Hello PPMA members and friends

Our post this week is from Past President Sue Evans, who talks about her time as PPMA President and the important role PPMA plays.

“It is great to have the opportunity to reflect on things as a Past President. The view from here is rosy I have to say and I am feeling confident and optimistic about the future of HR and OD and, most importantly, of the PPMA. I have been an active member for some years now and in that time I have met many people who are doing great things in difficult and uncertain times – and not just doing great things, but doing them well and driving change across the sector which will sustain public services into the future.

In organisations, agents for change don’t have it easy and the path to a positive outcome can be bumpy and a bit lonely at times. That is why PPMA is so vital, providing the professional back-up, encouragement and the benefit of others’ experience. I cannot count the times I have asked a question via the Shires Network and received immediate and practical help from colleagues grappling with the same issue. There is a generosity of spirit across PPMA which is unique and hugely necessary in today’s world.

Networking, building a community of practice and sources of trusted advice are key to successful leadership in HR and OD. Keeping abreast of current thinking and new ideas and challenging the status quo are the lifeblood of effective practice and the events, research and input from sponsors and our own practitioners help us to do all of this and take back useful ideas to benefit our own organisations. Learning from each other, from experts and from research helps us to be the best practitioners wherever we practice.

The programme of events for the coming year is impressive. Karen and the team are making tremendous headway with partnerships and the profile of the organisation. There is some exciting work in progress and I hope that you will join me in thanking them for the hard work they are doing and in continuing to support PPMA from wherever we are. Let’s value all that it brings to our professional lives and especially the friendship and support we gain from being part of it.

I am stepping back, but not out, and I hope that I can play a supporting role along the way to a bright future for HR and OD and for PPMA.”

Sue Evans

PPMA Past President and Director, Sevans Refreshing People Ltd

Hello PPMA members and friends

Our President, Caroline Nugent has been developing our strategic relationships further with Health. Together with our VP Karen Grave and Past President Sue Evans, the ‘Past, Present and Future’ Presidents, attended the HPMA Annual Awards dinner near Tower Bridge in June. It was a really great opportunity to support our sister organisation and hear about some of the fantastic work our colleagues in Health are doing.

A lovely feature of the night was the opportunity to meet with some former PPMA colleagues including Raffaela Goodby and Caroline commented on how great it was to see her receive an award for the great work going on at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals Trust. We also saw some of our own sponsors – Neyber and TMP. It just shows how closely health and broader public services work together.

We were also fortunate to see Stephen Moir, also a PPMA Past President on what was his last, HPMA event as Chief People Officer at NHS England. For those of you who may not know, Stephen has returned to Local Government as Executive Director of Resources at Edinburgh City Council. We are delighted to welcome him back to our PPMA community and looking forward to working with our colleagues in the SPDS organisation.

PPMA is in the process of developing joint HPMA & PPMA events across the country. We’ll keep you posted, so make sure you keep coming back to the website and our other social media channels, to keep up with what we’re doing.

Hello PPMA members and friends

It has started to feel like Spring at long last and the change to BST heralds the coming of lighter evenings and the promise of summer around the corner. This time of year has always been a favourite of mine. I love the daffodils, the bluebells and the tulips and the thrill of seeing bulbs planted in the autumn popping up with a burst of colour, the smell of the first grass cut of the year, the soil ready for planting and bright leaves, shiny in their newness.

And the new financial year too! The fresh start, the setting of objectives and agreeing future plans. I shall miss the cycle of the working year when I step out at the end of April. This year brings a very personal set of changes and challenges for me in setting up independently. It has made me reflect on the things I have loved most both as your President for 16-17 and as a public servant with 33 years of assorted experiences.

Everyone says it’s the people. It absolutely is! We have moved away from talking about people as assets. Unlike assets, people are innovative, creative, vocal, learning, shaping and changing the world- some cause trouble but all make our workplaces interesting and challenging and, for the most part, a lot of fun. The diversity and breadth and depth of skills, apprentices and experienced staff all come together with purpose.

There is a real ethos of service and commitment across public services – look at the response of our public servants in Westminster – that’s what makes us proud. This year I have been privileged to see many people doing fabulous work across the country. I have been given opportunities to talk about the great examples of effective HR and it’s role in developing our organisations and our workforce for the future. Through PPMA I have been able to voice opinion, contribute to national debate and raise the profile of public service HR.

I am very proud to have served across a variety of public services from teaching, the Army, central and lastly, local government. My experience in local government has brought me close to the community and I have enormous respect for social workers and those staff who strive to support the most vulnerable in our communities. I am also impressed by the work of colleagues in providing the support which enables the front line to work well. Good leadership, engagement, clear expectations and effective individual and organisational development and learning are integral to the performance of the front line.

If I have a legacy, then I hope it is a recognition of the key role HR can play in ensuring that public services are responsive and ready to respond to the needs of our communities. I shall miss being a part of that, big time!

