Public Sector HR Podcast

The 2010 PPMA Conference was held in London for the first time ever this year and this month's show was recorded at the event. The conference theme is 'The Global Skills Race' which, despite forecasters predictions of major downsizing in the public sector, will remain a major issue as we emerge from recession. To listen to the podcast, click the grey arrow below. We hear from some of the key speakers including Dr Dennis Kimbro from Clark Atlanta University, Professor Katie Truss from Centrenbsp;for Research in Employment, Skills and Society at Kingston University, Beverly Alimo-Metcalfe from Real World Group and Richard Gerver, former lead advisor to Tony Blair's government. To set the scenenbsp;I talknbsp;to Dean Shoesmith, incoming PPMA President who explains why he chose this theme and outlinesnbsp;his objectives for the coming year. 00:00 - 01:29 Introduction 01:30 - 04:09 PPMA President Dean Shoesmith, talks about his vision for the conference and the coming year 04:10 - 06:16 Dr Dennis Kimbro, author, speaker and business school professor at Clark Atlanta University, defines what leaders are and what where they need to focus in order to become great 06:17 - 08:01 Rob Whiteman, current Chief Executive at Barking and Dagenham Council and soon to be new Chief Executive at the IDeA talks about what we need to do to get the best out of our workforce over the next five years 08:02 - 09:35 Joan Munro, National Advisor,nbsp;Workforce Strategy, IDeA, nbsp;shares her concerns over the possibility that authorities will cutnbsp;spending on developing their people and highlights what the consequences that this might bring 09:36 - 11:24 Professor Katie Truss, HRM and Director of Centre for Research in Employment, Skills and Society, Kingston University Business School, gives a brief snapshot of some radical new research that she has recently carried out into employee engagement. 11:25 - 16:41 Beverly Alimo-Metcalfe, Professor of Leadership, Bradford University, discusses the link between successful leadership and employee engagement 16:42 - 20:21 Richardnbsp;Gerver has beennbsp;described as one of the most inspirational leaders of his generation andnbsp;talks about the three core principles he believes are the key to great leadership. 20:22 - 24:58 Gillian Hibberd is the outgoing PPMA President and shenbsp;shares the highs and lows of her year at the helm To close, we hearnbsp;what some of the delegatesnbsp;thought of the event.nbsp;nbsp; To find out more about the PPMA, go to www.ppma.org.uk or visit their blog at www.ppmablog.org.uk Listening to the show is simple, you can do it in a number of ways and you donrsquo;t need an iPod or MP3 player. Simply click on the grey arrow underneath the show heading and it will play through your computer. Alternatively, you can easily download the file and listen to it later, ornbsp;transfer it onto an MP3 player,nbsp;just right click on lsquo;Downloadrsquo; and select lsquo;Save Target Ashellip;rsquo; The show can also benbsp;playednbsp;on iTunes. To make sure that you never miss an episode, you can subscribe freenbsp;via email, or by clicking the orange RSSnbsp;icon or iTunes button. Each new show will then be delivered automatically to your computer, along with notes about the show, useful contact details and links to additional information. Inbsp;would love to hearnbsp;your feedback and any suggestions for further shows. Either email me directly at karen@publicsectorhrpodcast.co.uk or click on lsquo;Commentrsquo; underneath the show title and type away.ShareThis

Having a good reputation is MISSION CRITICAL to a public sector organisation according to Andrew Fairburn, one of my guests this month. How well these organisations communicate with their internal and external audiences has never been more important. So this show explores what the challenges for public sector communicators are right now and how to make sure, that valuable reputation is protected. To listen to the podcast, click the grey arrow below. My first guest isnbsp;Paul Masterman, who's currentlynbsp;interim Head of Communications at Lancashire County Council. Paulnbsp;has over 20 years communications and marketing experience in both the public and private sectors and he believes there are a numbernbsp;big issues facingnbsp;communication teams in the public sector including: THE NEED TO BECOME MORE STRATEGIC - fully aligningnbsp;the communications strategy with the organisational businessnbsp;plannbsp; BUDGET RESTRAINTS - the need to slim down and doing better with less money LOCAL GOVERNMENT FACES A HUGE REPUATION ISSUE - the job of explaining how important local government is to people, why it's doing a good job and how it's spending it's money is a major concern PLANNING COMMUNCATIONS MORE EFFECTIVELY - to deliver for our organisations and justify why communications are needed LOOKING AT DIFFERENT WAYS TO DO THINGS - how to engage with local communities through modern technology PROVE COMMUNICATIONS WORK - as a real business driver and not just a nice to have PROVIDE LEADERSHIP - be less reactive and more challenging by 'Speaking Truth to Power' Paul feels that the same rules shouldnbsp;apply to internal communications and any internal messages should also be well planned and more responsive to the needs of the business. His advice is: COMMUNICATIONS AND HR MUST WORK TOGETHER -nbsp;with a plan that identifies what needs to be done to motivate and engagenbsp;staff, and how this is measured RECOGINSE THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE TO POOL RESOURCESnbsp;- to be much more effective CONTINUE TO COMMUNICATE THROUGHOUT ANY DIFFICULT PROCESS -nbsp;anynbsp;change activity stands or falls by the quality of the communications UNDERSTAND WHICH COMMUNICATIONS TO USE -nbsp;you need tonbsp;know how your staff will respond INVOLVE STAFF IN THE PROCESS - to lock them into the change program His final thoughts on how communications teams of the future will looknbsp;are - smaller, central and more strategic. Andrew Fairburnnbsp;isnbsp;Director at Regester Larkin and advises senior figures on how best to handle challengingnbsp;political or reputational issues. His advice to public sector organisations is: A PUBLIC SECTORnbsp;ORGANISATION'Snbsp;RIGHT TO EXIST DEPENDS ON MAINTAINING PUBLIC GOOD WILL - so it's not an add-on or nice to have, it's mission critical and without it it will be hard to take your local community with you on difficult and challenging changes to services ORGANISATIONS THAT DON'T DO THIS WELL WILL COMEnbsp;UNDER EVER INCREASING POLITICAL SCRUTINY - at both a local and national level,nbsp;the auditors will take a closer look and it will harder to get done what they want to get done in their local area. THEnbsp;LEADnbsp;HAS TO COME FROM THE TOPnbsp;- without this, it will be seen as an add-on, which is one of the shortest routes to an organisation developing a poor reputation CONSIDER REPUTATION - at all stages and factor this in an the beginning of any policy making process INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS ARE ABSOLOUTELY VITAL TO MANAGING REPUTATION - you're likely to be one of the biggest employers in the area so what your staff are saying about you in the pub, in the supermarket or at the school-gate and the impression they give and how they act as ambassadors, is probably going to have a bigger impact on your reputation in the community, than what's on the front page of the local newspaper Andrew believes ...

