Public Sector HR Podcast

This month's show is all about e-learning and three experts in the area, talk about how to get the best out of this growing method of learning. To listen to the podcast, click the grey arrow below. Kirklees Councilnbsp;were one of thenbsp;early adopters of e-learning somenbsp;7 years ago. Chris Allan is Senior Training and Development Officer atnbsp;the Council and henbsp;talks to me about how they have gone from a standing start to winning awards. His advicenbsp;to anyone considering e-learning is: E-LEARNING IS NOT CHEAP - it'snbsp; a long term plan and is more about effectiveness rather than efficiencies and savings GET OUT AND TALK TO PEOPLE - who are already doing this, they will give you advice and products DON'T REINVENT THE WHEEL - most people have already done what you are thinking of doing TALK TO MORE CUSTOMERS, THAN PROVIDERS OF SOFTWARE - find out what the customers think FUNDING CAN BE DIFFICULT - a brilliant way to fund e-learning is to get a slice from everyone's budget, everytime someone buys a pc, they pay a little extra for the e-learning programmes BE PREPARED TO EXPERIMENT - and play! Chris is happy to talk to anyone who would like to find out more about his work and you can contact him directly by email at chris.allan@kirklees.gov.uk To play Chris's quick video message, click in the middle of screen below. [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UN4I4rByg8I#38;ap=%2526fmt%3D18] Onenbsp;decision that moved Kirklees a big step forward with their e-learning programme,nbsp;was when they partnered with the Learning Pool. Created in 2002 by the IDeA, the Learning Pool became independent in 2006 and over 86% of councils in England and Wales now use their services. Mary McKenna,nbsp;Learning Pool Director, believes the key benefits of e-learning to an organisation are:nbsp;nbsp; IT'S AVAILABLE FOR ACCESS 24/7 ENABLES ORGANISATIONS TO TRAIN A LOT OF PEOPLE VERY QUICKLY DELIVERS CONSISTANT MESSAGES CAN BE BROKEN DOWN INTO BITE-SIZED CHUNKS CAN BE USED FOR JUST-IN-TIME LEARINING CAN EVIDENCE AND RECORD THAT TRAINING HAS TAKEN PLACE AND A CERTAIN PASS SCORE HAS BEEN OBTAINED Other considerations are: IT WORKS BEST AS PART OF A BLENDED PROGRAMME ANYONE WHO IS COMFORTABLE WITH A KEYBOARD AND MOUSE WILL BE COMFORTABLE WITH THIS TYPE OF LEARNING THE MORE INTERACTIVE THE PROGRAMME, THE BETTER THE RESULTS If your interested in finding out more about the Learning Pool, go to their website at www.learningpool.com or call them on 0207 101 9383. To play Mary's quick video message, click in the middle of screen below. [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o6nd2kRJwM#38;ap=%2526fmt%3D18] Martyn Sloman is the CIPD advisor on Learning and Development as well as author, lecturer and conference speaker on the subject.nbsp; For him, the fundamental principle to remembernbsp;is, 'it'snbsp;all about learning' and we have to ask ourselves "how do people learn and how can technology, accelerate, mediate, support and direct that sort of learning?"nbsp; He also tells us that 50%nbsp;of the workforce now regard the pc as an essential tool for their job and e-learning is an easy way of giving people easy access to information and collaborative tools, BUT it is only part of the mix and part of the solution.nbsp;Learner preferences are always going to be to learn something by having it demonstrated and on any survey, e-learning will always be way down the list. ln addition, anbsp;recent CIPDnbsp;Learning and Development Survey highlights: 57% OF RESPONDENTS ARE USING E-LEARNING IN THEIR ORGANISATIONS OF THOSE THAT AREN'T, 25% PLAN TO DO SO OVER THE NEXT YEAR E-LEARNING IS AVAILABLE TO 60% OF THE EMPLOYEE POPULATION OF RESPONDENT ORGANISTIONS, BUT ONLY 30% TAKE IT UP This highlights that there are still issues with the appropriateness and effectiveness of what's on offer. To help ensure that...

