October 2023

4 October - Reminder on SAP and Business Warehouse refresh - downtime

Staff are reminded that changes are due to happen to both our SAP and Business Warehouse servers this month - which will result in both systems being unavailable for a period of time.

Staff have been kept updated on this activity through Managers Briefings which outlined processes to follow during their downtime. Key information is summarised below as a reminder.

1. SAP

• will be unavailable for all users for 10 days, from Saturday 14 October 2023.
• users will be able to log on again from Tuesday 24 October 2023

Unavailable SAP systems during downtime:

• SAP
• My Portal *
• Fiori
• Supplier Portal
• Bizaps Employee Portal/Business Services
• Access Control/GRC Application
• SAP Process Integrator (SAP PI) affecting only SAP interfaces

SAP Users

• You will not be able to login to complete any activity during this downtime.
• Entries to SAP should be made before or after the downtime - a schedule of activities and cut off dates has been issued to key managers to help facilitate this.

* My Portal users

• Access- My Portal will be unavailable for all purposes during the SAP downtime.
• Annual leave - staff will be unable to view annual leave quotas and book time off using My Portal - please continue to speak to your manager about any leave requests during this time so that they can be recorded locally. 
• Overtime and expenses - requests for overtime, travel, mileage, and general expense claims should be held locally during the downtime.
• Absences- details of any sickness absence reported during the system downtime should be held locally.
• Payslips -CBS will be unable to provide copy payslips during the SAP downtime however, staff due to be paid on:
  • Tuesday 17 October (four weekly) will be able to view their payslip in My Portal on Thursday 12 and Friday 13 October before the SAP downtime starts.
  • Thursday 26 October (monthly) will be able to view their payslip in My Portal on Friday 13 October, or on Tuesday 24 October.
  • There is no change to current process forweekly paid employees.

Updating My Portal

From Tuesday 24 October- all users must make sure that My Portal is updated for all working time requests, expense claims, annual leave and absences that have been authorised during the downtime.

2.   Business Warehouse

• will be unavailable for all users,for 13 days,from Tuesday 24 October 2023.
• users will be able to log on again from Monday 6 November 2023
• Only Business Warehouse will be unavailable during its downtime. 
• SAP and the systems noted above will not be affected by BW downtime and will all be available to users.
• During the BW planned downtime, you will be unable to run ad hoc or scheduled reports from this application.

Key update for Business Intelligence and Business Objects users

We are pleased to confirm that Business Intelligence/Business Objects will be available for useas normal during this period.  Please note that data in the system relating to time management will be static as at close of business Friday 13 October 2023.

Please disregard the note in the previous communication which stated that it would be unavailable for your use during the downtime. All users have been communicated with and we apologise for any confusion this has caused. 

We would like to reassure all staff that everyone will continue to be paid as normal during the downtime - using existing business continuity processes where required.

4 October - COSLA's pay negotiations and what this means for Glasgow staff

Over recent weeks, COSLA, the umbrella body that represents Scottish councils and trades unions, have been continuing their negotiations on a pay offer for staff - for the current financial year, 2023 to 2024.

COSLA Pay Offer

They have asked that we share their 'Your Pay: The Reality' document with all staff.

alongside their 'Your Pay: The Facts' which explains what the offer is.  

What does this offer mean for Glasgow City Council staff?

However, we are aware that it may be difficult for you to understand upon first glance, how this offer applies to you - as we currently have a pay scheme that is significantly different from most other local authorities.

For example, the COSLA offer is based on a 37-hour week, rather than 35 hours - and it uses a different scale, with no Working Context or Non-Standard Working Pattern payments.

So, in order to ensure that you have the same information as other local government workers, we have calculated what the impact of the COSLA offer would be to a range of Glasgow City Council roles.  The table below shows an example of what the current rates of pay are and what they would be for Grades 1 - 8 under the new offer. 

Non-Standard Working Pattern and Work Context and Demands payments 

• For staff in receipt of Non-Standard Working Pattern and Work Context and Demands payments - there is a proposed 5.5% pay increase across the board for all pay points.

For more detailed information please refer to the above linked COSLA documents.