Joint management arrangements are beginning to emerge across the public sector as the drive for greater efficiencies gains pace. Sharing a Chief Executive and in some cases the entire senior management team, can have many benefits for public sector organisations. In this month's show, we talk to two people who have first hand experience of this growing practice. To listen to the podcast, click the grey arrow below. My first guest is Stephen Fletcher who is the co-author of a report recently published bynbsp;the IDeA that explores the impact of sharingnbsp;chief executives. The study concentrated on 10 parings of councils who are at various stages of implementing a shared chief executive and managementnbsp;teamnbsp;and Stephennbsp;details some ofnbsp;hisnbsp;findings: DRIVERS FOR THIS HAVE CHANGED OVER TIME - initially it was done on an interim basis to support a council in need of help, now it's done to make real efficiency savings COUNCILS ARE MOVING AWAY FROM JUST SHARING A CHIEF EXECUTIVE - to sharing a whole management team, officers and services, between both councils REAL AND SIGNIFICANT SAVINGS ARE COMING THROUGH - some authorities are looking at pound;1m p.a. after quite a short period of time THE WHOLE THING HAS TO BE DRIVEN BY POLITICIANS - otherwise the arrangement will fall apart Although the majority of of councils in the report are districts, Stephen believesnbsp;this type of arrangement could work well for anynbsp;local authority, however there are some fundamentally important issues to consider: nbsp;SIZE -nbsp;it's easier for smaller authorities to come together, although with careful planning and consideration, larger authorities could successfully link up nbsp;BIG SIMILARITIES - authorities need tonbsp;have similarnbsp;cultures,nbsp;geography and demographics nbsp;CLOSE LINKS BETWEEN MEMBERS - there needs to be good cross-party working with elected members wanting the the same outcomes, such as sharing and improving services THINK ABOUT THE EMPLOYMENT MODEL - many authorities initially choose the secondment route where one authority is the employer and the other pays for a segment of time, now authorities are moving to a joint employment contract. Resolve any issues around terms and conditions at a very early stage The advice Stephen givesnbsp;to anyone who is considering the shared chief executive approach, is to make it one job. You can't look upon this as two separate jobs - the secret is about bringing it together. The job is supporting two sets of councils and not to be a chief executive in two different places at the same time, as that's not sustainable. The savings will come from bringing the management teams together and sharing the services and you can only do this if you look upon it as one job, with one set of officers beneath you. A copy of the Shared Chief Executives and Joint Management:nbsp;a model for the future? can be downloaded here. Additional reports that Stephen has written on this topic can be found here. David Buckle is my second guest. David is Joint Chief Executive at Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire District Councils and is the only Chief Executive in this joint role, who won his job in competition with his opposite number at Vale of Whitenbsp;Horse Council. Bringing the two councils togethernbsp;hasnbsp;thrown up some interesting challenges andnbsp;David shares some of his experience with us. David believes there are a number of reasons for the successful paring of these two authorities: HUGE DRIVE AND ENERGY- from him, the management team and heads of service, who are fired up and committed to making this work BOTH COUNCILS HAVE SIMILAR, QUITE SEVERE FINANCIAL PRESSURES - and are looking at ways to save money THE POLITICAL COMMITMENT - there is very strong backing from both sets of politicians, who have given a clear mandate to bring everything together that makes good business se...

Changing the culture of an organisation in order to survive in these difficult times, is high on many top table agendas. This month I talk to world renowned OD and Culture Change guru Dr Mee-Yan Cheung-Judge, about the best way for organisations to embark on this journey. To listen to the podcast, click the grey arrow below. Mee-Yan believes that culture change can be very, very simple, if we actually grasp what culture is and how it forms. In the interview, she explains how culture is formed and then goes on to describe how it can be changed. Her view is culture is formed in two ways: When a group of people get together and start doing something - through timenbsp;they develop 'shared basic assumption' Through leadership - when leadersnbsp;follow their own visionnbsp;in order to accomplish tasks, then their values, beliefs, visions and goals are validated, confirmed, reinforced and shared.nbsp;Over time these will drop out of the consciousness and become taken for granted and part of the cultural DNAnbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Therefore culture can be changed by: Leaders not talking about their 'big belief', but subtly leading the group to do things differentlynbsp; Making sure whatever the group is askednbsp;to do has a high chance of success, this validates the leaders way of thinking Mixing up certain groupsnbsp;that are reinforcing the old culture, to form a temporary group structure According to the world's leading authority on culture change Edgar Schein, 'Leaders and culture are two sides of the same coin. It can be argued that the only real importance that leaders do, is to create and manage culture. That the unique talent of a leader, is the ability to understand and work with culture and it is an ultimatenbsp;act of leadership to destroy culture when it's viewed as dysfunctional. So if one wishes to to distinguish leadership from management or administration, one can argue that leaders create and change culture, while management and administration acts within a culture'. Mee-Yan thinks that HR plays a critical role in any culture change programme and her advice to HR professional includes: Learn about the 'how' of culture change and be very savvy and literate about what cultural change mechanism is required Stop thinking about culture change as as one of those components we need to manipulate rather than thinking, whatever we do and think as an organisation we therefore think about culture Have a long-term strategy to make sure that leaders understand how to do systematic organisational health and development Know how to do the intervention or if you don't, know how to be an intelligent buyer of external services and involve internal OD colleagues Plan and design the cultural interventions and don't let external consultants lead the process Help the leaders to hand-pick big opinion forming line leaders at 2nd and 3rd levelsnbsp;to work with them, to lead the culture change Give these opinion formers, sufficient capability and support and up-skill them to do this work Roll out the cultural interventions into succession planning and talent management Get something into the leadership development curriculum, that helps leaders understand the duality of strategy and culture, because one without the other won't work Help leaders to know how to use behavioural modelling to lead the organisation One very important quote from Edgar Scheinnbsp;that Mee-Yan uses is ' Instead of thinking about culture, you need to think 'culturally' and by thinking culturally all the time, you'll be watching the dynamic evolution of culture'. If you want to find out more about Mee-Yan's work, you can contact her via her website @ www.quality-equality.comnbsp;and a wide range of information including a video podcast and slide presentation can be found on the IDeA website. Listening to the show is simple, you can do it in a number of wa...

