It’s a later blog post than normal, but with a number of key PPMA update points to note: -

I held a meeting last week with Kelly Sandiford from the IDeA to discuss a range of issues including the National OD Programme, Raising the Standard launch arrangements and the national People Management Forum - all of which involve or have had PPMA leadership in some shape or form.

This week, I had the chance to catch up on Monday with John Tonks, our Executive Officer to discuss plans for the September PPMA Board meeting in Cambridge. John and I have also had an interesting meeting today (more later).

On Wednesday, a really positive meeting with Gill Hibberd and Alan Warner as well as colleagues from Communications Management (our PR agency supporters). This was a great chance to review our progress and contract with Communications Management - needless to say progress has been great and we’re keen to continue to work with them going forward - subject to Policy Board debate/decision in September.

Today was a wonderful homeland meeting for me, with John Tonks.  We both met with the Executive Committee and Office Bearers from SPDS - our Scottish sister organisation. In a very wide ranging discussion we re-emphasised our shared commitment to partnership working and collaboration to the benefit of both organisations and their members. We’ve all left Edinburgh with some actions to progress, which I’ll pick up with the Policy Board and Lead Officers particularly. I’m hopeful we’ll have more news on this issue later in the year - perhaps to coincide with the SPDS conference later this year…watch this space!

Finally, taking the opportunity provided I’m spending the weekend in Scotland with family - but the life of PPMA President doesn’t end at that. Over the weekend I’ve got a People Management column piece to write and an opener for the HR and Training Journal.

Best wishes

Stephen

PS - if you’ve not already cast your vote by e-mail for the Personnel Today 40 Power Players of 2008, get to work folks - this is another PPMA profile opportunity and we need to feature in the listings and show the private sector that our people compare with the very best that they can offer.

The summer has certainly been with us in force this week (at least in Cambridgeshire) and other than melting, I’ve had a week of relatively low key PPMA commitments. 

Yesterday, Jan Parkinson from the LGE kindly visited Cambridgeshire and we were able to talk about both PPMA/LGE business and a range of specific issues facing Cambridgeshire County Council - I can’t afford to forget my employer after all!  In particular, we were able to share intelligence about the concept of the public sector worker and some interest in this that appears to have been expressed by the Cabinet Office - something that from both a PPMA and Cambridgeshire perspective, I’ll be following up.  We also, of course, discussed the status of the local government pay award and the proposed “nothing ruled in, nothing ruled out” discussions with the trade unions, like you I await with interest the outcomes from the next round of discussions, which will involve Jim Savege, our lead officer on Pay and Reward.

Today I received an e-mail from the Director of HR at Communities and Local Government (CLG), Clive Norris. CLG’s Permanent Secretary, Peter Housden, has asked Clive if he could explore opportunities for the Communities Department to develop a more shared agenda across the public service - but specifically between the Department and local authorities, such as on matters of joint interest related to public service improvement or diversity for example. This sounds like a very positive opportunity to forge stronger links for the PPMA directly with CLG and is something I’ll be following up on in weeks to come.

Finally, I’m delighted to say that the ‘Edinburgh Summit’ with SPDS colleagues - previously mentioned in the blog has been agreed for 15th August. Both I and John Tonks, PPMA’s Executive Officer, will be heading to Edinburgh to discuss closer collaboration with our friends north of the border.

I hope this update finds everyone well - and if you haven’t already done so, get writing those applications PPMA Lead Officers in waiting!

Best wishes

Stephen

Well it’s been a funny couple of weeks, we’ve had the 2 day local government strike and depending upon which part of the country you sit in, this seems to have been managed within relatively minimal disruption and at least the employers and the unions appear to be willing to talk with “nothing ruled in, nothing ruled out”. I’m seeing Jan Parkinson from the LGE next week and will see what further insights I can glean from her.

On the local front, I’ve been personally tied up with recruiting two Heads of Service for my Directorate - one for Corporate Development (including Corporate Policy, Partnerships and OD & Learning) and a new Head of Communications. I’m delighted that I’ve got great appointments for both positions - who says local government hasn’t got talent! Talking of talent, we’ve finally advertised for our vacant PPMA Lead Officer positions… I’m waiting for the flood of calls to come through (I hope the expectations didn’t frighten everyone away).

As seems to have become the norm, it’s also been another round of media enquiries on behalf of PPMA - I have to say that our Board Members are really doing a great job to raise our profile at present, with Gill Hibberd, Dean Shoesmith, Alan Warner, Jim Savege, Richard Crouch, Sue Steen and Martin Rayson all being quoted, pictured and opinionated all over the place and in different sorts of media - well done to them all (I’m continuing my modest efforts in this respect on your behalf as well).

On the congratulations point, I’d also like to publicly congratulate our Pensions lead officer, Jack Markiewicz, currently Service Director for HR at Nottinghamshire County Council for his new appointment as Director of HR & Change at Swindon Borough Council - which for the good memories amongst you, was actually advertised at the PPMA Annual Conference by our Colleagues from SOLACE resourcing.

