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Human Resource Management Strategy 2008 - 2010

Office of the Ombudsman

Office of the Information Commissioner

Standards in Public Office Commission

Office of the Commissioner for Environmental Information

January 2008

Executive Summary

Early in 2007, the organisation’s Strategic Plan 2007-2010 articulated a new organisational vision to the effect that within three years "we would confirm our position as the premier organisation for raising standards of public administration in Ireland". In this regard, two clear strategic priorities were identified:

• To challenge public bodies to deliver higher standards of administration, and
• To utilise organisational capabilities to their optimum.

In tandem with the design of new structures and operational processes, the Strategic Plan recognised that to support these objectives, a new Human Resource (HR) strategy is required to improve existing HR processes and, where appropriate, identify new challenges and implement HR solutions.

The principal purpose of this HR strategy is to maintain and improve the level of service that we deliver to our clients. It takes on board the changes that have occurred within our operational environment since the publication of the previous Strategy: expectations of our customers are different in that we are expected to deliver a faster and higher quality of service, the roles of all of the constituent bodies have expanded to a greater or lesser degree (and, in the case of the Ombudsman, is due to be expanded further in 2008), and, in addition to reporting annually to the Oireachtas on our performance, the Civil Service Performance Verification Group (CSPVG) now requires twice-yearly reports of progress against strategy and business plans containing "SMART" performance indicators.

Amongst other things, our ability to deliver a high quality of service in this changing environment is heavily dependent on the commitment and ability of our staff. This Strategy is designed to ensure the delivery of that level of service through effective policies and practices around recruitment, training, development, performance, reward and promotion.

The guiding principles used in framing the HR Strategy are that:

• All initiatives are framed with a view to maintaining and improving the level of service that we deliver to our clients,
• All the staff of the organisation are recognised and valued as its key resource,
• The achievement of the vision and strategic objectives is critically dependent on the commitment and effectiveness of staff at all levels of the organisation, and
• The organisation is committed to nurturing a learning culture that will result in the development of all its staff.

The Strategy continues policies and stratagems already in place in terms of training, performance management, reward, etc. The following table identifies the key new HR initiatives contained in the Strategy.

Key Additional Issues and Actions 2008-2010

Issue	Action	Completion Date
Recruitment	Obtain recruitment licence from CPSA to recruit IT staff Develop guidlines on short-term utilisation of specialist skill Develop and implement systematic "exit" interview	End-February, 2008 End-February, 2008 End-March, 2008
Training and Development	Oversee successful implementation of systematic identification of training and development needs Introduce coaching programme for new entrants Develop and implement a work-based systemic training programme for Investigators Develop a mentoring programme to assist staff with career progression Develop and implement a work-based leadership development programme for Investigators Develop a leadership/change management programme for Senior Investigators Deliver employee motivation training to all managers (EO and upwards)	January 2008 onwards Implemented in full by end-2008 Mid-2008 onwards In-place by 2010 End-2008 onwards Developed and delivered by early-2009 Delivered by end-20089
Reward Management	Higher Scale Allowances and Acting Up assignments provided only where staff member received rating of 3 or greater in previous year. Non-monetary incentives only provided to staff members who received rating of 3 or greater the previous year.	In place by start-2009 In place by start-2009
Employee Participation	The operational role of the Partnership Committee will be reviewed New internal communications model to be developed	Completed by end-2008 Implemented by early-2008
Staff Health and Safety	Systematic training will be delivered to all managers to help them recognise and deal with stress amongst staff. Review safety of staff with members of the public	Delivered by end-2008 Completed by end-2007 and rolled out early-2008

Background/Introduction

In carrying out their functions, the Offices of the Ombudsman and Information Commissioner and the Standards in Public Office Commission strive to deliver excellent service to their clients. The Organisation attaches particular importance to high quality service delivery because of the unique nature of its adjudicatory, supervisory and dispute resolution functions. Amongst other things, this level of service is dependent on the commitment and ability of our staff. The function of human resource management is to ensure the delivery of that level of service through effective policies and practices around recruitment, training, development, performance, reward and promotion.

The report of the Strategic Management Institutive (SMI) Steering Group on Human Resources (2001) recommended that Human Resource (HR) Units should develop integrated HR strategies and staff development plans that are custom-made in terms of the overall needs of the organisation as identified in its strategy statements and business plans. This is the second such strategy for this organisation.

The years since the publication of the first HR strategy have witnessed significant change within the Irish civil service. While representing the first time that an individual's contribution could be clearly identified in the context of the organisation's strategic goals and plans, the first iteration of the Performance Management and Development System (PMDS) in 2001 was focused less on targets and performance measurement and more on individual employee development. Since then PMDS has been amended to shift the focus towards individual performance by linking the process to promotions and pay increases. Specifically,

• all assessments are now integrated for HR purposes (pay, promotion, underperformance), and
• assessments are now based on a uniform five-point rating scale for all grades.  

As a result, from 1 January, 2007, employee performance is now measured against targets, and this performance is used in rating the employee against his/her peers in determining suitability for receiving incremental pay increases and for promotion.

At an organisational level, the Civil Service Performance Verification Group (CSPVG) now requires twice-yearly reports of progress against strategy and business plans containing "SMART" performance indicators. This process has made payment of pay increases to public servants contingent on the CSPVG being satisfied that sufficient progress has been made on the change and modernisation agenda.

Closer to home, other changes have taken place. The expectations of our customers are different in that we are expected to deliver a faster and higher quality of service. The role of the organisation has been expanded to include access to environmental information (the creation of the Commissioner for Access to Environmental Information), it has seen extension of the Ombudsman’s remit to include voluntary hospitals, mental health issues and certain aspects of the Disability Act. In addition, as decision-making is devolved to additional branches of the public service, we need to manage successfully our relationships with those bodies that fall within our remit if we are to continuously improve standards in public administration.

Overall, the reform process has seen the civil service and this organisation moving from a culture where satisfactory performance is achieved by following set rules and procedures to one where performance is measured by the achievement of specific tasks. Policy-making, long-term planning, job security and fixed hierarchies no longer hold the positions of primacy they once occupied. Instead, short to medium-term goals, output target achievement, shorter-term work employment contracts and more flexible reporting mechanisms have now become an increasingly important part of the work pattern.

