Team Reading

There isn’t a single answer to the question: “what is it like to work here?” The diversity of work that we do means that people’s roles are hugely varied. Some staff work directly with customers; others spend their days out of doors; and many roles are office based. But while our roles and responsibilities might be varied, there is one thing that all our staff share: an absolute commitment to working as a team to deliver services that make a difference to the people of Reading. Sometimes that difference can be something small. But often it can be life changing.

You’ll be part of a team that relies on each individual to play their part to the best of their ability. As well as the colleagues that you work closely with every day, you’ll also be part of Team Reading, playing your personal part in making Reading a successful and vibrant place. Our vision is to ensure that Reading realises its potential as a great place to live, work and play, and that everyone shares the benefits of this success. 

Our values

The Team Reading values guide how we will achieve this:

T   We will work Together

• We will work as one organisation, collaborate and support each other
• We will demonstrate the Team Reading leadership behaviours and the Nolan principles
• We will value equality, diversity and inclusion
• We will recognise and celebrate the hard work and successes of our colleagues

E   We will drive Efficiency

• We will look at best practice and ensure we deliver quality services and value for money
• The Corporate Transformation Programme will modernise the way we work to ensure we meet the changing expectations of our customers

A   We will be Ambitious

• We will look at best practice and ensure we deliver quality services and value for money
• Our People Strategy will help us to recruit, retain and engage staff
• We will transform our services to make them fit for the future
• We will be proud to enter and win awards for the great work we do

M   We will Make a Difference

• We will measure our performance against our priorities
• We will set stretching targets for improvement
• More customers will tell us they are very satisfied with our services

Expectations on our staff and managers

We have set out the behaviours and attitudes that we value from our staff and managers, which support the delivery of our vision, priorities and Team Reading values.  These define ‘how’ we are expected to approach our work and sit alongside ‘what’ we do, as outlined in each of our job descriptions.

Team Reading Value	The Council’s leaders and managers will:	The Council expects its staff to:
Work Together as one team	champion and inspire a culture which ensures that all employees across the organisation work together to provide excellent outcomes for Reading	work collaboratively, with each other and with our partners, and demonstrate the Team Reading values in everything we do
Drive Efficiency	create an environment in which resources are used efficiently and employees’ skills are developed and used effectively	show initiative, be adaptable to change and put forward ideas to help improve delivery and efficiency. Take responsibility for our own learning and development and for reaching our potential
Be Ambitious	aspire to deliver excellence and inspire and support others to reach their potential	be demanding of our own performance – striving to be even better – and be prepared to engage with and challenge leaders in a constructive and positive way
Make a Difference to Reading	inspire a culture in which the customer is the focus and where change is welcomed as an opportunity	maintain the highest levels of customer service and be flexible and willing to provide the services needed at the time they are needed