The following article features PPMA President Gill Hibberd and Stephen Moir:
Gill and Stephen both contributed to this HR Magazine article entitled ‘How far should public-sector HR outsourcing go?’
Hi All
With our President currently enjoying the final rays of the summer with a well earned break, it falls to me as your Past President to give a little post on what’s going on.
First, Gillian’s written a great piece on Shared Services in her latest column for People Management. Some real food for thought about career structures for HR to consider from this.
Second, public sector pay, employment and pensions remain topical in all forms of media and the battlelines for the Public Sector cuts to come appear to be forming across all the major political parties in advance of the General Election. The PPMA Policy Board will be exploring these issues further at its next meeting where our new Deputy Lead Officer (Pay and Reward), Ian Hunter from South Tyneside Homes will be joining us for the first time. Ian will be supporting our Lead, Jim Savege, to take forward the increasingly challenging role for PPMA to play in this arena - in the grey area between employer and employee (familiar territory for HR folks!).
Third, the Public Sector is putting up a good show for the Personnel Today Awards this year, with South Norfolk Council, Lancashire County Council, Kent County Council, Lincolnshire Police, the Metropolitan Police Service, West Midlands Police, Croydon Council and London Fire Brigade all shortlisted in various awards categories - well done to all concerned! I’d also particularly like to highlight the fact that the multi-award winning Birmingham City Council is again shortlisted for its work on Employee Engagement - Raffaela Goodby and Co should be bursting with well deserved pride by now!
Moving from positive news to really sad matters. PPMA was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of our great friend and colleague from the Society of Scottish Personnel Directors. Hogan Burke was a true friend to PPMA and SOCPO, an exceptional HR Professional in his own right and will be missed by all who knew him. Our deepest sympathies are extended to his family and friends, more detail can be found on the PPMA Website.
And finally, on a more positive note, I’d like to take the chance (while she is away) to pay tribute to Gillian Hibberd. Gill has made the PPMA Presidency her own, has enhanced our profile even further and is providing dynamic and energetic leadership for our Association, whilst balancing a big day job at the same time. I’m really delighted to be supporting Gillian during her year and think that we, as Association, have every right to praise her for the work she has done and has yet to do, well done Gill, you’re doing a great job!
Anyway, time to exit the train (I’m in London tonight for the Personnel Today Pre-Awards Reception, yes yours truly/Cambridgeshire CC has also been shortlisted for the HR Director of the Year category, whether I win or not, I’m really humbled to have been considered and shortlisted).
My best wishes
Stephen
Well, who would have believed that 12 months could go so quickly? I’m still a bit surprised that the PPMA conference is almost here again. As I write this post, I’m already in Manchester at the conference venue, with the team of people that are helping to get everything ready for the days ahead.
The conference run up has once again seen PPMA in the media including our incoming President giving some hard but necessary truths about public sector employment, especially in a time of recession, in People Management last week. I also wrote my last H R Columnist piece in the same edition of PM. I’m also sure the media profile for PPMA will again go through the roof this week as the conference gets into full swing (the cast of speakers alone merits this).
So, that’s really it. My Presidency comes to an end tomorrow at the AGM and all that remains is for me to thank you, the PPMA members, who gave me this wonderful opportunity. It has been my distinct privilege and pleasure to serve as President for 2008/09 and I look forward to continuing to serve as both Past President and Treasurer for the next 12 months.
In case you wanted to ask the killer question has the last year been worth it? The answer is a resounding yes from me, the real test is whether or not you, as the Association, also think my tenure has been worthwhile - I hope you equally agree.
Anyway, I look forward to seeing you in Manchester later this week - Gillian, over to you and best of luck.
Best wishes and thanks to all,
Stephen
Hi all
Sorry for not having updated the Blog for a while, my new job is keeping me pretty busy.
Anyway, a few things for information:
1. We are now only 12 days away from the PPMA Conference in Manchester - have you booked your place yet?
2. I’ve been busy beavering away updating the PPMA Constitution in the last few weeks (someone needed to do it). This will be ready for the AGM for Members to consider and hopefully approve.
3. I’ve got my final HR Columnist piece for People Management being published on April 23rd, which provides me with an opportunity to reflect upon some of the issues facing the HR profession for the future. I’m delighted to say that our President (Designate), Gillian Hibberd, will be picking up this Column in the future, keeping the PPMA name in lights for the coming year.
And finally,
4. I’m delighted to say that Communications Management, PPMA’s Communications and PR agency, has been presented with a Gold Award for its employment practices in this year’s survey of the “Best Places to Work in PR” Obviously we are highly delighted - especially as only 2 out of the 120 PR consultancies who submitted entries to the Best Places to Work survey received a Gold medal and only 12 in total received a medal of any description. It’s great to know that one of our key professional advisers is also being recognised as a great employer!
I’ll be doing my last Blog Post next week and will then be handing this over to Gillian’s capable hands as well.
Best wishes
Stephen
The sun is shining, I’m sat on the train from London to Cambridge and I’ve chaired my final PPMA Policy Board as President.
The meeting today was really well attended and supported by Regional Chairs and Lead Officers and gave the Board a chance to review the annual report submissions for the forthcoming AGM at the conference.
Reflecting upon my time as President, I had the chance to thank all the people that have supported and enabled me to do this - you know who you are! Best of all, I get to attend the Conference this year as a Delegate and will enjoy what will be the best PPMA Conference yet and learn, from the best, including David Ulrich himself.