These changed realities were taken on board earlier this year, when the second iteration of the organisation’s Strategic Plan was developed in that it focused on specific goals and measurable performance indicators as a way of evaluating its successful implementation. The vision articulated in that Strategy was that over the next three years we would "confirm our position as the premier organisation for raising standards of public administration in Ireland". To help achieve this, two clear strategic priorities were identified:

• Challenge public bodies to deliver higher standards of administration, and 
• Utilise organisation capabilities to their optimum

The key objectives identified to deliver these priorities included the need to:

• Increase awareness of the organisation by way of a communications strategy,
• Increase the number of Ombudsman investigations,
• Review organisational structures,
• Recruit, select, and train new staff required by the extension of the Ombudsman’s remit,
• Develop greater linkages with the voluntary sectors, 
• Improve the quality of outputs and measurement indicators, and
• Draft and implement records management/knowledge management policies.

In addition, Business Plans were developed which, while specific to each of the constituent offices, were related directly to the overall priorities identified in the Strategic Plan.

The responsibility for the delivery of these objectives will rest with the senior management team and with individual managers and staff. Typically, to support an organisation’s mission and objectives, HR strategies are developed alongside new structures and the development of new/amended processes. In this regard, the Strategic Plan recognised the need for a new HR Strategy to improve existing HR processes and to identify new challenges and to draw up appropriate solutions. The guiding principles used in framing the HR Strategy are that:

• All initiatives are framed with a view to maintaining and improving the level of service that we deliver to our clients,
• All the staff of the organisation are recognised and valued as its key resource,
• The achievement of the vision and strategic objectives is critically dependent on the commitment and effectiveness of staff at all levels of the organisation, and 
• The organisation is committed to nurturing a learning culture that will result in the development of its entire staff, ensuring that learning and promotion opportunities are open to staff of all ages and experience.

Human Resource Strategy 2008-2010 

While, to a greater or lesser extent, each activity overlaps and interlinks with others, the core activities of human resource (HR) management are:

Strategy and Organisation

• Contributing to design of organisational strategy, structures and processes,
• Influencing organisational culture and values, and                  
• Developing personnel/HR strategies and policies.

Staff Resources

• Work force planning,
•  Recruitment,
• Deployment of staff, and
• Termination of employment of staff.

Staff Development

• Training and development,
• Management development,
• Career development, and 
• Performance management.

Reward Management

• Reward strategies, and
• Employee benefits.

Staff Relations

• Industrial relations, 
• Employee participation,  
• Equality 
• Communications, and
• Health and safety.

Personnel Administration

• Employee services,
• Administration of staff records,
• Employment policies and practices,and  
• Employee working conditions.

Linking directly to the overall Strategic Plan, the HR Strategy is constructed around this framework and, like the framework, many of these objectives and actions are interlinked.

Constraints in Drafting the Strategy

Within the Civil Service, pay and conditions are determined centrally; the Department of Finance has responsibility for these issues for all Government Departments and Offices like our own. Similarly, other key HR policy areas such as tenure, performance management, promotion etc., are determined within the Civil Service as a whole while recruitment, despite some changes in recent years, is largely handled by the Public Appointments Service. As such, developing a HR Strategy and related HR policies for the organisation must be done within a civil service context. Nonetheless, in recent years, in line with the SMI principle of devolved management, an increasing number of HR-related issues can be handled at local level.

Evaluation of Impact

The effectiveness of the HR Strategy will be evaluated over the period. The Partnership Committee and MAC will receive reports quarterly on its implementation while specific performance indicators for individual HR areas will be identified as these areas are developed in accordance with the HR Strategy. In addition, staff attitudes, a key indicator of performance, will also be monitored as part of the ongoing evaluation and monitoring of PMDS. The findings will be presented to the Partnership Committee and MAC. In terms of the development of individual HR policy areas e.g. mobility, promotion, communications etc., staff will be encouraged to participate fully and to contribute views as part of the Partnership process.

Staff Resources

Workforce Planning

Workforce planning is concerned with meeting demand for appropriate staff with a supply of appropriate staff. This involves predicting future demand and sources of supply of staff as well as optimising supply to meet current demand.

Future Demand

To date, with the singular exception of the IT Unit, the sourcing of staff through external/internal competitions or from civil service panels has not proven critical by way of elapsed time, loss of significant knowledge base or in terms of assimilating new staff into the organisation through training and enculturation. The main reason for this has been the historically low level of staff turnover within the organisation. Over the past five years, for example, total turnover (staff leaving the organisation) has averaged 5 per cent per annum. (It should be borne in mind that only two officers retired in that period; staff leaving on promotion/decentralisation accounted for the remainder). However, given our age profile where one-third of all our staff are aged 50 or over (compared with a Civil Service average of 25 per cent) outflows from the organisation will increase significantly in the medium to long-term. Within the next 3-8 years over one-third of all staff, one third of the Investigator cadre and two-thirds of the Senior Investigator cadre will have reached an age they can choose to retire, subject to adequate service length.

Should these staff choose this option, this will mean that an average of 5 per cent of staff will leave annually on retirement grounds alone. Taken with the current pattern, this will give rise to a doubling of the current turnover rate. Such an increase in turnover has critical implications for the operation of the organisation in terms of knowledge and expertise, particularly at Investigator and Senior Investigator level. This loss of skills has implications for:

• Service delivery,
• Identification of areas of growth/contraction
• Knowledge management systems, 
• Promotion systems, 
• Recruitment processes, 
• Leadership development, 
• Training, 
• Mobility, and 
• Succession planning.

To build the skills and competencies required, a systematic policy based on PMDS and Section Business Plans, will be implemented by MAC that will assist the organisation deal with the challenge in a structured and planned manner.

Current Demands

As indicated, a more systematic approach will be adopted to acquiring the skills and competencies required by Business Units to achieve the objectives outlined in their annual business plans. To this end, all business plans will set out clearly the staffing complement at all grades required to meet the objectives contained in the respective plans. In addition, the plans will contain an overarching training needs framework that will inform the training and development plans of individual members of staff. This will enable a more systematic approach to assigning/recruiting staff and the delivery of appropriate training programmes.

For a range of reasons such as recruitment decisions, job design, motivation, performance appraisal as well as monitoring current workforce supply, sick leave absenteeism levels at Section/Office and organisational level will be monitored by the HR Unit and reported to MAC on a monthly basis. While the onus is on senior and line management to effectively manage such absences in the first instance, such oversight will enable corrective action to be taken at local level and/or organisational level to ensure a matching of an adequate supply of staff with prioritised demand.

Recruitment

The staff resource gaps identified in the workforce planning process and business plans can be filled in a number of ways:

1. Recruitment of permanent or contract staff, outsourcing or any combination of these,
2. Promotion of existing staff,
3. Staff training and development, and
4. Mobility of staff.

