Ministers have unveiled a new performance management model, which they say will help to make the civil service a “world leader”.
The government today published an update to the performance management framework for the senior civil service and pledged to “identify and tackle poor performance where we find it” but also “recognise the good work of senior leaders across the civil service”.
The changes to performance management processes include a new annual “cross-government consistency check”, which will be carried out for the first time at the end of June to make sure performance is being marked consistently.
The document states that this check will be an annual meeting held by the Government People Group that is “entirely for transparency and accountability purposes, and to give departments greater insight into how consistent their approach to performance management is with other departments”.
“It is not a form of moderation and it is not expected that departments should need to make any amendments to their previous years’ performance outcomes as a result of this meeting,” the framework says.
It adds: “As such, there should be no delay in agreeing performance markings, or awarding non-consolidated performance related payments, in anticipation of this meeting.”
The changes also include a new central set of performance standards for senior officials on top of the personal objectives that are tailored to their roles.
Many of the changes to the new framework – including setting minimum standards and implementing a more comprehensive “expected distribution of performers” – were set out by the Cabinet Office in evidence to the Senior Salaries Review Body in December, and first reported on by CSW.
The document states that the new "minimum standards" have been designed to be "sufficiently high level so that they are relevant to all SCS roles, regardless of grade or profession". This means "all members of the SCS [must] understand how they are expected to demonstrate the Minimum Standards for their specific role".
The government said the tweaks will provide clarity on core objectives, such as delivering value for money, and help departments to recognise and reward top performers.
Pat McFadden, the chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said the changes will help make the state “more agile and modern so we can transform the public services people rely on every day”.
He said the government needs senior officials “to build productive and high performing teams, to deliver on our plan to put more money in people’s pockets, get the NHS back on its feet and rebuild Britain”.
“This is the next step in our plan to make the civil service a world leader, equipped with the tools to tackle some of the biggest challenges we face today."
Tone of announcement ‘disappointing’ – FDA
The changes to the framework have been widely reported on this morning, with most of the coverage focused on ministers asking top civil servants to find efficiency savings or risk being sacked.
The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, is expected to ask departments to make 5% efficiency cuts to their budgets as part of the upcoming spending review.
In his comments on the new framework, McFadden said: “Taxpayer money is at the heart of all decisions made in government, and the public must be confident we are spending every pound of their money well. It is vital that senior leaders are not just encouraged, but held responsible for this.”
However, the framework refresh does not change the rules around dismissals.
There is already a system in place where poor performers are placed on a performance development plan, which can lead to dismissal if performance does not improve. The updated framework simply aims to strengthen this process by providing moore clarity on core objectives and how to assess performance assessments.
Dave Penman, the general secretary of the FDA union, which represents senior civil servants, said the tweaks to the framework are “pretty unremarkable” but that “the rhetoric around it and some of the briefing this morning” were “disappointing”.
He said the briefings and coverage suggested this would be “the first time civil servants will be held accountable for their spending – that is not the case”.
“They may have changed the words on a form but civil servants have always been held accountable for the money they spend and for creating efficiency,” Penman told Times Radio. “So it’s a bit disappointing on how it’s being spun, but actually civil servants just want clear objectives and a clear understanding of what civil servants want, and then to be held accountable for what they deliver.”