Penna – PPMA

Social Mobility in Government and Employment

PPMA — Thu, 05 Jan 2023 14:10:59 +0000

Hello PPMA members and friends

A very Happy New Year to you all. As we enter 2023 the challenges facing our profession grow ever stronger and during the course of this year we will be bringing you posts and articles from a wide range of people, organisations, sponsors and supporters, as well as our own President Gordon McFarlane and his colleagues on the PPMA board and beyond. These pieces will help to inform and share best practice around the topics that we are all dealing with in our organisations.

The first post this year is from our good friends and supporters Penna. Towards the end of last year they hosted an online event discussing ‘Social Mobility‘ and below is an article they wrote following the event. It also includes some recordings from the session and we hope that you find it an interesting and valuable resource.

Social Mobility in Government and Employment

Thursday, November 17, 2022

Inspired by Sam Friedman’s 2021 report into Social Mobility in the Civil Service, ‘Navigating the Labyrinth’, we spoke with an esteemed panel about Social Mobility across both central and local government, and in wider society.

At a time when both the wider public are struggling to pay their bills and organisations are struggling to fill their positions with the right, diverse talent, there’s a real driver for harnessing social mobility as an effective solution, and for the Government and the public sector to lead by example. See where we’re at in this journey, what more we can do, and how practically we can all impact change for the better below.

Social Mobility in Government today

We were joined by two leaders in this space: Rt Hon Justine Greening, Former Minister of Women and Equalities, and Sarah Atkinson, CEO of the Social Mobility Foundation (SMF).

In Justine’s eyes, the report being commissioned shows that the need for change has been recognised for social mobility, which she feels is “as important as climate change”.

However, the change within Government has been slow, as Sue commented that “only 18% of the senior civil service are from low socio-economic backgrounds – the same figure it was in 1967”. There are particular areas where opportunity is lacking more than others as well – in London and the South East especially, and in Government departments and roles that are actually influencing policy – surely an area where lived experience is key.

‘Studied neutrality’ – the attributes that are desired within the Civil Service, things like ‘emotional detachment’ and elocution, are the kinds of barriers that are inhibiting those from diverse backgrounds to be attracted and selected into the Service. Thankfully, these are beginning to be addressed. As Justine says, there is a huge opportunity for Government departments to take the initiative and be an inspiration for others in the wider sectors across the UK here.

Rt Hon Justine Greening:

Social Mobility Foundation CEO, Sarah Atkinson:

The practical implementations of better social mobility

We learned about the work that Clancy Dawson from Spectra, who deliver the Care Leaver Covenant (CLC), does in creating meaningful opportunities for young people in her role as a Progression Coordinator. CLC uniquely work on creating signatory’s and partnerships across both the Public and Private sectors, and also work directly with the young people who need their assistance most – with Owayes Ayad, a beneficiary of the work that CLC do, also joining us on the panel.

With CLC’s help, Owayes has gone from homelessness, to a first year Law with Politics & International Relations student at Northeastern University London, who is also working part time at the Civil Service. He is now actively involved in supporting and giving back to young people – mentoring, volunteering and advising them in the communities that need it most, showing how those learnt attributes of resilience, determination and problem solving can really benefit the next generation.

Clancy Dawson and Owayes Ayad:

How recruitment can influence social mobility

Alex Fleming, Regional President of Northern Europe at Adecco, shared the findings of their Workforce of the Future report into post-pandemic labour markets and, in particular, three main areas both the Government and employers can have an impact. Apart from accurately addressing the ageing workforce who can still provide so much value to organisations, as well as improving investment into deprived local areas, and from organisations generally in skills development (which is lower in the UK than most of Europe), it is in the younger demographic where there is the greatest opportunity.

However, young people accounted for about 2/3 of the total fall in employment since the beginning of the pandemic. Their unemployment rate is four times higher than the rest of the working population and, despite the record number of vacancies during 2022, there are rising numbers of young people who are ‘NEET’ (not in education or training) and are economically inactive.

Better recruitment (and training) – in processes, policies and practices, can have a huge impact here.