An engaged workforce is something that every employer wants to have. It's not always easy to achieve, so in this month's show we hear from two experts in the field of employee engagement, to find out how to get our employees to go that extra mile. To listen to the podcast, click the grey arrow below. Dilys Robinson is Principal Research Fellow at the Institute for Employment Studiesnbsp;and works in the HRnbsp;#38; Consultancy team there. Much of her work is commissioned by employers or employer bodies and she has spent many years studying employees attitudes, motivation and commitment. The IES definition of employee engagement was arrived at in 2002/3, following a major consultation exercise with IES member companies. It is:- "Engagement is a positive attitude held by the employee towards the organisation and it's values. An engaged employee is aware of business context and works with colleagues to improve performance within the job for the benefit of the organisation. The organisation must work to nurture, maintain and grow engagement, which requires a two way relationship between employer and employee". Dilys's findings have highlighted: THERE ARE STRONG LINKS BETWEEN ENGAGEMENT LEVELS AND ORGANISATIONAL PERFORMANCEnbsp; ENGAGED EMPLOYEES ARE MORE RECEPTIVE TO CHANGE ENGAGED EMPLOYEES MAKE CUSTOMERS FEEL BETTER ABOUT THE ORGANISATION IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR, THERE IS A LINK BETWEEN EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT LEVELS AND TRUST #38; CONFIDENCE IN PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS Heintzman R and Marson B (2006) People, service and trust: links in the public sector service value chain. Canadian Government Executive The 4nbsp;main drivers of engagement are: JOB SATISIFACTION FEELING VALUED BY AND INVOLVED WITH THE ORGANISATION PERCEPTIONS OF EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY VIEWS ABOUT HOW SERIOUSLY THE ORGANISATION TAKES HEALTH AND SAFETY However, these drivers can vary considerably depending upon the organisation and the employee group. Feeling valued and involved is more important in the public sector than it is in the private sector. Surprisingly, the manager relationship did not emerge as the key driver in the public sector - it is important, but at sub-driver level, meaning that it is driving most of the drivers. To find out what your own organisation's drivers are, Dilys recommends conducting an employee attitude survey, or asking employees their viewsnbsp;more directly via facilitated workshops or focus groups. Her advice to People Managers is: EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES SHOULDN'T JUST BE SEEN AS AN HR RESPONSIBILITY - to succeed, it needs firm and real commitment from the top HR HAS AN IMPORTANT ROLE TO PLAY - in monitoring and understanding engagement levels #38; drivers MANAGERS AT ALL LEVELS SHOULD BE EXPECTED TO PLAY THEIR PART - and have a good understanding of what they need to do to be effective people managers GOOD QUALITY MANAGEMENT TRAINING IS ESSENTIAL - for first line managers and supervisors and should benbsp;reinforced throughout their careers HR SHOULD SUPPORT THE LINE - with good clear policies and procedures EMPLOYEES SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED - to raise issues and concerns, take responsibility for problems and make suggestions for improvements And to keep employees engaged through these difficult economic times, Dilys advises organisationsnbsp;to be wise, keep faith with their employees and tonbsp;continue with their engagement strategies, in order to give reassurance and encouragement to employees tonbsp;do as well as possible.nbsp;By doing this, employees will increase public confidence by representing their sector in a positive way, helping those in trouble.nbsp; If you would like to contact Dilys, you can call her on 01273 873122 or email her at dilys.robinson@employment-studies.co.uk. You can find out more about the work of the IES from their website at www.employment-studies.co.uk RBS Group is regarded as one of the ...

