[ Cork City Council - Annual Report 2020 ]
Response to COVID-19
the public shifted in that many people were restricted to their homes and needed response and resolution of their queries and service requests. This was a challenge for the City Council with a change in how we delivered those services during the COVID 19 pandemic when remote working was implemented in line with sectoral guidelines and public health guidance. The result has been that new skills and competencies have been developed in the way we work and deliver our services. Regular Team Meetings and Virtual ‘get togethers’ were held via Microsoft Teams to keep regular contact and to boost staff morale. The resilience, flexibility, commitment, and innovation shown by staff throughout the city continues to be outstanding. A Bulk text solution was widely used in communicating with Council staff to keep them informed of COVID-19 developments by Senior Management. At the end of 2020, there were over 1,030 mobile devices in use across the City Council including phones, tablets, telemetry SIM’s, and modems. 2020 saw unprecedented challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in an accelerated delivery of a number of key change
Business carried on as usual for City Council staff throughout 2020 despite team members having to work remotely in line with public health and sectoral guidance for periods of the working week. All duties continued to be carried out even at the height of the first lockdown when City Hall was closed for a short period. Adjustments to work practices to serve the public were made in accordance with public health advice and measures were put in place in City Hall campus with the assistance of our Facilities Department (Porters, Security and Cleaning Staff) in the Corporate Affairs and International Relations Directorate. The COVID-19 pandemic created many challenges to all, and the Council and its staff were mindful that no single working solution was applicable to everyone. However, the challenge galvanized our staff who displayed flexibility and determination in the use of new technologies to communicate with each other and provide a consistent level of service to the public. It was important that people did not feel isolated or excluded. The expectation of members of
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