The 13th Northern HR Briefing Conference in Harrogate is where the show this month comes from. With all the uncertainty facing public sector employers, the 24 hour event this year, focused on the Future of the Local Government Workforce. To listen to the podcast, click the grey arrow below. Jointly organised by Local Government Yorkshire and Humber and the North West and North East Employers organisations, the speakers came from a variety of organisations and I caught up with some of them on the last morning. 00:00 - 01:12 Introduction. 01:13 - 01:41 Mick Brodie, Director, North East Regionalnbsp;Employers Organisation explains why this topic was chosen for this year's theme. 01:59 - 04:52 Dean Shoesmith,nbsp;Head of HRnbsp;at the London Boroughs of Sutton and Merton and PPMA Vice-President,nbsp;shares hisnbsp;insightsnbsp;into what is happening in the Government workplace in America,nbsp;following his recent trip to the IPMA-HR Conference in Nashville. A very interesting interview with Joe Lunt, the President ofnbsp;IPMA-HR conducted by Dean, can be found on the PPMA blog. 04:53 - 07:00 Jan Parkinson, Managing Director of Local Government Employers talks about the challenges ahead and her visionnbsp;fornbsp;the shape of our future workplaces. 07:01 - 10:44 Dan Jackson Policy, Performance and Commissioningnbsp;Manager atnbsp;South Tyneside Council, gives us his view onnbsp;how local councils can attract the bestnbsp;calibrenbsp;graduates. 10:45 - 12:52 Hilary Brearley, Director of HR at Wakefield Council, talks about their Worksmart Programme andnbsp;describes the benefits this has brought tonbsp;the council. 12:53 - 21:30 Dr Karen Moloney, Director of Moloney Minds, reveals why men and women behave differently in the workplace. Listening to the show is simple, you can do it in a number of ways andnbsp;you donrsquo;t need an iPod or MP3 player. Simply click on the grey arrow underneath the show heading and it will play through your computer. Alternatively, you can easily download the file and listen to it later, ornbsp;transfer it onto an MP3 player,nbsp;just right click on lsquo;Downloadrsquo; and select lsquo;Save Target Ashellip;rsquo; The show can also benbsp;playednbsp;on iTunes. To make sure that you never miss an episode, you can subscribe freenbsp;via email, or by clicking the orange RSSnbsp;icon or iTunes button. Each new show will then be delivered automatically to your computer, along with notes about the show, useful contact details and links to additional information. Inbsp;would love to hearnbsp;your feedback and any suggestions for further shows. Either email me directly at karen@publicsectorhrpodcast.co.uk or click on lsquo;Commentrsquo; underneath the show title and type away.ShareThis

Is the workforce of today mentally tough enough to face the challenges ahead and are we more or less, mentally resilient than the workforces of 50 years ago? These are some ofnbsp;the questions explored in this month's show. To listen to the podcast, click the grey arrow below. Dr Peter Clough,nbsp;Head of Psychology at the University of Hullnbsp;has been working with Doug Strycharczyk, Managing Director ofnbsp;Business Consultants AQR, to identify why some people are better able to deal with pressure and stress than others. To help them with this quest, theynbsp;have developed a 48 item mental toughness questionnaire which measures the 4 key components of mental toughness. They both talk to me about the importance of mental toughness in the workplace. Doug describes the term 'mental toughness' as the 'quality which determines in large part, how a person deals with stress, pressure and challenge in a workplace or indeed anywhere, irrespective of the circumstances'. He believesnbsp;the waynbsp;each of us deals with daily stress and pressure is largely determined by our individual mental toughness. Mental toughness is an important skill in the workplace andnbsp;it's 4 component parts are: CONTROL, CONFIDENCEnbsp;, CHALLENGE AND COMMITTMENT Doug also talks about the benefits of measuringnbsp;the toughness levels of bothnbsp;individulas and teams, in order to help them perform better in the workplace. What has become clear from Dr Peter Clough's research is, that people who are more mentally tough, perform better in high stress environments and not only do they cope better with the pressure, but often relish it. Peter's research has also shown that there is a strong genetic component to mental toughness and some people are born tougher than others. However, for those who are naturally less mentally tough, there are techniques available tonbsp;enable themnbsp;to deal more effectively with pressure. This is achieved using psychological skills training derived from sports including: VISUALISATION RELAXATION GOAL-SETTING BIO FEEDBACK GETTING INTO THE FOCUSSED ZONE ATTENTIONAL CONTROL Peter believes that when someone is under pressure, their ability to make realistic decisions tends to disintegrate and remaining calm, means you can deal with pressure a lot better. His view is that times are actually less stressful now that they were 50 years ago, butnbsp;we are less able to deal with stress. This is because we seem to be scared of stress and it's seen as a bad thing. In his opinion, stress in not a bad thing, in fact for many successful people,nbsp;stress is a major motivator andnbsp;being just outside your comfort zonenbsp;allows younbsp;to develop yourself as an individual. Most people will choose a more stressful career because they see it as developing themselves. The benefits of having a mentally tough workforcenbsp;are: ABLE TO PERFORM IN HIGH STRESS SITUATIONS KEEP MAKING REALISTIC DECISIONS OFTEN DRAWN TOWARDS CHANGE BE DRIVEN TOWARDS CONTINOUS IMPROVEMENT SEE CHALLENGE AS AN OPPORTUNITY NOT A THREAT The mental toughness of annbsp;individual can be assessed and the best way to do this is by using a multi method approach including, experience, interviews in groups, andnbsp;psychometrics. Although most employers require resilience and general toughnessnbsp;in an employee,nbsp;Peter believes that the question they need to ask, is do they actually need it. If you would like to find out more about Peter and Doug's work you can contact them on 01244 572050 or via the AQR website at www.aqr.co.uk Listening to the show is simple, you can do it in a number of ways andnbsp;nbsp;.you donrsquo;t need an iPod or MP3 player. Simply click on the grey arrow underneath the show heading and it will play through your computer. Alternatively, you can easily download the file and listen to it later, ornbsp;transfer it onto an MP3 player,nbsp;just right ...

