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30 October 2020 Dear Deputy Ward ,
Thank you for your invitation for the Jersey Civil Service Branch of Unite the Union to submit to your review of the Government Plan 2021-24. Our branch is still in the process of going through the details of the plan in order to understand its potential impact on members. We are holding a branch meeting this coming Monday 2nd November, and if there are any outcomes from that meeting that are relevant to your work I will write further to let you know.
Regarding the two programmes of organisational change that you refer to (CAMHS Service Redesign) and Re-organisation – Justice and Home Affairs, our main concerns are to ensure that staff are consulted with in a meaningful way. Generally, our members have commented that their lived experience of organisational change across government has not always met with the positive impression given by the employer to key stakeholders.
Members often feel that they have not been consulted with adequately, and that their professional knowledge and experience has not been considered. Our members are proud of the services that they provide to the people of Jersey, and they want to be actively involved in shaping any future changes to service areas, to provide the very best outcome for service users.
Furthermore, our members are concerned that such programs will have a negative impact on their terms and conditions and/or lead to increased workplace stress through higher workloads and decreased resources. Our anecdotal experience of working with members suggests that such programs across the government has increased the number of members that have reported workplace caused stress and anxiety, in turn, this has impacted on the capacity of departments to deliver services adequately. We are also concerned about the numbers of long standing, and experienced staff leaving service because of poorly managed Target Operating Model processes. We would encourage Ministers and Senior Managers to visit all service areas personally and spend some time speaking with affected people during these periods of change.
With regard to the proposed efficiency measures that you outline, we have some concerns:
Public Sector Ombudsman
The delay in the implementation of a Public Sector Ombudsman means that there will continue to be no independent body available to make recommendations about complaints handling across government. Should services be impacted because of the impact of organisational change, increased workloads, or ongoing efficiencies, the availability of an independent ombudsman to both advise on best practice, and act as an independent pathway for unresolved complaints would be highly valuable. JHA SoJP – Through the application of enhanced workforce planning implement a vacancy factor equivalent to approximately 1% of staff costs
This efficiency suggests that the States of Jersey Police Service will be operating without some positions being filled, leading to a saving in staff costs. This carries risk in terms of quality of service and impact on staff that will be required to pick up on the workload created by the vacant posts. Again, our experience is that where staff are subjected to increased and unmanaged workload, this has further detrimental impact on individuals in terms of increased anxiety and stress.
I hope that this information is useful to your Panel. Kind regards,
Lyndsay Feltham
Chairperson, Jersey Civil Service Branch