FOR SENIOR The long game

MANAGERS AND Dave Penman on Brexit,

PROFESSIONALS Opinion
pay and the big squeeze
on Whitehall

The art of
conversations
Rethinking perfomance
management

@FDA_union
@We_are_keystone
SPRING 2017

Be straight,
be honest
Public Accounts Committee
Chair Meg Hillier says civil
servants need more freedom to
talk openly about their work.

Public Service Magazine Spring 2017 1

Keystone: fully opening up the benefits of
FDA membership to HEOs and SEOs.

Help strengthen your union and share information on

the benefits, career development and support provided
for your HEO or SEO colleagues.
Find out more, including how to join, at: wearekeystone.org.uk
 In this issue
Dont forget you can follow your union on Twitter
@FDA_union @We_are_keystone
Welcome
Kay Hender, Editor
Since civil service chief
executive John Manzoni
publicly said he didnt like
the current performance
management system, its
future has looked shaky.
On page 18, I speak to key figures involved
in developing a new peformance manage-
ment system, and share the FDAs view on
how it should be reformed.
Also looking to the future following
his recent re-election, General Secretary
Dave Penman tells Matt Ross about his
upcoming plans for the union. I speak
with Public Accounts Committee Chair
Meg Hillier about the PACs treatment
of civil servants and her views on
grandstanding, while our new Staff Writer,
Tommy Newell, calls for nominations for
the 2017 FDA equality award.
This will be my last issue for a while,
as my own future will be taken up with
my first baby I leave you in the capable
hands of Acting Editor Craig Ryan. As
always, hell appreciate any feedback
please email psm@fda.org.uk with your
comments.
Published by FDA
Elizabeth House, 6th Floor, 39 York Road,
London SE1 7NQ. T: 020 7401 5555
www.fda.org.uk | info@fda.org.uk
Acting Editor Craig Ryan
T: 020 8532 9224 psm@fda.org.uk
Staff Writers Tommy Newell, Matt Foster
T: 020 7401 5588
Design Chapman Design
T: 07946 591303 info@chapmandesign.net
Advertising Simon Briant
SDB Marketing
T: 01273 594455 simon@sdbmarketing.co.uk
Printers - Captiv8 UK Ltd
T: 01892 611500 www.captiv8uk.co.uk
All articles Public Service Magazine 2017 or the author. The
contents may not be reproduced without permission. Writers
views are not necessarily those of Public Service Magazine or
the FDA. ISSN 1460-8936
12
Organising  4 Features
Organiser Becky Billington looks back on
FDAs successful recruitment campaign
in 2016, and forward to the unions
plans for 2017.
FDA and Keystone events
A full report from FDAs first skills event
on the civil service after Brexit.
Masterclass7
How you can learn to code
Work8
An insight into a school inspectors
working week, one members alternative
career and news on starters, movers and
leavers within the civil service.
News10
FDA calls for major review of SCS
pay; Union defends civil servants
following Letwin attack; Cabinet
Office minister Ben Gummer to speak
at FDA conference; Budget fails to
back civil servants over Brexit; FDA
criticises suspension of fair and open
competition; Building work begins on
new FDA head office.
Opinion14
Gavin Freeguard argues the government
needs to make better use of data to
meet the Brexit challenge.
Neil Rider explains FDA plans to expand
its learning and development services.
24
The good, the bad and
the ugly 16
Public Accounts Committee chair Meg
Hillier talks to PSM editor Kay Hender
about holding government to account
6
for delivering public services.
Fair, flexible and forward
looking 18
Kay Hender investigates plans for a new
civil service perfomance management
system to replace the discredited
practice of forced distribution.
Playing the long game 20
FDA General Secretary Dave Penman
talks Brexit and shares his plans for the
long-term future of the union with Matt
Ross.
Wendy Jones Equality
Award 22
Tommy Newell speaks to previous award
winners and calls for nominations for
the 2017 awards
Reviews24
Books: A Womans Work; Nothing But A
Circus. Technology: Amazon Echo Smart
Speaker
Going Public 28
Alan the Away Day Aficionado
Crossword29
Members small ads 30
Public Service Magazine Spring 2017 3
 Organising
Organising across departments throughout the UK

In her final report as FDA

Organiser, Rebecca Billington
looks back at the FDAs
successful recruitment
campaign in 2016 and forward
to a number of exciting events
in 2017.