The Policy Board also debated key issues relating to Local Government Pay and Senior Salaries/FOI issues and it felt that some key policy positions were arrived at.
I look forward to seeing you in Manchester at the end of April, at which point this Blog will become Gillian’s to lead as well…I hope you have booked your places at the conference!?
Best wishes
Stephen
Hi All
Well this week has really been interesting! I decided to “go for it” in responding to some comments published in Personnel Today (PT) last week about my views on not freezing public sector pay and challenging my own remuneration package.
The published piece wasn’t quite the nuclear option I originally drafted and deleted, but I think anyone reading my opinion piece would get the point. Locally this attracted some press interest because I chose to publish my salary. Which brings me to a point - why should actual public sector pay be hidden behind a fog of FOI exemptions and pay bands? It shouldn’t.
We all pay taxes and the public should expect openness from their public servants about their pay. However, openness about pay levels doesn’t justify uninformed criticism - pay has to be set in the context of the role concerned. Additionally, if people think that some public servants are paid too highly, then I respect the fact that they have an opinion. However, people also need to respect the fact that if public sector pay is frozen and higher earners have their pay regulated by Whitehall (I refer you to John Healey’s recent comments), then public services will once again become less able to draw in talented people and retain them at all levels. Time for a healthy debate with the public, politicians and others I think.
We’ll see what the reaction is in PT next week. Thanks for the messages from far and wide I’ve already received in support of my opinion piece. I’m sorry if some PPMA members think I’ve been too controversial, but being in a leadership role occasionally means putting yourself up to be shot at…and I made that choice consciously. PPMA has to, in my view, say things sometimes that others can’t and won’t. Public sector bashing is THE story in the media and I, for one, won’t sit quietly and be bludgeoned to death.
On other PPMA matters, I had the pleasure of representing us at the Association of County Chief Executives last night and in another guise as their Honorary Secretary for the day, standing in for my boss. It was very useful to be in this august company and to be part of discussions about issues of the day, include Lord Laming’s Report and all things CAA.
To prove that there is life outside work, I’m now heading off for a long weekend, in advance of my final PPMA Policy Board meeting as President next Friday.
Best wishes
Stephen
Hi All
Sorry for the lengthy delay in providing you with another post, so here goes!
Friday the 13th saw the launch of Raising the Standard - all very successful I hear (but due to snow I was again stuck at home - grrr!).
Until last week my external media stuff had been quiet, with good reason…I was at risk of redundancy as a result of a senior management reorganisation within my authority. However, I’m pleased to say that I’ve come through the other side of this unscathed and will emerge in April in my new incarnation as Corporate Director (People, Policy and Law) for Cambridgeshire CC. A larger and more challenging role, which I’m looking forward to taking on - who says us “senior” types have ’safe’ jobs in the public sector?
Oh and before you ask, yes I had to apply and survive a really testing interview process. Thanks to friends and colleagues for all their support and kind words pre and post interview, it’s always good to know you’ve got some supporters at times like this!
With my personal position clarified, normal service will now be resumed and you may have seen I’ve written another piece for People Management (particular thanks to Janice Joannou for her contribution to this) - comments welcomed in response on the Blog.
And finally - I’ve been my usual opinionated self in Personnel Today (PT) last week. Rather than roll over and accept the public sector media bashing on pay, pensions and performance issues, I thought I’d round off my Presidency with a bit of a defence of public services and public servants especially (backed up with a bit of economic reality). I have another piece scheduled for PT next week, I hope it hits the mark!
Best wishes
Stephen
The PPMA’s Stephen Moir (President) and Gill Hibberd (Vice-President) both appear in the latest edition of People Management, published on 26th February 2009.
Stephen reprises his frequent role as HR columnist with an article on page 15 entitied “Help or hindrance…is equality legislation getting in the way of good diversity practice or is it essential to force organisations to be fair to individuals?”. To read the online version of the article click here.
Gill comments on a news article written by James Brockett on pages 12 and 13 entitled “More councils look to shared services to keep them afloat”. To read the online version of the article click here.
If you’ve any feedback on either of these articles, feel free to share your thoughts here on the blog. Just click on the comments link underneath the headline of this post and type away.
Morning all - don’t know about where you all are, but sunny Suffolk wasn’t sunny this morning but instead looked more like the inside of a fridge/freezer.
I’m sat on a train writing this (keeping up the trend from last year) heading for London to chair the LGjobs steering group for the IDeA. If you’ve not taken up the free jobs posting service for your council, I suggest you take a look at this.
Scanning the trade press, I notice that HR Magazine is seeking nominations for the 2009 Most Influential list - for the categories of Most Influential HR practitioner and Most Influential H R thinker. The public sector and the PPMA had a great showing at the top end of the list last year - it would be great if we could improve on this for 2009. Nominations can be e-mailed to: mostinfluential@hrmagazine.co.uk
Not to many other things to report this week, but a couple of asides before finishing:
- Coventry City Council is looking for a new Head of HR. This is a great job for someone, working with the wonderful Bev Messinger, Director of Customer and Workforce Services and currently Joint Acting Chief Exec - great stuff Bev!
- I’m writing a piece for People Management on the what I see the conflict between Equality and Diversity to be - thoughts welcome via e-mail or comments on the blog. Many thanks to PPMA’s Diversity lead Janice Joannou for some great thoughts already.
Have a good and safe weekend in the winter wonderland and spare a thought for the public servants who have to work outside in the cold and keep the roads safe for us to use.
Best wishes
Stephen
