Communications Strategy

Communication Strategy 2023 ~ 2024 CLT approved March 2023

Dundee

Tayside Contracts Premises

Angus Cairnie Depot Forfar Depot Peasiehill Depot

Contracts House Fairmuir Tay Cuisine

Perth & Kinross

Ruthvenfield Depot Blairgowrie Depot Aberfeldy Depot Collace Quarry

We also operate from 400 other locations across Tayside including schools, office and community centres etc.

Contents Page

Page

Foreword

3

Ways we communicate

18

Introduction

5

Interpretation/Translation Service

18

Communications Related Values

6

Social Media

22

Corporate Priorities

7

Who is responsible for communications

23

Principles

8

Who else is responsible for communications

24

Aims and Aspirations

10

Key Action Points

23

Who do we communicate with

14

Contact us

29

What do we communicate

15

2

Foreword by Keith McNamara, Managing Director Thank you for reading our Communications Strategy. This strategy is vital for Tayside Contracts as it helps to lead our organisation in a clear and consistent way; it provides focus on our most important communications messages, stakeholders and communications channels; it ensure the most effective messaging; and helps us to identify gaps in our communications. The strategy should present a positive image of our organisation to our people, our stakeholders and our customers.

In this strategy we aim to: Help us achieve our overall organisational objectives Engage effectively with stakeholders Demonstrate the success of the work we do Ensure people understand what we do Influence our own behaviours and perceptions, to align with the objectives and values of the organisation.

Our Communications Strategy seeks to address the fast moving external environment relating to communications, with factors including:Significant financial pressures and high public expectations of public services - therefore it is even more important to demonstrate to stakeholders the high-quality, cost-effective services offered by Tayside Contracts.

Active national and local media looking to highlight articles which portray our services in a certain way, which could impact on the organisation’s reputation.

3

The societal shift to ‘constant access’ to information, through small bursts of data, and through multiple channels, enabled by new and emerging technology such as social media platforms.

People increasingly access information through mobile devices, with a distinct generational gap, where older generations still tend to use local print media and paper based communications.

Significant ongoing advancements in technology, and emerging communications channels.

In relation to our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, our self evaluation has identified:We have a good track record with communicating with the sizeable number of our employees who do not have English as their first language.

There is a positive increasing use of social media by the organisation.

We recognise that, although we are changing, some of our historical communications narrative and style appear dated, and more internally focussed, rather than focussing on current needs, and what our stakeholders and customers want to know/should know.

We know we need to move more to instant access information for our stakeholders using social media/webbased platforms, and also via M365 and other emerging applications.

If we do not change, we will risk not keeping up with the new ways of communicating, and potentially alienate our stakeholders.

4

Introduction

Effective communications are at the heart of everything Tayside Contracts does and aspires to achieve.

Our Communication Strategy (CS) provides the framework within which all of our communications take place.

5

Communications related values At the heart of our Communication Strategy are our values - the 4 'P's. Below are the communications elements of our 4 'P's in our Business Plan 2021-24.

People

Performance

Ensuring the health and safety of

Dialogue with employees - what is

everyone delivering and receiving

expected of them, and what do

our services.

they expect of us.

Treating everyone fairly, and with

Sharing information about our

dignity and respect.

performance.

Everyone feeling free and enabled to

Encouraging and enabling

express themselves.

feedback to help us improve.

Partnership

Perception

Open and honest

Communicating openly,

communications builds trust.

imaginatively - and with no

Trust is the basis for any

jargon!

successful partnership.

'Getting our message out there'

Transforming together through

to shape the way others see us.

connecting and sharing ideas.

Reaching out to connect with and support our communities.

6

Communications and our corporate priorities Our Communication Strategy will assist and enable us to achieve our Business Plan 2021-24 priorities - the 5Cs.

Build confidence in our services Supporting our Councils achieve their objectives Enhancing our own learning through selfawareness

Identify and deliver on priority commercial opportunities Develop new market opportunities Developing our commercial creativity, skills and culture

Extend our shared services in priority areas Look for new collaborative opportunities Develop our capacity and skills in collaboration

Making the best use of our assets Validating our internal innovation Prioritisation of our improvements – based on evidence

7

Supporting Equality and Community Empowerment Supporting Local Economy and Education Climate Change and Sustainability

Principles Our Communication Strategy delivers:

The right information

To the right people

In the right way

At the right time

Two-way communications 8

9

Aims and Aspirations Our Communication Strategy aims to: In order to identify our aims we conducted a PESTLE analysis to provide a framework for the areas we will focus on and initiatives and tasks we will prioritise in our Communication Strategy: Political - strengthen engagement with our Joint Committee through more regular electronic communications - this will ensure Joint Committee Members will know what they need to know, when they need to know it.

Economic - in keeping with our 'expand and diversify' Business Plan objective, we will use communications media more extensively and more imaginatively to reach out to potential customers and market the services Tayside Contracts can provide.

Social - embark on a programme of surveys and wider consultation with all stakeholders to help them feel more engaged in what we do, how and why we do it and the role all stakeholders can play in influencing our approach.

Technological - continue to modernise and optimise technological communications options to allow us to communicate more effectively and with greater immediacy.

Legal - use more visually engaging and high impact communication media to better inform our managers and employees of our statutory duties in all aspects of our activities.

Environmental - increase our use of electronic meeting systems to reduce our transport and energy carbon footprint and continue our progress towards a paper-free office by increasing our use of electronic communications in line with our strategic objective of 'Digital By Default'.

10

Aims and Aspirations Our Communication Strategy aims to:

fully engage with our stakeholders

support the strategic aims of Tayside Contracts

positively influence perception of our brand through smarter use of internal and external media.

have a well-informed and engaged workforce

11

Aims and Aspirations Our Communication Strategy aims and aspirations We will continue to enhance our skills to optimise our IT options, especially M365.