And finally, I’ve completed a site visit to the venue selected for the PPMA Policy Board overnight meeting in September. This is an annual occurrence for the Board Members to get together and look at key business planning issues for the Association, as well as conducting our normal quarterly meeting. Needless to say the venue is always on the ‘Presidential Patch’ which this year will be in Cambridge. I’m intending that if the weather is nice enough, we’ll do a bit of team-building involving the river Cam and punting……stand by for a September blog entry along the lines of raise the Titanic!

I hope everyone has a great summer and I and other Board Members will continue blogging away - keep reading and comment away!

Best wishes

Stephen

So here I am sitting here after having done three pre-recorded radio and TV interviews about the strikes set for the next two days, and an afternoon with more media queries and interviews to deal with. That is alongside having to scratch my brow - along with many other senior colleagues - on how to deal with the very harsh and firm line being taken by Unison about exemptions for the strike. ‘Yet another day in the life of a Director responsible for HR’, I hear you say.

PPMA are keen that a positive conclusion is reached to this year’s local government pay negotiation - not least because it holds the prospect of a three year deal - which will give our members some stability - as well as the long overdue delivery of reviewing and reforming the core employment terms and conditions. It’s heartening to be involved in so many conversations with colleagues which, whilst sometimes slightly cynical about quite how far-reaching this reform will turn out to be, are all fully supportive of the need to modernise and reform the employment and reward framework across the sector.

Total Reward and Contribution Based Pay are fast becoming more than just concepts offered up at conferences, given the amount of Authorities making firm and steady progress in these areas. The demands and expectations that people have of local government services - quite rightly - are rising, so we do need to modernise and reform to be able to meet that expectation. Linked to this, the concept of ‘The Public Sector Worker’ is becoming a reality in terms of how we need to work, given the amount of integration and collaboration across public sector organisations that is taking place - so we do need refreshed reward and employment frameworks to be able to deliver the goods here.

So, looking forward, it’s good that we’re in firm discussions with the Trade Unions about reward. It’s good that their members are expressing their views. We recognise that the offer is not generous, and that the credit crunch and general economic climate is bringing with it a rising cost of living. But as with many employers, local government are looking at how to deal with that alongside sustaining services, rather than moving into job losses or increasing council tax rises. Let’s keep moving forward, and get into the modernisation agenda on the back of this - so that, simply put, we can deliver better, sustainable services to the public. PPMA will continue to represent its members views nationally as a positive part of making progress.

Jim Savege - Lead Officer, Pay and Reward

Sorry folks, a later blog update than normal from me…as with many of you, I’ve been immersed in preparations for the forthcoming 2 day industrial action affecting local government employees and some sections of the civil service (including having some bizarre conversations about proposed strike exemptions and strange information from the unions on schools included in the strike that aren’t even within the public sector!).

Last week, from a PPMA perspective, involved catching up on some of the ‘business’ of the association including some of our commercial/contractual arrangements, reviewing Policy Board minutes for approval and seeking to organise an ‘Edinburgh Summit’ with our colleagues north of the border in the Society of Personnel Directors in Scotland or SPDS - we are really keen to develop a stronger partnership with SPDS and bring the common agendas of both organisations together. As a fellow Scot, this is an issue very close to my heart.

Other than these issues, last week was spent upon more of a Cambridgeshire focus - it’s really important to make sure the day job comes first and that my employer and my team gets the same level of support and advice that they would normally receive, even whilst I’m being Mr.PPMA for 2008/09.

Seriously though, this week will finally see an advert being issued to PPMA members inviting applications to become one of our new Lead Officers for Diversity, HR Transformation or Talent Management - these are all serious roles that need serious contributions and commitment from the people appointed to undertake them. As a Lead Officer, you’ll be a member of the PPMA Policy Board and have the chance to shape the overall approach of the Association as well as providing ‘thought leadership’ on one of these key areas for our membership, working with a range of stakeholders, partners and the HR media.

These are cracking opportunities for people willing to give of their time and energy and will allow you to build new and stronger networks with a range of people, raising your profile and that of your own organisation. Not for the faint hearted though, PPMA expects the best from our Lead Officers - most of all delivery, delivery, delivery!

By the way, I can personally recommend becoming a Lead Officer - that was my first real involvement with the policy board and the national end of the PPMA (it’s all been a slippery slope since then).

So, keep watching for the all member e-mail later this week and if you can match the expectations, put yourself forward and be prepared to get more involved in PPMA.

Best wishes

Stephen

We’ve not had a presidential visit for more than two years in London and we were very pleased that Stephen Moir was able to join the region on Friday 27th June, to speak to us about his recent conference theme of HR evolution or extinction. In choosing this title, Stephen revealed his secret boyhood love of dinosaurs and his yearning to be a palaeontologist…

In a really engaging way Stephen tackled some of the significant issues for public sector HR:

• Selling ourselves as HR professionals better
• Celebrating success
• Working smarter - being more strategic
• Total rewards, rather than just pay
• Linking contribution and rewards better
• Tackling inequality

Our regional members got a chance to ask any and many questions of Stephen and the ‘up close and personal’ approach worked very well.

Rave comments afterwards included, “That was inspirational”, “…best session we’ve had as a region”,”…a very clear vision for public sector HR”.