The delivery of customer service in the public sector is something that we all experience - usually with no choice. In this month's show, we hear from two professionals who are passionate about ensuring that top quality customer service levels in the public sector are consistently reached and maintained andnbsp;discuss HR's role in achieving this. To listen to the podcast, click the grey arrow below. Angela O'Connor is Executive Directornbsp;HR (Policing), at the National Police Improvement Agency. Shenbsp;believes that any service wenbsp;receive from the public sector should be as good, if not better than the service we receive elsewhere and there is a fantastic opportunity for HR to really drive customer service in the public sector. Her advice is: DELIVER REALLY GOOD SERVICEnbsp;- in the right way, at the right time, to the right standard HRnbsp;SHOULD SEE THE LINE OF SIGHT - between what they do and the community they serve REALLY LISTEN TO YOUR INTERNAL AUDIENCEnbsp;- understand what line managers lives are like and walk in their shoes SPEND TIME IN THE BUSINESS - ensure that people solutions are built around common sense approaches that are relevant to the lives of their customers CONNECT PEOPLE - with the services they deliver and break down the silo mentality, so people can see that they bring something really special to individuals and communities DEMAND THE ABSOLUTE BEST - in terms of attitudes in staff To contact Angela or find out more about the NPIA visit www.npia.police.uk The Association for Public Service Excellence is the foremost specialist in local authority front line services. Paul O'Brien is APSE's Chief Executive and he talks about the public's perception of service delivery and how the energynbsp;and ideas of the front line staff who deliver the services, should be harnessed in order to improve the customer's experience. Some other pieces of advice Paul shares are: GET BETTER AT MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION - tell the public what we do well HR CAN INFLUENCE THE CULTURE OF AN ORGANISATIONnbsp;- well motivated people deliver high quality and excellent services GET THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS RIGHT - create that environment where people feel they get an opportunity to learn, thrive and aspire to greater things PUT ALL OF THESE THINGS TOGETHER - find a way of binding them into a 'one team' approach To find out more about APSE's work or to contact Paul visit www.apse.org.uk or call them on 0161nbsp;772nbsp;1810. 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

There has been much debate about the future of the HR Function and the role of HR Leaders. This month I talk to Peter Reilly, Director of HR Research and Consultancy at the Institute for Employment Studies (IES), to find out his views on this topic. To listen to the podcast, click the grey arrow below. Peter shares with us what he believes the challenges arenbsp;for HR Leaders, particularly those in the public sectornbsp;and how they can best add value to their organisations. His advice is: PERSUADE THE ORGANISATION OF THE IMPORTANCE OF PEOPLE MANAGEMENT TO ORGANASATIONAL SUCCESS AND DECIDE WHAT ROLE HR CAN PLAY IN ACHIEVING THAT OBJECTIVE BE WELL ATTUNED TO THE ORGANISATIONAL STRATEGY AND ISSUES ALIGN, WHAT THE FUNCTION IS TRYING TO DO, WITH THE ORGASATIONAL NEEDS, IN ORDER TO SOLVE REAL BUSINESS PROBLEMS THINK OVER A LONGER TIME HORIZON AND BE AWARE OF WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT INTERNALLY, BE INNOVATIVE IN THE WAY THE FUNCTION POSITIONS ITSELF BE ABLE TO MEASURE WHERE THE FUNCTION IS BEING EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE HR LEADERS SHOULD ACT AS 'HEAD OF PROFESSION' AND PROVIDE FUNCTIONAL LEADERSHIP TO THE TEAM CONTINUE TO DO THE BASICS WELL He also tells us more about an excitingnbsp;new joint initiative he is working on with the IDeA and the PPMA, which will providenbsp;a self assessmentnbsp;tool for HR Leaders to both benchmark and develop their skills. You can find out more about hownbsp;to get involved with this project, by contacting Kelly Sandiford at the IDeAnbsp;onnbsp;07766nbsp;115104 or email her at kelly.sandiford@idea.gov.uknbsp;or Marcia Hazzardnbsp;on 07867nbsp;514753nbsp; or via email atnbsp;marcia.hazzard@idea.gov.uk To find out more about Peter's work, you can contact himnbsp;via email at peter.reilly@employment-studies.co.uknbsp;or call him on 07771nbsp;932993. 