We hope the webinar gave you an understanding of the priorities and activities we are working towards following the Autumn Statement, and our approach and guidance around AI.
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Question and Answers
During the webinar SMT members, Mark Hughes (Chief Executive), Dom Delsoldato (Chief Technology Officer) and Carla Nuttall (Executive Director of Corporate Affairs and Marketing) answered questions that you asked. The below are answers to questions they were unable to answer during the webinar.
Pay and expenses:
- Would GC consider paying salaries on the last Friday of every month rather than the last working day?
We are not proposing to change salary payment dates. We are mindful that colleagues have pay commitments aligned to current pay dates. The suggestion to move the pay date to the last Friday of every month would not remove instances where we have to account for five weekends in a month, it would just defer it. For example, in 2025 the timeframes between a new April pay date and a new May pay date equates to five weekends. Similarly, between July and August would be a 5-weekend month.
If you are struggling with your finances, there is support available through our Employee Assistance Programme, which provides free, confidential advice. You can also visit our Financial Wellbeing resource page, or please speak to your line manager in confidence.
You can also join our January Bitesize webinar: How to save money using our GC Hive platform on 16th January. More here.
- We had a couple of questions about the expenses process, including a question about reviewing the amount of time to process expenses claims.
We are looking at the expenses policy and processes to explore any improvements that can be made to this to reduce out of pocket expenses. While we are working through any potential changes we will also look at where we can streamline the existing process e.g. ensuring managers check the expenses portal daily and that they are processed in a timely way.
- Are pay reviews across the company consistent across the company?
Yes, pay reviews are consistent. Our Pay Policy is available on Sharepoint, with further guidance available for people managers on the Management Portal.
GC’s approach to AI:
- Will co-pilot be added as the full 365 package to be utilised in emails/ Microsoft packages like word, excel & PowerPoint whilst using these applications?
When Microsoft launched Copilot, they decided not to include this product as part of the Microsoft Office 365 initial licensing cost and in fact introduced it to the market as an additional license which costs approximately £320.00 per annum, per user, and from the 1st April 2025 Microsoft are looking to increase this cost further. For the current size of our IT estate, it would require an ongoing investment of at least 558k per annum investment to activate this for all. However, we have currently undertaken a pilot of this product to build a better understanding of how the adoption of such would benefit the organisation to gain a better understanding of the benefits before we assess any potential investment.
- Do we have an AI specific team to help colleagues?
We will be creating a package of training to help colleagues understand and use AI. Currently we have an AI dedicated inbox ai@growthco.uk where you can send any questions or queries, as well as a page on OWW - GC’s approach to AI | Our Working Way Staff Hub with further information about our AI policy and procedures.
- We work with clients who have asked to utilise Copilot in meetings to generate minutes and provide summaries of actions. Are there any challenges to GC if our clients use Copilot for things such as minutes?
Please always make sure to apply the principles of transparency and privacy by making sure you ask other participants in the meeting before using. The key principles and policies for using AI at GC can be found here: GC’s approach to AI | Our Working Way Staff Hub
- How will the environmental impact of AI affect GC's environmental commitments?
The use of AI may have a significant impact on the environment as it is energy and water intensive, plus there will be additional impacts of electronic purchasing and waste etc, however as AI is new experts are currently working on how this can be measured.
One line of thinking estimates that 1 credit (i.e, question asked) uses 1 watt of power to service the request. GC is able to monitor all usage of cloud-based applications, therefore, we can monitor the energy consumption of Microsoft Copilot.
GC’s AI is hosted via Microsoft Cloud and the servers used are within the UK. Due to this, we know that the servers must meet with UK legislation in regard to reducing energy and water use and also follow waste legislation. In the past year, 37.5% of the UK’s energy mix has been generated by renewables.
Microsoft Azure, through which our AI runs, has committed to:- Using 100% renewable energy by 2025.
- Becoming water positive by 2030.
- Becoming zero waste certified by 2030.
- Ensuring net zero deforestation from new construction.
- What do we think about ' the role of AI and how can AI improve business that we help in the GM area?
AI is already playing a transformative role within the GM Area, driving innovation and efficiency across various sectors. Locally the GM area has become a hub for AI development with significant investment into the ecosystem being made with initiatives like the Turning Innovation Catalyst which are fostering AI talent and supporting startups for instance, creating programs to equip research talent with the skills needed to commercialise their innovation. Elsewhere in GM projects like the £6 million initiative launched by the University of Salford who are aiming to help SMEs to leverage AI to improve business processes and recover from disruptions like the COVID-19 Pandemic. Ai is also being used to enhance public services such as within the Christie Hospital where AI is being used in healthcare to assist in diagnostics and treatment planning.
More broadly, AI can streamline business operations through more generalist approaches such as automation and predictive analytics for instance in supply chains, or enhanced customer service through chatbots and virtual assistants. Alike any other technology adoptions organisations should not simply look at the technology and then see where to fit this in, a transformation process needs to be undertaken to assess the end to end customer journeys and processes of an organisation to identify where time is spent, where currently challenges/problems lie with a view to look at where can technology gains lie. Within the region currently we are seeing a significant increase in AI-related jobs and hackathons, making it a leading area for AI employment and talent attraction. The success of AI in GM is due to the collaborative efforts between organisations like us, businesses, academic institutions, and public bodies.
Business development:
- Are there any further MOJ contracts being tendered for in South Yorkshire, or is there scope for 2025?
There are no new MOJ contracts that we are applying for at present. We think the next round of MOJ Commissioned Rehabilitation Service CRS contracts will be commissioned in the spring and Summer of 2025, with new contracts starting from April 2026 onwards.