As part of our organising

strategy, we began a
recruitment campaign
last year which involved
a roadshow of events in
government departments
throughout the UK. This
roadshow was based on the success of
our Civil Service Live events in recent
years, and so far we have visited more
than 15 departments, introduced the
union to thousands of civil servants and
recruited many new members.
We succeeded in raising the profile of
both FDA and Keystone in all locations,
with a stand at each event to display our
literature and promotional materials,
and by speaking to members and non-
members about the benefits of union
membership. We have continued the
recruitment campaign into 2017, when
we are planning to get out to even more
departments across the UK. Keystone Organiser Sue Hollywood-
Having the opportunity to speak to our Powell and FDA National Officer Victoria
members directly is really important, Taylor at the unions recruitment stand
in the Ministry of Justice.
as it helps to encourage activism within
branches, allowing them to grow and
the FDA to become a more sustainable,
organising union. The role of the rep
can seem like an onerous one and many head office by emailing organiser@fda. If you are interested in becoming
members just dont feel they have the org.uk.
more active in your branch,
time to spare. But at these events we can Just as importantly, these events give
talk openly about how individuals can us the opportunity to speak to non- please contact your local branch
get involved as little or as much as they members and potential members, raising officer (their details can be
like, and the benefits that can come with the profile of the union and learning accessed on the My FDA page
being a union rep. We encourage any how we can best help them. Face-to- when you log into the FDA
members who are interested in learning face meetings allow us to answer any website), or email
more about getting involved in the union questions people may have about joining organiser@fda.org.uk for more
to get in touch with either their local the union which they may otherwise information.
departmental rep or directly with FDA never get round to asking.

4 Public Service Magazine Spring 2017

 Organising

Joining up organising across

departments
Getting out to the regions is always
high on our list of priorities because
FDA members are spread across the
whole of the UK. We may not get to
visit some locations as often as we
would like, but its important for us
to make sure we are hearing from all
members about the issues affecting
them. Some of the feedback we have
been receiving at these regional events
suggests some members feel isolated
when their departments are not based
in a government hub office. This
is a hot issue at present due to the
Governments Super Hub program
which is leading to the rationalisation
of estates.
One of the issues raised by members
affected by this programme is how
to organise in a multiple occupancy
environment, bringing branches and COME AND
MEET US
sections together where there are AT CIVIL
multiple departments or even private SERVICE
companies co-located within a building, LIVE
and where the opportunity to use Looking ahead
communal areas for meet and greet
sessions may be restricted. 2017 is already looking to be a busy
One possible solution is that adopted year for FDA and Keystone, with
by the Government Legal Department additional dates and locations for
(GLD) branch. Here, FDA members both our Women into Leadership
have been moved into the new GLD
branch although they continue to
events and Civil Service Live
work in the offices of their previous exhibitions.
employer, at their original desk. FDA
reps are actively involved with their Last year we held our seventh annual
new GLD branch but can also sit in as Women into Leadership event in London
observers at their old departmental along with our first conferences in
branch meetings, allowing cross- Scotland and Leeds. The Women into
departmental organising, which is Leadership conferences have been
mutually beneficial to both branches. growing in popularity year-on-year, and
We are inviting members and reps to the outstanding feedback we receive
get in touch with more examples of this after each event prompted us to take the
kind of joined-up working or any ideas conference to Scotland and Leeds. Both
about how we can spread this practice turned out to be just as successful as our
to other departments. Please send your London events.
comments to organiser@fda.org.uk. This year, we are continuing the
conferences in London, Scotland and
And finally farewell! Leeds and have already extended our
I personally wont be attending Civil reach into Wales, hosting the first Women
Service Live this year as I left my into Leadership event in Cardiff on 16
position as Organiser at FDA at the end March. Dods, by visiting the website www.
of February. After four years with the We are also extending the reach of civilservicelive.com (www.nicslive.
union, I decided the time had come for our Civil Service Live exhibition in 2017, com for the Belfast event) as soon as
me to pursue other opportunities. It was adding two additional dates to the registration opens.
a pleasure working with you all. Thank roadshow. This year, FDA and Keystone
you for your supporting both me and the will have stalls at each of the Civil Service We encourage you to attend and pop by
union, and I would like to wish you all Live events. Civil servants can find out the FDA and Keystone stands to say hello
the best in the future. more and register to attend directly with to the team.

