It has been announced that Bridgend Council has decided to adopt a permanent hybrid working policy for the majority of its staff.

Most local authority staff will now work from home or in different buildings during the working week, following the success of the interim policy, which was introduced in October 2022.

The new policy was approved at a cabinet meeting held by the council on December 19, with a report highlighting that staff were largely positive about the plans, with 72% of respondents saying they were satisfied with them.

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Officials said they had also been in talks with unions in the meantime, adding that the feedback they received reflected that provided in an employee survey earlier this year.

The report states that the policy is in line with the authority’s commitment to “improve the working environment for employees by providing greater flexibility for remote working” and the Welsh Government’s target for at least 30% of the workforce to work flexibly. . and work from home at any time until 2024.

The report states: “The 2020 coronavirus pandemic has meant the council has had to adapt and deliver many services virtually, with staff often working remotely from their homes. Although not all services were affected in this way, some employees continued to work full time. In service delivery settings, this experience has created an opportunity to review the council’s working model to ensure it is able to deliver on its purposes in the future.

“The hybrid working model offers a blended approach that can adapt to the wide range of services the council offers. The application of hybrid work depends on the demands and needs of the role the employee performs and the service within which the role is performed. “It also offers employees more flexibility in their work practices, promoting a better work-life balance.”

Council chairman Hugh David welcomed the move, saying: “I certainly support it and it is good to see that we have the support of our union colleagues to represent the workforce.”

“Now it is seen as an advantage for the organization and a benefit for some people who want to work for the organization. This is important because we know that at the moment it is difficult to recruit for all types of departments and services.” For the latest Bridgend news, sign up to our newsletter here.