Dear PPMA friends

2020 is half way done. But it feels like we have lived multiple lifetimes. And we definitely have not had enough time to come to terms with those lifetimes, what they mean to us and how they will shape us.

We’ve been busy on webinars, conference rescheduling and planning, blogs, resource hub development and plenty more besides. And our blogs have focused on some difficult, emotionally challenging, ‘big issues’. It’s safe to say that there’ll be more of these in the last half of the year.

But for this week it’s a time just to pause and say thank you. To all of you. Our wonderful members, Sponsors, Partners and of course the amazing PPMA HQ team.

I found a poem but sadly I don’t have a name that I can attribute it to. But I love it.

It’s from me to you. It’s reflective of my experience of many of you. But more importantly it reflects so much of what I have heard leaders and colleagues say about their own HR & OD colleagues during these very strange times.

We are so often the people that our colleagues come to when they need support, to share, to be encouraged and to be heard. We don’t hear that enough in all of the tumult about policy, transformation, strategy etc.

So, from me a heartfelt ‘Thank You’.

How Can I Say It?

How can I say
how grateful I am of you?
Your kindness and thoughtfulness
is in everything you do.
You make me smile when I am down,
and brighten each and every day.
I will always hold you in my heart,
as we travel down life’s way.
If you ever need me,
I’ll be there when you call.
To hold your hand as you’ve held mine,
and catch you if you fall.

Go safely.

Hello PPMA friends

For those of us working in Public Services HR and OD, these last months have been the most consequential, challenging and complex of our professional lives, and our personal lives too. During the conversations we have had over the last months, the Health and Wellbeing of our Workforces has either been the top of your list of priorities or very close to the top.

It’s worth reflecting that our workforces are so much more dynamic, complex and very human that the word ‘workforce’. Ensuring that we put the ‘human’ at the heart of all of our HR & OD work has never been more important.

There is some fabulous Wellbeing work going on across our organisations. But we have acknowledged that these unique set of circumstances may well need something different in response, but something that will sit alongside existing strategies.

Over the last month, with PPMA Board and other colleagues, we have been piloting the role out of CareSpace. CareSpace is a 20-minute intervention designed to enable “a space for self-care through facilitated connection and support”. CareSpace is delivered as either a Face to Face or Remote offering. We are delighted to be working with some amazing colleagues in North Bristol NHS Trust and UCL Psychology Department in this initiative.

Over the next few days you will find much more information about CareSpace and our PPMA Accredited CareSpace Facilitator training programme. This is open to both PPMA and non-PPMA members.

In the meantime, you can read more here. And you can listen to the following wonderful podcast. Karen Wormwell interviews Charlie Jones, Consultant Clinical Psychologist at North Bristol NHS Trust and Benna Waites, Joint Head of Psychology in Aneurin Bevan University Health Board about CareSpace and the broader work on Compassionate Cultures in the workplace. They are extraordinary people and I know you will find this is a fabulous learning experience. I hope in a future podcast we will be able to meet Katrina Scior, Associate Professor in Clinical Psychology at University College London (UCL) and Kim Guest who is working with us on this until September 2020.

Charlie Jones              Benna Waites

Hello PPMA friends

There is something about watching a man die in front of your eyes. It changes you.

It should.

This has happened to me twice.

The first was my father 27 months ago. His death was loving, not easy but for the final 12 hours very very peaceful. It was a release and a blessing.

The second was George Floyd.

There was nothing loving, peaceful or blessed about that. Nothing. And nothing can justify his family not having the peace mine did.

Like many of you I have been drawn to the news since then. We live in dangerous, nebulous and consequential times.

I’ve been utterly revolted by the looting in places where the poorest live, sickened by more violence and death, afraid of the deliberate agitation of peaceful protestors and beyond grateful that ours is not a gun culture.

I’ve been more sickened than usual by the depravity of an American President – and that is really saying something – who is utterly obsessed with ‘dominating’. The Donald’s ‘Winning’, apparently is long forgotten.

I’ve been moved to tears by the films of peaceful protests, crowds singing, soldiers and policemen taking the knee. I’ve wept at the dignity of George Floyd’s family. And I’ve been jolted by a request for a comment on a US article about 10,000 Amy Coopers pervading in the HR profession.

10,000 Amy Coopers…

It was sent to me at the beginning of the week. And I’ve been pretty much thinking of nothing else – even as I spend the evening listening to George Floyd’s funeral memorial.

For those of you who don’t follow US news, Amy Cooper is the white woman who when asked to put her dog on the leash by an African American, phoned the Police and reported that she was being threatened by said man. Thankfully for him he was filming the whole encounter.

You can read about what happened to Amy Cooper and her dog elsewhere.

