Our people

Our People Strategy

Our People Strategy sets out how we will achieve our shared outcomes by having people with the right skills, values and behaviours, and by working in partnership in our places.

Our People Strategy has our values and behaviours at its heart. The Strategy has four outcomes, supported by our People Pledge and a programme of work that supports working towards achieving the outcomes for all our staff. These outcomes are: Healthy and Well; Inclusive Employer of Choice; Effective and Compassionate Leadership; and Skilled, Flexible, and Engaged. These outcomes will be implemented through a number of actions across the priorirties included in this three year plan.

We want healthy, motivated, and flexible staff with the right skills, values and behaviours to work in partnership with people and places.

Our three values are: kindness, pride and inclusion. Our six behaviours are: supportive, communicate, respectful, flexible, positive and honest.

Our culture, 'Our Council'

'Our Council' is an initiative to refresh and strengthen our organisation's culture. It is a way of guiding the way we work as an organisation. It has seven key principles, which can be applied to every team and service across the council.

Our transformation vision

The council has recently been through a period of challenge and change. It has meant that a lot of our services have changed, and we've had to adapt to some difficult circumstances. We have introduced this initiative, to support us to move forward now that we are in a more stable financial position. This will help us look positively towards the future and deliver on the improvements we need to make, helping us deliver on the ambitions we have set out in this Council Plan, and the recommendations made to us in the recent LGA (Local Government Association) Corporate Peer Challenge.

Getting the basics right

  • Residents have access to reliable, high-quality services.
  • We communicate effectively with residents.
  • Employees understand how they contribute to the bigger picture and what outcomes their work helps to achieve.
  • Services manage budgets, performance, contracts and staff effectively and efficiently. We celebrate our successes, internally and externally.

Focuses on customers

  • Residents understand what we can and can't do.
  • We communicate honestly and openly with customers.
  • We set and communicate expectations for high customer experience standards.
  • We clearly define and understand who our customers are.
  • Services are designed from the viewpoint and experience of the customer.
  • We seek and respond to customer feedback, using data and insight to understand the needs of customers now, and in the future.

Lives within its means

  • Employees understand that the money we spend is public money and must be spent wisely.
  • The council does not spend more money than it has.
  • Services understand their budgets and have the right skills to manage them effectively.
  • Services have a good understanding of current and future pressures on budgets, and this understanding is supported by clear information and analysis.
  • Services spend money effectively and efficiently, demonstrating value for money.

Is kind, inclusive and proud

  • We are kind so that our behaviour makes each other feel included, happy and well.
  • We work with each other and are friendly, considerate and appreciative.
  • We 'do with, not to' showing kindness to each other and to our citizens.
  • We recognise, and embrace the unique identities of colleagues, citizens and our local places, and actively work to remove barriers to inclusion where they exist.
  • We recognise and celebrate our individual and collective achievements.
  • We are proud of Kirklees, its places and its people.

Collaborates and connects

  • Employees communicate openly and honestly with each other on a regular basis, both within and across different teams, services and organisations.
  • We work together as one council, with services regularly sharing information about issues that cross different service boundaries.
  • We make use of the restorative practice approach and provide each other with 'high support' and 'high challenge'.
  • We share both challenges, and successes with each other on a regular basis.
  • We work effectively together with members, partners and other stakeholders.
  • We make the most of the opportunities for collaboration that in-person working brings.

Takes responsibility

  • We identify and deal with problems quickly, with clear communication along the way.
  • When it isn't clear who owns a problem, we talk to each other and establish ownership.
  • We set out clear, specific and time bound actions to resolve problems moving forward.
  • We proactively identify opportunities for communities to take ownership of things the council may not be able to deliver going forward.
  • We support communities in taking ownership but know when to get out of the way, so things can be shaped and led by the people that will benefit.
  • The council makes informed, timely and effective decisions.

Listens and responds

  • We listen and respond to feedback from colleagues, customers, councillors and partners.
  • We listen and respond to the feedback we receive about our individual performance.
  • We seek open and honest feedback from the people and organisations we work with.
  • Services develop specific, measurable, and achievable actions for the feedback we receive. We communicate our response to feedback in a timely manner.
  • We understand how to use consultation and engagement methods effectively and seek creative and engaging ways to get the feedback we need.