The HR strategies in relation to the latter three options are outlined elsewhere in this document.

The system for recruiting staff to this Office and the wider Civil service derives from arrangements agreed with the relevant trade unions. In recent years, changes have been agreed through the social partnership process (the most recent being Towards 2016) that have increased the amount of flexibility available to the organisation in terms of external recruitment:

• The Office can recruit staff through the Public Appointments Service (PAS) either through inter-departmental panels or through specially organised competitions (confined or open), 
• On average, one in five of all vacancies in the Civil Service above Executive Officer level can be filled by open recruitment, 
• Investigator, Senior Investigator and Director-General posts can be filled by way of open recruitment,
• The Office can recruit directly from the labour market should it choose to obtain a recruitment licence from the Commission for Public Service Appointments 
• The Office can recruit directly staff with specialist/scarce skills, and
• The Office can source skills through outsourcing or through fixed term/fixed purpose contracts.

Recruitment Strategy

The fundamental principle guiding the Office’s approach to recruitment is to source people, externally or internally, who already have or have the capacity to develop, the skills and competencies required for a particular post. Where possible, this principle will be applied in terms of all recruiting sources.

Public Appointments Service (PAS)

The organisation will continue to work closely with the PAS to ensure that the Office receives as much information as possible in relation to panels, will participate directly in staff recruitment with PAS where appropriate and will provide feedback on the recruitment process on an ongoing basis.

Open Recruitment

The organisation is committed to pursuing open recruitment because it provides an opportunity: 

• for the cross-fertilisation of ideas of people with different work experiences and backgrounds, 
• to obtain the up-to-date skills of school leavers and graduates, 
• to fill identified specialist skill gaps, and
• to change the profile of the Office workforce so that it more closely reflects the profile of Irish society as a whole.

Recruitment Licence for IT Staff

Significant problems have been experienced in filling IT vacancies over the past two years: IT literate, civil service staff, have become harder to source because of decentralisation, while, at the same time, the Department of Finance has not sanctioned IT-specific entry or promotion competitions. While the organisation has been particularly fortunate in the calibre of candidates sourced on each occasion, there was been a significant time lapse in filling vacancies.

For this reason, subject to the absence of a suitable internal/civil service candidate, all future staff appointments to the IT Unit will be by way of open direct recruitment by this Office. A Recruitment Licence to this effect will be obtained from the Commission for Public Sector Appointments. In addition, other options for filling skills gaps arising such as outsourcing and or fixed term/fixed contracts will be utilised as appropriate.

Specialist Skills/Knowledge

In a similar fashion, where skills gaps exist that cannot be met internally in the short-term, the Office will employ persons with these skills on a fixed-term/fixed purpose contract as appropriate. Examples of such situations would include employing persons in an advisory capacity with regards to complaints/investigations into clinical matters in relation to hospitals, or with regard to an approach to planning being adopted by a particular local authority. A detailed policy in this regard is being developed separately.

Outsourcing, Fixed-Term/Fixed Purpose Contracts

The recruitment approach to be followed will be determined by the business need i.e. is the need such that it requires a short-term or a long-term solution? Where it is long-term, recruitment will be by way of agreed arrangements. Where it is short-term, e.g. where peaks in demand cannot be met by the re-allocation of existing staff, term-time replacements etc., it is likely that such a need will be met by way of outsourcing or fixed-term/fixed-purpose contracts. Where relevant, such initiatives will be discussed with staff representatives beforehand.

Deployment of Staff

In line with the terms of Towards 2016, all staff of the organisation are liable to be deployed within the organisation or to posts within defined areas or distances as organisational needs require. To achieve the optimal skills mix, newly recruited staff can be deployed to any Office within the organisation and existing staff re-deployed accordingly. Such redeployment, whenever possible, will be in line with the Office mobility policy.

Termination of Employment

Whenever staff members leave the organisation (retirement, promotion, career change, dismissal) the HR Unit undertakes to ensure that the staff member is dealt with in accordance with the relevant legislation, Codes and Circulars and that his/her requirements will be dealt with effectively and speedily.

In addition, on leaving, a member of the HR Unit will carry out a systematic exit interview to obtain information on the individual’s view of the performance of the organisation together with suggestions on how it can be improved. In this regard, procedures are being developed and the information will be utilised to assess the quality of the organisation’s HR policies.

Staff Development

Training and Development 2004-2007

Following on from the previous Statement of Strategy, a comprehensive Training and Development Strategy was devised to run to end-2007. The key areas under which training and development was to take place were categorised as:

• induction, 
• specialised, learning, knowledge and skill, and 
• personal development.

A number of programmes were developed to address training issues within these categories: a comprehensive induction model was refined and rolled out to all new staff, specialised learning, based on skills needs identified through the PMDS process, has been provided on an ongoing basis and the personal development of staff has been supported proactively. A detailed breakdown of the training provided over the period is included at Appendix I.

 

Training and Development 2008-2010

Staffing of Training Unit

In recognition of the expansion of the Office, the need to respond more quickly to the changing requirements of Business Units and individual members of staff, the Training Unit will be expanded to include an Executive Officer who will assist the Training Officer on a full-time basis. In addition, to reflect the changing role of the Unit, it will be re-named the Training and Development Unit.

Training Context

Given the emphasis placed by the Organisation on high quality service delivery, the primary focus of training and development between 2008 and 2010 will be on maintaining and enhancing our capacity to deliver excellent service to our clients.

In driving the HR Strategy forward, all decisions on training provision will be informed by management’s commitment 1) to meet the organisation’s business needs 2) to nurture a culture that supports the relevant and appropriate development of its people and, 3) to the concept that all costs associated with training and development are viewed as investment-related.

Knowledge Transfer

Taken together, the core competencies of each individual staff member comprise the organisation’s collective learning and expertise base. To maximise the effect of this collective learning there is a requirement of all staff to commit to transfer this knowledge across the organisation, both formally and informally. The Office has been extremely fortunate to date to have had staff who, through personal contact with less experienced staff or through the delivery of formal training programmes, have helped considerably this process of knowledge transfer. Given the expansion in overall staff numbers and the likely increase in staff turnover, this level of commitment will need to be maintained and increased between now and 2010. As with any extension of skill sets, active involvement in knowledge transfer enhances job variety and career experience, which in turn enhances career prospects.

Staff Training and Development

Staff training and development needs are identified currently almost exclusively through the PMDS process. However, while this approach will continue, it needs to be refined further. Identifying training needs at individual level only is limited in effectiveness because:

• it focuses on individual needs solely and does not always take into account the organisation’s needs,
• it tends to be short-term in focus, and 
• does not allow for the potential broader career development of the individual.