Jackie Orme became Chief Executive of the CIPD just over a year ago and I chat with her to find out what she has been up to since taking on this role and to hear more about her future plans for the organisation. To listen to the podcast, click the grey arrow below. Jackie feels her biggest achievement so far, has been to tighten up the relevance of the CIPD qualification and membership criteria, aligning itnbsp;to what employers need in the workplace.nbsp; She tells us about the HR Profession map, which has been developed by HR Practitioners to enable the CIPD to look at the world of HR at it's best today and then use that picture, to underpin hownbsp;their qualifications and membership criteria will be defined in the future.nbsp;The map is written to ensure that HR professionals understand the needs of external customers and their role in involving employee attitudes to reflect these needs. CIPD members will be able to match bothnbsp;their own skills and knowledge and those of their team against the map, by using a new diagnostic tool which will be launched soon. Also in the interview, Jackie discusses: The changes to the CIPDnbsp;membership structure which are due to be implemented next year The main challenges facing HRnbsp;over the next 12 months The best way for HR Professionals to deal with the changes ahead The long-term effects of this recession on HR Information about the new HR Profession map can be found on the CIPD website.nbsp; Listening to the show is simple, you can do it in a number of ways andnbsp;nbsp;.you donrsquo;t need an iPod or MP3 player. Simply click on the grey arrow underneath the show heading and it will play through your computer. Alternatively, you can easily download the file and listen to it later, ornbsp;transfer it onto an MP3 player,nbsp;just right click on lsquo;Downloadrsquo; and select lsquo;Save Target Ashellip;rsquo; The show can also benbsp;playednbsp;on iTunes. To make sure that you never miss an episode, you can subscribe freenbsp;via email, or by clicking the orange RSSnbsp;icon or iTunes button. Each new show will then be delivered automatically to your computer, along with notes about the show, useful contact details and links to additional information. Inbsp;would love to hearnbsp;your feedback and any suggestions for further shows. Either email me directly at karen@publicsectorhrpodcast.co.uk or click on lsquo;Commentrsquo; underneath the show title and type away.ShareThis

Recruiting and retaining social workers has been a big challenge for anbsp;lot of authorities for many years. High profile cases like Baby P have not helped to attract new people into the profession, which is why the government recently announced a pound;58m recruitment and training package. The show this month focuses on how one Council has managed to buck this trend and recruit 28 social workers with one campaign. We also hear from Kathryn Kelly, who is managing the IDeA's campaign to raise awareness of Social Work as a career - part of the LGA's Respect, Recruit, Retain campaign. To listen to the podcast, click the grey arrow below. Lou Carter is Assistant Director of Planning and Performance in Children's Services at East Sussex County Council and is part of the team responsible for their highly successful recruitment campaign. Lou talks about what she believes has made their approach work so well, including: REALnbsp;COMMITTMENT - from members and senior management GENUINE PARTNERSHIP WORKING - between HR teams,nbsp;advertising agents, operational managers and staff, is crucial STAFF ENGAGEMENT - was important all the way through the process, including talking to candidates and attending job fairs and interviews PARTICIPATION OF SERVICE USERS - children and young people were involved in photo shoots and at the selection and recruitment events HAVING A TIGHT GROUP WORKING ON THE CAMPAIGN - with a lot of central control A GOOD REPUTATION - has helped to attract new people to the Council PHILOSOPHY OF LEARNINGnbsp;#38; SUPPORTnbsp;- not blame nbsp;Lou's three top tips are: INVOLVE ALL KEY STAKEHOLDERS - including young people and front line staff HR COLLEAGUES NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE SERVICE REQUIREMENTS - and work collaboratively, don't just sit in a remote central function HR DELIVERABLES - need to be slick processesnbsp;that make sure every contact a candidatenbsp;has, is a positive experiencenbsp; You can find out more about East Sussex Count Council's social worker campaign by contacting Lou Carter, Sally Carnie or Edward Howarth on 0345 60 80 190. Kathryn Kelly works in the Talent #38; Skills Team at the IDeA and her focus is Social Care, whichnbsp;happens to benbsp;the top skill shortage area in local government. Kathryn believes that a lack of understanding about what social worknbsp;actually is, may be thenbsp;key reason why more people do not enter the profession. Although there is a shortage of qualified social workers and some do leave the profession,nbsp;a large proportionnbsp;havenbsp;not actually left, but have moved their careers in another direction.nbsp;In order to encourage more to stay as front-line social workers Kathryn's advice is: MAKE THEM FEEL VALUED - by both employers and society as a whole DEVELOP MORE TRAINING AND CAREER PATHS - that will allow expertise to develop without the need to move into managerial roles, so they can remain in the frontline PROMOTE THE FLEXIBLE BENEFITS PACKAGES AVAILABLE - such as training opportunities To have the best chance of recruiting and retaining social workers, Kathryn's view is that HR teams and service managers must work muchnbsp;more closely together. If they don't, then the current problems will continue. Click here to find out more about the LGA'snbsp;Respect, Recruit, Retain campaign. If you would like more information about the IDeA's work in this areanbsp;go www.idea.gov.uknbsp; or www.LGcareers.comnbsp;You can also get help and advice about recruiting social workers from www.socialworkcareers.co.uk Listening to the show is simple, you can do it in a number of ways and you donrsquo;t need an iPod or MP3 player. Simply click on the grey arrow underneath the show heading and it will play through your computer. Alternatively, you can easily download the file and listen to it later, ornbsp;transfer it onto an MP3 player,nbsp;just right click on lsq...