4 October - For your future - are you in?

Though life after work may seem far away, it's never too early to start saving for your future.  A pension is a great, low-cost way to build up cash to fund your later years to help you enjoy your lifestyle and meet future living expenses. By making regular and affordable contributions which build up over time - you can feel secure and have peace of mind for your future. So, are you in? 

The council is a member of the Strathclyde Pension Fund (SPF) which is part of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) - one of the most generous schemes in the UK and one of the biggest in the world.

Why join the fund?

Being part of the scheme provides you with many benefits including a future income which is independent of share prices and stock market fluctuations, at a low, tax-free contribution - as the council contributes most of the cost for you. You can also transfer previous public sector pensions into your fund too. 

Angie Simpson, Operational Manager at Customer and Business Services (CBS) has worked for the council for 37 years and joined the scheme on her 18^th birthday.  Angie explained: "I had a break in my pensionable service which I now regret and have been paying Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVC's) to make up some of the short fall.  I also love having the comfort and security of knowing my family will be looked after should anything happen to me.  It's a difficult time as it is without having financial worries"

Angie continued: "The benefits are amazing - I have the flexibility to retire early and still have a steady income.  I always encourage younger staff to join the scheme, as the deduction comes straight off your pay, you don't miss the money and you get tax relief on your contributions, so it doesn't cost as much as you think."

Already a member?

If you are already in the scheme, you should have received an email or letter asking you to access your annual update which shows details of all the benefits for you and your family. It shows you how much your pension from Strathclyde Pension Fund will be and the pension you earned in 2022 to 2023. You should take the time to check it, as this is the amount that we will adjust for inflation until you retire. Final salary benefits increase in line with your current salary. 

Your 2023 pension update is available online. It is quick and easy to access this. Simply login or register for SPFOnline to be able to view your pension updates and see your retirement calculation documents. You can also calculate your benefits at your chosen retirement date, as well as see how much pension you could exchange for extra tax-free cash at retirement.  The online service is simple to use and allows you to update your contact and nomination details too. It is important that we have the right personal details to allow us to pay your pension benefits when they become due. The online user guide can be accessed here.

Angie manages her pension online and explains why it is a great tool, she continued: "I like looking at when I can retire, changing the year to get an idea of the approximate lump sum and pension I will receive.  The thing I like most about it is that it's instant, so whenever I want to, I can easily log in and run calculations to different dates."

Linda Welsh, Pension Scheme Manager concluded: "I would encourage all staff to join the pension scheme, the benefits are fantastic and it's so easy to join, just contact CBS and you can also manage your account online too.  Even if you are just starting out in your career, it's important to start saving for your future, as the longer you are in the scheme, the more you will build up."

For a small cost now, you are providing for a much brighter future - the longer you are in the scheme, the brighter that future will be.

For further information visit www.spfo.org.uk

You can use SPFOnline to view your own pension updates, carry out calculations and update your personal details.  You can also send secure enquiries through the contact us section on your SPFOnline dashboard.

Email SPFO in Outlook  or phone on 0345 890 8999

4 October - Tell us what you think: to help make our communities safer

National Hate Crime Awareness Week takes place from 14 to 21 October 2023. You can get involved by responding to our Staff Hate Crime Survey and telling us what you think. This survey will help us understand what council staff thinks about hate crime, so whether you've had personal experience with hate crime or not we'd like to hear your views.

Danni Glover, Hate Crime Policy Officer said: "According to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), 29% of all hate crime in Scotland was reported in Glasgow last year, with the largest categories being race and sexual orientation hate crime. That's only part of the picture - according to Stonewall, only one out of every eight hate crimes are reported to the police.

"This year, Glasgow's campaign is focused on making sure the public can identify a hate crime, and that they are aware of their options to report if they experience or witness one."

Glasgow's campaign

Look out for daily posts on our council social media profiles drawing attention to each of the protected characteristics in multiple languages as well as BSL, and a new video produced in collaboration with LEAP Sports highlighting LGBTQ+ inclusion and how reporting hate crime can help the LGBTQ+ community. You'll also see our awareness campaign on the SPT Subway, in the Metro, on BT Hubs all over the city, and hear about it on GO Radio.