Big thanks to Stephen. Also big thanks to LGA for so kindly hosting us at their Smith Square offices. So…other regions, if you haven’t booked him up yet, grab that phone or bash out an email…you’ll enjoy the result!

Dean Shoesmith - Chair of London Region / PPMA Vice President (Elect)

Well another week of PPMA presidential life comes to an end and sees me London bound once more - this time for the MJ Awards and a chance to celebrate some of the best work in public services, including the PPMA/LGE/IDeA jointly sponsored pay and workforce achievement award, which I’ve had the privilege to help judge this year - good luck to all the finalists.

However, this isn’t simply another awards dinner/excuse to wear a DJ, but instead makes good on my promise to get out and about to the PPMA regions, with the London Regional meeting on Friday - I’m looking forward to meeting with more of our members face to face and to some challenging questions being posed!

Having mentioned the LGE, this is an obviously interesting week as we await the formal confirmation on the proposed UNISON strike action by local government workers. At a meeting yesterday with Jan Parkinson, MD of the LGE, I and other PPMA colleagues had a chance to discuss opportunities for future collaboration and the possibility of joint policy development on the future reward agenda - all very exciting and a good place for PPMA to be involved.

All in all, another busy, enjoyable and good week for the Association, forging links in the right places, shaping thinking and being seen as ‘up there’ with other professional associations!

Best Wishes

Stephen

Not a rainy evening this time, but a train journey from London to Cambridge and I’m back from my week long holiday in sunny Suffolk - thanks to VP Gill Hibberd for being last week’s blogger for PPMA, she put me to shame in terms of content!

Anyway, to business - today has been a highly successful and busy day with a meeting of the PPMA policy board in London. As always, we managed to get through a mountain of business and dealt with some key decisions on issues of PPMA policy, including discussions about pay and reward, as well as Jan Parkinson’s concept of the public sector worker, which gets my support. We also discussed issues relating to business development for the Association and a potential drive to increase membership levels.

The evaluation of the 2008 PPMA Conference made for a good discussion and you’ll be pleased to hear that many of the suggested improvements have already been factored into Gill Hibberd’s plans for the 2009 Conference (which is already shaping up to be a world class event - in a world class venue - Manchester).

The work being led by Alan Warner on “Raising the Standard in HR”, which was mentioned at 2008 Conference, has been moved further forward and is shaping up to be something quite special - watch this space as they say. Modest chap that Alan is, I’ll let you in on a secret…this work was his original idea and has huge potential. A member of the “Past President’s Club”, Mr. W is still very much alive and innovating!

Finally, we’ll be advertising opportunities for our members to get involved in PPMA work before the end of this month, when we openly select new Lead Officers to take forward the PPMA policy leads for Diversity, Talent Management and HR Transformation. And just in case you didn’t think that was enough, after the board meeting finished, Alan Warner and I met with Karen Day, Editor of the Local Government Chronicle, to discuss issues of mutual interest and opportunities for PPMA to contribute to forthcoming LGC features and conferences.

Now, how’s that for timely communication and feedback…post a comment to let me know what you think.

Best wishes

Stephen

Time for a change already! Stephen is luckily sunning himself on holiday, so it’s over to me to post on his behalf this week. Last time Stephen blogged, he mentioned that he was en route to London for HR Magazine’s Most Influential launch. Well I was lucky enough to be there too, along with other PPMA colleagues, Alan Warner and Angela O’Connor. 

It was a great night for the Public Sector as Stephen, Angela, Martin Tiplady from the Met Police and Bev Shears from Ministry of Justice all made the top 25 ‘Most Influential HR Practitioners’ list. Alan Warner was also mentioned in the ‘One’s to watch’ list (if anyone has any amusing quips on why we need to keep an eye on him, let me know!).

This week myself, John Tonks and Alan Warner met to discuss the way forward with the Commercial Board.  We made great progress and were suitably looked after at the fantastic new modern offices that are part of Hertfordshire’s impressive ‘The Way that we Work’ change programme.  Watch out for lots of developments on the commercial front between now and September.  These really are important changes for us and will give us a much more stable financial base, from which we can build our organisation in the future. A big thank you to Alan for all his enthusiasm in driving this forward on PPMA’s behalf.

In the afternoon John and I went through the plans for the PPMA Conference in Manchester next year.  Things are shaping up nicely now and the conference website should be up and running soon, with details of the speakers etc.

It’s the PPMA policy board meeting next week, so don’t forget to check out the website for an update on what business we get through.  Stephen will be back refreshed and blogging away again next week.  In the meantime have a great week. 

Gill

“It’s a rainy Tuesday evening and I’m heading down to London for HR Magazine’s ‘most influential’ reception for 2008.  I’m expecting to bump into a number of PPMA members tonight and hope that  public sector HR and PPMA gets the recognition they rightly deserve in this respect.”

“I know it’s a hobby horse of mine, but awards and external profile/publicity for PPMA and individual HR functions is important - it’s as much about see and be seen - or being in it, to win it! Watch this space and see what happens next.”

Best Wishes

Stephen