Several paras forward and suddenly, according to the writer of this particular article, there are 10,000 Amy Coopers in HR essentially reinforcing structural racism. The writer is American, so I’ll assume that her allegations are focused there in the US. The point was made – with some unattributed numbers thrown in – that the majority of the HR population in the US is female.

My initial reaction to this aspect of the article was total contempt for the evidence free conclusion. I’m still clear on that. My second was that here we go again – this is another evil to put at the door of the HR & OD function.  My third is that our profession absolutely needs to talk about inclusion within HR & OD.

Inclusion is my thing…

I’ve written before that I didn’t expect to write so much on Inclusion since my Presidential term started. And if I am brutally honest, I didn’t want to either. I was already sick of the assumption that because I am a woman, I will have a particular view on the representation of women in organisations. And I’ve spent more energy than I would like to have on challenging the unfair, but common view that every people related issue in an organisation is obviously a HR problem and that the HR function itself is a problem.

And I am becoming ever more enraged at the utterly polarised nature of our language and our politics and the fog that stops us being able to really talk and really listen.

But I am mindful that during the last 5 years I’ve had some profoundly difficult ‘diversity’ related issues to resolve in organisations I have worked for. So perhaps in a weird way, I was always meant to focus on this issue.

The Holy Grail of Inclusion…

Setting aside what I think about this being another issue to hold over HR & OD as a sword of Damocles – honestly, who the hell knows what the Holy Grail of Inclusion is anymore? What is it we are aiming for?

That, it seems to me, is the real issue.

I have said before elsewhere, I don’t care whether you are Male, Female, Gay, Straight, Trans, Jew, Christian, Sufi, Hindu, Muslim, Abled, Disabled, White, Black, Asian, Mixed-race, Chinese etc. I know some people struggle with that, but as my God is my witness, I don’t care about that.

And the reason I don’t are because no-one is just Male or Female, Muslim or Christian, Gay or Straight etc. We are ALL of us, ALL of us, a combination of our family history, our culture(s), our school and work experiences, our capabilities, our religious & non-religious beliefs, our gender and our ethnicities.

What I do give a damn about is that we build organisations that enable ALL people to thrive.  And societies that create laws which deliver equality of opportunity and equity. As HR & OD professionals our obligation is to ensure that we are advocating for and implementing the ‘levelling of the playing field’ for everyone.

I also really give a damn about the language we use and the climate we need to create to tackle the results of a lack of equality and equity of opportunity.

Words matter. ‘ALL of us’ matters for our profession…

Trying to force us into one protected characteristic or the other does nothing to help develop our common understanding about the challenges we all face. And in my conversations this week with colleagues who are from our BAME, LGBTQ+ and other communities, what has struck me even more than usual is that our communities face common and unique challenges.

We definitely don’t talk enough about those common challenges.

And we definitely don’t talk enough about the differences within our communities. One of my wonderful BAME colleagues this week reminded me that it’s wholly wrong to assume all Black Women, or Male Muslims, or Black Disabled people will feel the same about Inclusion related issues.

Duh – of course it is. But how often are we seeing people as protected characteristic first rather than human being first but one who is informed by their unique qualities?

Another of my colleagues said to me when I asked for their views on inclusion in the profession, that no-one had ever asked before. Another told me that they often talked about issues within their own community, but did not share them with other (i.e., White) colleagues.

That made me really sad.  I’ve reflected that much of this is down to the F word.

Fear…

The fear of saying the wrong thing, fear of doing the wrong thing, fear of having actions misinterpreted by others (sometimes deliberately), fear of being told that if you don’t agree with this it automatically means that, fear of being on the wrong end of a false allegation of some-ism, fear that your actions will be judged through the lens of political activism and not employment law.

Fear of questioning whether we’re investing a lot of money and a lot of energy into initiatives that don’t seem to be delivering much change.

Fear of saying that ALL Lives Matter.

And the recognition that unless we really address the systemic disadvantages and racism that has given birth to ‘Black Lives Matter’, All Lives Matter will never feel truly meaningful or equitable.

Truly, if we care about discrimination for one community, then we must care about it for all communities. We are all a member of the community of humanity. We’d do well to remember that more.

We end up again with my earlier question. What is the Holy Grail of Inclusion…?

For our own profession and for our workforce as a whole?

What will it look like for minority communities to experience equality in opportunity and equality in employee experience?

And by the way, what will it take for that to be experienced in the majority community too?  Where, for example, way too many white women are underpaid compared to their white male counterparts. That’s still discrimination.

We’ve got networks, awards, bias training, recruitment process reengineering and conferences coming out of our ears. And there is no question they have a role to play BUT what is less clear is whether they are genuinely addressing inequality of opportunity and inequality of employee experiences.