Working closely with the Training and Development Unit to ensure clarity of purpose when identifying if a training or development response is appropriate, staff members and their managers will measure the proposed response against immediate task-related requirements, future predicted task-related requirements, improving organisational task quality and standards, and the individual’s career development. This approach, informed by the framework of section and organisation training needs as set out in annual business plans will help deliver a more effective and efficient training progamme that will address the skills needs of the Office as well as the training and development needs of individual staff.

To ensure that staff are as skilled as possible in their current position and to assist in career progression, the Training and Development Unit will provide each member of staff with his/her personal skills inventory prior to the annual PMDS review and agreeing of Role Profile for the coming year. The onus will be on each member of staff to ensure that it is up to date. This approach will allow staff to build on previous experience in a progressive fashion in a way that provides a systematic focus to personal development.

Training and Development: Key Priorities 2008-2010

Induction

The current Induction Programme was designed in 2004 and since then has been delivered to staff joining the office and those who have moved internally through mobility or promotion. This programme is a vital component of the HR Strategy given the numbers of new staff anticipated to have joined by 2010.

The Training and Development Unit will continue to ensure that individual induction programmes are drawn up as required, will deliver the generic modules and strive to ensure that the section-based modules take place within the required time-frame. The Induction Programme will be reviewed and updated annually to ensure it is both current and relevant at all times.

Coaching

Coaching is a management activity to enhance the development of employees, with a particular emphasis on the transfer of learning from formal training courses into workplace activity. In essence, it involves enhancing the skills of employees within the job role - helping them to perform, learn, and achieve; to increase awareness of the factors which determine performance; to increase their sense of self-responsibility and ownership of their performance; to self-coach and to identify and remove internal barriers to achievement.

By mid-2008, the Induction Programme will be enhanced through the introduction of an element designed to ensure the short-term acquisition of key skills/attitudes by new staff in particular grades. The Training and Development Unit will roll out a Coaching Programme by early-2008 for managers who will have direct responsibility for new staff under the expansion of the Ombudsman’s Office. This programme will be implemented throughout the remainder of the organisation by end-2008. While still in development, it is envisaged that a typical coaching programme will run for a period of twelve months.

Diversity

The Training and Development Unit, in conjunction with the Equality Committee, will design a diversity training programme that will reflect and address diversity within the organisation and our client base. The emphasis of the training will be on diversity awareness in terms of delivering a quality customer service to our internal and external customers.

Disability

The Training and Development Unit will continue to support the Civil Service Disability Policy through the provision of current training modules and the development of new programmes and approaches. In this regard, comprehensive disability training was provided for all staff in October, 2007, while a module has recently been added to the Induction Programme to raise the consciousness of new staff in relation to disability and to introduce all new staff to the Disability Liaison Officer. In addition, further approaches to raising awareness of disability issues amongst current staff will be identified and introduced during 2008-2009.

Continuous Personal Development/Lifelong Learning

Circular 23/07, agreed centrally earlier this year, consolidated existing arrangements and supersedes all previous circulars and instructions covering the areas of refund of fees, study leave and examination leave.

This Organisation believes that continued learning is an important element of career development and will therefore continue to actively support applications for second and third level qualifications that are aligned with a progressive personal development plan and relevant to organisational need. See Appendix II for list of courses currently being studied under this scheme.

Records Management/Knowledge Management

The overall Strategy Statement indicates that the Office of the Ombudsman and the Standards in Public Office Commission have committed to introducing a new records management policy and associated process by mid-2008.

The Training and Development Unit will work closely with the Records Management Group to ensure that training is provided to all staff as required prior to and after its introduction. In addition, a records management module will be included in the Induction Programme for all new staff.

Similarly, under the overall Strategic Plan, it is anticipated that a Knowledge Management Policy will be developed and in place by end-2008. The Training and Development Unit will work with the Knowledge Manager to ensure that all existing and new staff are provided with the required training.

Communications

The Strategic Plan envisages that a dedicated Communications and Research Unit will be up and running by early-2008. To ensure that it is able to operate as efficiently as possible as early as possible, the HR Training and Development Unit will ensure that all specialised training needs identified by the Head of the Unit are prioritised.

Investigator Training

While training has been provided for Investigators on an ad hoc basis to date, a more systematic programme is currently being designed. The programme will focus on the practical devlopment of the key skills and knowledge needed by Investigators to develop their full potential and to deliver a high quality service to clients e.g. analytical skills, report writing, web-based research skills, case management, time management and negotiation skills. It is proposed that this programme will commence in 2008.

In addition, arising directly from the Strategic Statement, a practical work-based training module will be developed for Investigators assigned to systemic Investigations in the Ombudsman’s Office.

Administrative Law Course

An in-house administrative law course was delivered in 2004. It ran for a six week period and covered key administrative issues as such as 

• Understanding legislation 
• Common/Constitutional law 
• Legal basis of administrative decision making 
• Compliance with fair procedures/natural justice 
• Exercise of discretionary powers 
• Legitimate Expectation
• Relationship Domestic/European law

This programme will be reviewed and refined in consultation with Investigators and a similar programme will commence in 2008.

Mentoring

The HR policy has indicated the need to develop our staff with a view to filling senior positions at Investigator and Senior Investigatorlevel within the organisation in the medium-term. Mentoring involves a senior member of staff providing one-to-one career-related guidance and encouragement to a less experienced colleague, with a focus on learning and development.

The mentor will be expected, amongst other things, to be someone to seek information from, to be a role model in terms of behaviour/career emulation, to inculcate cultural/organisational norms, to act as a career guide in terms of qualifications, to raise the profile of the person being mentored and to provide informal feedback and appraisal. The Training and Development Unit and MAC will devise the programme while the Partnership Committee and MAC will monitor its implementation. It is envisaged that such an initiative will be in place by 2010 and all staff involved will be trained accordingly.

Management Development

Leadership

Mention has been made already of a need for the development of a policy on succession planning in terms of continuity of supply of the skills and expertise required at Investigator and Senior Investigator grade. Part of that policy will deal with the early identification and development of the leadership competency.

In the shorter-term, however, given the predicted turnover at Senior Investigator level, there is an urgent requirement for the development and delivery of leadership training at Investigator level. This programme will be developed and rolled out by the Training and Development Unit during 2008. Its focus will be on equipping staff with the tools to develop the breadth of their existing responsibilities and to prepare them for more senior roles in time.

