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19-21 Broad Street | St Helier Jersey | JE2 3RR
Deputy Sam Mézec
Chair, Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel
BY EMAIL
24th August 2023
Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel People and Culture Follow-up Review
Dear Chair,
Thank you for your letter dated 2 August 2023. I am pleased to respond to the Panel’s questions as set out below.
- The internal processes and procedures in your department which can be used by employees to address complaints and grievances including for inappropriate behaviour, bullying and harassment. We are aware that there are set States of Jersey policies relating to these matters, however we would like to know the specific process that would be followed by employees within your department.
The departments within my portfolio follow the policies and procedures established by the States Employment Board. There are no variances to these procedures.
In addition, as the designated line manager for the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), there is a specific formal procedure for all matters concerning the CEO in relation to complaints, grievances, conduct and behaviour and bullying and harassment.
- Whether any internal employee processes and procedures followed in your department differ from those within other departments and, if so, how and why. For example, we note that there is a Freedom to Speak Up Guardian in the Health and Community Services Department to ensure that the voices and concerns of staff are heard and acted upon.
There are no variances to the established policies and procedures.
- The relevant officer(s) in your department available to employees as a first point of contact to raise concerns or grievances.
Line managers are the first point of contact for colleagues to raise any concerns or grievances unless the concern or grievance relates to their line manager in which case it would be with their line manager’s line manager.
If the employee does not wish to raise their concerns with their line manager,
they may also contact their People & Corporate representative, the P&CS Case Management team or the dedicated, confidential speak-up line.
Specifically, within my portfolio, the Chief People and Transformation Officer is the point of contact for addressing complaints or concerns of the CEO. The CEO is required to report complaints or concerns against Chief Officers to the States Employment Board.
- What management information is available to your senior leadership team to enable you to gauge or measure the numbers of informal or formal concerns, grievances or disciplinary actions and how your management information is gathered and recorded.
The line management of employees is the responsibility of the CEO and through the scheme of delegation.
Where appropriate, I or my Assistant Chief Ministers may be notified where there is an impact on operational delivery or on the policies, we set out in our Ministerial Delivery Plan.
The Assistant Chief Ministers will be notified of exceptions or serious concerns but would not involve themselves in the day-to-day line management.
Chief Officers and senior officers are provided with an operational dashboard and are advised by their HR Business Partner of cases within their department.
- The challenges, if any, within your department in improving and maintaining a satisfactory workplace culture.
The BeHeard survey has been useful in providing in depth insight into some of the challenges. The portfolio is broad and at the heart of government operations. This often means competing priorities and prioritisation of delivery, although this is an operational issue.
I have, with the Vice Chair and members of the States Employment Board undertaken workshops on values and their impact on the culture of the organisation as part of our commitment to values-led leadership. We are asking that these useful workshops are rolled out throughout the organisation.
The services within the portfolio are at different stages of maturity in terms of workplace culture. Challenges exist with workload, service demand and recruitment and retention of skilled roles, for example in technology roles, data analysts, policy development where there is a competitive market and/or skills shortages.
- Whether your department has any trade union shop stewards or representatives and, if so, the type of relationship held with those people to assist with resolving employee matters that are brought to the department’s attention.
We have responsibility for trade union relations and have regular meetings with trade union representatives. The relationship with trade unions, as reported by them, has been improving in the past year.
As Chair of the States Employment Board I have met with each of the trade unions groups each quarter to hear directly from them. This was an action I introduced at the start of my term and have the support of the members of the States Employment Board at these meetings.
- Specific actions taken within your department to improve staff wellbeing and morale.
We have developed an improved wellbeing offer and increased the communications and signposting to promote the range of support and assistance available, including promotion of the Occupational Health contract services from the provider Axa. A dedicated contract manager is now in place to ensure that the service standards agreed are being met and to address any emerging issues.
Officers include a focus on Wellbeing as part of their respective strategic workforce plans. This has included teams running ‘Wellbeing Weeks’; running mindfulness and meditation sessions to build new wellbeing self- management techniques and participating in Volunteering activities. New training for managers is being piloted to help them to develop the skills and confidence to manage Wellbeing in their teams.