Public Service Magazine Spring 2017 5

 FDA and Keystone events
The civil service
after Brexit
In late 2016, the FDA held its first skills
event on Brexit, entitled The civil service
in a new European landscape: unlocking
future skills.
The one-day session aimed to help
civil servants understand the new
demands placed on them, and identify
resources to develop their skills. The
heavyweight line-up of speakers
included the Permanent Secretary
at the Department for Exiting the EU
(DExEU), Oliver Robbins, Civil Service
Chief People Officer Rupert McNeil and
the Deputy Director of the Institute for
Government (IfG), Julian McCrae.
Organised in conjunction with Dods
and KPMG, the event was chaired by FDA
General Secretary Dave Penman, who
said he hoped this would be the first of
many events and not just in London.
Penman also called on the Government
to provide clear political direction
and ensure that the civil service has
the capacity and capability it needs to
successfully deliver Brexit.
Chief People Officer Rupert McNeil
highlighted the importance of what he
called revealed competence the
strengths and adaptability of the civil
service and realised incompetence
being alert to the things you know you
don't know.
He admitted that the civil service has
finite capacity and needs to take some
6 Public Service Magazine Spring 2017
quite difficult choices", while adding that
Brexit will force us to be much better at
knowledge transfer.
DExEU Permanent Secretary Oliver
Robbins spoke about what Brexit means
for the civil service, the skills needed
now, and what the civil service will look
like by the end of 2017.
He said the civil service would need to
be at its policy and analysis best and
stressed the importance of civil servants
in all departments acquiring negotiating
skills not just those in the Foreign Office
or DExEU.
IfG's Julian McCrae said Brexit will
bring "a huge amount of policy issues
which need prioritisation, adding
that only Ministers can do that. He
discussed the timescale for developing
and implementing policy and whether a
transitional regime is needed.
After Brexit, there seems to be a much
greater recognition that change can't
Above: FDA General
Secretary Dave Penman
chairs a panel discussion
on the civil service post-
Brexit. Below left: IfG
Deputy Director Julian
McCrae. Below right: civil
service Chief People Officer
Rupert McNeil.
be done on a muddling-through basis,
McCrae added.
KPMG also ran a session on its work
with Civil Service Learning, supporting
the development of new skills and
supplementing existing expertise.
FDA and Keystone host regular
events to help members with
their career development
and progression. For more
on upcoming sessions,
go to www.fda.org.uk/
professionaldevelopment/FDA_
workshops.aspx or
www.wearekeystone.org.uk/
keyskills-courses
If you have any suggestions or
ideas for topics for FDA Learn or
Keyskills courses, please contact
our career development head,
Neil Rider, at neil@fda.org.uk.
Demystifying
digital
Digital skills trainer Craig
Steele debunks myths about
computer programming
and explains why everyone
should try learning to code.
You dont need to be a genius
Computer programming isnt as
complicated as some people think. You
do need great attention to detail, and
the ability to think through a problem
logically and find creative solutions
using the tools you have. If you do this
in your normal working life, you might
find youre a natural coder. Many people
dont realise they have an aptitude for
programming because theyve never
tried it and theres never been a better
time to start.
Code looks like English
Most programming languages use
English-like words and phrases, have a
grammar and follow rules. Once youve
learned these rules youll be able to read
and understand code as easily as reading
a book.
It takes a long time to master
Becoming a master programmer can
take a lifetime, but youll be surprised
how quickly you can learn to read and
understand code. Before you write your
own code, you practice by reading and
understanding code written by someone
else just like you learned to read at
school.
There are different ways to
learn
Many programmers are self-taught, but
you dont have to learn on your own.
There are plenty of books and online
courses to get you started, and you can
attend a local tech meetup to pick up tips
from people in the field. Find an approach controlled by code, you become a digital
that works for you, whether you start maker rather than just a consumer of
with theory or a hands-on project. digital technology.
You dont need expensive Its fun
equipment You dont have to build business-critical
You dont need the latest smartphone applications or tackle big technological
or a high powered laptop to start coding. problems. Use your coding powers to
Most family computers have more than create something fun. You could write
enough processing power to create programmes to automate the lights
websites or build apps. in your house or play your favourite
music playlist when you wake up. Even
You already have the professional programmers have silly
software you need side-projects to tinker with in their free
To code a simple website all you need is time.
a text editor and a web browser, which
come pre-installed with most computers. Were living in a digital world
You can use Notepad (on Windows) or Over the next ten years, many more
TextEdit (Mac), alongside a web browser organisations we dont think of as
like Firefox or Chrome. tech companies will be developing
digital products and services. Even if
Its creative youre not involved in building them,
Youll need a creative mind to tackle its useful to know how the code works.
programming challenges. By creating Understanding whats possible using
your own websites, apps, games, or technology will be a key skill for future
even music or interactive animations success.
Find out more with FDA learn and Keyskills: career
development for members
FDA Learn and Keyskills run a variety of workshops and courses
designed to help members succeed and thrive in their careers, including
a collaboration with The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama on
communication, presentation and networking courses.
FDA Learn:
www.fda.org.uk/professionaldevelopment/FDA_Workshops.aspx
Keyskills:
www.wearekeystone.org.uk/keyskills-courses
Public Service Magazine Spring 2017 7

