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Annual Report of the Ombudsman 2003

Chapter 4 - Progress Report on Our Human Resource Management (HRM) Strategy

Progress Report on Our Human Resource Management (HRM) Strategy

Last year's Annual Report set out the background to our emerging HRM Strategy and the rationale behind it. Following extensive consultation with staff I was pleased to oversee the completion and launch of the HRM Strategy 2003-2005 in July 2003.

While the HRM agenda is very wide the approach which was adopted was to identify a limited range of issues which could be formulated as projects to be fully implemented over the three years of the strategy. These projects were to be implemented using team-based working with the assistance of staff drawn from across the entire Office. The published strategy included Action Plans for the following four selected priority areas; Induction, Rewards and Motivation, Performance Management Development System (PMDS) (including monitoring of the process, standardising role profiles and competencies and delivering training and development) and Gender Equality.

Induction
The aim was to produce a formal comprehensive induction training programme for new entrants to the Office. A Working Group was established which formulated a Framework for Induction Training (FIT). In its report to management the Group identified a comprehensive range of generic and section level induction training modules and made recommendations on how they should be drawn up and delivered. Responsibility was then assigned to individual staff members and teams of staff to begin work on drawing up the contents of the FIT modules. The Partnership Committee is involved in monitoring progress and vetting the individual modules as they are produced. It is proposed to have a full induction training programme agreed and in place by the summer of 2004.

Rewards and Motivation
A Middle Management Group on Rewards and Motivation was set up in 2003. Its remit is to examine ways of motivating staff and how to maintain motivation and commitment with a view to the development and implementation of policies in this regard in 2004. As part of its work programme the Group issued a questionnaire to all staff seeking their views on work related issues which might be seen as motivational or demotivational. They were also asked whether they considered certain schemes and entitlements to be rewards e.g. increments etc. An interesting feature of the results is that the highest motivational factor that staff identified was the nature of the work they were involved in within the organisation. Using the results of the survey the Group will be conducting a series of meetings with individuals and groups of staff to get a more in-depth understanding of what motivates them and this will in turn feed in to the policy formulation process.

PMDS
The Performance Management and Development System (PMDS) is now an integral part of how the Office functions. Major developments in 2003 included the undertaking of an organisational climate survey in preparation for the next phase of PMDS whereby job holders, during their annual performance review, will be encouraged to give upward feedback on their supervisor's performance. The results of the climate survey were very positive. It showed that
90% of staff agreed that they were clear on their roles within the organisation as a whole; this clarity is due in no small part to the operation of PMDS. Equally, 83% agreed that management communicated the organisation's direction, plans and progress to staff.

A complete suite of competencies for each grade in the organisation was prepared in 2003 and is utilised by staff and mangers in determining requirements for effective performance and training and development.

Gender Equality
A Gender Equality Group monitors the Office's gender balance targets and the factors that may influence the achievement of these targets such as:

• staff participation in promotional competitions;
• training and development initiatives;
• the gender makeup of interview boards for internal/interdepartmental competitions;
• the take up of family friendly initiatives (flexitime, worksharing, termtime, career breaks);
• the distribution of men and women across the sections of the Office.

It reports on these issues to the Management Advisory Committee on a quarterly basis. The Group also gender proofs relevant new Office policies and during 2003 it developed gender equality guidelines for interviewers and assessors.

The Office's gender targets apply to grades at Executive Officer level and above in the Offices of the Ombudsman, the Information Commissioner and the Secretariat to the Standards in Public Office Commission. The time frame for the achievement of the targets is five years. At present the percentage of women in the grades of Executive Officer, Higher Executive Officer and Assistant Principal Officer (Investigator) is either just short of or exceeds the agreed targets. It is hoped to achieve the target participation rate at Principal Officer (Senior Investigator) level within the relevant time frame with the active assistance of gender equality policies.

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