Message from Neil Lewis, Acting Director of People and Organisational Development
Published: 24 February 2021
We’re approaching the time of year in which most of us would start booking in our year-end My Contribution discussions (appraisals) to look back over our work in the last twelve months, how we have lived our values and what development/learning we’ve undertaken.
For many of us, this year has seen our roles and/or responsibilities change, our planned development perhaps placed hold and us working with different people both within and outside of Public Health Wales. Each of these experiences will be rich with learning, whether it is new skills, specialist knowledge, our new networks and or what we’ve all discovered about our own personal wants, needs and priorities. It is right that we adapt these conversations to reflect the year that has been.
Following this year’s policy consultation, we have replaced the previous My Contribution form with a Wellbeing and Check-In Record and you’ll see it encourages everyone to start off our review discussions with ‘how are you doing’. That question is more important now than ever and our work and the way we deliver it will be impacted by how we are doing. So, we ask colleagues to focus your discussions on:
• Recognising what you have achieved and contributed to this year rather than what might not have been completed. If you didn’t set objectives, agree a few pieces of work talk to retrospectively and how you have lived our values in doing so.
• What this period means for development and growth – including what learning may need to be undertaken in the future if/when returning to substantive roles, but primarily how we have grown during the last 12 months. Has it raised questions over career paths and next roles?
• Summary reflections – what has gone well and what could be better (including feedback for your manager). This is really going to help them understand what could be improved at individual and team level as well as identify and acknowledge some positives – and they will be there!
Managers, the Organisational Development team will be sending out some guidance for you to help have these conversations – keep an eye on the weekly Manager’s Brief email later today. Please note, even where colleagues may have been redeployed or working with other teams some/all of their time, we ask that you retain responsibility for having and recording these discussions.
In summary, it is important for us all to keep in touch and have regular, meaningful conversations about how we are, what we’ve been focussed on and our development/progression. This year might take a different focus and it’s right that we adapt. Don’t worry about completing the record in full if there are parts which aren’t relevant, but capture pertinent points, each keep a copy and managers, please record the dates in ESR..
As always, please contact PeopleSupport.PHW@wales.nhs.uk if we can help or advise further.