So, these are the honest, open conversations we’re starting. We need to ask lots of questions:

How many are burdened by the historical experiences of their communities? How many are putting undue pressure on themselves to conform, to try and hide their differences? How many are carrying the weight of expectation of others, how many worry that their perspectives are heard as the perspectives of their whole community? How many of them feel the pressure of living in multiple worlds, especially if the world of work takes them away from the experiences of families and friends. How many of them worry about being the first and making sure they don’t screw up? And how many of us worry about whether our perspective will be heard?

So, we’ll listen and talk more and together work towards our common understanding of Inclusion.

Hello PPMA friends

It’s the integrity stupid…

I promised myself that I would spend at least one Bank Holiday this year not twittering and linking in. But surprisingly Saturday was a wonderful day on social media, there were some fabulous articles posted and nourishing reading.

And then today we have another episode of ‘Lightning rod leadership’ in the top leadership of Government.

As HR and OD professionals we are no strangers to the world of grey…..

I have written before that this global crisis has amplified the good and the bad. In many areas. We’ve seen extraordinary courage, compassion and dedication from public service employees in front line and non-front lines during Covid 19.

We’ve seen extraordinary achievements – new hospitals, temporary care homes, humanitarian hubs built in record time. We’ve seen extraordinary resilience and grit from the public too. And fortitude and a quite incredible determination.

And of course, we have also seen the irresponsible, the unfair, the thoughtlessness, the wilful disregard, the continued polarisation of viewpoints, and the genuine confusion.

So, in all of this, how do we deal with the ‘lightning rod’?

Lightning rods – disruptors or destructors?

The answer is definitely yes to the first but not always to the second. It depends on context. The life of a public figure is not an easy one. The scrutiny is relentless and constant and judgement often excoriating. And often made without all the facts being known.

I’m not and never have been a fan of the worshipping of the ‘disruptor’. But as ever, the meaning of ‘disruptor’ and ‘disruption’ is in the eye of the beholder if organisations don’t use language that explicitly defines what these terms mean.

Bringing new ideas that challenge the status quo, that drive us to constantly seek progress, improvement etc shouldn’t actually be disruption. That should be – and for many high performing organisations already is – the day to day work of the organisation.

But there genuinely will be moments and times of disruption. A global pandemic is one of them.

So, what of our disruptors in times of crisis?

This isn’t the first time Dominic Cummings has caused controversy – and it is likely that we all have come across similar disruptors in our organisation. He is genuinely a living case study of ‘how to apply HR advice’.

Managing a disruptor is a genuine conundrum. Particularly when they are in the political world. Because disruptors – and he does seem to positively revel in being one – are employees too. And as such whenever there are any allegations, they need to be properly investigated. As an employee he is entitled to be treated according to policy and employment law. Indeed if he wasn’t, the Government would be liable potentially. Confidentiality will apply and a consideration of the broader circumstances too.

Some of these will include:

• an examination of whether all the stories in the public domain about the allegations are true
• consideration of whether the storm of media at his home represents a threat to his physical safety and his mental health. And that of his family.
• Consideration of whether some of the current outrage is a function of the impact his previous behaviour has had on people.

Lightning rods tend to care little about what people think of them. And Dominic Cummings is on record with his criticism (and contempt) of some politicians and some civil servants and some media outlets and journalists too.

Notwithstanding all this very loud and considerable ‘noise’ there is the basic allegation at hand. And this should be a pretty straightforward issue. The key question being:

– Does the evidence support the allegation and is it sufficient to justify disciplinary action?

Pretty straightforward you would say.

Life isn’t just about the individual, it’s about the whole though too…..

However, there is often more to this in the judgement that needs to be applied. I’m never sure that enough people in organisations outside the HR & OD function realise that in every set of circumstances, HR & OD is considering both the individual and the organisation as a whole.

This means understanding what previous precedent has been set. You shouldn’t ever be slave to that, but you have to take it into account. And you absolutely MUST consider the consequence of your decision on the rest of the organisation.

UK plc is a pretty big organisation…..

And this is a pretty big crisis.

The more senior you are, the more responsibility you have to uphold values and behaviours. I certainly agree with this.  And whenever I’ve done Executive Level investigations these considerations have been paramount.

There is an often deeply uncomfortable balance for a leader to make. A senior colleague is a senior colleague for a reason. But all the more important therefore to be aware of the impact the actions senior colleagues have on the rest of an organisation. The qualities that leaders display is often more important than the technical capabilities they bring to a role.

Walking the talk…..

Any HR & OD leader will advise his/her Leader that honesty, authenticity, trust and integrity eat everything else for breakfast in a crisis. And especially when you need those qualities to engage a whole population in a complex, challenging, frightening time which is asking for many sacrifices to be made.

