DEVELOPING PEOPLE AND IMPROVING PERFORMANCE IN THE DTI

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DEVELOPING PEOPLE AND IMPROVING PERFORMANCE IN
THE DTI

• AVERIL BALDWIN
• HEAD OF HR STRATEGY

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THE ROLE OF DTI

• The overall aim of the Department is to achieve
  prosperity for all
• Top priorities are

• transferring knowledge
• maximising potential in the workplace
• extending competitive markets
• strengthening regional economies
• forging closer partnerships

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AIMS OF OUR HR STRATEGY

• Delivering a strategic focus and driving
  through change
• Recruiting, deploying and keeping the people we
  need
• Developing and equipping individuals
• Transforming the HR function

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WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF OUR STRATEGY HOW WE ARE

• Measuring people performance as an
  organisation
• Driving up people performance
• Facing the future.

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A MEASURING PEOPLE PERFORMANCE AS AN
ORGANISATION

• Reporting arrangements

• Quarterly reports to our Senior Board
• Selective reporting focusing on key people
  priorities to deliver DTI strategy
• - improved leadership - the right skills in
  the right place

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• - key HR indicators (e.g. sick absence
  rates)
• Written and oral report from HR Director
  focussing on key HR issues.

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Means of measurement

• Progress against milestones e.g. take up of
  leadership programme, of upskilling in key areas
  of better policy making skills, business
  credibility, project management etc
• Results of quarterly staff survey e.g. our
  leaders are effective in dealing with difficult
  issues and in my team we have the skills and
  capabilities to deliver my business objectives.

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• Key HR indicators
• For example
• Leadership - diversity among our
  senior people The right skills - ratio of
  external in the right place applicants to
  vacancies Performance - distribution of
• management annual report markings

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B DRIVING UP PEOPLE PERFORMANCE

• HR Business Partners as part of our new HR
  model
• Creation of Performance Management Unit
• New people performance and pay arrangements.

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HR BUSINESS PARTNERS AS PART OF THE NEW HR MODEL

• HR Business Partners
• - senior HR practitioners working in
  partnership with the business to drive up
  performance
• Centres of Expertise
• - sources of expertise on terms and
  conditions, pensions, pay, diversity/ flexible
  working etc

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• HR Service Centre
  - first point of call
  for enquiries which cannot be handled through the
  HR Intranet
• HR Intranet
• - comprehensive and user-friendly HR intranet
  to provide information on HR issues and back up
  Service Centre
• Supplemented by more e-HR.

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ROLE OF HR BUSINESS PARTNERS

• Working with the arms of the business to ensure
  the big people issues are tackled coherently
  e.g. poor performance, developing people skills,
  dealing with staff surpluses.
• knowing what is going on in each arm of the
  business the priorities and people
  characteristics e.g. the issues faced by
  our corporate services arm (HR,

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• finance, accommodation, IT etc) are different
  from those dealing with energy policy or legal
  services.
• making a people input at key points e.g.
  preparation of annual business plans,
  downsizing in parts of the Department.

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CREATION OF PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT UNIT

• Set up to provide a one stop shop to help
  managers on any performance-related issue and
  brings together policy-making and operational
  experience.
• Provides advice and support on - probation - pe
  rformance appraisal
• - inefficiency (poor attendance and
  unsatisfactory performance)
• - conduct and discipline

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• Each arm of the business has its own
  Performance Manager Advisor.
• Counselling for individuals separately located
  within HR
• Showing results in terms of - requests for
  help and interpretation of procedures
• - workshops for managers on the what as well
  as the how - the number of efficiency and
  conduct discipline cases underway.

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NEW PEOPLE PERFORMANCE AND PAY ARRANGEMENTS

• Three elements - Annual Appraisal Assessment
• - Personal Achievement Plan
• - Personal Development Review
• Emphasis on - achievement of specific
  objectives
• with clear sight to Departments aims
  - personal development

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• Distributive annual appraisal guidelines on
  numbers expected to achieve the following
  assessments-
• - highly successful
• - successful
• - improvement needed
• - unacceptable
• Pay link to performance

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FACING THE FUTURE

• A Scenario
• a slimmed-down, higher skilled Department
• making efficiencies and relocating posts out of
  London
• bench-marking with other Departments and the
  public and private sector more generally.

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• the HR function itself under scrutiny.
• B Challenge
• HR and business working in partnership to
  reduce our numbers and upskill and develop our
  people.
• improving/maintaining performance during
  uncertainty and change (Efficiency reviews,
  relocation of posts out of London and the
  South-East).

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• ensuring people are fully aware of the HR
  implications of change
• further development of indicators and
  benchmarks
• maintaining HR performance and support while
  reengineering the HR function.