EFFICIENCY AND HR
A summary of the programme
Extract from the award entry for Building HR Capability:
The Human Resources (HR) Transition Programme is a strategic reconfiguration of the council’s HR and Learning and Organisational Development (L&OD) functions, and the implementation of a new, corporate shared service centre (CSSC).
The project entailed moving from a traditional, directorate-based HR service to a functional structure providing HR delivery, employee relations and policy, schools HR improvement
‘I can’t expect to have an easy job’
Obviously the world of public sector HR has been more difficult since 2010-11 when the scale of the budget cuts that would have to happen first became apparent. Some staff can come to associate HR with only the negative aspects of the role.
We asked Loderick what the job had been like in recent years, and she said: “It’s a difficult job. The last few years, there have been a lot of tough things to do. That will be the way it is going forward.
“But there have been opportunities in the midst of that, and for me, it’s been about doing those tough things well.
“On Ts and Cs for example, I was featured in the local paper as slashing jobs and cutting people’s terms and conditions. But I didn’t come into this role to take away people’s livelihoods or treat people badly. I know I give people the maximum opportunity to be involved, to understand why things are happening. That’s the mantra you’ve got to take with you, otherwise you wouldn’t get up in the morning! But yes, it’s a tough job, you get a public kicking all the time in the public sector.”
36 | public sector executive Sep/Oct 13
and shared L&OD. A three-layered shared service centre underpinned this structure.
This shift in approach is based on a clear HR vision and new strategic HR priorities closely aligned with the council’s corporate objective to empower staff and make managers more self sufficient. At the heart of the project were two key strands:
First, a comprehensive package of training, development and support for HR employees, including assessment centres, workshops, an away day, Myers Briggs Type Indicator tests, coaching and new intranet pages. The package was designed to support staff
She suggested the recent scandal about BBC executive pay-offs (more on p78) and HR’s role in that had added to that perception, and said: “You can be vilified. You face criticism, but you have to have self-belief and know that what you’re doing is the right thing.
“We protect our front line as much as we can. We’d much rather reduce paid special leave than reduce services for looked-after children, for example.
“I’m a senior person in the public sector, funded through people’s council tax, and I can’t expect to have an easy job.”
Top table
Loderick’s role is broader than many of her counterparts in local authority HR, as it also includes transformation and ICT on top of HR and organisational development. That broad role is a factor in her seat at the ‘top table’ of the council and gives her more influence over strategic direction.
She said: “There’s a constant debate in HR about whether we sit at the top table or not. I do, partly because I have that broader role. I’ll have counterparts at other authorities who
through the change process and equip them with the skills they needed to work effectively in the new structure.
Second, a mandatory Self Sufficient Manager (SSM) programme was launched to help managers take on more HR responsibilities.
Managers were given training and attended workshops and regular ‘espresso sessions’ to learn new HR skills.
A series of ‘How to’ guides was developed, covering key HR procedures, and a new SSM intranet portal was launched, bringing together advice, documents and processes.
won’t have as much in their remit as I do, they may sit in a different place in the organisation.
“But as a profession, for HR directors – particularly in the public sector – part of our role and the reason for being in those top discussions is about recognising that there’s more too our roles than ‘just’ HR.
“When I first took on IT, for example, my first thought was ‘oh my God’! But you soon realise it’s intrinsically linked to the rest of the job.
“What’s great about my job is having the capacity to pull all of the levers that make the organisation tick – HR, IT, transformation, organisational development. There’s not an awful lot else you need to keep the organisation running and to keep the front line out there and supported.
“I want to re-state how important it is to have the right people on the team. It’s great to get this personal recognition, but it’s also about the team – both the team under me, and the team on the board. It makes such a massive difference.”
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opinion@publicsectorexecutive.com
© David Gerard
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