West Berkshire Council Weeknotes #85

As an organisation I believe that West Berkshire Council has taken many positive steps to make all people feel warmly welcomed into it. Over recent years it has focused on those who may feel marginalized or excluded. An example that springs to my mind, is how we have used our own apprenticeship scheme to reach out to those young people who have been in our care, another would be our recent focus on attracting more female Councillors.

However, there is of course always more that we can all do. This has very much been in my mind as I have experienced how others outside of WBC have addressed this and with National Inclusion Week here I thought I would share some of those thoughts.

Could our recruitment process encourage a more diverse workforce? Having recently been through the recruitment process of another organisation I found myself taking part in a skill-based recruitment process that aims to make decisions without any bias. Interviews are offered based only on the responses to specific skills related questions with no prior knowledge of the candidate's background, including qualifications, previous positions or outside interests. This type of inclusive recruitment brings forward candidates based on merit only. Is this something we should consider?

I hear too often that we have hard to fill vacancies, but could we be doing more in draw in those who find it harder to be included. Young people lacking experience are perhaps the most obvious and particularly those with additional needs. I have been advocating for more apprenticeships within the authority throughout my time as an elected member. Is experience vital for every role? The barrier to recruiting a young person with no experience seems to be the time that is needed to support that young person. With resources stretched I understand this, but could we be more creative in our approach?

Inclusive recruitment should then be mirrored by inclusive employment. This seems particularly topical this year with the changes to our workplace and the bringing together of all in Market Street. Are we getting our environment right for all? Do we have quiet spaces, particularly important for those with neurodiversity, but we all sometimes just need quiet to focus. Is there enough space for all to manoeuvre? Have we made the new space welcoming to those with physical disabilities? Are we giving everybody the opportunity to share time with their colleagues? Is there enough communal space? Is there more we could do to ensure all feel welcome?

I know we want to get this right and would welcome thoughts or ideas as to how we ensure that West Berkshire Council is a great place to work for everyone. Let's make sure that this Inclusion Week we not only listen, but act.