Management of Change

The Statement of Strategy published earlier this year identified a shift in emphasis towards increasing the numbers of investigations by the Office of the Ombudsman, raised the possibility of a fundamental structural change in how enquiries and some complaints might be dealt with in the future. Taken together with the staffing "churn" that is currently taking place as the additional 27 staff arrive, it is clear that the Office of the Ombudsman is facing what is perhaps its most challenging period since the years immediately following its foundation. For their part, the Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC) and the Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPOC) face a number of challenges over the next three years: in the case of the OIC it is possible that the legislation may be amended, there will be a need to bring clarity to the increasing number of access to information at national and EU level while it is always possible that another systemic issue such as the "industrial schools" matter might arise; for its part, SIPOC is facing two referendums in 2008, the possible establishment of an independent Electoral Commission, further amendments to Ethics legislation, and European elections in 2009.

The Senior Management Team, collectively and individually, will need to manage the change proces. A range of disciplines is needed to deliver change successfully. To assist the Team in this regard, leadership and change management training will be delivered to relevant Senior Investigators and key members of their teams. It is likely that the training will be tailored to fit the area of change over which each Senior Investigator has responsibility.

Career Development

In an organisational context, career development is a process where the Office attempts to assist employees (primarily through PMDS) in an analysis of their abilities and interests and guides their development, placement and progression through the organisation.  A central tenet of the HR Policy is that management of the Office is committed to nurturing the systematic development of all of its staff. This development will be achieved through the training and development policies mentioned earlier, mobility policies and promotion.

Mobility

A well-developed mobility policy enables staff to obtain a range of job experiences that will develop their abilities and help them contribute more to the organisation and compete more effectively for promotion opportunities, In addition, staff mobility can be appropriate where underperformance arises from a mismatch of skills/abilities with the post in question.

The issue of staff placement and mobility is multi-faceted and encompasses movement:

• within the Organisation; 
• across the Civil Service; 
• within the wider Public Service; 
• between the Organisation and the private sector;
• between the Organisation and other national administrations.

In line with the provisions of the previous HR Policy, decisions on placement outside the organisation and on internal mobility will be taken fairly and objectively in the light of the requirements of the particular job, the development needs of individual staff and the general operating requirements of the Organisation. In relation to internal mobility within the Organisation, the agreed policy is that in normal circumstances staff members would move to a new work area every four to six years (see Appendix III). This implies a staff churn of 20% every year. Given the predicted turnover rates this may not be possible in the short-term. However, a number of moves will take place every year, with priority being given to those with the longest service in their current posts. To monitor mobility rates, a report will be prepared by the HR Unit for the Partnership Committee and the MAC on an annual basis.

The organisation is committed to placing an increased emphasis on external placement as part of organisational and personal development. For the reasons outlined above, it is unlikely that any such placement will take place before early-2009.

Promotion

In terms of career development, the Office recognises the important motivational and reward aspects of promotion. From the Office’s point of view, promotion represents an avenue of recruitment that is a very important method of improving organisational credibility – others include open competition and interdepartmental competition. In this regard, the primary purpose of promotion is to fill a post through the selection of the most suitable person for the position or grade that is vacant. The fundamental principle underlying our system of promotion is that of equality of opportunity, based on merit.

In 2005, the Code of Practice on Internal Promotions was agreed at Partnership level while the Training and Development Unit has been involved in assisting staff in preparing for internal promotions over the period of the previous Training and Development Plan. In 2008, the Partnership Committee will review the operation of the Code since its inception and the Training and Development Unit will implement any appropriate recommendations.

In addition, the Training and Development Unit, in 2008, will devise a programme to assist and provide training to such staff in order to maximise their chances of success in inter-Departmental competitions.

Performance Management

As mentioned earlier, the civil service has moved from a culture where satisfactory performance is achieved by following set rules and procedures to one where performance is measured by the achievement of specific tasks. This is measured at an individual level through PMDS and at a collective level by such bodies as the CSPVG.

PMDS

The objective of performance management systems is to integrate HR processes with the assessment and appraisal of an individual’s work-related activities that are directly linked to the goals and overall direction of the organisation. In terms of the civil service and this Office this integration took place on 1 January, 2007. Since then, all assessments of an individual’s performance are measured against previously agreed targets and these assessments are used for HR purposes (pay, promotion, underperformance etc.).

The Partnership sub-committee on PMDS recognised that the increased emphasis on performance against specific targets arising from the integration process represented a fundamental change for many of the staff of the Office. With this in mind, it oversaw the provision of external training before the new system was introduced, an evaluation and publication of the report of the trial run of the process, and ensured that systems were introduced to bring about compliance and consistency in ratings across the Office. The sub-committee has continued to play an active role in overseeing the process and proposes to carry out an end-year evaluation that it will present with recommendations to the Partnership Committee.

Motivation

Consistent with the previous HR Strategy, the Organisation considers that motivation is a central element in the successful operation of performance management. The basic principle underpinning the organisational approach to motivation within the Office is to develop staff in a way that they will seek to give of their best voluntarily without the need for control by way of the rules and sanctions arising under the integrated PMDS process.  To assist managers in this regard (Executive Officers upwards), the Training and Development Unit will provide support through specific employee motivation training by end-2008.

Underperformance

In the majority of cases, performance under PMDS will be assessed as satisfactory or better. Opportunity and reward for staff that are rated in this manner are discussed elsewhere in this document. In a minority of cases, however, underperformance by staff members is likely to be highlighted by the PMDS process.

Underperformance can be defined as a persistent failure to achieve set goals or objectives. The underlying causes can vary from lack of competence to perform the tasks required of the role, ineffective management, lack of commitment, ineffective communications, and personal problems. In addition to its impact on the individual concerned, underperformance can have a demotivating impact on that individual’s colleagues and co-workers.

Underperformance will be dealt at the earliest opportunity within the context of PMDS. Staff who are rated as "2" under the process are deemed to be performing satisfactorily under many of the competencies to the required standard but performance has fallen short in some respects. In general, such staff, with appropriate commitment and some additional training and development, alongside active encouragement from, and interventions by, their managers should see improvements in their rating occurring over a relatively short space of time. Staff rated as "1" are deemed to have met few of the role requirements of the job and performance falls clearly short of the required standard. Where such a rating arises the member of staff and his/her manager should take immediate steps to ensure that a pattern of underperformance does not persist.

In dealing with underperformers, all managers should be aware of the following strategies that help deal with the problem:

• ensuring that all staff know exactly what is expected of them under the PMDS process,
• being proactive in recognising their responsibility for dealing with incidents of underperformance,
• adopting a developmental approach in dealing with underperformance (e.g. recommending appropriate remedial action - training or other developmental measures) and monitoring progress in this regard;
• utilising the Employee Assistance Scheme where it is apparent that personal problems are a factor in underperformance.

