Council returns fully to new normal way of working

Wrexham Council is working as usual, but could take several more months to adapt fully to the ‘new normal’. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

During the peak of the pandemic Wrexham Council, like most entities, moved to a ‘work from home’ operation wherever was practical or needed. Since the reduction in focus on anti-covid measures things like face to face meetings and office based work appears to have returned to near normal across society locally. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

We asked Wrexham Council on the progress of the programme of bringing staff back into offices, and if things had returned full back to business as normal. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Wrexham Council Chief Executive Ian Bancroft detailed how his organisation was working operationally, “We have a way of working, and all our staff are operating within that – the aim of that way of working is to make sure staff spend time in the office, because that’s good for their health and for the business in terms of stuff needing to be done. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“Clearly where certain activities can be done , and are better done at home, then that also happens as well. So we’re in a normal way of working. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“Obviously that will take time to embed, the general rule of thumb is if you go through something that’s quite emergency-like, which it has been for two years, it probably takes you two years to settle down afterwards. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“So although we’re in that way of working, clearly that’s got to be embedded and that’s what we’re working through now.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​