of
Workstyle.
Capita Symonds’ input to our Workstyle project ensured we delivered it on time, on budget and to the standard required. Their work on behavioural change significantly helped to move people towards implementing flexible working, which in turn, changed the way we work and realised several softer benefits. Our project team have also improved their capabilities; a key objective of our partnering approach.
Nalin Seneviratne, Director of Property Services, Sheffield City Council
The team developed a full education and
engagement programme to facilitate the change in behaviour required
to fully implement Workstyle. The programme was designed at three
levels; director, senior/team manager, and all staff.
Engagement at director level was through
presentations and attendance at senior management team meetings.
With managers, there was a two-fold approach; the first stage was a
series of ‘Manager Awareness’ workshops outlining the impact of
Workstyle on management style, while to provide additional support
to managers, a one to one coaching programme was adopted with 40
nominated team leaders. This intensive engagement involved a
workplace consultant (independent of the project team) who provided
life coaching and management development, and who was able to allow
managers to speak openly and in confidence.
Outcomes
- £500k pa operating cost savings
- £350k pa predicted service benefits
- Cultural and behavioural shift towards flexible
ways of working