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 PPMA's annual conference was held in Brighton last week and this month's show comes directly from the event. The theme of this year'snbsp;conference is Evolution or Extinction: the future for HR in the public sector and there was a good mix of inspirational and interesting speakers, who challenged everyday thinking and shared theirnbsp;knowledge, through case studies and research findings. Wenbsp;caught up with themnbsp;during the conference to find out more. To kick off the show, we hear from Stephen Moir -nbsp;this year's President, to find out his plans for the Association. To listen to the podcast, click the grey arrow below. Podcast running order and timings (in minutes and seconds) 00.00 - 00.30 Introduction 00.30 - 03.07 Stephen Moir, PPMA President outlines his goals for the Association 03.08 - 05.30 Dr Emma Parry, Research Fellow, Cranfield School of Management, outlines the early results of research she has undertaken into public sector recruitment and retentionnbsp;issues 05.31 - 07.50 Russell Prue, Anderton Tiger, talks about how HR professionals need to embrace new technology in order to engage with prospective employees 08.07 - 09.28 Greg Dyke, former BBC Director General, explains what makes a great leader and how HR can best support leaders in their organisations 09.29 - 12.44 Peter Reilly, Director of HR Research and Consultancy, Institute for Employment Studies, tells us what key challenges face HR Leaders and what skills they will need to tackle them 13.10 - 14.36 Greig Aitken, Group Head of Employee Engagement, Royal Bank Of Scotland, explains briefly how he has engaged employees at RBS and the benefits this has had on their business 14.42 - 15.24 Councillor David Parsons, Leader of Leicestershire County Council, talks about the key benefits of their employee engagement strategy 15.25 - 16.07 Joan Munro, National Advisor- Workforce Strategy, IDeA, gives advice on how best to engage a workforce 16.08 - 17.30 Councillor Steve Reed, Leader of London Borough of Lambeth,nbsp;tells us about the future landscape for local government and thenbsp;impact this willnbsp;have for HR 17.31 - 19.06 Steve Bundred, Chief Executive, Audit Commission, talks about the challenges facing HR teams as a resultnbsp;of the changing face of public sector inspection 19.20 - 20.27 Jan Parkinson, Managing Director, Local Government Employers, talks about this year's pay agreement 20.28 - 23.12 Christopher Johnson, Director of Employment, Civil Service Capability Group, Cabinet Office, tells us his thoughts on current pay and reward challenges 23.13 - 25.40 Miles Hilton Barber, Adventurer, gives his key pieces of advice on how to cope with and embrace change 25.41 - 27.33 Martin Tiplady, Director of HR, Metropolitan Police Service, shares his views on the future for HR 27.40 - 29.17 Ray Tompkinson, Consultant, discusses the issues around the shared services model 29.18 - 31.30 Dean Shoesmith, Executive Head of HR, London Boroughs of Sutton and Merton, talks about a major London Borough recruitment partnership he has led 31.31 - 33.31 House Debate, Geoff Armstrong,nbsp;CIPD Director General,nbsp;is for the motion and Professor Graham Martin is against, they both explain their reasonsnbsp;why 33.32 - 34.20 Gillian Hibberd, Corporate Director, (People #38; Policy) and PPMA Vice-President, tells us her thoughts on the conference and her vision for the future 34.21 - 35.43 Finally, we hear from some of the delegates to get their views on the conference To find out more about the PPMA, go to www.ppma.org.uk or visit their new 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...

Working in the public sector has attracted some negative publicity in recent times. In this edition of the show, I talk to three people in the know, to find out what public sector managers really think. To listen to the podcast, click the grey arrow below. Jo Hennessy is Director of Research at Roffey Park,nbsp;the executive development and research institute and shenbsp;talks about the findings of their latest Management Agenda research. Now in it's 11th year,nbsp;the annual survey canvasses managers views and experiences across a wide range of organisational issues and of almost 500 participants, 25% were from the public sector. The key findings for the public sector are: HIGH LEVELS OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT - public sector managers enjoy a better work-life balance, more flexible working and worknbsp;lessnbsp;hoursnbsp;than their counterparts in the private services sectornbsp;in order to be seen to be successful A HIGH PREVELANCE OF CHANGE - 92% of managers in the public sector have experienced change in the last two years compared with 78% in the private services sector. The public sector managers also said thatnbsp;there is room to manage change much better in their organisationsnbsp; HOW UNDERPERFORMANCE IS TACKLED -nbsp;only 4% of public sector managers said that this isnbsp;dealt with effectively HIGH LEVELS OF BEAUROCRACY - 66% in the public sector against 45% in the private services sector Accordingnbsp;to Jo, thenbsp;challenges facingnbsp;public sector managers include: HOW TOnbsp;CONSOLIDATE THE BENEFITS OF CHANGE HOW TO MANAGE EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION THROUGHOUT CHANGE HOW TO ENSURE SOME REVIEW AND LEARING FROM ANY CHANGE PROGRAMME To get a copy of the Management Agenda 2008 reportnbsp;visit www.roffeypark.com/research/managementagenda.htmlnbsp; To give an 'insiders view' I talk next to Jan