In this issue:
What's new?
Meet your new HROnline chatbot
We’re all busy with our work and sometimes you just want speedy answers to simple questions. To make life a lot easier, we’re trialling a new HROnline chatbot (currently nameless, suggestions welcome!).
It’s there to help you with any HROnline features or questions you might have. You can find our chatbot on the HROnline Home page (under “get in touch”).
As the Chatbot is in its trial/testing period, there may be occasions when it can’t answer a question. Don’t worry though this is automatically recorded, and the team will use this to train it to make it as efficient as possible. Remember as well that our team of HR humans are also available to help if you have any queries the bot can’t answer. They can be contacted via:
- Hronline@argyll-bute.gov.uk
- 01546 605513 (Option 3)
- Support form
We hope you find it beneficial and appreciate your help in training our bot to be better!
Introducing our new Employee Onboarding Programme
Thanks to recruiting managers for your feedback, we now have a new onboarding programme. This replaces our old induction process. With new features, it’s designed to make your life easier, save time and help all new starts feel welcomed, informed and part of the council from the get go.
We’ve moved the process online, everything is now in one handy place with more detailed information so both you and your new starts know exactly what to do and where to find it.
Read more about the new features on MyCouncilWorks
Coming up
Look out for … the council’s AI Policy
There is an increasing focus on how businesses can use AI (Artificial Intelligence) in its day-to-day work. It brings possible opportunities for example in saving time by doing minutes, answering questions, or supporting customer service.
It also brings significant risks for example:
- Accuracy: AI pulls together information it identifies as relevant to questions asked; as the internet holds information that is both accurate and inaccurate, this means that AI information needs to be checked for accuracy.
- Information security: AI works in effect like a big library, full of the information that people upload into it. Once in the AI ‘library’ (or large language model) the information is available for others to find. Confidential or sensitive information therefore is not secure.
- Reputation: as AI does not distinguish between what is accurate or inaccurate information, or confidential or non-sensitive information, it could produce reputationally damaging information.
The council is therefore producing a policy on the use of AI, to help employees assess how to make effective use of it. The policy will be considered at next week’s Policy and Resources Committee and we will provide more information on it after that. We’re also developing secure ways for employees to use AI tools including Co-Pilot and ChatGPT. In the meantime, please make sure you follow the ICT Acceptable Use Policy that includes guidance on appropriate use of our systems.
If you have any questions, please contact workingtogether@argyll-bute.gov.uk
Be a great visitor
We’re running our ‘Have a Great Time, Be a Great Visitor’ campaign again this summer to help people make the most of their time in the area and keep Argyll and Bute beautiful.
The Comms Team launched the initial campaign after lockdown in response to feedback from local communities looking to promote responsible tourism.
The posts have been well received and include messaging such as:
- Take your litter home with you
- Park responsible
- Drive safely on rural roads
- And, plan ahead for overnight accommodation
For more information about the campaign, visit the council website.
Quality Conversations survey
Are Quality Conversations working for you? There’s still time to complete our annual Quality Conversations survey and tell us what you think. It takes a few minutes, it’s anonymous and will help us understand what’s working and what’s not so we can keep improving how we work together.
Deadline is 13 May.
Managers please complete both forms and if you have offline colleagues, please let them know.
No Mow May
Tomorrow is 1 May. We’re encouraging people to put their lawnmowers in the shed for a few weeks and support Plantlife’s No Mow May.
Help wildlife habitat and leave a patch of garden to grow wild, providing vital food for bees and butterflies. It couldn’t be easier to take part – just sit back and enjoy the garden.
Congratulations
Huge congratulations to all the individuals and teams nominated, this quarter, through AB Recognition by colleagues and members of the public for your outstanding work.
AB Recognition has been successfully running for a year now with a total of 146 nominations received since its launch in April 2024. We’ll be reviewing our first year very soon to evaluate what has gone well and any areas for improvement.
This quarter’s nominations highlight the incredible difference we make when we work together to deliver services to our communities. It’s wonderful to see your dedication acknowledged and celebrated.
Here are just a few examples of the reasons why colleagues and teams received recognition:
- Being shortlisted for an award at the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership Conference 2025 for innovative efforts in repurposing empty homes for HSCP staff, addressing housing challenges.
- Developing a seamless, user-friendly P1 registration system through expertise and efficiency.
- Providing exceptional care and support to a family during a difficult time, demonstrating kindness and dedication.
- For excelling in food quality and promotion, updating customers via Facebook with menu and offers at the Helensburgh Civic Centre Cafe.
Congratulations to everyone involved in our wild venison in schools pilot. Last week the council won the ‘Best Sustainability Project in the UK at the Public Sector Catering Awards 2025.
The project is a collaboration between the council, Wild Jura and Food for Life. Making good use of the local larder on Islay and Jura, children are now served wild venison as part of their school meals. The field to fork project has zero air miles making it both a climate friendly and highly nutritious option.
Speaking about the project, Christine Boyle, Catering, Cleaning, Events and Food Strategy Manager Senior Manager said:
“It has been a joy to be part of such a unique and now award-winning project. This is a win for everyone involved. The project plays a crucial role in advancing the goals of the Good Food Nation Act, benefiting island communities, supporting local businesses, fostering community wealth building, and contributing to a sustainable food system.