It’s not rocket science to understand that trust and confidence in Public Health messaging is a matter of life and death. And that to ensure that on a long term basis means rules apply to everyone.

I imagine today that Government will be reflecting on whether the lack of acknowledgement of why this particular issue is causing such deep anger needs addressing.

 If it isn’t, it damned well should be. And it should be acting. Sharpish and smartish.

As you know earlier this year we had to change the date of the PPMA Annual Conference from late March 2020 to September 2020 because of the coronavirus outbreak. In this video blog, Karen Grave gives us an update on the current plans for the event.

We look forward to seeing you all at our virtual conference on the 15th and 16th September and at our main Annual Conference on the 21st to 23rd April 2021 at The Midland Hotel in Manchester.

This is the first podcast in our new series and it features PPMA President Karen Grave talking about the challenges facing our HR community during this unprecedented time. She shares some of the great work that’s being done around the country, talks about working across a public service economy and the role that public services workers have in protecting the community and the NHS, the challenges of working from home and much more.

You can contact Karen with any thoughts or comments via email at president@ppma.org.uk

We hope that you find the podcast a helpful source of inspiration, practical support and advice.

Hello PPMA Friends

With all the relentless speculation about what’s going to happen after Covid, Karen Grave explains why it’s way too early to be dwelling on this right now.

“Usually when I get a deep burning pain in my gut, Gaviscon is my go to remedy. But I’ve come to realise that this particular pain in my gut is best understood through the increasing understanding that our brains and our gut are much more intertwined that previously thought.

To cut a long story short I have a raging headache. I suspect it’s been caused by the opinion headlines, marketing studies etc that are apparently already mightily confident about what the post Covid-19 world will be.

We talk a good game us humans, about the world changing and this being a time of reset and reflection. A time for us to reflect on the fragilities across the globe that Covid-19 has so brutally exposed. A time for us to reconnect with family, friends and our community. A time for us to think about how our today impacts our tomorrows and whether what we currently value and do is up to the challenge. And most importantly of all, a time for us to be still. Still – in wonder of the extraordinary commitment of everyone across public services who is doing so much to keep us going.

Yes, you guessed it. Sadly, (and like nature) it seems some people abhor a vacuum, even if what they choose to fill it with is unmitigated shite. Cue absolutely raging raging headache.

Bullshit is as contagious as fear.

From misleading headlines about the tragic number of deaths in a day; dangerous speculation about 5G and it’s contribution to Covid-19; pathetic twitter comments inducing speculation that because NHS Nightingale is quiet something sinister must be going on; the vile trope that a Prime Minister’s illness was a hoax; the endless opinion pieces about how Remote Working is the Future, Women are the only leaders who have done well etc. Need I go on?

To be sure, there is some deeply thoughtful and inspiring writing. And there are articles that are a very welcome, genuine contribution to what will become our body of understanding about what a post Covid-19 world will look like.

I suggest that we don’t yet have anywhere near enough of that. We are nowhere near being able to say when after Covid-19 will even be. Why do I say that? Well because the people who actually know what is happening are actually far too busy identifying, collaborating, investigating, modelling, learning, planning, challenging, talking etc.

Most likely we can safely say we are at the end of the beginning of the first wave of deaths. But even then, we are not yet calculating the number of deaths in our community. The numbers of dead thud dully into the daily news cycle. But, apart from a few headlines here and there, we have not even begun to comprehend the grief and loss of families and friends. What have we become?

A reckoning is coming. And it should.

Hard choices about how we live in future are coming. And they will, I hope, be based on the broadest thinking and robust discussion about who we want to be. Not what we want to have necessarily. Are we genuinely going to get engaged in meaningful debate, or are the noisiest amongst us going to continue to lob grenades from their respective political positions, ever convinced of their own righteousness?

I ask these questions because the people whose voices really need to be heard are actually quite busy right now.

They are the people struggling to survive, the homeless, the dispossessed, the sick. They are our clinicians and non-clinicians, the public health specialists, the care home workers, the carers in individual homes, the policemen and women working to try and ensure we hold the social distancing line, the military planners, hospital and care home builders, the volunteers, the pharmacists, the paramedics, all other essential workers.

And the ever put upon ‘back office’ workers, including my HR & OD colleagues who have over these last weeks performed miracles. And transformed how our public services operate in ways that will take months to be able to reconcile with, never mind describe. Call us (and our finance, property, procurement, legal and ICT colleagues) back office again if you dare.

 Stillness is hard – silence is too.