This year's PPMA Conference was held in Manchester last week and this month's show was recorded at the event. The theme of the conference was Purpose, Passion and Performancenbsp;with anbsp;focus on how to drivenbsp;an organisation through the downturn and into the future. There was a wide variety of speakers, from a range of organisations and the highlight of the event was a session given by Leadership and HR guru, David Ulrich. Throughout the three days, I caught up withnbsp;a selection of the speakers,nbsp;starting with thenbsp;incoming PPMA President, Gillian Hibberd. To listen to the podcast, click the grey arrow below. 00:00 - 00:47 Introduction. 00:48 - 05:39 PPMA President Gillian Hibberd, tells us about the theme of the conference and her objectives for the organisation over the coming year. 05:40 - 08:28 Stephen Taylor, from Taylor Haig,nbsp;explains what thenbsp;place shaping agenda is and how it can make a difference. 08:20 - 10:18 Catherine Doherty, Director from Fields of Learning, talks about charisma and how valuable it is in people management. 10:19 - 13:19 Russell Chalmers, Chief Executive of the Holst Group, explains how De Bono's Six Thinking Hats can help with creativity, productivity and effectiveness in the workplace. 13:20 - 14:33 Doug Strycharczyk, Managing Director ofnbsp;AQRnbsp;and Dr Peter Clough, Head of Psychology at the University of Hull, talk about the importance ofnbsp;needingnbsp;mental toughness, in order to deal with stress, pressure and challenge.nbsp; 15:00 - 16:00 Dave Ulrich is Professor of Business at the Univesity of Michigan and author of 15 books. He shares the three key things he would like people to take away from his session. 16:01 - 17:48 Vance Kearney, Vice President (EMEA), Oracle, talks about preparing for a downturn. 17:49 - 20:06 Claire Jones, Managing Director Inspiria Consulting, talks about how to communicate more effectively and the impact of poor communications. 20:07 - 21:40 Mandy Coalter, HR and OD Directornbsp;and Mark Goldman, Chief Executive of the Heart of England NHS Trust, explain more about theirnbsp;succesfulnbsp;'Moving Together' programme. 22:10 - 23:57 Jackie Orme, Chief Executive CIPD, shares her views on the future for HR. 23:58 - 26:57 David Fairhurst, Senior Vice President, McDonald's Restaurants, talks about the importance of engaging your workforce, particularly in a downturn. 26:58 - 27:53 Stephen Moir, outgoingnbsp;PPMA President, tells us about the highlights of his presidential year. 27:54 - 29:31 Dean Shoesmith, PPMA Vice-President, gives us his view on the conference. 29:32 - 30:21 Gillian Hibberd, PPMA President, closes the show withnbsp;her thoughts onnbsp;the conference. To find out more about the PPMA, go to www.ppma.org.uk or visit their blog at www.ppmablog.org.uk Listening to the show is simple, you can do it in a number of ways and you donrsquo;t need an iPod or MP3 player. Simply click on the grey arrow underneath the show heading and it will play through your computer. Alternatively, you can easily download the file and listen to it later, ornbsp;transfer it onto an MP3 player,nbsp;just right click on lsquo;Downloadrsquo; and select lsquo;Save Target Ashellip;rsquo; The show can also benbsp;playednbsp;on iTunes. To make sure that you never miss an episode, you can subscribe freenbsp;via email, or by clicking the orange RSSnbsp;icon or iTunes button. Each new show will then be delivered automatically to your computer, along with notes about the show, useful contact details and links to additional information. Inbsp;would love to hearnbsp;your feedback and any suggestions for further shows. Either email me directly at karen@publicsectorhrpodcast.co.uk or click on lsquo;Commentrsquo; underneath the show title and type away.ShareThis

The focus on apprenticeships is very evident, national apprenticeship week took place recently and Sir Alan Sugar has been advertising the value of apprentices to business on television. To listen to the podcast, click the grey arrow below. This month's show looks at apprenticeships from a number of different perspectives. We hear from the Government departmentnbsp;responsible for apprenticeships, the newly set up National Apprenticeship Service, an employer who has recruited over 100 apprentices in 100 days and two 'Apprentices of the Year'. My first guest is Ian Watmore, who is currently the Permanent Secretary for the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and he talks to me about why the Government is focusing heavily on apprenticeships and his plans for recruiting more apprentices into the Civil Service. Nextnbsp;up isnbsp;David Way from the National Apprenticeship Service, which came into being on 1st April this year. David tells me why the service was set up and what support they are able to offer. Following David, Sue Williams from Knowsley Council shares some of the secrets of their highly successful apprenticeship scheme, as well as giving some tips how to recruit and retain the best calibre apprentices. Finally, we hear from two apprentices who have both achieved the accolade of 'Apprentice of the Year'.nbsp;Kirsten Taylor is an apprenticenbsp;with North West Employers Organisation and Warrington Council'snbsp;'Apprentice of the Year' and Amy Eddleston is an apprentice with Bramall Construction and is Women in Construction 'Apprentice of the Year'. They bothnbsp;talk aboutnbsp;what prompted them to joinnbsp;their organisations, what they like best about their schemes and their plans for the future.nbsp; To play Kirstenrsquo;s quick video message, click in the middle of screen below. [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgmf6O0B1BU#38;ap=%2526fmt%3D18] To play Amyrsquo;s quick video message, click in the middle of screen below. [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q79m6yUX_XQ#38;ap=%2526fmt%3D18] Listening to the show is simple, you can do it in a number of ways and you donrsquo;t need an iPod or MP3 player. Simply click on the grey arrow underneath the show heading and it will play through your computer. Alternatively, you can easily download the file and listen to it later, ornbsp;transfer it onto an MP3 player,nbsp;just right click on lsquo;Downloadrsquo; and select lsquo;Save Target Ashellip;rsquo; The show can also benbsp;playednbsp;on iTunes. To make sure that you never miss an episode, you can subscribe freenbsp;via email, or by clicking the orange RSSnbsp;icon or iTunes button. Each new show will then be delivered automatically to your computer, along with notes about the show, useful contact details and links to additional information. Inbsp;would love to hearnbsp;your feedback and any suggestions for further shows. Either email me directly at karen@publicsectorhrpodcast.co.uk or click on lsquo;Commentrsquo; underneath the show title and type away.ShareThis

