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Review: People and Culture Follow-Up Review - Corporate Services Panel

Committee/Panel: Corporate Services Panel
Launch Date: 28 July 2023 Close Date: To be advised
Submissions Deadline: To be advised Ministerial Response Date: Not applicable
Review Status: Review concluded

The Panel has launched its review and will be inviting submissions from targeted stakeholders. Public hearings will also be held with Minister(s), the States Employment Board and other relevant stakeholders during October-November 2023.

On completion of its evidence gathering and analyses, the Panel intends to present a Scrutiny Report of its findings, which will include key recommendations for Government, in early 2024. 

About

The previous Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel (the previous Panel) that served from 2018-2022 undertook a review of people and culture strategy, policies and procedures of the public sector, with a report being presented to the States Assembly on 6th September 2021. The report presented key findings and recommendations for consideration by Government, of which many were accepted alongside strategies for implementation.

Since the start of the new States Assembly term in June 2022, the Panel has become aware of developing concerns relating to matters of people and culture within the workplace including inappropriate behaviour and grievances, in particular. Therefore, has agreed to undertake a follow-up review to assess the impact of the previous Panel's work with a continued focus on the following areas:

  • The current challenges facing the new Government in relation to matters involving people and culture in the workplace.
  • The effectiveness of the current grievance and disciplinary procedures and the requirement for change.
  • The effectiveness of employee related policy and procedures and their impact on workplace culture.
  • The impact of any organisational restructuring on employee morale and well-being.
  • The impact of frequent Chief Executive Officer (CEO) changes on leadership of the public sector, people and culture in the workplace and service delivery.
  • The impact of the CEO role's restructure on the Cabinet Office and the broader public sector.

As part of its review the Panel intend to assess whether the findings and recommendations of key reports (in particular from the HR Lounge, Comptroller & Auditor General and the previous Panel) have been considered and implemented. In addition, it will consider the findings of the Be Heard survey 2023 and undertake a comparative analysis with the findings of the Be Heard survey 2020 to measure its impact for change. The Panel also intends to assess the effectiveness of the States Employment Board, as employer of the public sector, in implementing any recommendations for improvement that have been delivered through the various reviews and reports to date.

The Panel has co-opted Deputy Feltham, Chair of the Public Accounts Committee for this review.

Terms of reference

1. To evaluate the policies and procedures in place for the States Employment Board and the implementation and impact thereof since the previous People and Culture Review in 2021. This will include, but is not limited to, consideration of:

  • The procedures for handling complaints of inappropriate behaviour, bullying and harassment.
  • The grievance and disciplinary procedure, its effectiveness and impact.
  • The impact of policies and procedures on workplace culture.

2. To consider the effectiveness of the States Employment Board in implementing actions to secure improvements for employee wellbeing since the People and Culture Review in 2021. This will include, but is not limited to, consideration of:

  • The action taken, and the impact thereof, following the HR Lounge reviews and reports into 'bullying and harassment', including analysis of the initial report (February 2018) and follow-up progress report (February 2021).
  • The action taken, and the impact thereof, following the recommendations published in the reports by the Comptroller and Auditor General, 'Role and Operation of the States Employment Board' (March 2019) and in the follow-up report 'States Employment Board – Follow up' (September 2022).
  • The action taken, and the impact thereof, following the Best Companies Be Heard Surveys' findings for 2020 and 2023.
  • The report and recommendations by Professor Hugo Mascie-Taylor (August 2022).

3. To consider the culture within the Government of Jersey as a workplace since the commencement of the new term of Government. This will include, but is not limited to, consideration of:

  • The current status regarding inappropriate behaviour, bullying and harassment.
  • The impact of Government restructure, policy and procedures on employee well-being.

4. To consider the restructure of the Chief Executive Officer role, its impact on the Cabinet Office and workplace culture. This will include, but is not limited to, consideration of:

  • The recruitment process for the interim and permanent Chief Executive Officer.
  • The changes to the structure and functions of the Chief Executive Officer role.
  • The resultant changes to the structure of the Cabinet Office and its functions.
  • The impact of the restructuring on employee well-being.