Working at Breckland Council

Best Place to Work - LGC Workforce Awards 2024

We were thrilled that Breckland Council was shortlisted for a Local Government Chronicle Workforce Award, particularly with it being the prestigious "Best Place to Work" award!
This recognition is a testament to our commitment to fostering a supportive, inclusive, and innovative workplace where every member of #TeamBreckland can thrive. Our journey has been driven by a shared vision to attract, develop, and empower top talent, and it's inspiring to see our efforts celebrated on this stage.

Why work for Breckland Council?

Breckland Council currently employs approximately 300 people in a variety of roles across Norfolk. We provide many services and recruit for a diverse number of vacancies covering a wide range of skills and professions.

We recognise the value of our employees, who add value to our organisation and the services we deliver. Our staff benefit from regular communication and consultation, including a monthly All Staff Briefing, regular team meetings, monthly newsletter, and access to our local Intranet.

What's it like to work for us?

We are passionate about our people and pride ourselves on being a great place to work, we genuinely care and know that a happy workforce is a productive and motivated one! If you're still not sure, here are some stats from our 2024 staff survey to convince you..

• 94% said they feel trusted and empowered
• 90% of staff recommend Breckland as a great place to work
• 89% said they have had opportunities to learn and grow in the last 12 months
• 94% think Breckland provide positive action on health and wellbeing
• 91% said they felt supported by their manager

If you STILL need convincing, here's what some of our staff say...

• "Breckland is a fantastic employer, lots of opportunities and support"
• "Having only just started, it is a great place to work, everyone says hello, is smiley and chatty. I like the groups that are on, like carers shed and neurodiversity"
• "We are encouraged to take regular breaks and there are mental health first aiders and a wide range of good promotional aspects of healthy living and wellbeing."
• "In times of need the council offers excellent support."
• "BDC really does seem to care about the wellbeing and happiness of their staff."

At Breckland Council we have embraced the Government's agenda to modernise local government. Our approach is to lead change rather than follow it, and to add the best value we can to our communities. We achieve this by developing our employees to their full potential, providing them with the relevant knowledge, equipment, and authority to carry out their duties.

We are a dynamic and innovative organisation that is always testing and learning as we seek to continually improve. We have never stood still in response to the emergence of new opportunities, changing customer demands, and ongoing funding challenges. We have exciting plans for how to deliver the best possible services to our residents and businesses.

Breckland as a district is a special place nestled in the heart of rural Norfolk, spanning over 500 square miles of beautiful countryside and forest, with five Market Towns and over 140,000 residents. We care, we listen, and we support people and businesses within our district. We have big ideas and we are innovative in our approach, coming up with ways to meet the needs of the local communities that we serve. Through our actions, we want to make things better.

But we know that we can't do it alone. We are a collaborative organisation and we work together with others to make a greater impact. We are also an organisation where our employees can grow and develop and are empowered to achieve and succeed. We are proud of our area, and by driving investment and enabling opportunities, we can maximise its full potential. We want to inspire aspiration to live, work, visit, or do business here: we want our district to be one of choice.

We will support and enable growth and change in our thriving, welcoming places where people and businesses choose to be, knowing their ambitions can be not just fulfilled but exceeded. By listening to people, by understanding what they need and by working together, we can shape what we have to offer. By doing so, we can benefit those who are already here and those who choose to come to live, work, visit, or do business.

Listen to what our staff think of working here at #teamBreckland

Equal opportunities

We are an Equal Opportunities employer, recognising the benefits of sustaining a workforce that reflects the diversity of the community we serve. We welcome applications from anyone who feels they meet the requirements of our vacancies, these are listed as 'essential requirements' on the person specification.

Breckland Council is proud to be aDisability Confident Employer (opens new window), this means that any disabled candidate whose application meets the essential criteria is guaranteed an interview. We are proud to support the Armed Forces and are signed up to theArmed Forces Covenant (opens new window) this means any veteran who meets the essential criteria in their application is guaranteed an interview.  