Our Communication Strategy Action Plan 2023 – 2024 details how and when the improvement measures we have identified will be implemented.

We will ensure that our internal and external communications are uniform and modern.

Progressing our digitisation agenda - 'Digital by Default'

We are clear on rules and We will have measures in place to ensure responsibilities in preparing and our employees can communicate and authorising communications, feedback to the organisation. especially in an emergency situation.

12

supplies

Who do we communicate with?

These are our main stakeholders:

our employees

Tayside Contracts Joint Committee

our Trade Unions

our partners in the Tayside Councils

supplies

our customers

14

Our suppliers

What do we communicate?

The Business Plan 2021-24 and the accompanying ‘Plan on a Page'

digitally

digitally

Our Annual Performance Report

digitally

Our Climate Change Plan

Corporate and operational team briefings

digitally 15

What do we communicate?

Our activities and achievements via Target

Tayside Contracts & Tayside Contracts Jobs

@Tayside Contract

Tayside Contracts (Official)

Tayside Contract

and a range of various social media platforms

Employee information e.g. policies, procedures and working instructions etc.

digitally

Our achievements

MDs monthly blog

digitally

Equality monitoring data

digitally

digitally 16

As many different methods as possible are used during times of crisis such as a pandemic/strike action.

COMMUNICATION

Ways we communicate

Ways we communicate For a detailed list of all our communications channels, please contact the Communications Team.

Face-to-face: In-person virtual

Digitally: Email social media website TayNet

Interpretation/Translation Polish/English Other languages BSL

Marketing Jobs CPU videos school meal promotions

Surveys: Viewfinders

Training and Development: Induction Safe Working Arrangements Toolbox Talks Tay Review (Appraisal)

18

Ways we communicate Interpretation/Translation We have a legal obligation to ensure that all our employees have a clear and full understanding of both written and verbal communications.

Therefore, the communications team will provide a comprehensive interpretation/translation service for our large number of Polish employees. This will be carried out face-to-face, over the telephone or virtual, and via translated written documents.

The communications team will also provide interpretation/translation services for users of other languages (including sign language) to enable us to further progress equality, diversity and inclusion within Tayside Contracts and the services we provide.

19

Ways we communicate

our own Polish/English interpreter/translator

interpreter/translators for other languages

audio formats

BSL interpreter/translator

any other formats on request

20

Ways we communicate Social Media The increase in the use of social media channels has changed the way many people communicate not only with friends and family, but with many businesses including Tayside Contracts, and is a dominant method of communications.

83% 42%

Research reveals that 92% of adults own a mobile phone of some kind (source statistica.com)

Mobile phone users aged between 55-64 has increased from 42% in 2016 to 83% in 2021 (source statistica.com)

Around 84.3 percent of the UK population are active users of various social media platforms (source theglobalstatistics.com)

Social media is a very cost effective method of communicating to large numbers very quickly. Therefore, Tayside Contracts must understand and embrace the benefits of social media.

Social media also supports our Climate Change Plan through greatly reducing the use of paper.

Tayside Contracts @Tayside Contract & Tayside Contracts Jobs

22

Tayside Contracts (Official)

Tayside Contracts

Who is responsible for Communications?

Ultimate responsibility for communications and the effective implementation of the Communications Strategy sits with the Managing Director, who will be supported by our Communications Team in taking the strategy forward.

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Meet our Communications Team!

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Who else is responsible for Communications?

In a word...

EVERYONE!

Whilst the Communications Team is responsible for facilitating and enabling effective communications, every manager and employee has an individual responsibility and a vital role to play in ensuring that our communications are a two-way process and not merely a flow of information in one direction.

Having the right conversations!

Our communications will only be truly successful if we reach out, connect and engage with everyone we want to have a conversation with.

How we communicate shapes our culture, and our culture shapes how we communicate!

It is a never-ending circular process and to work in a healthy culture we must all communicate in ways that make us all feel safe, respected and valued.

Healthy conversations = healthy culture 24

Action Plan Key Priorities

What

How

By

Corporate identity and branding

A Communications Statement on branding and corporate identity.

August 2023

Social Media: Further utilisation and exploitation of all suitable social media platforms to enable us to better engage with elected members, parents, children, customers, clients and our own employees.

Facebook LinkedIn Instagram (to better connect with school pupils) Twitter YouTube Website

April 2023

Dealing with external media

Design external media protocol

October 2023

Liaise with business areas

As and when required by the business areas

Support business crisis communications

25

What

How

When

Regular electronic bulletins to Joint Committee members, our senior managers and selected external contacts to raise awareness of key TC events and news

Design and deliver templates as the basis for 'short-burst information bulletins'.

August 2023

Advancing TC's 'Digital by Default' engagement with digitization and embedding electronic communications and data storage across the organisation e.g.: front line employees engagement Supporting home/hybrid working Reduce valuable office space Training on all aspects of M365

Supplement with training sessions.

August 2022 and ongoing

Review and evaluation of the implementation of the Communication Strategy

Reports to the Corporate Leadership Team on progress

Quarterly

26

What

How

When

Campaign to raise awareness and employees investment in the five Cs of the Business Plan

Specific detailed communications plan

November 2023

Review employee feedback mechanisms

Engagement with employees on their preferred methods for feedback

October 2023

Campaign to promote to key stakeholders the positive contribution Tayside Contracts makes to communities and the area

Development of engagement plan

May 2023

27

Tayside Contracts Contracts House 1 Soutar Street Dundee DD3 8SS communications@tayside-contracts.co.uk

CLT approved March 2023