The Senior Management Team, the HR Unit and the Training and Development Unit will provide every support to managers requiring assistance. However, in exceptional cases, the underperformance may be of a nature that it will need to be dealt with under the Disciplinary Code. Bearing that in mind, however, a positive proactive approach to PMDS by staff and managers will minimise the possibility of disciplinary procedures arising in this regard.

Discipline and Dismissal

The management of underperformance and misconduct in the Civil Service, up to and including dismissal, has come increasingly to reflect the legal framework and custom and practice followed by the private sector, A revised Disciplinary Code, in place since 2006, states that disciplinary action may be taken in cases of underperformance as well as in cases of misconduct, irregularity, neglect or unsatisfactory behaviour.

The Code sets out the procedures to be followed where a civil servant is under-performing or is alleged to have committed a disciplinary offence. The guidelines to be followed in such instances are based on principles of natural justice and the Office will ensure strict compliance with them. The Office will ensure that all staff are aware of the guidelines and procedures.

The disciplinary action envisaged under the Code comprises:

• formal written notes placed on the officer's personnel file,
• deferral of an increment,
• debarment from competitions or from specified competitions or from promotion for a specified period of time,
• transfer to another office or division or geographical location,
• withdrawal of concessions or allowances,
• placing the civil servant on a lower rate of remuneration (including the withholding of an increment),
• reducing the civil servant to a specified lower grade or rank,
• suspending the civil servant without pay, or 
• dismissal.

Reward Management

The shift in emphasis within PMDS to a more performance-orientated focus means that just as underperformance must be tackled, good performance should be rewarded.

In general terms, reward refers to all monetary and non-monetary incentives that an organisation provides to its employees in exchange for the work they perform. The Organisation is committed, as part of its wider HR strategy, insofar as it is possible, to develop that mix of rewards which best supports and recognises the type of employee behaviour required.

Monetary Rewards

The framework for monetary rewards is determined centrally i.e. salary levels, wage agreements, merit award "cap" etc. There are a number of measures that can be taken at local level that can reward staff performance. It is proposed that these measures be discussed at Partnership level.

Merit award

Following the publication of the last HR Strategy, the Rewards and Motivation sub-committee of the Partnership Committee recommended adjustments to the scheme to make it more transparently equitable. Since then, a further refinement has been included whereby managers may reward their sections for exceptional performance by way of access to a nominal "social" budget.

Higher Scale Allowances

The various schemes provide for the payment of a Higher Scale allowance to a proportion of staff employed in a particular grade within a Civil Service Department or Office. Again, consistent with PMDS, consideration of staff for the Higher Scale will only be given to those who achieved a "3" rating or higher under PMDS in respect of his/her performance over the previous year

Acting-Up

It may be necessary from time to time to assign a member of staff to higher duties on a temporary basis to address critical business needs where recruitment and selection processes are not appropriate due to the circumstances of the time. Generally, such assignments will not run for more than a period of six months. In such instances, an "acting up allowance" is paid to the individual. It is proposed that a person can only be considered for "acting up" where he/she achieved a "3" rating or higher under PMDS in respect of his/her performance over the previous year.

Non-Monetary Incentives

A range of non-monetary incentives is available to staff at present: these range from assignment to special projects, secondment, specialist training, training for competencies needed at higher level etc. It is proposed that such incentives should be offered only to those staff who achieved a "3" rating or higher under PMDS in respect of his/her performance over the previous year.

All of the above proposals will be discussed initially at MAC followed by consultation with the Partnership Committee.

Employee Benefits

The Office recognises that flexible working arrangements provide significant opportunities for staff to balance work and life commitments. They also aid recruitment and retention, provides a wider pool of potential employees and can enhance organisational productivity and efficiency, help reduce stress and absenteeism and may help reduce fixed-costs.

Statutory and non-statutory schemes available to Civil Servants

There is a wide range of statutory and non-statutory schemes available to Civil Servants.

These are:

Statutory Schemes	Work/Life Balance Schemes
Adoptive Leave Carer's Leave Force Majeure Leave Parental Leave Maternity Leave	Career Breaks Flexi Time Paternity Leave Special Leave for Domestic Circumstances E-working Term Time Work-Sharing Study Leave Exam Leave

As heretofore, the Office will implement its obligations in relation to the statutory schemes. In making requests to avail of work/life balance schemes, staff should be aware that they are an entitlement and not a right. Nonetheless, the Office has been to the fore in accommodating and implementing the full range of flexible working arrangements. It will continue to do so subject to the terms of the schemes and the principle that the operating requirements of the Office are not adversely affected. The Office will also ensure that staff availing of the various schemes, are not placed at a disadvantage in so far as training, placement, mobility and promotion are concerned.

Staff Relations

Industrial Relations

On the industrial relations front, mindful of section 28.13 of Towards 2016, management will continue to engage constructively with union representatives through meetings and correspondence in a prompt and professional fashion and will continue to communicate management information to the union branches which relates to matters relevant to working conditions of staff or other matters considered to fall within the industrial relations ambit

Employee Participation

The combined expertise and experience of the staff of an organisation is a very important resource in arriving at key strategic and process-related decisions. Through the working of the Partnership Committee, the regular work of cross-organisational problem-solving working-groups, and the appropriate delegation of line functions, the Office has a strong track record of staff actively engaged in reviewing strategic choices and identifying solutions to problems that arise on an ongoing basis and engaging in work which is both challenging and personally fulfilling. This approach is important in that it:

• supports strategic priorities and goals,
• increases employee commitment, 
• adds to organisational learning, 
• expands individual employee expertise and experience, and 
• improves organisational effectiveness.

The Partnership Committee has played a vital role in the development and implementation of change management action plans. Over the years it has been centrally involved in:

• the introduction of PMDS, 
• the design of training and development policy, 
• improving customer service, 
• raising awareness and promoting initiatives around equality/disability issues, and
• enhancing the work environment generally.

The Committee will review the implementation of this policy on a twice-yearly basis. In addition, it is proposed that the role of the Committee within the broader context of the Office be reviewed during 2008 with a view to identifying areas where the operation of the Committee could be made more effective. This review will be informed by the view of the National Centre for Partnership that, amongst other things, work organisations need to be: 

• flexible, 
• customer-centred, 
• knowledge-intensive, 
• capable of working cross-functionally, 
• highly-productive, 
• responsive to employees needs, 
• involved and participatory, and 
• continually learning.