My departments actively participate in the local and corporate level Our Stars annual awards: each recognises achievements and boosts morale. All of the nominee’s has received a congratulatory thank you card personally signed by the Chief Officer. Staff tell us that they feel valued and appreciated by this. Staff also participate in all of the eight different Diversity, Equity and Inclusion networks where the sense of inclusion and developing a greater understanding of each other helps to maintain and build morale and wellbeing.
- The creation or improvements of strategy, policy, and procedures in your department for the benefit of employee welfare and workplace culture implemented since the start of the new States Assembly term.
The portfolio follows the values and People Strategy. Within this, we have developed recognition for ‘living the values’ awards monthly which was introduced after the establishment of the Cabinet office. We also participate in the corporate long-service recognition scheme. As a political leadership team, we have encouraged and sponsored the focus on a values-led culture.
Each Friday, colleagues can be nominated for a ‘thank you’ which is published on the OurGov intranet.
The challenges of capacity are being addressed through workforce planning, participation in the internship and apprenticeship programmes and creating more opportunities for career development. This remains a challenge, from the results of the last employee survey.
The portfolio departments had some of the highest take-up of the BeHeard survey, improved results and a higher number of nominations for the Our Stars public service awards.
We also monitor the use of performance management and appraisals. These are key to ensuring regular conversations, clarity of work, development needs and the importance of good management.
- Whether any routine internal department-specific surveys or polls are undertaken regarding people and workplace culture and the frequency and impact thereof.
The department takes part in the corporate Be Heard survey whenever it is run. Some services or departments will undertake pulse surveys.
All employees have access to the exit interviews forms.
We intend to launch an employee suggestion and feedback scheme as part of our focus on achieving greater value for money, placing more trust in those closest to the work they do to suggest improvements and innovations for service delivery.
- Whether when an employee leaves the department, they are automatically offered an exit interview and, if not, why.
The People Hub offer all employees, when leaving, an exit interview. These are on- line exit interviews. As part of the online process, the employee is asked if we can contact them to discuss in more detail any of the answers they have given. This process is currently under review with the introduction of Connect People.
- Whether there are any emerging themes that can be taken from previous exit interviews?
Exit interviews are reviewed to establish any emerging themes, by People and Corporate Services. Any emerging themes and or concerns are escalated to the departments HR Business Partner and or escalated to the relevant Chief Officer.
- Whether the Minister or Chief Officer works with the HR Business Partner to resolve concerns, the process that is followed and whether you have identified any challenges or concerns with the process that you have identified.
The responsibility for addressing concerns sits with the Chief Officer. We are clear Ministers are responsible for the political leadership and policy direction and not the workforce.
Where I or my Assistant Chief Ministers have concerns, we will raise these with the Chief Executive Officer or relevant Chief Officer and seek assurance.
As an areas I identified as an area of relentless focus in my Ministerial Delivery Plan, we addressed concerns about turnover, key vacancies, key worker housing and feedback from employees about workload, the Delivery Unit – established at the start of our term – has made good progress in addressing issues such as teacher recruitment, teaching assistants and coordinating corporate accommodation. Accommodation was an issue due to unfair practices in different charging regimes for different employee groups, as well as the additional costs of private accommodation.
- Any historic concerns or issues in relation to any of the above within your department.
Since assuming office, we have invested in providing support during the transition of Governments and creating an effective team both at Ministerial level and the support team around the CoM. This work continues and is a key focus for the interim Chief Executive to ensure we are focussed on the delivery of our policy agenda.
This included excessive working hours of employees supporting Ministers. This is something I immediately addressed, respecting that civil servants have the right to a private life and rest periods.
We are being supported by external people to take a fresh look at how we can work more effectively together, this has included workshops with the Council of Ministers, additional capacity through the Delivery Unit and we have started work with the incoming Chief Executive to ensure constructive working relationships with the Executive Leadership Team are developed.
- Any other issues that the Panel should consider as part of its review in line with the Terms of Reference for the review, which can be found on the review page.
None to note.
I trust that the above responses are of use to the Panel as part of its review.
Yours sincerely,
Deputy Kristina Moore Chief Minister