Warwickshire County Council’s plan to be more efficient and collaborative starts with its staff
Warwickshire County Council (WCC) is rolling out technology to enable thousands of employees to work in a more agile way as the organisation moves towards developing a workforce of flexible workers.
WCC will champion the use of Teams, SharePoint and other Office 365 products to enable its 4,700 employees to work more flexibly, promote collaborative working and meet the needs of the business in the most effective way.
The security embedded within Microsoft 365 will allow all employees to work remotely from their personal and mobile devices, even when accessing protected data. Remote working should enable council employees to move quickly between work appointments and receive new information on the go. This could potentially allow staff to visit more clients in a day and have access to up-to-date information, or to move from task-to-task without having to return to a central office – both critical in an area as large as Warwickshire.
Monica Fogarty, Chief Executive, WCC, said: “This move to fully implement Microsoft 365 fits in with our wider transformation programme, which will help us move towards a flexible, collaborative, high-performance culture.
“Introducing this new cloud-based infrastructure is a significant strategic move for the council and is the right technology platform for making our systems joined up, efficient and flexible.”
Chris Perkins, General Manager, Public Sector at Microsoft UK added: “Warwickshire County Council is a great example of how a fully integrated productivity suite can revolutionise a public sector organisation. Leaders at WCC have set out a plan that will utilise technology to enable their employees to work more effectively and better serve their local communities. We look forward to helping them on their journey to being a modern council that will meet the needs of a 21st century society.”
Front row, left to right: Monica Fogarty, Chief Executive, Warwickshire County Council, Faith la Grange Director, Local & Regional Government, Microsoft
Back row, left to right: Craig Cusack, Assistant Director Enabling Services, WCC, Rob Powell, Strategic Director Resources, WCC
“Throughout its transformation, the council will use Microsoft technology to reinforce their digital security. It will protect the distribution of confidential data, guarantee compliance to the latest regulation and identify data on existing servers that need to be classified and protected to ensure compliance.”
These changes are expected to be rolled out to employees by the autumn, with roadshows and drop-in sessions planned to ensure staff can make full use of their new software. Microsoft’s technology, and the flexible working it supports, is a key aspect of the organisation’s transformation programme which aims to empower employees and make the council more effective.
Councillor Kam Kaur, portfolio holder for customers and transformation, added: “This move to Microsoft 365 is good news for Warwickshire County Council, and in turn good news for our customers.
“Members of staff will also be empowered to work in a far more efficient way. These efficiencies will be felt across the council and will benefit the services we provide to our customers.
“Staff will also be able to work more flexibly and fulfil their roles from a variety of locations. They will be enabled to work where they are most effective, at the most appropriate times.”
Warwickshire County Council is 18 months into an ambitious transformation programme. The council has developed a new operating model designed to ensure the council is financially sustainable, manages demand effectively and delivers economic growth priorities.
The roll out of MS 365 is a key enabler of the council’s How We Will Work Programme which is focused on changing the way the organisation works, and is a key milestone in the council’s digital transformation.