In addition to the work of the Partnership Committee, staff of the Office have participated individually in the decision-making process. Examples of this include working on case quality assurance (e.g. ROCQ Group), problem-solving groups (Health and Safety Committee), work-teams (e.g. website group), and workplace issues (e.g. Gender Equality Group). These groups provide for direct staff input into the design of jobs, work systems and work environment. As the Office enters a period of change involving amended processes, overcoming accommodation problems, preserving and improving the expertise in the Office the work of such groups will need to continue and expand.

Equality

The civil service has specific policies in relation to:

• Diversity in the Civil Service 
• Gender Equality in the Civil Service 
• Ethnic Equality in the Civil Service 
• Employment of people with disabilities in the Civil Service 
• Traveller internship programme and 
• Tackling harassment, sexual harassment and bullying.

This Office fully supports all aspects of the Civil Service equality agenda. Given the small number of staff employed, however, and the physical limitations of the building, the organisation has tended to focus primarily on gender-related matters. In a rapidly changing society, however, additional challenges face the civil service and this organisation. In addition to supporting actively all Civil Service employment policies and initiatives (both recruitment and work placement) in relation to those members of society (e.g. disabled persons, new citizens, members of the travelling community etc.) who are under-represented in the civil service we will explore ways in which we can be more pro-active ourselves in this regard, we will develop further our own organisational strategies for dealing with certain shortfalls in our gender equality targets and, whenever possible, to continue to balance organisational needs with the flexible work requirements of our staff.

With this expanded vision of the equality agenda in mind, the remit of the Gender Equality Committee, which is a sub-committee of the Partnership Committee, has been expanded to include all of the grounds contained in the Equality Acts, 1998 and 2004, and will be re-named the Equality Committee. In raising awareness of steps that can be taken to ensure the organisation’s optimal contribution, it will liaise regularly with the Access Officer and Corporate Services. It is envisaged that the Committee will produce practical action plans on raising staff awareness and promoting the employment of under-represented groups. Progress in this regard will be monitored at Partnership level.

Communications

Good communications within an organisation entails the systematic provision of information to employees concerning all aspects of their employment and the wider issues relating to the organisation in which they work.

The absence of regular communication can cause demotivation in employees who feel "left out of the loop" while it can also lead to a false consensus where management assume that all employees are aware of current issues but, in reality, a different version of events has currency within the organisation due to rumour and misunderstood messages.

Best practice suggests that internal communications should operate at two levels:

• Day-to-day, ongoing communications (e.g. regular section and planning meetings – the role of line managers is key in ensuring regularity of such meetings),
• Larger, more formal, communication and participation structures (e.g. the Partnership Committee).

Widespread communication takes place within the Office (e.g. team meetings, problem-solving groups, staff surveys, PMDS feedback, e-mails, MAC minutes). Given the danger of "information overload", however, dissemination of information should occur in a more focused, systematic and regular fashion. With this in mind, the HR Unit, in consultation with the Head of Communications and Research will design and roll out a systematic internal communications model by early-2009.

Health and Safety

The health and safety of the Office’s employees, members of the public and clients who visit the Office is of paramount importance to the management team. It is committed to the identification and control of hazards associated with the workplace environment. These hazards range from technological, physical and chemical agents to psychological disorders such as stress.

Health and Safety Committee

The Office has been fortunate to have a succession of members of the Health and Safety Committee who have actively monitored and reviewed the physical and work environment. In addition, the Committee reviews the Safety Statement annually and publishes a revised version at the start of every New Year.

In recent years, the Committee has also focused on the physical well-being of the staff of the Office – "Wellness Schemes". This reflected in the health tests available to staff on a regular basis as well as the healthy eating/healthy lifestyle initiatives that it runs from time to time. This work will continue.

Stress Management

The nature of the work of the Organisation means that from time to time staff are inevitably exposed to difficult situations which can be stressful. In addition, personal circumstances or work-related matters can cause stress amongst our staff. The Office has a duty of care to its staff in this respect and will continue to offer stress management courses to staff on an ongoing basis.

In addition, there is a role for managers in recognising the symptoms of stress in their staff and providing active and caring support for staff suffering from stress, and assisting their recovery where possible. In this regard, the Training and Development Unit will provide a systematic training programme by end-2008 to all managers in dealing with stress amongst their employees.

Bullying and Harassment

Bullying and harassment are among the forms of discrimination that are legally defined and deemed unlawful under the Employment Equality Acts, 1998 and 2004. The Office has provided for the implementation of the procedures contained in the Civil Service policy document "A positive working environment - An Anti Harassment, sexual harassment and bullying policy for the Civil Service" which was revised in July 2005. It is the responsibility of managers at all levels in the organisation to ensure that the work environment is kept free from harassment and bullying and to ensure that appropriate policies have been devised and publicised to staff for dealing with incidents in this area. Members of staff have been appointed as Contact Persons and Investigators under the Code.

Safety of Staff

Arising from the final report of the Middle Management Group on Dealing with Difficult Work Related Situations, the Management of the Office gave a commitment to draw up a set of policies and procedures to support and protect staff in their dealings with members of the public who indulge in unacceptable behaviour.

Section 8 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 requires every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the safety, health and welfare at work of all his/her employees. The report on Policies and Procedures for Dealing with Difficult Work Related Situations, which was published on the Office News Database in May 2007, is aimed at meeting that obligation from a management perspective. The report provides guidance on procedures staff should follow when meeting with members of the public in the Office, off-site, and during CIC and Regional visits.

The Corporate Services Section has recently completed a review of policies for staff interaction with members of the public during CIC visits. Following the review, revised procedures were drawn up and published on Office News. A Staff Safety sub-committee was established within the Corporate Services Unit to review the full range of policies for staff interaction with members of the public and reported to MAC in December 2007. Because of the nature of the issues involved, the MAC has committed to give urgent consideration to these recommendations.

Personnel Administration

The Corporate Services Section comprises the HR Unit, the Training and Development Unit and the Finance Unit.

The HR and Training and Development Units are responsible for the development and delivery of human resource policy within the Office including staff recruitment, employee services, personnel administration (including information and advice regarding relevant Department of Finance circulars) and the delivery of staff training and development. The Finance Unit is responsible for the proper administration of the Office’s funds in compliance with all required accounting and financial procedures and to fulfil the Office’s public accountability obligations through the production and publication of Annual Appropriation Accounts.