But you see, the essential thing about stillness is that it invites silence. And the wonderful thing about silence is that it gives space for the voices we need to listen to, to be heard. And it gives us time to read what we really need to see.

So, I leave you with this.

• Over this bank holiday weekend 10 members of staff at Manchester City Council were tasked with setting up the Manchester’s Food Response Team depot.
• His Church Charity & The Hut Group provided the team with 63 pallets of supplies.
• Because of this incredible response the team needed more bags to build the food parcels they were making.
• So they went to Morrisons in Openshaw to see if they would help.
• Not only did Morrisons provide bags, they donated 2 trolleys of Easter Eggs.
• Over these last three days, the team delivered 347 parcels giving 670 people much needed food (and Easter Eggs for some).
• They were delivered by voluntary drivers.
• And these deliveries are in addition to the incredible work being done by Food Banks.

After Covid?

Covid-19 isn’t just another event that will quickly fade from our collective memories. It is here to stay. And so are it’s brutal effects.

So, when we are really ready to be able to talk medium and longer term and envision and build what we want to be, I want to hear from all these amazing people. The people whose lives were turned upside down, the genuine experts – the people who have thoroughly investigated and understood the issues. The people who have fought on the battle lines, albeit without guns but with brains, heart, compassion and love.

And the much maligned politicians and policy makers who have genuinely been in the eye of the storm.

As for those people creating noise now, who are so invested in pushing for courses of action that we can’t yet know are even based on sound thinking and evidence?

Not so much, thanks.”

Dear PPMA friends

We have seen incredible efforts from all parts of public services this week in these very challenging times. Our President Karen reflects on the difference an invisible killer has made.

“As this invisible killer continues its journey around the world, we are forever changed.

Nothing will be the same again.

And that is a very good thing if the acts of sacrifice, dedication and generosity of spirit we have seen over the last week in particular continue long into the future.

The Nation stopped at 8pm on Thursday night to #clapforourcarers. It was a deeply emotional time as so many of us stopped to reflect on the work they are doing. Although many say they are only doing the job they were trained for, you cannot help but fear for their safety. In truth they are risking their lives for ours. So we pray for theirs.

In reflecting on our NHS colleagues, we must also remember colleagues right the way across public services. For years we have cautioned on the impact of budget cuts in Local Government. And as we see our ever stretched social care workforce put their own lives at risk too, we can only wonder at the continued dedication of our colleagues.

If there is anything good that has come out of this it is the realisation that public servants of all roles are in the spotlight. Magically the echoes of the opinionated celebrity and commentator are no longer as loud. Magically society seems to rejoice in the comfort of an army of public servants who, otherwise are often at the mercy of Politicians, Special Advisors, Media Commentators, Think Tanks and fellow citizens who understand little of the work we do.

The diligence, dedication, compassion and public spiritedness of everyone, whatever their grade and their role has been beyond inspiring. In truth it needs a better writer than me to express what society owes to our public servants.

Crisis can be a great teacher. It respects little so it is an important leveller too. In a very short time public servants have overhauled policy, ways of working, refocused our workforces, made decisions that we could never have envisaged making without working parties and committees and commissions.

We have innovated beyond imagining. We have ruthlessly discarded the unnecessary. We have redesigned, we have built partnerships not previously possible, we have engaged our communities.  We have broken barriers across public service workforces. And we have across society – for the most part – rediscovered the bonds that unite us.  All for the purpose of helping others, the most vulnerable and the neediest.

Sadly, more people will be vulnerable and in need across society. Too many people have lost jobs, some will lose businesses and homes. Too many people are frightened for the safety of their families and friends. Too many fear the immediate future.

But…

Fear can help us rediscover what really matters, what we value and what our purpose is. We will discover ourselves, our friends, our families and our communities in ways that we may never have expected.

Like the mycelial network of Star Trek Discovery fame, an invisible killer has helped us remember that we are all connected. Over these last weeks we have seen in stark relief that we are connected by the often invisible bonds of love, care, compassion and mutual dependence. And a searing recognition that life is profoundly precious.

We should be grateful for that. And we should use that gratitude to transmute our fear. To relentlessly focus on our efforts on protecting the vulnerable, protecting each other, supporting everyone who is risking their lives for us and to think about what we need to do in future to ensure that we build a society that is fairer, more generous, more compassionate, more loving and more authentic in its values.

If we nurture these bonds, they will help us overcome this terrible killer. And leave a society stronger than we thought possible.

We owe that to the souls who have already gone and those who are yet to leave us.

I leave you with this beautiful poem. And as always with love and admiration for everything that you do.”

Hello PPMA friends

In the wake of this dreadful situation, Karen Grave writes to remind us all of the responsibilities that we all have to undertake.

“I’m scared too but I REFUSE to give in to fear and panic.

