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Tackling the Department on HR changes

23 July 2010

DfT have published an HR Operating Model which proposes drastic changes to HR numbers. In reply the Union has written to senior managers.

The relevant parts of the union’s letter are set out below.

Staffing ratio

The operating model proposes an HR to staff ratio of 1:100. In the meeting concerning the above, held on 5 July, DfT stated that the ratio would not be rigidly applied and would act as a guide only to staffing numbers. Yet in DSA, eight staff members in HR have now been made surplus owing to the rigid application of that ratio. In that agency, and we suspect elsewhere, the HR ratio has not been used as a staffing guide.

The ratio is a Cabinet Office figure and is not rooted in the reality of DfT as it exists and the changes it faces over the next four years.

Such a ratio should only be considered once the department as a whole has reached its end state in four years time; in other words DfT should retain HR capacity to handle the changes and to provide the professional service the department will require during those changes.

At the low end of the HR staffing range DfT is assuming that there will be 18,000 staff in the department (HR staffing 180; ratio is 1:100; therefore they must be assuming 18,000 staff).

The range of funding cuts being predicted is in the range of 25% (Government’s own estimate) to 33% (IFS figure).

Assuming funding cuts = equal staff cuts we are possibly facing a 25% to 33% reduction in staffing. If the ratio is employed rigidly then HR staffing must fall with over all staffing i.e. it will reduce to 135 or even 120. We cannot see how HR can function at these sorts of levels.

Given the above therefore the Union is requesting that the ratio be abandoned until DfT's end state has been reached.

Physical centralisation

The Union is opposed to the further physical centralisation of HR functions though we favour standardisation of terms and conditions across the department (we see no contradiction between the two positions). Therefore we are seeking an agreement that as part of the operating model, HR functions should not be physically centralised; instead work should remain in the different parts of the department and be joined up virtually if need be. Will DfT agree this proposition?

Consultants

At the 5 July meeting we requested that in HR areas there should be no consultants; that is all Human Resource work must be carried out by permanent civil servants. This request was refused.

In relation to this you should note a very recent notice in the Bulletin which states:

"All consultancy assignments over £20,000 (whether pre-existing or newly approved) must be reviewed on a rolling basis every three months. Ministerial sign off will be required for any contracts which they believe should continue, as exceptions to the freeze. No contract will be re-approved more than three times, in effect meaning there is a maximum nine month engagement of those consultants who manage to get through three rounds of exceptions."

Your refusal seems incompatible with this statement. Also HR staff will not welcome a statement that consultants may be used whilst their jobs are being shed.
Therefore we ask you to please reconsider your decision.

Further delegation to the line

We have grave concerns in relation to this.

Such further delegation must increase the work load of managers; this at a time of job cuts, re-organisations etc.

Moreover line managers will have to be properly trained (with refresher training as needed). We have our doubts, given the unprecedented changes we face whether such a major training effort could be effectively delivered.

Therefore we are asking that any further delegation not take place until DfT reaches its end state.

 

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