Chris Last
Head of Civil Service HR
What were your biggest policy and delivery challenges in 2013? How did you handle them?
Halving the civil service HR head count since 2008-09 has been an enormous achievement this year. In one of our biggest HR transformation programmes in a generation, we set ourselves efficiency targets and worked hard to deliver them. Much of this was achieved through change programmes and by pooling expertise in employee policy, learning, resourcing and organisation design and development into a new HR Expert Services.
HR is now smarter as well as smaller. We’re more unified, better connected across networks and leadership groups, sharing best practice more and challenging one another to go even further.
We’re also proud to say that this year we delivered the first ever corporate civil service apprenticeship scheme – around 100 school leavers were chosen from over 2,000 applications to join the programme. This is alongside record levels since 2008 of applications to the graduate Fast Stream, with over 33,000 applications.
Where have you made the most progress in implementing the Civil Service Reform Plan, and what are your reform priorities for 2014?
In 2009-10, departments used 5,000 different training products of varying price and quality. Over the past two years, we’ve removed duplication and developed a high quality learning and development offer, available on a single portal for over 400,000 civil servants. It’s accessible on iPads and SmartPhones, offering access to over 500 classroom and 180 e-learning products. Civil servants are now talking about using their ‘5 a year’ in learning and development, a key reform plan action.
Streamlining performance management has been a priority in 2013. We have brought in new performance management frameworks, as well as more structured and targeted programmes for talent management to ensure we get the best from our most talented people, developing them so they can be most effective in delivering the government’s priorities.
With a new Civil Service Competency Framework, supported by a new self-assessment tool, we have helped civil servants to identify their development needs and we’re working hard with colleagues on what the four priorities in the Capabilities Plan – digital, change management, commercial and project delivery skills – mean for each of us in the civil service. This is all part of HR’s support for something that will be as important as ever next year – those really good conversations between individuals and line managers on performance and development needs.
What are your key challenges in the last full year of the Parliament, and how will you tackle them?
HR activity progresses regardless of the parliamentary cycle. 2014-15 is another big year for us, with the second phase of Next Generation HR transformation, where we plan to go further in driving efficiencies across the civil service. Our own capability goals include being an ever more strategic, flexible and credible corporate partner. Colleagues and fellow managers rely on HR as never before to help spread the delivery and learning culture we all want to see.
What would you most like Santa to bring you this year? And what would you like him to take away?
A brand new HR management information system, and not the old, disconnected ones would be good…