I have a responsibility not to. Like every single one of us – even though it feels that not everyone has got that message yet. I want to indulge in the deep sadness I have for what is to come. But I have a responsibility to stay strong for my mother who is 83 and had COPD and is currently 3 hours away from me at home. I have a responsibility to the rest of my family, my friends, my colleagues, my neighbours and everyone else in my network as well.

I have a responsibility to support colleagues in Local Government, Central Government, Public Health, NHS, Blue Light and every single part of our public service network who are contributing to our national response to Co-vid 19. Some of us won’t be directly involved in that, but we are directly involved in ensuring that society continues. And that is more important than perhaps we yet know.

I have a responsibility to manage my opinions (usually strong but I try my best to ensure are informed) in the light of national guidance. I have a responsibility not to indulge in reckless headlines that want to see every change in policy as a weakness or evidence of a strategy that was feckless and risky to start with. (I’ve done all of this in the past by the way but there is a time and a place).

I have a responsibility to challenge the rubbish and downright lies and hysteria. It takes time that by the way – I spent a good part of Wednesday afternoon blocking twitter users who had lost their minds and their mouths.

I have a responsibility to those I don’t know. And maybe this is the most important responsibility I have. 

Fear is contagious. Scientific evidence has shown that.

So, I have a responsibility not to give in to that. I have to make sure that I don’t panic buy, that I don’t buy too much toilet roll, pasta, beans and hand sanitisers. If our next national crisis is an outbreak of the galloping trots (diarrhoea) then we’ll be totally screwed. And that doesn’t bear thinking about.

The elderly, the vulnerable, the children who only eat when they are at school, the homeless, need us. All of us to find a way to help each other.

Yes, I worry that Boris and team are taking a risk. BUT I absolutely understand that I am not in the room making decisions, I don’t have years and years of medical training or experience. I don’t have years of emergency planning experience either. But in spite of the many challenges public services have I KNOW that there are people who do.

I also know that there are very rarely EASY answers. I have some knowledge of behavioural science and I am profoundly excited that this is in the decision-making mix. I’ve read the opinions that the government wants us to be sick so they can kill us off. I’ve read that this is all a Tory plot to cover up the impact of their policies and so on and so on. It sickens and disgusts me more than you can imagine.

Maybe I will be proved wrong and if I am I will be the first to hold my hands up. BUT it is way too early for that. Imagine the terror of a man and the people around him who have to make every decision knowing that their every consideration is going to be questioned to death. And death is the key isn’t it?

Imagine having to make decisions that you know are going to result in the deaths of citizens. Imagine being in the shoes of public servants, particularly public health and healthcare professionals who will have to choose who lives and who dies if we allow fear to take a grip and force a run on already over stretched public services. Imagine knowing that you have to take decisions based on the information you have now knowing that there will be other information in the system that might help but you are not yet aware of.

Imagine knowing that every little more that we learn about Co-vid 19 will change the decisions we make. Not doing that really would be irresponsible. Our only certainty now is that things are going to change every hour. And over time it will be every day, every week and God willing every month.

This is not a plea for us to stop challenging, to stop thinking, to stop laughing, working, crying. We live in a lively, messy, noisy democracy. And that has to be protected, but not at all costs.

We are living in unprecedented times. The 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse aren’t here yet (although I honestly have wondered some days).

These last few days I have shared my fears with friends. What if Mum catches Co-vid 19, what if your Mum, Dad, Grandma, Son, Daughter, Sister, Aunt etc does. What if my friends die? What if work dries up?

As I write this on Saturday morning the sun is out, although the clouds are on their way again. What a metaphor for the world right now. But the birds are singing, the daffodils are out, the birds are making their nests, Ellie and Jenny are still hassling me for walks and treats. In fact just right now, Ellie is giving me the evil eye to go for a walk.

I have a lot really. More than a lot of other people can ever dream of having. I am enormously blessed – I don’t have to worry about not feeling safe from knife crime or other forms of violence, I don’t have to worry about whether I will have to sleep on the streets. I don’t have the sickening feeling at the pit of my stomach about whether I can feed my kids.

But there are people that do. Even though I don’t know them. And I need to contribute to ensuring that the people who are helping the most vulnerable aren’t put under even more pressure.

So, I am going to do what I can to help – and it will only be a small contribution compared to others. I’m fine with that. I’m going to buy extra food to give to foodbanks, I’m going to still shop and support local businesses, I’m going to volunteer where I can. And I’m going to be as kind on twitter as I can.

Please do the same.

Just as fear is contagious, so too is compassion, courage, hope and love. Let’s spread much more of that than fear.”