As the recession bites, much has been reported about the strong demand for outsourcing and as a consequence, profits of some of the bigger providers have soared.nbsp;Butnbsp;according to research recently carried out by the Association of Public Service Excellence, many local authorities have beennbsp;bringing services back in-house and this trend seems set to continue. To listen to the podcast, click the grey arrow below. In this month's show, we looknbsp;at the results of APSE's research to find out why some councils are finding insourcing a realistic service delivery option. Paul O'Brien is Chief Executive of APSE and he talks to me about the reasons for conducting the research andnbsp;highlights some of it's key findings. Over 50 case studies were examined in thenbsp;research and Paulnbsp;explains that one ofnbsp;the key reasons they undertook thenbsp;project, is that there were plenty of examples and anecdotal evidence around, to indicate that this was happening more regularlynbsp;and APSE members were very interested to find out more. To reinforce this, he also came across a research report by Deloitte which identified that a lot of large American companies were bringing services back in-house. And finally, he wantednbsp;authorities to know that there is a credible optionnbsp;to outsourcing, which may not be the panacea that people think it is. Key findings from the research are: THEnbsp;PRIMARY REASON FORnbsp;INSOURCING IS POOR PERFORMANCE INSOURCED TEAMS PROVIDE BETTERnbsp;QUALITY AND VALUE FOR MONEY NATIONAL AND LOCAL POLICY AGENDAS HAVE CHANGEDnbsp; WORKFORCE ISSUESnbsp;ARE IDENTIFIED,nbsp;SUCH AS POORER TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND LACK OF TRAINING AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES INSOURCING IS HAPPENING ACROSS ALL SERVICE AREAS IT'S HAPPENING FOR PRACTICLE REASONS, NOT IDEALOGICAL ONES According to Paul, some of the most high profile outsourcing failures is in HR and consequently, thisnbsp;is one of the most likely services to be brought backnbsp;in-house. His advice to any HR practitioner who's facing the prospect of insourcing is: INVOLVE THE TRADE UNIONS AT THE EARLIEST STAGE POSSIBLE - make them aware of what you are planning to do CONSIDER THE CULTURAL IMPACT - ensure a 'them and us' culture does not arise HARMONISE TERMS AND CONDITIONS - between your existing workforce and those coming back to you COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY WITH THE WORKFORCE - manage by informing people, not by rumor To play Paulrsquo;s quick video message, click in the middle of screen below. [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WuhqxrRhqo#38;ap=%2526fmt%3D18] Over 700 copies of the report have already been sold and if you would like a copy, contact APSE on 0161 772 1810 or email enquiries@apse.org.uk for more information on APSE go to www.apse.org.uk Listening to the show is simple, you can do it in a number of ways and you donrsquo;t need an iPod or MP3 player. Simply click on the grey arrow underneath the show heading and it will play through your computer. Alternatively, you can easily download the file and listen to it later, ornbsp;transfer it onto an MP3 player,nbsp;just right click on lsquo;Downloadrsquo; and select lsquo;Save Target Ashellip;rsquo; The show can also benbsp;playednbsp;on iTunes. To make sure that you never miss an episode, you can subscribe freenbsp;via email, or by clicking the orange RSSnbsp;icon or iTunes button. Each new show will then be delivered automatically to your computer, along with notes about the show, useful contact details and links to additional information. Inbsp;would love to hearnbsp;your feedback and any suggestions for further shows. Either email me directly at karen@publicsectorhrpodcast.co.uk or click on lsquo;Commentrsquo; underneath the show title and type away.ShareThis