Staff benefits

Wonder what we can offer you?

We at Breckland Council understand the importance of a healthy work-life balance. As such, the council operates remote-enabled working arrangements for many of our officers to empower them to work at the location that meets business demand and best supports the efficient and effective delivery of high-quality services. Our Employee Assistance Programme also provides free access to 24-hour telephone counselling.

We're partnered with local businesses to bring you some extra treats, such as discounted prices at Parkwood Leisure Centres and savings on new Vodafone plans, which can be applied to one additional friend or family member.  There's also the Norfolk Reward Scheme giving you great discounts at most high street shops.

We have also signed up to the Menopause Workplace Pledge, which shows our commitment to creating a supportive environment for all employees affected by the menopause.

Great right? Wait, it gets better. Other benefits include:

• Free parking at our newly refurbished office.
• Excellent training opportunities.
• Local Government Pension Scheme (14 per cent employer contribution).
• Family friendly policies.
• Cyclesheme and assisted car purchase.
• 25 days annual leave, increasing after three years' continuous Local Authority service by one day per year up to the maximum of 28 days, plus bank holidays.

How we work

The 'How we work' document (PDF, 78 KB)(opens new window) describes the important shared attitudes, values, and behaviours that everyone is expected to demonstrate to our colleagues, partners and communities. 

Having a clear and widely understood way of how we will work and treat one another is really important. We expect everyone to help incorporate these behaviours into our ways of working.

The staff forum and unison have helped develop the framework. There are five Core Behaviours:

• Collaborative
• Ambitious
• Results-Driven
• Empowering
• Supportive

Under each of the Core Behaviours there are lots of examples for how they can be demonstrated in our working day.

Note: If the video runs too fast for your speed of reading please use the pause button where needed.

Our training services

Here at Breckland, investing in our people's development is a key priority. We want to train and develop people well because we know it's what they want: to further their careers, to become a better version of themselves, and to play a part in a growing and changing council. What's in it for us? Well, it makes sense for us to have teams of engaged, talented, dynamic, and high performing people. 

From day one, you'll have everything you need, from initial induction to orientation to corporate induction with the Chief Executive and Executive Management Team. We feel it's important for you to settle in well and never feel lost while transitioning to the council. 

Inductions

Prior to your first day you will be sent a staff induction pack along with a link to access some of our policies. These will allow you to start gaining an understanding of Breckland Council and how it functions alongside answering other important questions.

On your first day, your team will take you round to make introductions, give you a tour of the building, including the fire evacuation procedure, and provide you with a work plan for your first weeks to help you settle in and find your feet.

Additional training

We pride ourselves in the delivery of high quality training and development. With two in-house trainers, we offer one-to-one coaching and a variety of courses which can be tailor-made to suit yours and the council's needs. We pride ourselves on our ability to provide creative and unique training solutions.

As part of our transformation plan, our training team work hard to ensure a robust training programme is available, with advance notice for staff so that every opportunity is available to attend.

Professional qualifications

During your employment there may be opportunities to undertake professional and academic qualifications. These could include things you or your manager have identified as beneficial to you and the council.

Some of the qualifications in which staff have upskilled include:

• CIPD
• AAT
• NEBOSH
• NVQ Customer Service
• NVQ Business Administration
• ILM Team Leader

Organisational Development (OD) and People Strategy (2022 - 2025)

The world of work has changed over the last 2 ½ years and continues to change.  As an organisation we need to be flexible and continue to evolve to ensure we are supporting, developing and growing our workforce to be fit for purpose and continue to develop our culture to make Breckland Council a great place to work.

We've identified five key themes which we think are really important ones to focus on as part of the strategy

1. Talent, Attraction and Retention
2. Progression and Performance
3. Healthy, Happy Workforce
4. Employee Engagement and Recognition
5. Culture and Leadership

View the Organisational Development (OD) and People Strategy (PDF, 9 MB)(opens new window)