Parkinson,nbsp;Managing Director of the Local Government Employersnbsp;and Sian Thomas,nbsp;Joint Acting Director of NHS Employers. Jan is surprised bynbsp;the Management Agendanbsp;findings and they don't reflect her personal experience of working within the public sector. She agrees that there is some change weariness, but points to LGE research that shows public sector managers are very good at handling change.nbsp;Jan also states that the best managers she has ever met have worked in the public sector,nbsp;thisnbsp;she believes, is becausenbsp;the issues they face are so complexnbsp;that theynbsp;have to benbsp;incredibly innovative to deal with them. Jan'snbsp;advice to HR Managers looking to improve performance in the public sector includes: DEVELOP A SUITE OF HR POLICES AND STRATEGIES THAT ARE COHERENT ANDnbsp;ALIGNED TO THE SAME GOAL GET SENIOR MANAGERS TO BUY INTO THOSE POLICIESnbsp;nbsp; Sian is also taken aback by the report and feels that although the survey sample sizenbsp;is reasonable, the NHS Employers own research of 300,000 NHS employees indicates that the day-to-day challenges faced by them, are the very reason why people come to work in the public sector. They have found that change is a motivator for a lot of people, as isnbsp;a sense of massive responsibility early on in their careers. She does agree that bureaucracy is the biggest demotivator andnbsp;that middle and morenbsp;junior staffnbsp;find a lack of controlnbsp;somewhatnbsp;limiting. Sian's advicenbsp;to HR Mangers looking to tackle areas of weakness includes: SHAPE THE CULTURE - organise practices around a sense of well-being DEVELOP TALENT AND SKILLS - it's a critical role for HR SUPPORT LINE MANAGERS - in managing change To find out more aboutnbsp;Local Government Employers visitnbsp;www.lge.gov.uk or NHS Employersnbsp;visit www.nhsemployers.org 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 ...

Transferring large numbers of staff and services are major hurdles to overcome when entering into a partnership with the private sector. In this episode, I talk to two Councils who have both been working with their chosen partners for a number of years and they explain how they managed the process. To listen to the podcast, click the grey arrow below. Graham Burgess is The Chief Executive of Blackburn with Darwen Council and believes that the first step to successnbsp;is to build a strong relationship from the beginning and see your partner not as a separate organisation bound by a contract, but almost as a department of the Council. Some other pieces of advice Graham shares include: DON'T BE DEFENSIVE - if something isn't working, sort it out, pass it back or resolve the problem, don't take things personally and realise that you will have differences HAVE A STRONG CLIENT SIDE - too much of our client function wasnbsp;transferred at the beginning HAVE REGULAR REVIEWS - rather than waiting for the 5 yearly review, regularly evaluatenbsp;things very strongly in the early years TALK TO PEOPLE - both sides need to do a major communication and culture change exercise leadingnbsp;up tonbsp;the transfer, including both groups of staff and trade unions HR NEED TO BE INVOLVED VERY EARLY IN THE PROCESS - not brought in at the end MAKE SURE YOU CAN ANSWER THE STAFFrsquo;S QUESTIONS - about their own personal positions and reassure them about the type of organisation they are going to Graham believes the three most important factors for success are: COMMUNICATION OPPORTUNITIES FOR STAFF TO MEET OTHER PARTNER STAFF CHOOSING THE RIGHT PARTNER You can find out more about Blackburn with Darwen's partnership from their website www.blackburn.gov.uknbsp; Graham is also happy to arrange a visit to the Council or send information to you. Email him at graham.burgess@blackburn.gov.uk Cumbria County Council entered into their partnership agreement in 2001 and Bob Mather, Deputy Chief Executive talks to me about what their original objectives were and what has been achieved in 7 years. The three main objectives were: CREATEnbsp;1000 EXTRA JOBS IN 5 YEARS IMPROVE SERVICE EFFICIENCY BY 2% PER ANNUM RECEIVE A LARGE CAPITAL RECEIPT FOR TRANSFERRINGnbsp;BUSINESS Bob's key pieces of advice are: FLEXIBILTY IS IMPORTANT - the world changes, should targets that were set at the beginning, still be in place 7 years on GET OFF TO A FAST START - devote a lot of time and attention to developing the client side of the operation THINK ABOUT THE STAFF WHO ARE TRANSFERRING - need to be able to set the standard and monitor the performance of the third party DON'T SKIMP SO MUCH ON THE ORGANISATION THAT'S LEFT IN THEnbsp;AUTHORITY - you need enough capacity to keep track of the partner Bob is happy to speak to anyone who would like to find out more about Cumbria's partnership agreement and you can contact him on 01228nbsp;606263 or email him at bob.mather@cumbriacc.gov.uk information can also be found on their website www.cumbria.gov.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 s...

