A People Strategy for the local authority sector was formally launched in October 2018.  It sets out a roadmap for the management of human resources within the local government sector to support business goals and outcomes and to ensure a motivated and committed workforce equipped to provide optimum standards of service delivery.

The People Strategy identifies six objectives:

• Plan and Deliver our Organisations Workforce Requirements
• Be an employer of choice
• Create culture of continuous learning and development
• Empower and enable our managers and supervisors
• Promote positive Employee Relations and engagement
• Create a fair, supportive and healthy working environment

Arising from the ‘promote positive employee relations and engagement’ objective, Meath County Council has developed ‘MCC Connect’, an employee communication tool available as an App on mobile devices and desktop.

35% of Meath County Council staff are engaged in outdoor related work activities. As in most local authorities these staff do not have regular access to work email or PCs. This can generate a feeling of disconnectedness as these staff do not receive information that is available to their indoor colleagues. Paper communications is costly and inefficient as information is not being delivered in real-time, therefore a new method of communication with this cohort of staff was necessary. In this regard, the HR Department worked with staff, trade unions and workplace partnership and identified that a mobile device App would be the optimum solution to connect with outdoor staff and to ensure positive employment relations and engagement.

The App is cost effective, user friendly and fast in terms of disseminating information to outdoor staff. It provides a weekly staff newsletter, HR policies and procedures, information on job vacancies, HR contact lists, staff updates, social club events and much more. App users can share images taken during extreme weather alerts that can then be shared further by the Council to customers via social media and other platforms.  Staff can also engage with HR by submitting feedback and recommendations which assists the continuing development of features of the App.

When piloted to a number of outdoor staff the App proved very successful and positive. An information leaflet was designed and was distributed to all outdoor staff in order to help users understand the App’s functionality and get the most benefit from the overall experience. HR Department staff visited depots where the outdoor staff are based in order to assist with setting up the App where required and to encourage use of the App.

Speaking at the launch Meath County Council Chief Executive, Jackie Maguire said, “Having this App will enhance the organisation’s employee relations by bridging the indoor-outdoor gap and ensuring that outdoor staff receive the same communications as their indoor colleagues”.

David Hyland, General Operative said “The App is easy to set up and use. It is great to get the same information at the same time as the indoor staff. It also means we are better connected to our colleagues”.

It is planned to roll out the App to all outdoor staff and retained fire-fighters and afterwards to make it available to indoor based staff. Once roll-out is complete all staff who opt to use the App will have access to important HR information whether they are in the office or not.

The People Strategy aims to enable and empower a motivated and committed workforce who provide a quality services to citizens and customers. It is the view of Meath County Council that this App greatly assists in achieving this aim.