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Travel alert: London Underground strike
Strike action will affect all Underground services on Thursday, 3 March.
Check before you travel here: Transport for London.
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News from Niall
Dear Colleagues
The appalling situation in Ukraine is challenging to watch, and I know colleagues across the Council family will be disturbed by this act of extreme aggression shown to a sovereign nation in Europe. Our thoughts are with the people of Ukraine in their hour of need, and I know many Ukrainian residents and colleagues will be extremely worried about their families and friends.
As we have seen in demonstrations in recent days, there has been solidarity between UK based Ukrainians and Russians in condemning the actions of President Putin. Hounslow is a borough that is proud of our diversity and unity and I know colleagues and residents will be active in supporting each other in this difficult hour. And, should it be required, we stand ready to do what we can to help any refugees.
For any colleagues who want to provide help to people who have been directly affected by the invasion, the best thing to do for now is to support the British Red Cross crisis appeal. Your donation could help someone affected get food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water: Ukraine Crisis Appeal – donate.
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Councillor Steve Curran, Leader of the Council, to stand down in May
The Leader of Hounslow Council, Councillor Steve Curran, announced at Borough Council yesterday evening that due to illness he will not be standing for election on Thursday, 5 May 2022.
I know this will be very sad news for colleagues this morning. Councillor Curran is an outstanding leader who has guided Hounslow through some of the most difficult times. His One Hounslow spirit, good humour and brilliant ability to unite our communities will be greatly missed by each and every one of us.
I would personally like to thank Councillor Curran for everything he has done for Hounslow. It has been a tremendous privilege to work for him since joining Hounslow, and I know he has inspired so many of our colleagues.
Councillor Curran will remain Leader until Tuesday, 10 May. We will be organising a special thank you before his departure, and colleagues will have the chance to pass on their messages to the Leader as part of this.
Read the statement from Councillor Curran here: Steve Curran to stand down in May.
Best wishes
Niall
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Latest news
Pay award for 2021 agreed
Each year national pay negotiations are held between Council employers and trade unions.
The discussions were particularly difficult over the last year and the 2021 pay agreement for Local Government Staff (those on ‘Green Book’ terms and conditions) has now been reached.
The final agreements are as follows:
- Local Government Staff - a 1.75 per cent pay increase effective from 1 April 2021 (this is a 2.75 per cent increase for spinal column point 1 only)
- Chief Officers – a 1.5 per cent pay increase, effective from 1 April 2021.
- Soulbury staff – a 1.75 per cent increase, effective from 1 September 2021.
You can see the new scales here: pay award 2021 information.
We will be paying the award, and any backdated payments that are due, in your March salary. If you have any queries, please contact peoplesupport@hounslow.gov.uk
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Check out Spring Forward
 Out and about in Hounslow this week? Then why not pop along to Hounslow House and visit our Spring Forward ‘pop-up’ mini marketplace.
The marketplace features a range of different stalls from council services and partners, showcasing some of the exciting things on offer to our community.
Spring Forward is open every weekday, from 9am to 5pm until Friday, 25 March.
Emotional and wellbeing support - Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
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Our EAP is here to support colleagues with free, independent and confidential advice. The service provider, Validium, will always keep your identity and anything you discuss confidential.
Further information on the EAP service can be found here: how to access the EAP.
You can also find a range of resources from Validium on the intranet. This includes the new March newsletter on mindfulness: visit the EAP resources page.
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Join UNISON, the public sector Trade Union
Pre-Election Period Guidance
Whistleblowing Policy
Today (Wednesday, 2 March) we have launched our revised Whistleblowing Policy. As public servants the way we do things and the way we behave is incredibly important. We need our residents to trust us and to have confidence in the way we run our services. If you have any concerns that we are not meeting our standards or that any ‘wrongdoing’ is taking place we want you to speak out.