I am a public servant, my heart is with you and I hope that my new story will be written alongside yours. I am hoping to be able to use my skills and experience in a different and refreshing way.
I wish you every success, it’s not luck, it’s hard work and none of you are afraid of that. Thank you all for your support and generosity of spirit. The sector is in good hands.

Sue Evans

PPMA President

Our post this week is a ‘Workforce News’ video podcast from our colleagues at the LGA and it features an interview with our President Sue Evans, who talks about the Apprenticeship Levy and it’s likely implications for councils. Phil Bundy, Senior Employment Law Advisor also talks about the legal aspects and impacts of the Levy.

To kick things off, Sarah Messenger who is the outgoing Head of Workforce at the LGA, reflects on her time in the role and the work that she has been involved with.  It’s a must watch!

Hello PPMA members and friends

• How digital-ready is your organisation?
• Are you making the right investment in digital skills?
• What role do HR teams play in creating a digitally savvy workforce?

Hello All,

It’s just that far into a dreary and very cold January to congratulate those whose resolutions hold and reassuring the dry January brigade that they are nearly there. I always feel that, once we get through January the year is truly settled and we can all focus on what needs doing. Our thoughts turn to Spring. There are some very brave little snowdrops in my garden which are a joy to behold – and some foolhardy Magnolia Buds – the rest looks very dull and in need of some serious work.

The same goes for the world of Local Government HR. There are signs of new things to come – mainly cock-eyed legislation, more pressure on the budgets and of course IR35 and the Apprenticeships Levy to keep us entertained. In the longer term the proposed referendum in Surrey and the deepening concerns over funding for Social Care will make for some difficult decisions and serious work.

Like the garden, our teams need nurturing and encouraging so that they can grow and flourish. We need to be mindful – literally and metaphorically – of the importance of good leadership and good engagement with staff during difficult times. We have led and supported so much change already, transforming services and reshaping the workforce.

This has been hard work and will continue to be so let’s recognise that effort and do what we can to support our staff and each other through the next round of challenges. Spring cleaning, streamlining and refreshing will help us to renew our focus and keep on delivering well across the sector. Keep learning, keep growing and keep flourishing.

Alongside this there is the PPMA Seminar 2017 in Bristol on 27th and 28th April. This promises to be the best yet with Peter Cheese and other great speakers, fantastic workshops and of course the Awards Dinner.  Have you booked yet? Don’t miss the early bird discount on offer. Have you got your awards entries ready? It would be great to see a record showcase of excellence this year. There is so much brilliant work out there, we need to see it and share it. Let’s have a great show of blooming marvellous effort to celebrate.

The Seminar dates co-incide with my last 2 working days in Local Government – how lovely for me to spend my last 2 days with such a fabulous assembly. I am looking forward to seeing everyone – it won’t be the least you see of me by the way – and handing over to Caroline will mark a change and a refocusing of PPMA. Caroline will blossom beautifully as our new President and, supported ably by Karen, will take us through the coming seasons with confidence and colour.

Sue Evans

PPMA President

As 2016 draws to a close and we are wrapped up in the preparations for Christmas I thought it would be good to take some time to pause and reflect on the year just gone. It has been a bit of a roller coaster – globally, in the UK, across the public sector and for many personally as well. The surprises, Brexit and The American Election result, the inevitable, bungled legislation and cock-eyed thinking from central government and the challenges, keep doing more with a great deal less and the looming disaster that is social care. In the midst of all this we have lost some well loved characters, David Bowie, Victoria Wood, Andrew Sachs, Frank Nicholson and Rabbi Lionel Blue. Add to all that usual ups and downs of family and personal lives and  we’ll have earned us all a good rest and some good cheer for the festive season. No wonder the sales of gin have gone up exponentially during 2016!

The shining light for me this year though has been the indomitable spirit of Local Government. In spite of the constant need to take on more, redesign, re-organise and reshape, our staff remain upbeat, determined and ready to roll with the punches. We have been talking about public sector ethos and what it takes to be a 21st Century Public Servant and it is difficult to put your finger on what it is, exactly, that this thing is, this essence of service and the attitudes and values that underpin the work we do. But it is so vital to what we do. Rather than ask people public life to swear allegiance we would do well to celebrate the many ways our staff demonstrate the values and contribute to making our society better and our communities stronger.

Something sticks in my mind from our Seminar in June. Lucy Adams talked about our staff as human. Not assets – that’s inanimate objects and things which cannot move, innovate, create or enthuse – but a precious resource. If nothing else for 2017 let’s ban the phrase “our staff are out greatest asset” and let’s celebrate the rich seam of ideas, energy and creativity. It is the only resource we can grow and HR and OD are uniquely placed to do so. Developing, challenging, encouraging and supporting are our watchwords. Let’s do mote of what we are really good at.