The drive for greater efficiencies in the Public Sector is stronger than ever and this month, we look atnbsp;how 'sharing services' can be the cornerstone of achieving some pretty impressive results in this area. To listen to the podcast, click the grey arrow below. Graham White has just moved from Surrey Councynbsp;Council,nbsp;to head up HR at Westminster Council. He joinednbsp;Surrey CC as Head of HR and OD from Ulster Bank in 2002nbsp;andnbsp;spearheaded an organisational restructurenbsp;that has turned thenbsp;council on it's head.nbsp; Some of the key benefits that Graham has experienced include: SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN OVERALL STAFFING - work is nownbsp;being done in a single place, with 1/4 of the staff CULTURE CHANGE - "I'm doing more of what I'm paid to do" mentality SERVICE DELIVERY MODEL IS ON AN UPWARD CURVE - more people are cared for, more potholes get filled in and less street lights are not working -nbsp;all at no extra cost SPOTLIGHT EFFECT - when you put everything in one place, you can see what isn't working efficiently SAVINGS - overall savingsnbsp;fornbsp;the whole period are nearly pound;50m Some key pieces of advice from Graham are: LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES FIRST - you cannot tell your people enough what you are doing and no matter how much you communicate, assume you haven't done enough DON'T GO INTO THIS IF IT'S TO SAVE MONEY - if that's your paramount reason, your going to fail KNOW THE DIFFERENCE - between organisations trying to sell you shared services and those looking to partner with you.nbsp;nbsp;Partnering allows younbsp;to sharenbsp;both the benefits and the risks You can find out more about shared services at Surrey County Council from their website www.surreycc.gov.uk. There are also many resources to be found on the internet. Another shared servicenbsp;story in the news this month, is a joint initiative between Rushcliffe Borough Council and Charnwood Borough Council. They are aiming to be the first in the country to share services across county boundaries with a private sector partner. Inbsp;spoke over the phonenbsp;with both Allan Graham, Chief Executive at Rushcliffe and Brian Hayes, Chief Executive at Charnwood to find out more about their plans. The short term objective is to start small and standardise the back office functions for the two councils. The long-term vision is much larger. Together withnbsp;the private sector partner,nbsp;they are looking to develop a Regional Development Centre that can provide skilled staff for both the public and private sectors across the country. The first phase is due to go live during summer 2008 and you can find out more about their vision by checking out their websites at www.rushcliffe.gov.uk or www.charnwood.gov.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 well being of staff is crucial to the continued success of an organisation. In this month's show,nbsp;we hear fromnbsp;a Director of HR and a Chief Executivenbsp;who share with us the impact that Well Being initiatives are having on their organisations. To listen to the podcast, click the grey arrow below. Carol Mills is Director of Human Resources at Lancashire County Council, who are one of the largest local government employers in the Country. Carol believes that the key to a healthy workforce is to empower employees to do something for themselves and as anbsp;progressive employer,nbsp;the Councilnbsp;recognises that if they don't look after their staff - their staff won't look after their customers. In this interview, Carol talks about some of the Well Being initiativesnbsp;she has introduced. When consideringnbsp;the best approach to Well Being, Carol's advice includes: LOOK AT WHAT IS BEING DONE ELSEWHERE - and learnnbsp;about the things that can go wrong TALK TO YOUR STAFF AND TRADE UNIONS - about the sort of initiatives they feel might benefit them LOOK AT THE PRIVATE SECTOR - they've been at this a lot longer than we have, sonbsp;learn from them PILOT THE NEW IIP WELL BEING STANDARD - and learn from the feedback CHERRY PICK SOME OF THE GOOD THINGS -nbsp;and test these out on a few willing staff to find out what works for your organisation Carolnbsp;is also the PPMA (Public Sector People Managers Association) lead for Well Being and to find out more about her work you can contact hernbsp;through their website www.ppma.org.uk or atnbsp;Lancashire County Council.nbsp;Other sources of information are: CIPD,nbsp;your own healthcare provider, local Employers Organisation andnbsp;local PCT's. In this second interview Geoff Walker, Chief Executive atnbsp;Sandwell CCT talks passionately about Well Being and the enormous benefits the Trust, it's staff and service users have gainednbsp;bynbsp;delivering their services on an individual basis through human relationships, rather than beingnbsp;driven bynbsp;policies and procedures. This approach has clearly paid off as they have been named as 2nd best company to