With love,

Dear PPMA friends

This week, Karen takes a look at the latest sound and fury about the Woke movement and the impact on HR & OD.

“A human Labrador?

Last weekend a young friend of mine called me a Human Labrador because I was so pleased for people on another table who kept winning prizes at our Community Bingo. I know – what a wild life I lead. But it is for our community oldies group and last year we raised a lot of money for them. Now just to stem the tide of letters to the editor, ‘oldies’ in my part of the world by the way don’t mind being called oldies. They don’t find it remotely offensive or discriminatory – many find it a badge of honour.

Given that #kindness is the best new thing in HR & OD since the last best new thing I was really thrilled. And it is of course very appropriate as a Mum to 2 Chocolate Labradors. Leatham tells me often that I am too kind (I think he is being over generous) but that kindness is being sorely tested by the latest sturn-und-drang (sound and stress) about virtue-signalling, white privilege, racism/not racism, elitism and so on.

Every generation blames the one before…..

Those of us of a certain age will recognise that sentence at the start of the wonderful “The Living Years” by Mike and the Mechanics. If you don’t know the song, take a listen. It’s beautiful and I fancy pertinent for the times we are living in.

The first verse is as follows:

Every generation

Blames the one before

And all of their frustrations

Come beating on your door.

I wonder if generational difference explains some of the increasing fanaticism that in what qualifies for debate these days. Fanaticism is a strong word, but if you’ve taken even the most cursory look at print media and social media you will have seen an increasing hysteria, rise in death threats and so on. Fanaticism seems a mild term at times.

So just what is going on?

 First, do no harm ……

I would hope that we all know where this phrase comes from. In case we don’t, it’s most commonly associated with the Hippocratic oath. And whilst the exact words may not have been spoken by Hippocrates the principle is key. Do no harm is what we should be applying to the inclusion and diversity field too.

I said in my Weirdos and Misfit blog that I felt that the big issues of the decade would be:

• Inequality – of resources and opportunity
• Countering the isolationism of ideology
• Democratic deficits and the scourge of ideological purity
• Reconciling facts and fake news.

Although in retrospect I probably would have said ‘countering the isolationism and intolerance of ideology’, these first few weeks have only reinforced that.

Here is why I say that. The New York Times published an article by Afua Hirsch claiming that the British Press being racist in forcing out the Duchess of Sussex. I have read that article many many times and I am left with the feeling that her argument is highly selective. And I regret that. I don’t discount her beautiful and award-winning work on the experience of racism – but I am very troubled by the lack of any meaningful discussion of other perspectives. Reading Trevor Philips, who has been at the vanguard of campaigning across the world and you do see an alternative perspective.

Disclosure – I have come to deeply deeply admire Trevor Philips and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to meet him. I don’t always agree with him but in my experience, he is a man of extraordinary wisdom and grace. And should always be listened to.

If you are stuck for something considered to read on equalities, he should be your go to person for a range of reasons. The important reason for me, is that his previous experience gives him the authority to really challenge the muddle and lunacy that some policy makers and politicians appear to indulge in. Here is just one example. Put Trevor in whatever your search engine is and read away. Agree or not, it will be an education.

 We hold these truths to be self evident……

In the United States declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, who was heavily influenced by the concept of the ‘Human Rights’ movement that emerged in the French Revolution of 1789, included the following words:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

Now there are hectares of words that are written on Jefferson, racism and so on in America and I’m not going to get into that here. BUT, I have included it because naïvely or not, I actually believe that. My parents brought me up to believe that we are all equal and that has never changed for me.

In an employment context, I don’t give a flying shite whether you are Black, White, Brown, Jew, Hindu, Muslim, Gay, Straight, Old, Young, Abled, Disabled, Male, Female or trans. I really don’t. I care about your skills, your experience, your hopes and aspirations and how that will contribute to delivering our organisations objectives. (If you like to harm animals and children btw, then I’ll take you to the police myself).

I do though give an almighty damn about ensuring that ALL OF US have equality of opportunity irrespective of whether we are White, Brown, Black, A single parent, Jew, Muslim, Gay, Straight, Disabled and so on. And I care that we have the balls to use the Equality Act provision to support positive discrimination in the interests of our organisation – provided we don’t breach anothers right. And I do give an almighty damn when people, whether through ignorance, grievance or desire to fracture the bonds that binds us, undermine our commitment to an inclusive society. Being ‘offended’ just in case you didn’t know isn’t a protected characteristic under the Equality Act.

By not challenging the rubbish in the debate around white privilege, racism, sexism, homophobia, whether mispronouncing a name is racist etc, we are in fact further chipping away at this notion of human rights for all. History shows us man always does this, but social media makes it a much starker and more consequential problem.