It’s been great to work with Wild Jura and I’d like to thank children and staff at Small Isles Primary School for their essential input, excellent recipe testing and positive feedback throughout the project. Colleagues in Education, Catering and Procurement have worked together to make this UK first the success it is.”
Well done to Isla Binnie, our Empty Homes Officer. Isla received a commendation at this year’s Scottish Empty Homes Awards, in the Outstanding Contribution category.
The annual awards, issued by the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership (SEHP), celebrate the people and organisations working to bring empty homes back into use. A great achievement as we continue to tackle the housing emergency in Argyll and Bute.
A marathon effort!
Rachel, our Communications Project Officer, tells us about her recent London Marathon adventure.
‘If you’d asked me a year ago to run a marathon I would have laughed at the very idea of it – then I got a spot in the London marathon…
I’ve been a runner on and off over the years but really struggled to even do a 5k after having my second baby, but I knew I wanted to get fitter and feel better and have more energy. In a moment of madness I applied for the ballot (no one I know has ever actually got a place before!) and it felt like winning the lottery. Over the past 6 months or so I’ve slowly chipped away, from 5k to 10k then a bit more. It’s been amazing to explore bits of Argyll and Bute I’d never ran around – Ardgartan, Arrochar and parts of the Three Lochs Way. It was hard training made better by beautiful scenery, even in the winter.
London was an amazing experience, a great atmosphere and day out for the family.
If I can run then anyone can. You’ll feel a million times better for it!’
What adventures have you been up to? Let us know, we’d love to feature your achievements. Get in touch via Cascade@argyll-bute.gov.uk
Connect for Success
In this month’s special feature we hear from Chief Executive Pippa Milne about change and consider the question – with so much change around us, where’s the continuity?
Connect for Success is all about transformation, the way we develop our services, the new things we need to help us do our jobs and changing what we do across the council to meet the demands on us. Change is rarely easy and often complex. Sometimes change is forced upon us by difficult budget decisions and at other times it’s because we see there’s opportunity to grow with a new approach. With so much change at work and in the world around us, I think we also need to think about – where’s the continuity? And for me the answer is simple – it’s you. It’s our purpose.
Every day, regardless of what’s new or different, we – you – go to work for Argyll and Bute Council and help us make Argyll and Bute the place to be. In each individual way – whether that’s feeding kids healthy meals at school, assessing road safety, helping someone organise their wedding or managing your team finances, you make a difference and you, in a sea of change, keep doing that. And with any change at work – it has to work for you. It has to help you do your job and deliver what’s needed.
For some people this has meant learning new IT skills, for others it has meant changing how they manage their team. For me – I’ve reached out to x leaders and developed connections – I’ve tried to change how I meet with people, making the best use of technology and embrace newness.
Connect for Success is about the big stuff – how we digitalise, how we support employee empowerment, how we learn and work together, but it’s also about helping you change in a way that’s right for you so you can keep doing what you do in a changing world.
I’m always keen to hear your thoughts so please do email me at workingtogether@argyll-bute.gov.uk.
Newsflash from April
Training and useful resources
New courses on LEON
Engaging with communities: Engaging with communities
New E-learning course for staff in a community facing role who will be undertaking or organising engagement activities on behalf of the council.
Power BI
One of the products in the Microsoft 365 (M365) productivity suite, Power BI includes some familiar aspects of Microsoft Excel but with much greater capacity to combine and visualise data from multiple sources. Take a look at the new Power BI resource page with lots of useful tutorial videos.
Meaningful mentoring [Podcast]
Have a listen to this quick 8 minute long podcast on the topic of mentoring.
Did you know?
Managers – you can view courses your team have completed on LEON and check that everyone is up to date with mandatory training.
Communities Engagement Framework
Effective engagement support councils to improve the services they deliver, make effective use of resources, and build more productive and positive relationships with communities.
Our Engaging Communities Framework is a resource for you and elected members to support good practice, develop skills in engagement, plan engagement activities and find everything in one handy place.
You can quickly access the sections you need on MyCouncilWorks.
Save time with our Community Engagement app
We know many of you carry our consultations and often we’re all trying to reach the same people. To help avoid consultation fatigue and to save you time, the Comms Team has developed a handy Community Engagement app. This lists council consultations and surveys that services have already carried out and any planned for the future. It also includes a checklist to make sure you’ve covered all necessary steps when carrying out a consultation.
You can find the Community Engagement App on MyCouncilWorks.
Get involved
From time to time, all local authorities review the Scheme for the Establishment of Community Councils. This takes into account changing circumstances and any representations made to councils.
On 24 April, Argyll and Bute Council agreed to progress with a review of its existing scheme. Full details of the proposed amendments are available on the council website along with details of how you can make your views known.
If you would like any more information, or would like hard copies of the documents before responding, please email: communitycouncils@argyll-bute.gov.uk or call 01546 604331.
Good to know
Electricity meter switch-over
Do you have a radio teleswitch (RTS) or dynamically teleswitched (DTS) electricity meter, similar to the one pictured?
If so, energy suppliers are advising you to replace it with a smart meter before 30 June to avoid potential issues with heating and hot water.
The smart meter installation is free and works the same way as your current meter. Please contact your energy provider if you think you have one of the meters concerned.
Visit the Ofgem Website for more information.