Alex Fleming:

To make change, getting attraction, retention and engagement with underrepresented communities right is so important, according to our EDI Consultant, Louise Darkwah. This can ensure that people not only ‘get in’ to organisations, but also ‘get on’ within them as well – something we did recently with a recruitment brief for Homes England which involved the targeting of those from a lower socio-economic background, that you can find on our website.

Louise Darkwah:

The pandemic has also acted as a catalyst for candidates to search out more values-driven organisations. The Purpose Coalition (Justine’s network of organisations devoted to improve social mobility), and the SMF’s Social Mobility Index of organisations who are promoting best practice, are just two examples that organisations can be proud to be part of in their recruitment drives – often the differentiator in a competitive candidate market.

But we need more – more from the private sector, and more especially from the public sector and Government. “Social mobility brings diverse, energetic talent to employers – who wouldn’t want to do that?” Get your approach right in this area, and we can improve systemic societal issues and the skill shortage crisis gripping the UK.

Article originally posted in The MJ on 17/11.

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Older Workers – The Often Forgotten Group Discriminated Against And How To Address It

PPMA — Tue, 06 Dec 2022 14:43:32 +0000

Hello PPMA members and friends

ED&I is one of the 6 key themes our Association is focusing on for the foreseeable future. Age discrimination however is sometimes an overlooked area when it comes to diversity, so we wanted to share with you a recent blog post written by our good friends and supporters at Penna on this important topic.

Huge efforts have taken place in recent years to minimise discrimination in society and the workplace. These advances across organisations in the UK and beyond have been well documented in improving the rights of previously marginalised groups – whether this is because of race, sexual orientation, gender, disability, or another part of simply who someone is.

One area however that often gets overlooked is in the older generation of workers – who still have so much to offer the workplace, which is further illustrated in research from the Adecco Group’s Workforce of the Future report into post-pandemic labour markets.

Age Discrimination – the realities

As life expectancy in the U.K now hovers around 81 on average, it is very likely that by the time you reach 50 and do not meet the criteria of what is perceived as being an attractive talent, you may face harsh prejudices, discrimination, and higher risks of being made redundant. Age is something that we all must deal with – but the stigma around it and unfortunate stereotyping is something we should not have to.

Although it is still against the law to discriminate against anyone because of their age, the number of age discrimination complaints to employment tribunals increased by 74% between 2019 and 2020 (see below). Also from the data, you can see that age discrimination saw the biggest year-on-year increase of all other specific jurisdictional complaints.

The ‘Great Unretirement’

As recruiters, we are familiar with the ‘Great Resignation’ which has kept us busy for a lot of 2022. However, there is another trend that should get our attention, the ‘Great Unretirement’. With spiralling inflation, volatile financial markets and the soaring cost of living, retired people are returning to the workplace. There has also been great worry for those who are in work in this age group, with redundancies amongst the over 50s having increased by 195% in a year between 2020 and 2021, with the level and rate both higher than in any other age group.

According to ONS data analysis “…Those aged 50 years and over had the highest overall increase in redundancy rate over the year to December 2020 to February 2021, rising from 4.3 to 9.7 per thousand, up 5.4 per thousand on the year.” This was the highest redundancy rate across age groups in this quarter.

As you can see, the older you get, the harder it seems that getting and holding onto a job will become.

How can employers address the issues felt by Older Workers?

Firstly, simply understanding the incredible value that older workers can bring to an organisation is a start. As with all successful organisations, diversity is at their heart – whether this is diversity of gender, race, mind or, indeed, age.

We at Penna know that we have a role to play in this through our consultancy work – we’re on a journey at different stages of this with employers up and down the country. But there are others too helping the over 50s – organisations committed to helping this group with their work, money, health, legal, wellbeing, volunteering, lifestyle and dating parts of their lives – services like Rest Less , Working Wise and 55 Redefined.

By committing to a recruitment and retention strategy that has diversity at its heart, you can not only protect the interests of older workers but also make yourself a more inclusive and ultimately successful employer. Contact Penna’s Diversity Consultancy to see how they can help.

