I hope you’re enjoying the new freedoms we have, now that covid restriction levels are reducing. I met up with family I haven’t seen for a year, and it was lovely. Normally of course I wouldn’t be bothering you with this kind of small detail but it felt like a big, optimistic deal to me – I do hope that you’re able to do things that bring back some of the joys we’ve all been missing.
As you’ll no doubt be aware, Argyll and Bute moves from tomorrow to level 1 or 0. You can find out more about what this means for you on the Scottish Government website.
Amidst this good news, I’m now going to strike a note of caution – sorry, it has to be done! To keep this progress going, we must remember that covid-19 unfortunately is still around. Please find out about testing – whether or not you have symptoms – and carry on following covid-safe guidance. Thanks.
Homeworking – next steps
How often do you use everything you keep in your filing system? I know I often keep more than I need or will even remember I have. This is just one of the things we’ll be asking you to think about as we progress to the next stage in developing long term working arrangements for using council offices.
Do you meet with the public? Do you need confidential storage/meeting facilities? Are there any arrangements particular to your team we need to think about? The ‘Our Modern Workspace’ Project Manager will be getting in touch with managers about gathering this kind of detail.
As mentioned before, covid-safe restrictions, and the need to make savings by reducing the number of buildings the council runs, mean we must decide how we’d like to work together long term.
We want to develop working arrangements that work for us all, for our employees who deliver services, and for our partners and members of the public who work with us.
Look out for more updates as the project progresses, and if you have any questions in the meantime, you are welcome to contact workingtogether@argyll-bute.gov.uk
The benefits of coaching
Many people, including employees of this council, volunteer their time and skills to helping others. With next week UK Coaching Week, in my podcast today I speak with Stuart Green, Corporate Support Manager, about his experience in sports coaching, and the benefits this brings to him and his community.
Future updates – what would you like to hear about?
My weekly updates will no doubt continue to include news about covid and home working arrangements for some time to come, as they are such significant topics for us. If there are other aspects of the council’s work you’d like to hear from me about though, I’d love to know. You can get in touch at workingtogether@argyll-bute.gov.uk
Thanks as always for all your work. Have a great (and covid-safe) weekend.
Pippa
Pippa Milne
Chief Executive