City of Bristol College

In late 2022, City of Bristol College faced seven days of strike action and turnover stood at more than 23 per cent. Sickness was high and morale was low. The college had faced financial cuts and quality pressures from Ofsted, which had given it a “requires improvement” rating for more than 10 years. The organisation, by its own admission, had not focused on developing its leaders and managers, and it was “beginning to show”.  

But following a review of HR and the appointment of a new principal in early 2023, a new people strategy was developed and implemented. It has led, in the words of the PMAs judges, to “significant and impactful cultural change, turning around entrenched positions and less-than-positive perceptions among some employees and achieving rapid and sustained improvements on their measures of employee engagement and experience”. 

In March 2023, the college was awarded a “good” rating and achieved financial health around the same time. This gave HR the platform to focus on its people-first culture and “change the language we were using to hold each other to account for any poor performance and recognise the excellent work of colleagues”. 

A number of initiatives were introduced, such as a refreshed approach to appraisals. Welfare rooms were introduced and the college launched a professional respect charter and a hybrid working policy. Paid volunteering leave was also introduced. A Recognise and Respect (R&R) initiative was launched, in which colleagues could submit nominations to recognise each other’s contributions. In the past 12 months, there have been more than 750 nominations out of more than 850 staff. A Management Academy was created in January 2023 and more than 65 managers attended four days of training. 

There was no strike action in 2023 and staff turnover has fallen from 23 per cent in 2021/22 to a forecast 14 per cent this year. The gender pay gap has halved and there is a 22 per cent increase in satisfaction with professional development. 

The judges said: “This team of nine, working in an organisation with 865 staff, have achieved impressive results through their dedication to their work, focusing on listening and building evidence and data to support change and demonstrate impact. This is a small team making a huge impact, changing the perception of the organisation internally and externally through a transformative cultural change programme. We feel they are worthy winners.”