We're also taking our campaign to the community - you can find us:

• answering questions at the Riverside Museum on Tuesday 17 October
• at the Burrell Collection on Thursday 19 October
• at the Mitchell Library on Friday 20 October.

We also know that education about hate crime should start young - so we'll be speaking to the city's children and young people through Glasgow Life football camps, and in Glasgow schools' zine.

You can take our survey at Staff Hate Crime Survey

Or by clicking the QR code

More information:

• about hate crime and how to report it at hatecrimeglasgow.org
• about National Hate Crime Awareness Week at nationalhcaw.uk
• about Glasgow's Hate Crime Awareness Week, email Danni Glover in Outlook.

4 Ocotber - "It's the most enjoyable hour in my week"

Kathryn Farrow is a Quality Improvement Officer in Education Services; she started mentoring with MCR Pathways six years ago. She recently finished her mentoring journey with Cara who left school this year to begin college.

Kathryn said "I started mentoring as there was a lot of encouragement from our senior leadership team in Education to get involved, a lot of whom were mentors themselves. Volunteering was always something I'd been interested in but with a full-time job and family commitments I wasn't sure I had the time. However, our senior leadership team led by example -making time in their busy schedules to mentor. This really inspired me and so I decided to get involved. I requested to mentor in a school a short drive from my house and the mentoring session itself is only an hour each week, so the time commitment is not huge. It's the most enjoyable hour in my week- I really look forward to it!

"I started mentoring Cara three years ago, we kept in touch virtually during lockdown. When we were allowed to have socially distanced meetings, we had some outdoor catch ups and I'd bring along my Bichon Frise, Charlie. Cara loves dogs so she enjoyed having him join us, he really lifted her spirits.

"Although Cara recently left school we've kept in touch and at our last official session she gave me a card and a bunch of flowers to show her appreciation for encouraging and believing in her which was really touching. It just shows how as little as an hour a week can have such a big impact on a young person. I'm grateful I got the opportunity to be Cara's mentor, knowing I've helped her is very rewarding. It's been a real privilege to be a part of her journey.

"I'd encourage anyone to consider becoming a mentor it's not a massive time commitment and by choosing a school near your home or workplace you can make it work. The support you get from MCR, especially the in-school coordinator is fantastic. They are always there should you need any advice.

Cara who is soon to embark on a college course studying music and business, said "Kathryn has been a great support over the last three years, especially during exam time when I was feeling stressed. Because her own daughters had been through it, she knew how I was feeling.

"Speaking to her once a week helped clear my mind and keep me calm, we would chat about what Netflix shows we were watching and what we'd been up to, nothing ever felt forced.

"I loved when Kathryn brought, her dog Charlie to our meetings during lockdown, I am a massive dog lover so was always really excited to see him as well as Kathryn.

"I'm about to start college and hope one day to be a music producer. I'll keep in touch with Kathryn and let her know how I'm doing. I've really appreciated her support over the past three years."

Come along and find out more- in person or online...

MCR are hosting a staff information session in October, details of the sessions are:

• In person - 18 October, 3:30pm-4:00pm at 40 John Street, G1 1JE.  Please book in with Donna Cunningham (email on Outlook) as numbers are capped due to room capacity.  Attendees should please report to reception on the day.
• Online- you can sign up and do the information session online any time at MCR Pathways Registration

4 October  - Young officers in training!

At the end of August, over 100 Glasgow primary schools took part in our Junior Road Safety Officer (JRSO) induction day held in the Banqueting Hall in the City Chambers.

On the day, two aspiring Primary 6 or 7 Road Safety Officers attended from each school to learn more about their duties and how they can help to promote road safety in their school community. They received a short presentation about the importance of their role, in helping to help keep everyone safe and the benefits of active travel to school. They also received a number of road safety resources to use in campaigns.

Pupils got the opportunity in the morning to meet our Lord Provost, Jacqueline McLaren and also Divisional Director of Operations,NRS, Jenny O'Hagan. Whilst our council Road Safety Team were on hand to answer any questions and share safety advice throughout the day.