In line with our policy refresh, we’ve re-designed our process so that it is simpler, shorter and clearer. We want you to have absolute confidence in our procedure and you can now report your concerns through an independent specialist organisation, Safecall, who have trained call handlers, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week if you wish to contact them by phone. You can also report any concerns online securely. You can give your name or you can remain anonymous. Once Safecall has collated the details, they will send a report through to the Director of HR and OD, Steve Whitehead, who will then decide the best route for addressing the issue(s) raised.
You can find more information, including our Whistleblowing Policy, Safecall’s details and some FAQs on our intranet pages here: Whistleblowing information
If you have any questions, please email peoplesupport@hounslow.gov.uk or speak to your People Business Partner.
Thank you for helping us be a fantastic organisation that we can all be proud of.
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Help us get to the tipping point
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Did you know that in 2021, the Council received over 24,000 reports of fly tips across the borough which cost us over £1.3m? We are determined to reduce the incidents of fly tipping which will make our borough cleaner and greener.
To do this, we want your thoughts on why you think fly tipping occurs in the borough. All answers will be confidential and will feed into designing solutions to help prevent the issue.
Take part here: investigating fly tipping in Hounslow.
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One Hounslow Colleague Expo - book now
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Last week we revealed exciting plans for our One Hounslow Colleague Expo.
The event will feature a live presentation / Q&A from Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor Lily Bath and Chief Executive, Niall Bolger, outlining our ambitions and priorities for the year ahead.
Booking is now open for the expo Q&A via the links below:
Colleagues will also have the chance to visit our LGC Council of the Year ‘market place’, showcasing the services and projects which supported our successful bid, and there will be a range of learning and development opportunities on offer.
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Have you had your say in our Mind survey?
Do you travel to Hounslow House?
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The Council is conducting research to understand colleague travel patterns to and from Hounslow House.
As part of this research, we invite you to take part in a short, five minute survey: colleague survey - travel to Hounslow House.
No personal data will be needed, and your assistance is greatly appreciated.
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New chatbot to help with HR/payroll questions
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- We're delighted to launch a new chatbot service that will assist colleagues and managers with HR and payroll related queries. The chatbot will launch on Tuesday, 1 March and will be accessible via iHounslow Employee and Manager Self-service. Full instructions will be provided on iHounslow.
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Women's Equality Network - celebrate International Women's Day
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To mark International Women’s Day, the Women’s Equality Network (WEN) would like to invite all colleagues to join a special event.
This session will take place at Hounslow House from 9.30am - 12pm on Tuesday, 8 March (6th floor).
The event will be a chance to hear more about WEN, meet with colleagues across Hounslow and to share your views on the Network's priorities.
Refreshments will be available but we ask if you can bring your own recyclable cup.
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Let's get quizzical
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Following the success of the Hounslow Big Quiz, we're back bigger and better with another quiz. This time with a session open to family and friends too.
Everyone is welcome to take part – all generations, whole families, work teams and friends in any combination. Pets as well if they happen to be around.
You can enter as a team of up to six or as an individual (and we will allocate you a team on the day). The quiz takes place on Thursday, 10 March from 4.45pm to 6.30pm. (Please note - change of time).
Sign up here: family and friends big quiz.
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Fire Marshal and fire awareness sessions
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To support our recovery and return to operations at Hounslow House, Facilities will be running fire awareness training sessions, which is mandatory for colleague/partners who currently use the building on a regular basis. Sessions will take place on Thursday, 3 March at 2pm and 3pm (via Teams). Please book your place here: fire awareness training session.
Facilities are also looking for colleagues to volunteer as Fire Marshals when they are working in the office. If you'd be interested in helping out, then please join the session on Thursday, 3 March at 12.30pm (via Teams). Book your place here: Fire Marshal training session.
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Before you go...
Let's keep in touch
If you have a new starter in your team or need to register someone to receive the Colleague Update, please email liz.carey@hounslow.gov.uk.
Do you have a story to tell?
If you'd like to submit a feature for the Colleague Update please get in touch with liz.carey@hounslow.gov.uk, we'd love to hear from you!
Next update
Monday, 7 March.
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