More home working for council staff
BRIDGEND council has decided to adopt a permanent hybrid working policy for the majority of its staff.
The move will now see most of Bridgend County Council’s staff working from home or in a range of buildings during their working week, following the success of an interim policy that was put in place in October 2022.
The new policy has been approved at a cabinet meeting, with a report which highlighted how staff members had been largely positive about the plans, with 72% of those who were asked saying they were satisfied with them.
Officers said they had also been in talks with unions, adding that the feedback they had received reflected that given in a staff survey earlier this year.
The report said the policy was in line with the authority’s commitment to “improving the work environment of employees by enabling greater flexibility in relation to remote working”, as well as with the Welsh Government’s goal of achieving as a minimum 30% of workforce being agile and working from home at any given point by 2024.
The report read: “The coronavirus pandemic of 2020 led to the council having to adapt and deliver many services virtually, with employees often working from home.
“While not all services were impacted in this way, with some employees continuing to work full-time from service delivery locations, these experiences created an opportunity to review the council’s
A hybrid working model offers a blended approach that can take account of the wide range of services delivered by the council
operating model with a view to ensuring that the council is fit for purpose moving forward.
“A hybrid working model offers a blended approach that can take account of the wide range of services delivered by the council.
“The application of hybrid working is dependent on the demands and needs of the role undertaken by the employee and the service within which the role is based.
“It also offers employees greater flexibility in their work practices, promoting a better work-life balance.”
Council leader Huw David welcomed the move and said: “I’m certainly in support and I’m pleased to see that we’ve got support from our trade union colleagues on this representing the work force.
“It’s now seen as an advantage to the organisation and a benefit for some people who want to work for the organisation.
“That’s important because we know we struggle to recruit in all sorts of departments and services now.”
Council report
AN 80-year-old man who has managed to lose 12 stone has said he “wouldn’t be here today” if it wasn’t for his transformation.
Jim Lindley was 24 stone when he joined Slimming World following the death of his wife, but now he has made it down to being just 12.
Jim had been overweight for most of his life, but it was when he became ill with diabetes that he knew something had to change. A friend of his told him he should come along to the weight loss group in Bridgend, and try it out - and since then he has never looked back.
“If I hadn’t lost so much weight, I wouldn’t be here today”, said Jim, who reached his goal weight during lockdown in 2020, and has since managed to keep it off.
And since losing the weight, it’s completely turned his life around. Before, Jim was type two diabetic, but according to medical professionals there is now no longer any sign of this, and he has even come off his medication.
Jim said: “My wife had died previously. And I thought, well, I’ll give it a go. And in the first week I lost nine pounds, believe it or not. I can do almost anything now.
“I used to pretend that I could before, but now I can see a real difference.
“I can go for walks and all that sort of thing and where I live there’s quite a few hills so I go up and down them a few times when I can, and there’s an awful lot of people who are a lot younger than me round here that can’t.
“My philosophy is that I don’t believe I’m old and I’m not going to.”
And Jim did it all without restricting himself or going on a formal diet.
The grandfather lost the weight he did by making healthier food choices, and has taken the approach of trying to balance his food intake rather than cutting anything out completely.
He added: “The idea is that with 21 meals in a week, you’re going to end up spoiling yourself on one of them.
“I wasn’t restricted in any way, but when you start to lose weight, you do realise how making better choices can have an impact.”
Jim has led a varied life, leaving his home near Wakefield in 1961 when he joined the air force but finally settled in Bridgend, where he has also become a grandfather.
His own weight loss experience has also inspired him to encourage other members of his family to begin their own journeys to improve their health.
Jim noted: “My nephew has also just started on the same thing. And for the first time in his life, he was able to go out and play football with the little lad.”
Considering how he has found it being part of a weight loss group, Jim said: “The support system is wonderful and there are also volunteers there.
“I’ve also been involved with that and go in and help to set things up for the different meetings in the local community centre.
“My kids, who are grown up, are also quite delighted that I’ve got two or three times a week when I go off and do something physical apart from pottering in the garden and things like that.
“It also makes it easier to do something physical when it is indoors and not chucking it down with rain so that’s one way I know I am exercising as well, by helping out.”
Group leader Anne-Marie Lloyd said: “Jim reached his dream target weight during the lockdown period when our groups were on Zoom. He was unstoppable and is such an inspiration to us all in group.
“His life is totally transformed having been a type two diabetic and now according to his GP practice, there is no longer any evidence within his blood records that he has ever been a diabetic – no longer needing to take any medication for this.
“Jim is a member of the social team within all of my groups and is like a machine, helping me and other social team members to set up and pack away at every single session. I am so, so proud of him and all that he has achieved.”
Anne-Marie runs the following groups:
Westward Community Centre, Cefn Glas, Bridgend: Tuesday at 5.30pm, with a new session soon starting at 7.30pm.
Westward Community Centre, Cefn Glas, Bridgend: Wednesday at 6.30pm.
Bridgend Tennis Club: Saturday at 8am and 10am.