An insight into the changing roles of public servants
My Working Week
Peter Green
Peter works for Ofsted as one of
Her Majestys Inspectors (HMI)
of Schools. He is joint convenor
of the FDAs Ofsted section
and recently joined the FDAs
Executive Committee.
Monday
My working pattern changes from one
week to another. Today is a preparation
day for a two-day inspection which I am
leading on Tuesday and Wednesday. My
first task is the mundane job of checking
and clearing e-mails. I flag or deal with
those requiring action, such as answers
to FDA members queries or concerns (I
have a caseload of members whom I am
supporting). Ten oclock sees me
speaking by Skype to the principal and
senior management of the college I am
inspecting on Tuesday. We confirm the
provisional arrangements made on the
previous Friday and they answer my
queries about the documents sent to me
at the weekend. After attending our
weekly 11am team meeting of
inspectors, again held remotely, its down
to finalising details and making sure all
members of the inspection team are
prepared. I travel later in the evening to
my hotel to avoid traffic delays, have a
meal, read the paper and get ready for
the inspection.
Tuesday
Inspection. The inspection team of five
meets the college principal and
management team. After our briefing,
we commence inspection activities:
observing students and teachers in
lessons, meeting teachers, support staff,
8 Public Service Magazine Spring 2017
Work
managers and students, and reading
relevant documents. When possible, its a
quick dip into the base-room for a tea,
coffee or the like, an exchange of
experiences with any team member who
may be there, and then out again. The
pattern is repeated after a brief lunch
until the team meeting at 4:30, when we
share our provisional findings with the
colleges vice-principal, who answers
queries and questions us. My role as lead
inspector is to keep us on track, to
politely ensure that all team members
keep to their allotted time, and to ensure
the vice-principal is informed about the
progress of the inspection so the college
does not face any surprises about the
potential outcome. After checking we
have covered everything, I leave. Its
back to the hotel for dinner before
completing the necessary summary
evidence forms and preparing for
Wednesday.
Wednesday
After meeting the principal to check that
there are no concerns about the conduct
of the team, and that the college is
happy that we are not overlooking
anything, its the same pattern as
Tuesday. Each inspector at the final team
meeting in the late afternoon provides
their feedback to the vice-principal.
After question, challenge and answer,
the team collectively agrees the
outcome. I record the details and collect
the teams evidence before members
leave. After gathering my thoughts and
collating the headline information, I
present the outcome to the senior
leadership team and the chair of
governors. My two-hour journey home
lets me unwind to a newly-acquired Bob
Marley CD. Another cup of tea at home, a
bowl of Kalamata olives, a brief chat with
my wife and, finally, one of the
highlights of my week a game of
6-a-side football at 9pm.
Thursday
I travel to London to support two FDA
members. The three-and-a-half hour
journey affords me time to review the
information again and prepare. I return
home after the two meetings at 7:30pm.
Friday
I spend the day writing the inspection
report, interspersed with phone calls
from members, before ending it with a
joyful game of five-a-side.