Personally,  I have taken the huge decision to take Early Retirement in April. As I stand down from the Presidency and hand over to Caroline Nugent I am going to step into the different world of Interim and Consultancy. I am determined to be a “good” Past President so I have no intention of stepping away from PPMA  – it has meant so much to me personally and professionally  – and I will work to support Caroline and you, our members. This is quite a change as I have been a corporate being for all of my working life. I love Warwickshire where I have had the opportunity to develop and to work with some fabulous colleagues. The time is right and I am keen to continue in the public sector so although it is a change I will not lose the great network of superb colleagues across the sector.

Merry Christmas to you and yours and every good wish for 2017. Whatever your personal journey has been through 2016 I hope you have arrived at the end of it in good spirits and ready for whatever comes in 2017.

Sue Evans

PPMA President

Hello PPMA members and friends

This weeks’ post is written by President, Sue Evans, who mulls over whether integration is the holy grail for delivering on health and social care, or a hasty marriage based on shaky foundations.

“In maths – never my favourite subject – integration is described as ‘the inverse of differentiation’. I think that is an apt descriptor for what we are trying to achieve in health and social care and it is perhaps there that the solution, or lack of it, lies.

There are some essentials required if integration is to happen and, more importantly, be sustained.
• A focus on common ground;
• An understanding of what will make an integrated approach successful;
• A very clearly articulated vision of what the outcome needs to look like;
• A very clear reason for doing it in the first place;
• A shared understanding and recognition of what’s in it for each party and what each brings into the mix and expects to get from it and;
• A willingness to compromise and share.

So far so what? We know all that. So why isn’t there more progress on this agenda? The starting point is critical and considering the workforce issues early on in the process can make a positive difference to the way people think and feel about integration and the likelihood of success. With people in the mix the focus on similarity – the inversion of difference – becomes a deciding factor. What do we have in common, what is the benefit of coming together and what needs to be left behind to allow for new values, a new culture and a new and different set of relationships?

Time to explore the characteristics, habits, strengths and qualities of each party is time well spent and not doing so will end in tears at bedtime. We would never approach the building of any other relationship the way we sometimes approach integration –just imagine the scene.
Two people who vaguely know each other have just met properly and the conversation goes along the lines of:
A: ‘Shall we get married?’ (Pause for effect….looking hopeful and adding) ‘It seems like a good idea.’
B: ‘Oh, why not? You are in the same place as me and we can probably make some savings by moving in together.’
A: ‘That’s decided then, shall we look at places to live?”’
B: ‘OK, and can we have a blue carpet’.

It’s complete nonsense isn’t it? Yet in the early stages of planning integration the basic courtship required for successful long term relationships is largely overlooked in favour of focusing on systems and practicalities like the colour of the carpet and chairs or shared ICT. It is likely that more time will be spent on the practical issues of accommodation and communications than on the all – important thoughts, feelings, concerns, fears and hopes of the people involved. The ‘soft’ stuff will trip us up time and time again if we don’t pay any attention to it. HR and OD are key to brokering the kind of discussions which can make or break an integration deal.

Allowing time for those people involved to get together to think about the similarities and their common hopes and expectations will pay huge dividends. Let people get to know each other, find out what drives them, understand what their strengths and experience can bring to the enterprise. With a focus on inverting differentiation – reducing differences and building trust and confidence between players should take precedence early on. OD can help to build a shared sense of purpose and a respect for the different players and what they bring. Developing new approaches to working and managing the transition from the present to the future state will involve change and uncertainty. Acknowledging this can help people to leave things behind that don’t fit or work in the new world.

In the end the difference between successful integration and an unhappy marriage of convenience is the extent to which the parties can reach agreement, compromise and build on the similarities. A little patience and a lot of goodwill will go a long way and is more likely to be found where each party has something to gain from continuing the relationship and making it work. Those leading integration will be keen to get on with the work – of course, a great deal of hope and plenty of expectation is riding on it – but a slow and well planned lead-in, a courtship if you will, supported by effective OD and given the time to develop mutual trust and respect is more likely to result in a long and happy marriage than an acrimonious divorce.”

Sue Evans

PPMA President and Head of HR and OD at Warwickshire County Council

The November board meeting took place last week in London and lots of exciting things were discussed…and to keep you all in the loop, Sue Evans has recorded another of her brilliant video blog posts.

Last week Sue Evans ran a very successful ‘guest’ webinar for The Improvement Service (IS) who are the national improvement organisation for local government in Scotland and the reaction to it has been unsurpassed – so we though that we’d share the seminar with you.

In it Sue talks about the challenges Warwickshire County Council face including £190m savings required over a 3 year period and the huge impact this has had on the workforce. It’s the story of their journey and how they have tackled those challenges.

Sue Evans

PPMA President and Head of Human Resources and Organisational Development at Warwickshire County Council