Jenny O'Hagan, Divisional Director - Operations, Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability said: "It was great to see so many of Glasgow's primary schools taking part in this year's Junior Road Safety Officer scheme and for them to also meet the Lord Provost. The JRSO's are a key link to promoting road safety in our schools and provide fabulous support to our ongoing city-wide School Travel and Road Safety (STARS) education programme."  

Audrey Whitelaw, Assistant Road Safety Officer in Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability concludes: "This scheme helps us to directly promote road safety amongst our primary school pupils. The children really enjoyed visiting the City Chambers on the day to hear about their new role and to understand how their hard work can help to reduce road casualties and promote safer road use around their school. It was amazing to see such an uptake of schools in the scheme this year."

4 October - Data IS making a real difference: next steps

Data underpins everything we do as a council - it supports both our policy and operational decision making helping us to design, deliver and transform our services to citizens. Using better and accurate data can help to improve lives as well as drive efficiencies within current financial constraints.

We all need to better understand the value of collecting, processing and using data across the organisation as data really does make a difference and is at the heart of everything we do.

Kimberley Hose, Head of Business Intelligence, SIIT said:"As part of our Digital Glasgow Strategy and the feedback we received from staff who took part in our Data Maturity Assessment some of the key actions we are progressing include:

• working in partnership with the Scottish Government and other councils to pilot an introductory Data Course for staff.
• supporting services to access their data through analytical tools such as Microsoft Power BI - providing data in a visual format to inform decision making.
• working with Information Governance to identify and establish the role of local "Data Stewards" to support how we manage data - helping us maximise the potential of our data and improve services to our citizens.

"We will schedule a series of regular staff events around how Data makes a difference.Staff are invited to come along to our first event on Wednesday 11 October 2023, at 10am, Satinwood Suite, City Chamberswhere you can find out more about how we have been using data to make a difference. At this event Services from across the council will showcase real examples and there will also be live demonstrations on the day." 

You can find more out about the Data Makes a Difference event here Get involved this month with... - Glasgow City Council

More Information

You can read more about how staff who use data every day to make a difference from our catering assistants who make sure children are served healthy and nutritious meals to our carers who use data to make sure the right supports are in place, read more at Data Makes a Difference 

4 October - Top Marks for Jack: recognition for excellence in public finance and accountancy

Jack O'Shea, from Corporate Finance, Financial Services- recently completed his Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) traineeship to become a qualified Accountant. To achieve this, Jack sat a number of exams over the last three years and during this time has won a staggering 14 prizes from CIPFA for having the top marks in these. This included 7 awards at a national level (UK wide) and 8 at a regional (Scotland wide) level covering subjects such as Financial Accounting, Audit and Assurance, Corporate Financial Reporting and Business and Change Management.

The icing on the cake was in June this year when Jack scooped not just one, but two national (UK) awards, for outstanding performance in his final CIPFA exams.

These awards were:

• The Arthur Collins Memorial Prize: for best overall performance in the Strategic Case Study and Strategic Public Finance exams
• The Richard Emmott Memorial Prize: for best performance in the Strategic Case Study

Jack was presented with the awards at the CIPFA Public Finance Live conference at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in Westminster on 27 June. Alongside Jack in the picture are (on the left) Jayne Owen - CIPFA President and (right) Suzanne Jones CIPFA Exam Panel Chair.

Jack said: "To have won these awards means everything to me, due to health issues when I was a teenager I had to drop out of school and college, and I felt my chance of becoming an accountant had passed me by. When I was given the opportunity by the council to do the CIPFA qualification it made me determined to succeed and I am extremely grateful that I can now pursue the career that I have been passionate about for many years."

Stephen Crichton, Head of Corporate Finance said: "On behalf of the Financial Services' Leadership Team, I would like to congratulate Jack on winning all these awards throughout his traineeship - this is an outstanding achievement. Jack should feel immensely proud, and it is a testament to all his hard work and dedication to his career.  I'm sure he has a bright future ahead of him." 

CIPFA Awards

These awards recognise excellence in public finance and accountancy for more information go to About CIPFA Awards.