Revolving Door
Civil service starters, movers and leavers
Antonia Romeo has been appointed
as permanent secretary of the UKs
Department for International Trade
(DIT). Romeo was previously consul
general in New York and director-
general economic affairs US.
Michael King has been appointed
as the new Local Government
Ombudsman in the Department for
Communities and Local Government.
He succeeds Dr Jane Martin, who has
held the post since 2010.
The Foreign and Commonwealth
Office has appointed Peter Wilson
as Ambassador to the Kingdom of
the Netherlands. Wilson moved from
his role as Ambassador and Deputy
Permanent Representative at the UK
Mission to the UN in New York.
Virginia McVea has
replaced Graham Shields
as Chief Electoral Officer
for Northern Ireland in
the Northern Ireland
Office. McVea moved
from her previous job as Director of
the Northern Ireland Human Rights
Commission.
Sir Tim Barrow has been appointed
as the UK's Permanent Representative
to the European Union, replacing Sir
Ivan Rogers. Barrow was until recently
UK Ambassador to Russia.
Sir David Metcalf was named as
the first Director of Labour Market
Enforcement in the Department for
Business, Energy and Industrial
Strategy (BEIS), where he will oversee a
government crackdown on exploitation
in the workplace. Metcalf previously
chaired the Migration Advisory
Committee.
The Foreign and Commonwealth
Office have appointed Richard
Lindsay as British High Commissioner
to Brunei Darussalam, succeeding
David Campbell. Lindsay is expected
to take the appointment during the
summer.
Alison Gold a former senior
executive at the BBC trust, has been
named as a Project Director at the
Competition and Markets Authority.
In the Department for Business,
Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS),
Tom Smith has been appointed as
Chair of the Nuclear Decommissioning
Authority, replacing Stephen Henwood.
Ian Ackerley has been appointed as
Chief Executive of National Savings and
Investments.
The Cabinet Office has appointed
Lord Stunell OBE as a Liberal
Democrat member of the Committee on
Standards in Public Life, replacing Lord
John Alderdice.
Sarah Beale, who has been
My alternative
career
Nick Short
Nick works for the
Department for Exiting the
European Union, where
he is also FDA Branch
Secretary. He splits his
week between London and
his Somerset home.
I've had at least a dozen ideas for
alternative careers since childhood,
mostly from the Action Hero stable
police officer, astronaut, firefighter etc
but I've always had a secret wish to
be a pilot. When I was young, my
father was in the Canadian Forces
(albeit not a pilot) and we lived near an
airbase, with the Snowbirds (the Cana-
dian Red Arrows) and all sorts of fancy
military airplanes flying over the
garden. From Jumbo Jets to Russian
military helicopters, I've flown in all
sorts of aircraft as a passenger and
have loved every minute of it.
Unfortunately, two-dimensional
vision (thanks to a severe squint as a
baby) and terrible short-sightedness
only recently corrected by laser
surgery put paid to my dreams of
being the Canadian Maverick. But my
ground-based path through life led to
marrying my wonderful wife and
having my lovely little family, so I cant
say Id change a thing!
Work
the Chief Financial Officer and
Corporate Performance Director at the
Construction Industry Training Board,
will take up the role of Chief Executive
on an interim basis. She
replaces Adrian Belton
(left), who resigned in
December.
The Department for
Environment, Food and
Rural Affairs has appointed Richard
Macdonald as Deputy Chairman of the
Environment Agency (EA). MacDonald
previously held the role on an interim
basis.
The Department of Health appointed
Jane Mordue as a non-executive
board member of the Care Quality
Commission. Mordue, who is also Chair
of Healthwatch England, has been an
interim board member of the CQC since
December 2015.
The Foreign and Commonwealth
Office has appointed Laurie Bristow
as Amabssador to Russia and Susanna
Moorehead as Ambassador to
Ethiopia.
Bronwen Maddox was
appointed as a non-
executive board member
of the Law Commission
by the Ministry of Justice.
Maddox has been a
Director of the Institute for Government
since September 2016.
The Foreign and Commonwealth
Office has appointed Sarah MacIntosh
as the UKs permanent representative to
NATO, replacing Sir Adam Thomson.
In the Home Office, Owen Bowden-
Jones has replaced Professor Les
Iversen as the new Chair of the Advisory
Council on the Misuse of Drugs.
Andy Williams is to retire as Chief
Executive of NHS Digital at the end of
March. NHS Digital chief operating
officer Rob Shaw will act as interim
chief executive.
Have you or someone you
work with recently joined
or left the public service?
Please let us know at
psm@fda.org.uk
Public Service Magazine Spring 2017 9
 News
Share your news with us at psm@fda.org.uk