work for in the UK by The Sunday Times Best 100 Companies to Work For Survey for the second year running and they came out top for Well Being. The benefits they have experiencednbsp;include: REDUCED SICKNESS ABSENCEnbsp;-nbsp;from an average of 22 days per year to 0.3 days, achieving a saving of pound;600,000 pa by not doing anything other than making people feel good about themselves and feel good about being at work REDUCED STAFF TURNOVER - currently 4% pa QUALITY OF STAFF - 87% of staff are appropriately qualified according to their regulator CONTINUITY - over 60% of the workforce has been with us for more than 7 years Geoff's key tip is that managers have to create time to be with people and as such he insists that each manager keeps 30% of their diary time non-committed to do that. As a result, in the last Sunday Times survey which 87% of the workforce completed, the Trust camenbsp;1st for both Managers who listen and Mangers who motivate. Clearly emphasising Geoff's philosophy of making people feel good about being at work. Geoff is happy to speak to anyone who would like to find out more about the Trust's work in this area and you can contact him via their website www.sandwellcct.org.uk or call him on 0121nbsp;553nbsp;2722. 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 sub...

Jim Savege, new Corporate Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development at Cumbria County Council and Stephen Moir, Director of People #38; Policy at Cambridgeshire County Council, both have a lot of experience in the field of pay and reward. In this month's show, I find out how they deal with the sometimes difficult issue of remuneration. To listen to the podcast, click the grey arrow below. Jim Savege, has just moved to Cumbria from Staffordshire County Council, where he spent a number of years implementing a more progressive and modernnbsp;approach to pay, as well as dealing with pay reform for a workforce of over 32,000 people. In this interview, he tells us how he did it. (Interview length: 9.03 minutes). The bignbsp;issues for paynbsp;include: EQUAL PAY -nbsp;According to the Local Government Employers Organisation statistics, 2/3rds of organisations have still to fully implement single status TOTAL REWARD -nbsp;The LGE have focused on the link between pay and pensions and the concept of Total Reward CROSS-SECTOR PAY - The Public Sector is now a complex mosaic of organisations delivering public services with anbsp;huge amount of partnerships, but who employs who, what do you pay them, what are their terms and conditions and who decides all of that. We are at the early days of looking at cross sector reward in a more comprehensive and efficient way Some advice from Jim is: SHIFT FROM A RULE BOUND APPROACH -nbsp;to annbsp;enabling one DEVELOP CLEAR FRAMEWORKS AND PRINCIPLES - get the line management to be articulate about what it wants in terms of business and outcomes and let the the 'Profession' deliver the goods behind it BE CLEARnbsp;-nbsp;about whatnbsp;your non-negotiables are AVOID ONE-OFF SOLUTIONS AND DEALS - these could get you back into an employment tribunal Jim is also the PPMA (Public Sector People Managers Association) lead for pay and reward and to find out more about his work you can contact himnbsp;through their website www.ppma.org.uk or atnbsp;Cumbria County Council. As well as his role at Cambridgeshire,nbsp;Stephen Moir is the Vice President of the PPMA and has alsonbsp;been involved in the development of thenbsp;Cabinet Officenbsp;model of Total Reward. He has been doing work around Total Reward at Cambridgeshire County Council since 1999 and in this interview, he gives some pointers on what has worked best for him. (Interview length: 15.21 minutes). Stephen'snbsp;advice includes: TOTAL REWARD IS SIMPLY MORE THAN PAY AND RATIONS -nbsp;it includes such things asnbsp;access to learning and development opportunities, a good working environment, the values and culture of the organisation, high quality leadership and high quality management TALK AND LISTEN TO YOUR WORKFORCE -nbsp;ask them what they value most. Do this through direct line management,nbsp;by working in partnership with trade unions, having a strong internal communications system and regular employee surveys START SMALLnbsp;- make sure you have the basics right, e.g. pay people properly and on time GAIN BUY-IN FROM DAY ONE - from senior management, elected member and unions BE BRAVEnbsp;- be prepared to put your head above the parapet HAVE A REALY TALENTED HR TEAM -nbsp;with good expertise in general reward andnbsp;management reward and strategy. If you don't have the expertise in-house look at how you can develop it or find partnerships or external support in these areas COMMUNICATEnbsp;- communicate, communicate You can findnbsp;out more about Total Reward from the PPMA, CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Developement) or the Cabinet Office. 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. Alternativ...