PPMA Lunch & Learn Webinar with Penna: Talking Talent, Recruitment and Retention with HR Leaders

PPMA — Tue, 05 May 2020 14:13:46 +0000

Hello PPMA Friends

This week we launched our Lunch & Learn webinar series and our first one was run by our good friends and supporter at Penna. Managing Director Julie Towers was joined by some of her colleagues who shared with us what challenges and opportunities they see emerging around Talent during the COVID-19 crisis. Jason Wheatley from Penna wrote a blog post following the session which we’re delighted to share with you.

“Jason Wheatley, Penna’s lead for the HR Executive practice, speaks to his network about the many challenges faced by HR Leaders. What’s clear from his conversations is the way we approach talent acquisition and retention has shifted.

The Coronavirus pandemic sent organisations worldwide into crisis management, business continuity and response mode overnight. HR Leaders and their teams were thrust to the forefront of guiding employers, supporting employees and navigating the raft of immediate people issues and rapidly shifting priorities as the UK entered lockdown.

Recent conversations with HR leaders demonstrated the public sector’s response was swift, calm and appropriate. Not surprisingly they have already begun to move from response to planning recovery.

There is no doubt the challenges and uncertainties are many. I spoke to my network about what’s on the horizon for HR and OD Teams in respect of recruitment and retention Here’s their key priorities

Embracing technology – moving online

Whilst many already deploy online application systems and digital attraction, traditional methods of interviewing and assessing face-to-face are untenable. Appointing to roles remotely is already becoming the art of the possible.

But there are challenges when attracting, processing, interviewing and assessing digitally. Hiring managers must be suitably equipped to do this effectively. HR recruitment teams are critical in supporting their organisations here. But conversations with HRDs revealed there’s a knowledge gap within their own teams. For digital help and support with online recruitment methods, speak to us, in the last few weeks we’ve delivered end to end recruitment – nearly 40 hires made without any human meeting – not preferable we know, but very possible.

Onboarding new hires virtually is a key component of talent attraction. Traditional induction with face to face programmes can be shifted effectively online.

This virtual reality is changing recruitment practice, policy and process now and the future. The resounding message from my network; “we won’t be going back to the way we were”.

Understanding and managing shifted expectations

Candidates will have different expectations and potentially be more demanding moving forward. Smart HR teams know this isn’t negative.

Flexible and agile working options rather than a need to be “present” in an office will be expected.

Social distancing is here for a long time yet. Travelling, particularly on public transport, enforced office social distancing and fear of a second peak mean a mass return to the original work location is not possible yet. Many senior HR leaders are considering how to address this.

Others are considering how their workforce have upskilled during this time. Some current employees have been doing different jobs, learning new skills and gaining more experience. Many may resist going back to their old job. This could present organisations with issues around productivity, engagement, staff morale and some could vote with their feet, opting to move within or indeed out.

It will be key for retention for organisations to learn and adapt, providing opportunities for internal talent.

Employee Offer – Review and adapt employee contracts and benefits

Organisations should support employee wellbeing. Mentally, physically, financially and emotionally.

Employees health risks are not just physical but also psychological. This has become apparent during isolation, with anxiety and fear levels rising across workforces. Many employees will be experiencing difficult situations at home such as juggling childcare, bereavement, illness, financial worries or caring for a vulnerable relative.

Support beyond lockdown, and even a period of adjustment to return to work, work locations, health and well-being options, flexible working hours are just a few of the considerations for HR practitioners.

Candidate market for new or specialist skills

Organisations need to assess their skill and resource needs dynamically and plan effectively for when and how they will recruit them. In the public sector this will inevitably be against a difficult financial envelope.

It is likely that specialist, short term skills will be required to support and provide subject matter expertise to organisations through change, transformation and organisational development.

Given our population is largely at home and there’s increased online traffic there is a captive audience a new challenge or role, what a great time to be recruiting for permanent, fixed term contract, temporary and interim. Whether that’s for people already working in the public sector, or those who had never considered it an option previously.