Pay reward framework is not fit for purpose

and more than a quarter want to leave

Pay talks delayed as FDA calls for the civil service as soon as possible.
Only a fifth of senior civil servants
believe their department has sufficient
major review of SCS pay resources to meet the demands of the
year ahead, while two thirds are now
Delegated pay talks across the civil service are likely to be delayed more inclined to look for a job outside
again because the Treasury has yet to meet with the FDA and other the civil service than they were 12
civil service unions to discuss the pay remit guidance for 2017-18. months ago.
These results demonstrated that
For the senior civil service (SCS), the including the overlap between the SCS the challenges of Brexit and existing
FDA is awaiting recommendations 1 pay band and delegated pay; two-tier government priorities are pushing the
from the Senior Salaries Review Body starting pay for internal and external service to its limits, while the SCS works
(SSRB) following the written and oral hires; and the lack of coherence in pay more hours for falling real terms pay,
evidence submitted by the FDA and the policy, with areas like commercial and said Cooke.
government. digital being treated very differently The FDA believes these are strong
FDA Assistant General Secretary from others, inhibiting the mobility and grounds for a properly-resourced
Naomi Cooke said the union hoped the permeability of the SCS. review of SCS reward and the union will
SSRB would address the unions call The FDA has also presented the results continue to urge the government and
for fundamental reform of the SCS pay of its annual pay survey to the SSRB. civil service leadership to make this a
system and a number of other issues, 94% of respondents believe the current priority.

FDA defends civil servants against Letwin attack

The FDA has defended civil servants
following criticism from West Dorset
MP Sir Oliver Letwin, arguing that the
former No.10 policy chief should be a
little more self-critical about his role in
the governments policy failures.
Giving evidence to an inquiry into the
work of the civil service being carried
out by the Public Administration and
Constitutional Affairs Committee,
Letwin criticised civil servants for
moving between departments over the
course of their careers and accused
them of disguising a lack of in-depth
knowledge behind prolixity and
jargon.
Speaking to The Times, FDA General
Secretary Dave Penman said he was
surprised that Letwin fails to see any
correlation between the actions of his
government and the problems that he
says he encountered. Penman said he
believed that most of the problems
highlighted by Letwin have been
caused by the government cuts
imposed in recent years.
Penman explained: Whilst staff
numbers were slashed by 20% in the
space of a few years, he bemoans the
lack of depth in policy advice. Whilst his
government froze civil service pay for
three years, then restricted it to rises of
less than 1%, he rails at civil servants
for moving jobs to get promotion
despite it being their only way to get a
decent pay rise.
"But what is also clear is that his
perspective is that of a Whitehall-
bound minister, who fails to understand
why leadership and management skills
are valued and rewarded in an
organisation of 350,000 staff delivering
complex public services," Penman
added.
The FDA General Secretary also took
Letwin to task in his latest column for
Civil Service World, saying he believes
the criticisms demonstrate a minister
who was divorced from the reality of
what the 90% of the civil service he
never met was actually doing.

10 Public Service Magazine Spring 2017


ADC 2017
Cabinet Office minister Ben Gummer
to speak at FDA conference
Minister for the Cabinet Office Ben Gummer has been confirmed
as a guest speaker at the FDAs 2017 Annual Delegate Conference
(ADC) on 11 May.
At 39, Gummer is currently the youngest
minister attending Cabinet meetings,
having taken over from Matt Hancock
as Cabinet Office minister in July 2016
following Theresa Mays appointment as
Prime Minister in the wake of the Brexit
vote.
Gummer has responsibility
for co-ordinating the delivery of
government policy across departments,
public sector efficiency reform, the
digital transformation of government
and civil service management, meaning
he will play leading role in issues
affecting FDA members in the coming
years.
In addition to Gummer, Civil Service
Chief People Officer Rupert McNeil
has also confirmed he will take part in
a panel session on the future of civil
service pay.
McNeil, who took his post in January
2016, is tasked with leading the HR
functions across the civil service and
building the civil service workforce of
the future. He has set himself the goal
of making the civil service the most
inclusive employer in the UK by 2020,
as well as improving careers paths to
leadership positions.
Along with expert speakers,
professional development and
networking opportunities, the ADC also
offers FDA members the chance to shape
the unions work in the years ahead.
Delegates will debate a wide range of
motions on professional and workforce
issues, as well as the future development
of the union itself.
Policies agreed by the ADC will
determine the work of the FDA its
officers, branches and sections over
the next 12 months, giving delegates a
direct influence on the priorities of the
union and how it works to improve the
working lives of members.
The ADC takes place on Thursday 11
May at Hamilton House, Mabledon
Place in central London. All members
are encouraged to attend as observers.
Speak to your local Branch Secretary or
Convenor, or email adc@fda.org.uk, for
more information.
News
FDA in the media
February 2017
FDA's response to Oliver Letwin MP's
criticism of the civil service was featured
in The Times, Financial Times and Civil
Service World.
Oliver Letwin's attacks on civil servants
show an ex-minister divorced from the
reality of what they do
CIVIL SERVICE WORLD
Civil servants hide lack of facts with
jargon, says ex-minister
THE TIMES
Civil servants under attack from former
No 10 policy chief
FINANCIAL TIMES
Appearing on Sky News, FDA General
Secretary Dave Penman told reporters
that the civil service has "risen to the
challenge" of Brexit, but stressed it must
be given the resources it needs. His
comments ran on the Sky News website
and in a report from the International
Business Times.
Civil Service not ready to negotiate
Brexit, says former head Lord Kerslake
SKY NEWS
Former head of UK civil service claims it
is 'not in a fit state' to negotiate Brexit
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES
FDA in the Independent, Civil Service
World and Public Sector Executive:
Union raises concerns over relaxation of
rules recruiting civil servants for Brexit.
Brexit experts to be paid up to 142,000
under relaxed government recruitment
rules
INDEPENDENT
Civil service union raises impartiality
fears over Brexit-focused recruitment
changes
CIVIL SERVICE WORLD
FDA warns of cheerleader civil servants
under Brexit plans
PUBLIC SECTOR EXECUTIVE
January 2017
The FDA gained coverage in the
Guardian, the Independent and other
publications for its call for a change in
the Governments approach to public
sector pay
Civil servants demand Brexit workload
pay rise
THE GUARDIAN
Public Service Magazine Spring 2017 11
 News

