This content has been automatically generated from the original PDF and some formatting may have been lost. Let us know if you find any major problems.
Text in this format is not official and should not be relied upon to extract citations or propose amendments. Please see the PDF for the official version of the document.
19-21 Broad Street | St Helier Jersey | JE2 3RR
Deputy Sam Mézec States Assembly Morier House
St Helier
JE1 1DD
Date 24h August 2023
Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel People and Culture Follow-up Review
Thank you for your letter dated 2 August 2023. As requested, please see below responses to the Panel’s queries with specific reference to my department, Treasury and Exchequer.
- 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 Treasury and Exchequer department follow the corporate Complaints and Grievances procedures, whereby grievances are reported to:
• with your line manager
• if the grievance concerns your line manager, then with their line manager
• if your grievance is regarding a different department or service in the organisation, then via the relevant department complaints procedure.
There is a strong emphasis to resolve concerns via the informal procedure under the process to provide a sustainable outcome to all parties.
- 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.
The Treasury and Exchequer department follow the corporate Complaints and Grievances procedures and do not have any of their own specific processes.
- 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 speak-up line.
- 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.
Line Managers have the responsibility to act swiftly to resolve any informal concerns.
Formal concerns of Disciplinary and Grievance are recorded by the Case Management Team.
The Case Management team meet with the relevant Business Partners on a regular basis and reports on the outcomes and any learning from the specific cases.
The P&CS Business Partner provides operational information to the senior leadership team at the monthly Performance Senior Leadership Team meeting which includes the numbers of formal and informal concerns, grievances or disciplinary actions.
- The challenges, if any, within your department in improving and maintaining a satisfactory workplace culture.
The key challenge of recent years is the level of workload in the department, in particular with the roll out of the new finance system, and prior to that the introduction of a new computer system in Revenue Jersey which could make maintaining a satisfactory workplace culture more challenging.
- 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.
T&E utilise the regular Trade Union meetings facilitated by People & Corporate Services to inform and consult on staff matters as necessary.
- Specific actions taken within your department to improve staff wellbeing and morale.
There have been various actions taken by the T&E department aiming to improve staff wellbeing and morale. As part of the People and Culture Plan between 2020 and 2022 and now the Strategic Workforce Plan 2023-2026 Social, Volunteering and Wellbeing committees have worked on various initiatives. These have included training courses, such as a session on Mental Health Awareness provided by AXA, yoga sessions, a social calendar of events, communications about how to improve wellbeing on the staff intranet and teams channels where colleagues can post hints and tips.
At the T&E Business Plan launch in March we provided stands to showcase the government and departmental Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Wellbeing, and Health and Safety offerings, including live desk assessments. The next department event in October will have a focus on wellbeing.
During the pandemic, as with most workplaces, flexible working increased in the department. Finance and Commercial teams took part in the government pilot and now have a Flexible working framework and surveyed colleagues with results suggesting that wellbeing had improved as a result of more flexibility in where and when colleagues work.
T&E fully supports the organisational initiatives that have been introduced ranging from greater promotion and usage of Connected Performance, the various Diversity Networks and active promotion of the Our Stars Award.
- 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.
Specifically, during 2023, the department created a Strategic Workforce Plan for 2023 to 2026 with further actions for these years. The 3rd theme on the plan is Engagement and Wellbeing, which aims to:
• Increase wellbeing and employee engagement through improved work-life balance and the embedding of our values
Further work is now in planning following the findings of the 2023 Be Heard survey to identify any additional actions required.
- 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 and had a 74% response rate for the most recent survey.
The department has made a conscious effort to respond to the increased demand for flexible working by running various pilots and surveys to examine colleague’s preferences and challenges in this respect. The first, in June 2020 was a ‘New Ways of Working’ survey to examine the requirement for many to work from home during the pandemic.
- 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 by the People and Corporate Services Policy Team.
- Whether there are any emerging themes that can be taken from previous exit interviews?
Of the 18 Exit Interview forms received for leavers in the 12-month period August 2022 to July 2023, the following reasons were provided.
Please note that under the exit interview process an employee can select up to three reasons for leaving, unlike the leavers form where only one reason can be selected.
|
Other |
5 |
|
Job Expectations |
4 |
|
Leaving Jersey |
4 |
|
Career Development |
3 |
|
Change |
3 |
|
Change of Career |
3 |
|
End of Contract |
2 |
|
Leadership |
2 |
|
Personal Reasons |
2 |
|
Relationship with Line Manager |
2 |
|
Better Pay |
1 |
|
Health Reasons |
1 |
|
Retirement |
1 |
|
Work Life Balance |
1 |
Exit interviews are reviewed to establish any emerging themes, by the People and Corporate Services Policy Team. 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 Chief Officer works with the P&CS Business Partner and the specialist P&CS functions for both resolution of as well as for advice and guidance of people related matters.
The P&CS Business Partner is an active member of the T&E Senior Leadership Team and attends the leadership meetings.
The relationship is two way with the P&CS Business Partner raising matters that may need actioning direct to the Chief Officer and /or other members of the senior leadership team as appropriate.
Where a concern is raised the GoJ Policies and P&CS advice guides the approach taken.
- Any historic concerns or issues in relation to any of the above within your department.
No particular concerns or issues historically.
- 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 Ian Gorst
Minister - Treasury and Resources
D +44 (0)1534 447321 E i.gorst@gov.je