Flexible working is a topic that attracts much debate, particularly in a downturn. With the extension to the Right to Request Flexible Workingnbsp;happening in April, an additional 2 million public sector employees will become eligible under the new rules. To listen to the podcast, click the grey arrow below. The first part of thisnbsp;month's show, explores what this will mean for public sector employers. We then take a fascinatingnbsp;look at the workplacesnbsp;of the future. My first guest in Andy Lake who is Editor of the on-line business journal, Flexibility. Andy believes that this extension, which will now include parents with children under the age of 16, is quite limited and is in fact, discriminatory. He also thinks that it is of no help to people who are out of work. Andy's experiencenbsp;shows that organisations tend to respond to flexible working at three levels and these are: GETTING A POLICY IN PLACE TO DEAL WITH THE RIGHT TO REQUEST - this reactive approach tends to be used by most public sector organisations TAKING A MORE STRATEGIC APPROACH - moving away from seeing flexible work as exceptional and treating it as more normal MOVING BEYOND THE FAMILY FRIENDLY APPROACH - thinking how flexible working can make organisations work and use their resources much better His advice to HR Practitioners is: ADOPT A CAN-DO POLICY - be proactive rather than reactive and promote flexible working as a good way of working ALIGN FLEXIBLE WORKING WITH OTHER NEEDS - e.g. working hours with when customers actually want to talk to you LOOK AT THE TASKS IN PEOPLE'S WORK - can they be done more flexibly and efficiently GET TOGETHER WITH COLLEAGUES FROM OTHER DEPARTMENTS -nbsp; to develop a comprehensive approach to 'smart' working LOOK CLOSELY AT RECRUITMENT POLICIES - when people apply, consider how an applicant can suggest more flexible ways of working without that scuppering their application TAKE FLEXIBLE WORKING AWAY FROM THE 'MUMMY' TRACK - so that it applies to all people You can find out more about flexible working at www.flexibility.co.uknbsp;or you can contact Andy directly, on 01223 304792 or email him at andy.lake@flexibility.co.uknbsp;where he can also put you in touch with the Smart Work Network Bridget Hardy is my next guest. Bridget works for the Government Estates Division of the Office of Government Commerce,nbsp;which is part of HM Treasury. Her job is to make the government's estates more efficient, effective and sustainable and as part of this role, she has co-authorednbsp;a book - 'Working Beyond Walls'. Interestingly, the book explores the role of the workplace as an agent for change and describes the vision for the workplaces of the future. It also presents the issues people are going to have to tackle when they're thinking about changes within their own organisations. These include: PEOPLE WORKING IN DIFFERENT WAYS INNOVATIVE USE OF WORKSPACES FLEXIBLE AND MOBILE WORKING PRACTICES MUCH MORE REGIONALLY DISTRIBUTED WORKPLACES CLUSTERING OF DIFFERENT GOVERNMENT BRANCHES, USING SPACE MORE FLEXIBLY Keynbsp;lessons that came out of the study,nbsp;which formed part of the research for the book, highlighted the need for a senior strategic workplace manager to lead the changes and ensure they are properly embedded. It also emphasised the importance of a change management process, when dealing with people. Bridget's advice to HR Professionals is: INTERGRATE MORE WITH PEOPLE DEALING WITH FACILITIES, ICT AND THE BUSINESS - have a regular dialogue and get involved in understanding what you can do together to support the workforce GO TO CONFERENCES -nbsp; to learn more about things other than the HR profession UNDERTAKE STAFF SURVEYS -nbsp; to establish what makes people choose an employer VOLUNTEER TO PILOT A CHANGE LIKE THIS - if the opportunity arises ...

After much anticipation, the new Equality Billnbsp;will be introduced in to Parliament as soon as it is ready this year. The Bill started off as a radical overhaul of all our discrimination law, but has got less ambitious as time has gone on. In this episode we find out more about the proposed Bill and its likely implications for the public sector, from respected experts in the areas of Equality and HR. To listen to the podcast, click the grey arrow below. Angela Masonnbsp;OBE, is currently National Advisor for Equality and Diversity at the IDeAnbsp;andnbsp;if you look her up on Wikipedia, you'll see she has spent over 30 years at the forefront of developing Equalities Policies in this country. Although a lot of the detail is still unclear, Angela believes there are some interesting areas that will have a particular impact on public services and these are: A NEW GENERIC PUBLIC DUTY - all public bodies will have a duty to promote equality of opportunity and to end harassment in relation to all of the protected groupsnbsp;i.e. gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief and age EXTENTION OF PROTECTION ON THE GROUNDS OF AGE IN RELATION TO THE PROVISION OF GOODS, FACILITIES AND SERVICES - this will have an large impact on local government as they provide a lot of services for both younger and older people POSITIVE ACTION - this will extend the circumstances in which people can discriminate and the effect will be, that more serious thought will need to be given about using positive action to remedy the current imbalances PROCUREMENT - when procuring services or goods an organisation can ask various equality questions in order to encourage the suppliers to promote equality themselves. Anglea's prediction for this is, that whatever waynbsp;procurementnbsp;is dealt with in thenbsp;Bill, there will be more pressure on public bodies and local authorities to use their procurement powers to promote equality SIMPLICATION OF THE LAW - this will make the task easier for everyone e.g easier to write single codes of guidance Angela believes that the parts of the Bill that will have the most impact for HR Teams are: PROPOSALS AROUND TRANSPARENCY - in relation to pay, for example employers will have to publish the average earnings of men and women SIMPLIFICATION OF THE LAW - a lot of technical inconsistencies will be ironed out POSITIVE ACTION - this will be a bit of an HR minefield, so try to gather some of the good practice and experience that is around Tonbsp;get morenbsp;information onnbsp;the Bill go to the Government Equalities Office or Local Government Employers. To find out more about Angela's work visit www.idea.gov.uk Angela O'Connor is Chief People Officer at the National Police Improvement Agency and she believes thatnbsp;there will be a number of differences that the bill will make for HR. These include: BRINGING TOGETHER THE LEGISLATION COVERING DISCRIMINATION - which should mean greater transparency and strengthening of the requirement for public bodies to tackle discrimination through their purchasing function ENFORCEMENT TRBUNALS - will be able to make recommendations that impact on organisations rather than just on the individuals DECLUTTERING THE LAW - legislation will become simpler, more focused on outcomes and move away from the obsession with process PAY AUDITS - are a positive opportunity for the public sector to get it's act together in terms of equalities and to make a difference Some of the things HR teams need to consider in preparation for the introduction of the bill are: CLEAR ABOUT BASIC DATA - in terms of what you know about the make-up of the organisation, how they are paid. what they do and the activities they impact on LOOK AT TRENDS ANALYSIS - identify what the information means in terms of recruitment and progression UNDERS...