Budget collecting an additional 820m by 2020

despite Brexit, HMRC will see its budget
Budget fails to back public servants cut by 17% over the next three years.
FDA Assistant General Secretary Naomi

over Brexit challenge, says FDA Cooke said: The Chancellor says he
wants to prepare Britain for a brighter
future outside the EU but has failed to
The FDA has criticised the government for failing to recognise the equip the public servants tasked with
scale of the Brexit challenge facing the civil service, after the impact delivering it.
of Britain leaving the EU was largely omitted from Chancellor Philip In fact, Brexit, the biggest economic
Hammonds Budget statement on 8 March. event facing the UK, hardly got a
mention. No additional resources for
Hammond announced he was sticking to given no relief from continuing cuts. departments looking into the eye of the
the target of delivering 3.5bn of savings Despite praise from the Chancellor for storm and no much-needed relief for the
by 2019-20, and departments that will be collecting an extra 140bn in tax revenue hundreds of thousands of civil servants
hit hard by Britains exit from the EU were since 2010, and being given the task of who will see the value of their pay
packets continue to fall.
The FDA has warned that civil servants
on the frontline of the UK's exit from the
EU have already seen a real terms cut in
pay of more than 20% and that higher
inflation forecasts for the next two years
will mean that many civil servants will be
more than 25% worse off.
The Government has once again
failed to recognise the challenge that
the civil service is facing and failed to
provide the additional resources needed
to deliver a successful Brexit for Britain,
added Cooke. Civil servants and the civil
service cannot continue to be taken for
granted in this way.

Suspending open and fair competition for threaten the political impartiality of the
civil service.
Brexit is a worrying development', says FDA Brexit has been - and continues to be
one of the most polarising political
The FDA has raised concerns over special arrangements to recruit events in recent times and it places an
temporary staff to tackle the challenge of Brexit, which relax the enormous challenge on both the
long-standing rules on fair and open competition for recruitment to Government and the civil service,
the civil service. Penman explained. There has rarely
been a time when the requirement for
The arrangements, announced by the Civil Brexit, the FDA is unconvinced that the the civil service to speak truth unto
Service Commission in February, mean requirement for open and fair selection power has been needed more, yet the
departments can be granted exceptions to should be set aside. Commission is suspending the
recruit staff in bulk without having to go FDA General Secretary Dave Penman requirement for open and fair selection,
through open and fair recruitment said he is deeply concerned about the one of the key principles that underpins a
competitions. message this sends to civil servants and politically impartial civil service, for
Previously, staff hired in this manner the public, warning it could potentially potentially large groups of staff being
could only serve for a maximum of two brought in to work on Brexit.
years, with salaries capped at 87,000. He added: "In the wake of calls from
However, the new rules allow such staff to some ex-ministers to recruit 'cheerleader'
stay in their jobs for up to three years on civil servants to deliver Brexit, and
salaries as high as 142,500, without There has rarely following the departure of Sir Ivan Rogers
requiring specific approval from the been a time when as the UK's Ambassador to the EU,
Commission. the need to speak suspending the requirement for open and
While recognising the need for truth unto power fair selection to a larger group of staff at
investment in both the capacity and has been needed a more senior level and for longer is a
capability of the civil service to deliver more. Dave Penman worrying development.

