Measures to advance equality and inclusion outlined by County Council

Staffordshire County Council is increasing gender equality in its workplace, with a mentoring scheme for new parents, support for people going through the menopause and measures designed to address the gender pay gap being just some of the changes being implemented.

In an update report to the county council’s corporate review committee, officers outlined the measures undertaken over the last twelve months across the organisation to advance equality and inclusion.

These include:

• The continued roll out ‘smart working’ for employees, to allow for a better balance of work and home life
• A ‘Menopause at Work’ initiative to educate managers, support colleagues, and raise awareness of the issue
• Creating a Parent Leave policy for Members with the aim of attracting a more diverse cross-section of the community into councillor positions
• A mentoring scheme for new parents, which provides peer support to expectant parents before birth, during maternity leave, and returning to work

Added to this, the county council’s People Strategy includes several initiatives to promote a positive working environment, including promoting physical and mental wellbeing through the county council’s in-house physiotherapy and mental health services.

County Councillor Philip White, who heads the working group for developing a Parent Leave Policy for members said: “The county council’s People Strategy sets out a number of ways we can create a positive working environment for all of our colleagues. To retain the talent we have and attract new talent, we have to ensure we address any inequality in the workplace. This means creating more opportunities across the board, continuing our emphasis on smart and flexible working to help the work/life balance, and ensuring staff who are going through changes in their lives are encouraged and supported.”

He continued: “Over the past two years we have undertaken significant analysis to understand how to improve gender equality in the workplace. We believe that the solution to improving this is wider than just focusing on the differences between the average pay of men and women.

“The People Strategy, which focuses on our entire workforce and ensures their skills are valued, they can get access to the support they need, and promotes a positive work environment, will lead to a more diverse workforce in Staffordshire and help reduce issues like the gender pay gap in the coming years.”