Effective Leadership is the topic of this first show which features Gillian Hibberd, Corporate Director (People and Policy) at Buckinghamshire County Council and Jack Hegarty, Managing Director of Wychavon District Council.nbsp; To listen to the podcast, click the grey arrow below. Gillian started her career in retail with the Kingfisher Group, but quickly moved into the Public Sector to take advantage of the excellent training opportunities available. During her career, she has held HR positionsnbsp;at Oldham, Decorum BC, LB Hackney and Hertfordshire CC, before joining Buckinghamshire CC. Gillian and her team have recently won an award for Innovation in HR and she is also the Lead Officer for Leadership for the PPMA (Public Sector People Managers Association). In this interview, Gillian explains what makes a good leader and shares some advice on how to set upnbsp;a leadership developmentnbsp;programme. (Interview length 10:51 minutes). Her advice includes: DEVELOP YOUR OWN KNOWLEDGE ON THE SUBJECT - conduct 'organisational raids', read relevant texts -nbsp;for examplenbsp;'Good to Great' by Jim Collinsnbsp;nbsp;Attend conferences and training events and be confident about your knowledge CARRY OUT A DIAGNOSTIC PHASE - then tailor your programme to your organisation's individualnbsp;needs. A helpful publication is availablenbsp;from The Leadership Centre SAY WHAT IS GOING TO BE DIFFERENT - explain what will be better as a result of the programme For more information on Gillian's work you can contact her at ghibberd@buckscc.gov.uk or call her onnbsp;01296nbsp;383127. The second interview is with Jack Hegarty, MD at Wychavon District Council.nbsp;Jack has spent his career in Local Government.nbsp;A planner by profession,nbsp;he joined Wychavon to rescue a failing planning department.nbsp;Following his success in this position,nbsp;Jack was askednbsp;to take on the role of Managing Director.nbsp;After shadowing his predecessor for 12 months,nbsp;he took up his new post in April 2004. Recently, Jack hasnbsp;been namednbsp;'Best Leader' innbsp;The Times Best Council To Work For Surveynbsp;this, combined with other accolades bestowed on the Council, including LGC Council of The Year 2007, speaks volumes for Jacksnbsp;Leadership skill. Jack describes his views on 'Effective Leadership' andnbsp;what approaches work for him. He alsonbsp;shares tips on how to spot leadership talent. (Interview length 14:06 minutes). Jack'snbsp;winning formulanbsp;includes: HAVE CLARITY OF VISION - for yourself and the organisation, make sure everybody understands the core vision and values BE HIGHLY VISIBLE, INCLUSIVE AND APPROACHABLE - spend a lot of time with staff and have empathy with them, happy employeesnbsp;deliver a better service GAIN RESPECT - achieve this through what you do LEADERS EMERGEnbsp;- look for thenbsp;potential in someone and point them in the right direction. They willnbsp;need the ability to take strong decisions, balanced withnbsp;desire to ensure thatnbsp;the organisation goes with them To find out more about Jack, visit www.wychavon.gov.uknbsp; or contact him on 01306nbsp;565000. Listening to the show is simple, you can do it in a number of ways and you don'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 'Download' and select 'Save Target As...' 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 sugges...