We are seeing an upturn in demand for specialist HR support. Talk to us, we’ll help you access and talk to the candidate pool you need.

The future of HR

HR needs to be a critical friend, and the proactive driver of change – in all of the ways outlined above.

The future of work is changing for all, through necessity if not by choice. For the public sector – with it’s traditional, bureaucratic and often lengthy recruitment practices – it provides an opportunity for broader change.

There’s a recognised need within the HR community to rapidly evolve to the modern, but still thorough, recruitment lifecycle. COVID-19 has created what was previously perceived impossible. It’s imperative that HR and business leaders across the public sector learn, evolve, develop and embrace and be sure to “never let a crisis go to waste”.

So yes, HR is changing. But is that a bad thing? We look forward to finding, exciting and securing the HR and OD talent that can shape the future.

Talk to Penna

If you’d like to speak about all things HR – from executive recruitment to digital attraction – contact Jason Wheatley at Jason.wheatley@penna.com.”

You can watch the full webinar below.

Key Insights for HR & OD from Penna’s Annual Chief Executive Survey 2019

PPMA — Fri, 30 Aug 2019 16:20:44 +0000

Hello PPMA friends

This week’s post is written by our friends at Penna and it’s a really great read! In the 2019 Annual Penna Chief Executive Survey, there are some important insights into how HR & OD is perceived and what Chief Executives need. Some of these key findings are outlined below.

A seat at the table – why HR deserves its place in the Senior Leadership Team

Through our research, dedicated HR practice and exceptional networks Penna has unfortunately seen HR’s strategic position slip down the public-sector structure chart and away from the top table. Where once the HR lead was guaranteed a place in the SLT, this is no longer a default position.

Why is this, and what can be done to bolster and improve the strategic importance of HR in the public sector?

Get Face Time

No, not the iPhone app. We mean getting in front of your most senior stakeholders, particularly your CEO. After all, how can you start a meaningful dialogue without an opportunity for conversation? As Penna’s Lead Consultant in HR, Jason Wheatley, says;

‘If you are the HR lead, regardless of where your position sits, you need strategic time with your Chief Executive and the SLT. This is something you should insist on, as their strategic advisor. Get time, get answers, and find solutions.’

We know this is what CEOs want to see from their strategic HR and ODs. In our recent survey with the MJ, a number of CEOs commented on an unaddressed need for HR to find ‘creative ways to enable, support and challenge’ senior managers, improve their outlook ‘across the range of organisational priorities’ and be ‘more enabling to service directorates’, advising on and actioning their strategic workforce planning objectives.

So, it’s important to take time to understand your stakeholder’s strategic drivers. These may differ between Directorships. Some Corporate Directors may not have truly identified where their HR requirements should be. Your role as strategic advisor means helping shape these, as an equal. Make the alliances. Build the bridges. Start the conversations. Then, prove your effectiveness by delivering on what you’ve heard. Show them how HR can really mobilise and empower the workforce – we need to do more with less, and the public sectors biggest asset is its people.

HR as a science

We’ve all read the headlines and are living the professional realities of the cuts in the public purse.

Particularly in local government, where cost-saving and public scrutiny on spending is more heightened than ever, evidence-led HR and OD is key to demonstrating your worth and earning that director level influence. Part of proving value is having the measured, analytics-driven approach to back up your recommendations.

Get back to the data-driven basics. Quantify the fundamentals. For instance, if a key efficiencies target is reducing the number of sick-days, track your progress to provide KPIs. Not only will this quantify your own efforts, it quickly and simply shows you’re achieving your goals. Even better is if you can provide data on efficiency and productivity improvements from motivating employees; or how talent management, reward and retention strategies are improving cost and time to hire.

Fiyin Fayeye, Senior Consultant, Higher Education & HR, Executive Interim at Penna, knows the value of a scientific approach to HR well; ‘Why is it important to evidence the effectiveness of your HR projects? Particularly in the public sector, there’s more emphasis on accountability than ever before. So how to prove what you’re doing is effective? Data speaks for itself, and is increasingly becoming the most bankable professional currency. Take a before, during and after data snapshot of your work based on pre-agreed KPIs and present this to your stakeholders.