The NHS is the largest employer in Europe and the annual NHS Employers Conference was held in Birmingham last week. This month's show comes straight from the event. To listen to the podcast, click the grey arrow below. Leading Workforce Thinking, is the conference theme and in addition to some high profile plenary sessions there are 4 strand themes - Engaging Staff for Success, Facing the Future, Focus on Fundamentals and Policy into Practice. The conference featurednbsp;somenbsp;highly inspirational and informative sessions and in this episode, wenbsp;hear fromnbsp;a selection of the speakers across the three days. First up, is Sian Thomas and Alastair Henderson, Joint Acting Directors of NHS Employers who tell us more about the conference. Podcast running order and timings (in minutes and seconds) 00.00 - 00.44 Introduction 00.45 - 02.55 Sian Thomas and Alastair Henderson talk about the challenges ahead for the NHS HR community and the key elements of the new workforce proposals 02.56 - 06.20 Professor Beverley Alimo-Metcalfe, Professor of Leadership Studies at Bradfordnbsp;School of Managementnbsp;and Chief Executive of Real World Group,nbsp;talks about the style of leadership that is best suited to today's workplace 06.21 - 07.36 Dr Anthony Hesketh, Senior Lecturer at Lancaster School of Management, gives us his views on whether the HR function as we currently know it, has outlived its usefulness 07.37nbsp;- 09.48 Sahar Hashemi founder of Coffee Republic, shares her thoughts about how to turn your vision into reality 09.49 - 13.12 Rachael McIlroy Policy Officer at the TUCnbsp;and Paula McDonald, Deputy Director, Public Service Workforce Reform at the Cabinet Office, tell us more about their joint Drive for Change initiative 13.13 - 14.51 Andy Randall Ex Chief Executive of iGrasp and Advisor to leading edge businesses explains how on-line recruitment will develop in the future 14.52 - 17.56 Steve Sonsoni, bestselling author, motivational speaker and Fellow in the Centre for Management Development at London Business School gives his top 3 leadership tips on how to boost productivity and performance 17.57 - 20.16 Professor Derek Mowbray from Organisation Health talks about the prime cause of stress in the workplace and the best way an employer can overcome this 20.17 - 21.59 Gareth Malone, Choirmaster for the London Symphony Orchestranbsp;isnbsp;probably best know for his achievements in the BBC2 documentary 'The Choir' henbsp;explains how he helps people to believe in themselves in order to fulfill their potential and how they can then turn that nbsp;into team achievement 22.00 - 23.21 Steve Barnett, Chief Executive of NHS Confederationnbsp;reflects on the success of thenbsp;Conference and the things he would like delegates to take awaynbsp;nbsp; 23.25 - 24.25nbsp;Finally we hear from some of the delegates to find out their thoughts on the conference 24.26 - 25.00 Close Listening to the show is simple, you can do it in a number of ways and you donrsquo;t need an iPod or MP3 player. Simply click on the grey arrow underneath the show heading and it will play through your computer. Alternatively, you can easily download the file and listen to it later, ornbsp;transfer it onto an MP3 player,nbsp;just right click on lsquo;Downloadrsquo; and select lsquo;Save Target Ashellip;rsquo; The show can also benbsp;playednbsp;on iTunes. To make sure that you never miss an episode, you can subscribe freenbsp;via email, or by clicking the orange RSSnbsp;icon or iTunes button. Each new show will then be delivered automatically to your computer, along with notes about the show, useful contact details and links to additional information. Inbsp;would love to hearnbsp;your feedback and any suggestions for further shows. Either email me directly at karen@publicsectorhrpodcast.co.uk or click on lsquo;Commentrsquo; underneath the show title and type away...

A talent management system is something that every organisation has, whether it recognises it or not - this is just one of the findings of a two year study carried out by Ashridge Consulting. In this episode, we find out more about the study and hear from the Department for Work and Pensions about how their talent management strategy helps to ensure they have the right people in place, for both today and the future. To listen to the podcast, click the grey arrow below. The DWP are the UK's biggest government department with over 100,000 staff andnbsp;Claire Wilson isnbsp;their Head of Talent Development and Resourcing. Claire talks to me about what the term 'talent management' means to the DWP and gives some great insightsnbsp;about what initiatives work well for them.nbsp; Claire's advice on developing a TM strategy includes: UNDERSTAND THE PRIORITIES OF THE ORGANISATION - what capabilities it needs and what kind of leaders it needs and design a talent strategy around those needs LISTEN TO WHAT MATTERS TO THE MANAGERS - focus on their problems such as having the right skills and building capability within their teams USE A 9 BOX GRID - using performance and potential to rate people GIVE LINE MANAGERS THE SKILLS TO SUPPORT TALENT - and reward them when they do RECOGNISE THE DEMANDS AND PRESSURES TALENTED PEOPLE ARE UNDER - because they are deeply committed and work twice as hard ALLOW TALENT TO TAKE MORE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR OWN DEVELOPMENT - to decide themselves what kind of things they want to do, e.g. Non-Executive Director, coaching or working with reverse mentors TALK TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN THERE - rather than focusing too muchnbsp;on the theoretical side of talent management To play Clairersquo;s quick video message, click in the middle of screen below. [youtube:http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ULeHeNSsYms#38;ap=%2526fmt%3D18] Claire recommends the CIPD, Corporate Leadership Council and IES as good sources for further information. You can also find out more about DWP's work at www.dwp.gov.uk Ashridge Consulting, part of Ashridge Business School, have spent two years studying the area of talent management. The results of this research have recently been published and Guy Lubitsh, Principal Consultant at Ashridge tells me what the objectives of the research were and details the key findings. The research explores areas of best practice within a number of large complex organisations in a variety of sectors and settings. It also has a specific interest in what lessons can be learnt from the public sector.nbsp;The questions focused on how organisations recruit, retain and develop talent. The 4nbsp;key findings are: LEADING ORGANISATIONS TAKE TALENT MANAGEMENT VERY SERIOUSLY - they view it as a long term investment of 5 - 10 years, investing money, resources and executive time THERE IS A FORMAL AND INFORMAL SYSTEM - the informal system was stronger than the organisation declared. For organisations who did not think they were managing talent, they are actually managing it in some way and the peoplenbsp;and talent will draw their own conclusions about what is going on THERE IS NO ONE SIZE FITS ALL APPROACH - it's very important to take into account the culture and strategy of specific organisations and their context THERE ARE 18 STRATEGIC DIMENSIONS - that need to be considered when looking at your talent management strategy Key differences between thenbsp;public sector organisations and private sector organisations are : The private sector is: WILLING TO DIFFERENTIATE MORE CLEARLY - between people that are talent, people that are not talent and poor performers and offering more differentiators and tailored developmental routes to meet individual needsnbsp; DIFFERENT ATTITUDE TO RISK - i.e. more willing to give stretch assignments SENIOR TEAM SPEND MORE TIME -nbsp;on succession planning, critical rolesnbsp;and the ...