The utter crap is getting in the way of the real discrimination, the real devastation, the real injustice. And that is absolutely indulgent and it is unforgiveable.

What I want for our profession is a legislative framework and a level of political and civil debate that enables this to be delivered. We all bleed the same colour blood irrespective of where we are from and whatever our political beliefs.

(BTW I feel pretty confident in that last statement because I’m sure the green blooded Aliens have taken one look at us and decided on Universes elsewhere).

 “Conversations contain universes”. But whose Universes are we really listening too…….?

The wonderful Paul Taylor-Pitt often says things that cause my breath to catch. He wrote that ‘conversations contain universes’ in a response to an L&D question.

It stopped me in my tracks and has had me thinking since. I’ve written before that I find the current definition of characteristics deeply unsatisfying. We don’t fit into a single characteristic and it causes confusion, anxiety and fear. And it’s a problem in terms of how we as professionals understand the legislation and the most effective ways to apply it to ensure that we do provide equality of opportunity. If we aren’t equipped chances are there no way in hell our organisations are in the way they need to be.

I’m increasingly hearing from you about the problems we’re now having with our various equality networks. The most recent ‘what the f**k’ conversation was with someone who shared their concerns that their LGBTQ network is fracturing because one part of the community rejects the trans movement. I’m also increasingly hearing that we’re at the point where different networks are talking about the same issues but don’t want to talk to other network colleagues.

I’ve also had the very honest and very confidential conversations with those of you dealing with employee relations cases. I have had to ask people working for me why they are dealing with a case that should blindingly obviously be chucked out according to policy (that was decent) and I’ve been told that it’s discrimination case. When I have asked “what would you do if the person was white?” – the answer was really clear – dismiss the case and consider a warning for vexatious claims.

I’ll hold my hands up now. I’m a very unsophisticated scouser, but I cannot see how any of that is good for our organisations, how it promotes inclusion and most importantly how it delivers a positive impact on the people we serve.

But we can’t say these things in the quiet, dark places where we only feel safe to talk to a trusted person. When we do not feel safe to speak and disagree, when we worry that we will be called racist, sexist, a privileged white, or an elitist, we drive debate underground and we feed myths that becomes monsters.

I read tweets this week that exhorted us to acknowledge and own our white privilege. And almost immediately I read the inevitable counter from a married man with children on a zero hours contract who was on a minibus not knowing whether at the end of his journey he would even get work to put food on the family table. Exhortation to own white privilege, elitism, our inner bias is not inclusive, it is certainly not woke, it is in my view increasingly bordering on the dangerously intolerant.

“We must learn that freedom is for everyone…….”

Ian Forsyth MBE used that term during the Holocaust Broadcast on BBC last night. Ian was one of the first to arrive at Bergen-Belsen and he is still deeply affected by what he saw then today. It was shattering to listen to him. Every generation carries its burdens and you would have to be utterly intolerant not to acknowledge the sacrifices made by the WW2 veterans.

We will pick up work on inclusion again over the next year or so. We have a professional obligation to the Equality Act. But we are also taxpayers and we need always to reconcile law and the policies that our public services are hopefully putting in place to make sure our services are inclusive and representative in their design and implementation.

But it seems to me that there is something that we will all have to tackle, at the very least as a profession. It isn’t easy, but we absolutely need to make sure that we remember and we develop and promote policy that ensure we understand that freedom is for everyone. If you are dismissing the rights of a sexually abused child because it’s problematic that the perpetrators are British Asian then you don’t really believe that freedom is for everyone or that everyone is made equal. Whatever you might try to tell yourself.

I’ve been thinking a lot about what Ian said but also the words of Bill Glied, a holocaust survivor’ who lived in Canada until his death. Bill said that “people need to know, to understand what happens when hate, discrimination, the absolute disregard of humanity comes. We should not be bystanders if we see something wrong. We have a duty and obligation to respond to it”

We do. We always do. But we are failing in parts because of fear and ignorance of what in equality of opportunity really means in the context of the Equality Act. Public service organisations have such a critical role to play in building cohesive societies. We must learn from the past but I think our learning will only be meaningful and sustainable if we avoid the switch and bait of so much of today’s debate climate. Some of our young and not so young activists would be well to remember that we can walk and chew gum and hold multiple different positions at the same time without being the spawn of Satan.

Some things are really very simple. Intolerance on the political left is just as hypocritical, divisive, immoral and dishonest as intolerance on the right. Building a climate for debate that is civil, that allows people to express their views urgently, that enables disagreement without questioning the other persons values, that promotes fact and evidence, that respects the views of the outlier, the weirdo and the misfit is essential. We need that for our profession if we are going to be at the heart of delivering inclusive, vibrant, strong organisations.”