In addition, the Corporate Services Section has responsibility for the management of the physical infrastructure of the office premises, accessibility requirements, staff security, the purchasing and maintenance of furniture and equipment, and event management. The Section also provides administrative support in terms of Strategic and Business Planning and in reporting to the various oversight bodies such as the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee and the Civil Service Performance Verification Group.

All these services will be provided efficiently, effectively and courteously.

Appendix IV contains an organisation chart of the Unit and the contact names, telephone numbers and areas of resposibility of the staff of the Unit. This information will be updated regularly on Office News.

Priorities 2008-2010

The priorities for the Training and Development Unit have been identified earlier. The priorities for the Personnel Unit and accommodation function to end-2010 are set out hereunder.

Human Resource Unit

HRMS

Key objectives for the HR Unit in the long-term are the implementation of the HRMS system as it develops across the Civil Service, the development of the HR function to meet the needs of a growing organisation and the provision of an improved service to clients (both internal and external).

Developments being mooted by CMOD in relation to the HRMS include a link to time and attendance systems, the introduction of a Core pay interface which will allow for the electronic transfer of staff absence information between HRMS and the payroll system, and a self-service facility whereby staff can access their own data from their desktops. The unit will be working with CMOD over the coming months in relation to the introduction of pensions history statements. This will allow for the input of details of prior reckonable service and purchased service, all of which need to be brought together to produce a complete history statement. Again, this will involve staff being able to access data relevant to their pensions online, with access being password controlled.

New Staff

The HR Unit will focus on the timely integration of new and additional staff due to join the Office over the coming year. It will work to ensure that all administration relating to the transfer of salary and personnel data is completed as expediently as possible. It will also ensure that any consequential benefits in terms of additional higher scale posts are put in place as soon as they arise. 

Re-Alignment of HR Unit

In relation to the delivery of an improved service to clients, the HR unit is to undertake a Shared Services staff satisfaction survey to ascertain the level of satisfaction among staff with the service provided by Corporate Services Section and the IT Unit. The survey results, as they apply to the HR Unit, will provide a basis on which the Unit can identify key areas it needs to develop in order to improve its effectiveness and level of service to staff. The Survey will also improve the understanding of the role of the Unit amongst the organisation as a whole.

Accommodation Function

Each year the Accommodation Officer carries out an audit of the premises to review matters pertinent to health and safety and maintenance. Issues to be considered and rolled out over 2008/09 include new flooring for the emergency stairwell at the rear of the building, painting some of the interior walls, the installation of new drinking water facility, and further enhancement in terms of accessibility for staff and members of the public.

 

Appendix I

Training and Development 2004-2007

 Training and Development Provided

Introduction of Induction Programme	Completed
Partnership committee	Training has been provided to sub-committee members, in particular the H&S Committee No bespoke training identified by the Partnership Committee members.
Irish Language	All staff trained on the Official Languages Act 2003 All Irish language training requests (PMDS) have been delivered or are ongoing Reception staff training being provided Third level qualifications in Irish have been supported Gaeltacht training ongoing Ongoing Buntus Cainnte every two weeks
Disability/Diversity	Disability Legislation training provided to specific staff 2006  Disability training for all staff to be provided in October 2007
Ongoing roll out of PMDS	Upward feedback incorporated into PMDS process. Integration of HR & PMDS completed
HRMS	Training provided as required
JDE	Training provided as required
Time Management	Training provided as identifed
Negotiation Skills	Training provided
Analytical Skills	Training provided in 2005
Presentation Skills	Training provided
Interview Skills/Preparation for Competitions	Training provided
Writing skills	Training provided 2005, 2006 Will be provided November 2007 (More specific Report Writing course design currently being considered for 2008)
Presentation Skills	Training provided
Administrative Law	Training provided EU will be provided in October 2007
Health & Safety Training	First Aid training 2004-2006 Stress Elimination - ongoing
Third Level	Master of Business Administration Master of Human Resource Management Masters Programme in Public Management Foundation in Civil/Criminal Law Litigation Diploma in Public Relations Certificate in Policy Analysis Diploma in Conflict/Dispute Resolution Diploma in Business Management Gaeilge Fheidhmeach Diploma

Training and Development Outstanding

Decision making/problem solving	Programme under development
Analytical Skill	Further programme under development
Interview Skills Training	To be provided in the coming 12 months
Case Management	To be provided in the coming 12 months

Appendix II

Courses covered under the refund of fees, study leave and examination leave Scheme

• Second Level Qualifications
• Masters of Business Administration
• Diploma in Business Administration
• Bachelor of Business Studies
• Masters of Business Studies
• Diploma in Public Management
• Masters in Public Management
• Diploma in Information Technology
• Foundations in Law Civil and/or Criminal Law Litigation
• Diploma in Legal Studies
• Certified Diploma in Accounting & Finance
• Diploma in Public Relations
• Masters in Organisation Behaviour
• Certificate in Policy Analysis
• M.Sc. (Econ) in Policy Studies
• Cetificate in Health Services
• Certificate in Civil Service & State Agency Studies
• Gaeilge Fheidhmeach Diploma
• Diploma in Conflict and Dispute Resolution Studies
• Diploma in Mediation studies
• BSc in Psychology
• Barrister at Law 

 

Appendix III

Internal Mobility Policy

1. As a general rule, all staff would be re-assigned after a certain period in a given work area. In general, staff should not spend more than 4 to 6 years in a given area.
2. Staff to be re-assigned under the internal mobility programme should receive comprehensive training for the new post immediately upon re-assignment.
3. Decisions on mobility should take account, as far as possible, of individual preferences and be linked to the career development plan agreed in the context of the performance management and development process. Individual career development plans should explicitly refer to the Office's mobility policy.
4. Requests for transfers after shorter periods than those at (1) above would be considered but regard should be had to the need to allow sufficient time in a given post in order to acquire the knowledge and experience necessary to perform to full effect. Where a request of this type is submitted and where the request cannot be granted at the time, the request for transfer may be resubmitted after 6 months.
5. The programme of internal mobility should be implemented on a phased basis and should, as far as possible, begin with those staff who have served for the longest period in their current posts.
6. The Office should actively pursue the possibility of a programme of temporary staff exchanges or placements with and from bodies within remit and with other Ombudsman/OIC/SIPOC-type offices.
7. Once the policy is implemented, the degree of staff mobility achieved should be considered as a possible key performance indicator for the Human Resources Management area in future business plans.
8. The mobility programme should encompass all areas of the Office's operation, subject to the proviso that particular regard must be had to specialist and start-up situations.
9. The Partnership Committee, perhaps through one of its sub-committees should actively monitor progress in implementing the policy.