HR professionals in my network who have taken this approach have had real success. A client harnessed the power of data in an organisational design reorganisation, and used it as one of the main basis for their transformation agenda. Base your HR recommendations on empirical evidence and you’ll find they are more readily taken up.’

Similarly, have you reviewed your HR toolkit? How can you act as a transformational voice in your organisation if you aren’t keeping up-to-date with new technologies and best practice? Key questions to ask include:

Are enough elements of your HR process automated?
Are you using the most cutting-edge candidate tracking systems? Are you moving fast enough toward a digital approach and addressing the multi age working environment of the future?
Do you have a strong, digital access platform for current and future employees to access information quickly and simply? This has the added advantage of saving you valuable time, lessening the day-to-day enquiries.
Are your business partners proactive or just reactive – be the change from within HR.

Talk digital, but keep talking

Despite this emphasis on digital HR, it’s important not to lose sight of the human connection. Arguably, all HR professionals, but particularly the HRD, should be as visible and accessible across the organisation as the CEO.

This data-driven and analytical approach doesn’t mean HR leads will, or should, lose sight of the softer, people-based side of their work. Again, digital methodologies are an additional tool to measure organisational priorities from executive and front-line staff.

A great way to map and evidence HR priorities, and accordingly plan strategy, is a thorough and impartially conducted staff satisfaction survey. This should ask for comments on everything from how employees view their leadership team, to changes they need to see, to things they are happy with. Our own HR Manager at Penna, Fred Gwatkin, puts out a thorough pulse survey every year. He gives this take on their importance;

“With a survey you are only as good as your last. Well, actually the last actions you took on your set of results. I’d say don’t ask the questions if you’re not prepared to explore the feedback and look for creative solutions. They’re about trust and opinion. Surveys need to be in a natural style and tone – the kind of conversation you’d be having with trusted colleague where you feel you can be honest, be heard and taken seriously. When it comes to the science and ‘Big Data’ we need the stats to rationalise the content, but not everything can be squeezed in on a scale of 1-10. Embrace the diversity of thoughts and approach by enabling the team to express themselves by providing ‘free text’ areas. This way you’ll get more than a rating and may even get a practical solution. Lastly, when reviewing at the summary, ask yourself: what is it not saying? Then compare this to your overall aim, engage the team and set to work on making a difference.”

Even senior leaders can work in siloes. As a HR professional, you can help bring down those walls. What better way to connect with your senior stakeholders than to paint an evidenced picture of organisation-wide satisfaction. Better still, offer a plan of action to go with it. Help your CEO and SLT to see the possibilities from other organisations and sectors in terms of leading and motivating the workforce – tune into the culture of the organisation and be ready to change it for the better.

Do development

As an HR professional, how often have you extorted the values of good training and development? More than likely, too many times to count.

Now think about the time you’ve dug out for your own learning and development. It’s probably not as much as you would recommend to your stakeholders and their teams. Yet, it’s so important in our profession to get that headspace; whether through peer-to-peer networking, seeking mentorship and coaching or HR specific training.

Julie Towers, Penna’s Managing Director, lives and breathes this approach in our own HR consultancy;

‘We know that sharing ideas and issues is the best way to progress professionally and as a sector. That’s why we encourage our HR network to connect at Penna events, and join us on leadership sessions specifically aimed at public sector HR leaders – we’ll be doing even more of these in 2020 as we recognise that time out is become harder to justify, but a great networking event with rich learning to return to the organisation is priceless. If you want to join our HR network, please just get in touch’

Leadership teams expect their HRs to know their stuff and be at the cutting-edge of public sector HR practice. Taking time to develop professionally will propel you into the strategic space you need to influence your SLT.

If you want to know more about this great work, then of course you can contact Penna. And just in case you have forgotten, you can access all of our Platinum and Gold Sponsors websites from our sponsors and partners pages. Just click on the logo and it will take you directly to the sponsor homepage.