12 Public Service Magazine Spring 2017


Ebbark House in Borough High
Street today (above) and its
position marked on an OS map
from 1872 (right).
Ebbark House
Building work begins on
new FDA head office
Construction work is set to begin this
month on the FDAs new head office near
London Bridge with the contractors
creating offices and a flexible conference
space, whilst protecting the 170-year-old
buildings original features.
The events space at Ebbark House on
Borough High Street will be capable of
seating 80 people in a theatre
configuration, or of being divided with
moveable walls into a set of small rooms.
It will give us the ability to organise
events more quickly and to cut their cost,
so the union can run more courses, said
FDA General Secretary Dave Penman.
Well be able to expand the events and
training we offer our members. And well
be able to let out the space for catered
events at commercial rates, in a new
venue 100 yards from London Bridge
station: thats never going to be our prime
focus, but it should help pay for an
expansion of the learning opportunities
we can offer our members.
The difficulty and cost of finding a
venue around central London is
astonishing, Penman added. Thats put Theresa May 'lacks courage to admit
financial and practical constraints around
our ability to organise events and offer
training. With our own venue, well be
able to react much more quickly and meet
the demand for learning from our
members.
Penman is keen to protect the
buildings character and historic features.
Were trying to be as sympathetic to the
buildings history as we can, within the
bounds of reasonable cost, he
commented. That creates a more
interesting space.
In the longer term, the new building is
expected to reduce the FDAs costs,
putting the union on a more sustainable
footing (see interview on p20).
Construction work is expected to last for
six to eight months, with FDA and MiP
staff moving into the property before the
end of the year.
News
FDA in the media
Civil service pay: unions seek
negotiated multi-year settlement
amid Brexit row
CIVIL SERVICE WORLD
Senior civil servants demand pay
rise due to Brexit workload 'pushing
Whitehall to its limits'
INDEPENDENT
Demoralised senior civil servants
demand pay increase
FINANCIAL TIMES
Senior civil servants demand pay rise
to cope with increased workload due to
Brexit
THE SUN
Senior civil servants demand a pay rise
to cover the extra work they need to do
to deliver Brexit
DAILY MAIL
Whitehall's top mandarins are
demanding a pay-rise because of Brexit
CITY A.M.
Assistant General Secretary Naomi
Cooke was interviewed by BBC Radio 5
Live on the same issue, saying the SCS
have seen a real terms decline in their
pay of roughly 25-30%
December 2016
FDA General Secretary Dave Penman
interviewed by Guardian and BBC
Radio 4 over ministers lacking political
courage to admit the complexity of
Brexit
complexity of Brexit'
GUARDIAN
Brexit: Civil service faces 'bumpy ride'
says union leader
BBC NEWS
FDA responds in the Guardian and Civil
Service World to civil service bashing
in the Prime Ministers Spectator
interview
Whitehall union attacks May for civil
service bashing
GUARDIAN
Theresa May questions quality of civil
service advice
CIVIL SERVICE WORLD
ARC President Vicky Johnson appeared
on ITV News at Ten, discussing the
need for increased HMRC resourcing
and the departments ability to collect
income tax from the highest earners.
Public Service Magazine Spring 2017 13
 Opinion
Got an opinion? Lets hear it at psm@fda.org.uk

Better data for a better Brexit

Gavin Freeguard Percentage change in Resource DEL budgets by department, 2011-12 to 2015-16
says government 60%
BUDGET DECREASE
must make better CO 2011/12 TO 2015/16
40%
use of its data if DECC DfID
its to tackle the 20%
NHS DfE
challenge of 0%
Brexit.
-20%
BUDGET INCREASE MoD CxD HO FCO DWP Defra
2011/12 TO 2015/16 MoJ DCMS
-40%
BIS
How is Whitehall performing? What -60%
does it look like as it faces Brexit? And DCLG DfT

how transparent is it being? These were -80%

three of the questions the Institute for Source: Institute for Government analysis of HMT Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2016.. Figures exclude depreciation.

Government asked and using the

governments own open data, answered Civil service staff numbers (full time equivalent) 1902 to 2016
in our recent Whitehall Monitor 2017 (governments and World Wars highlighted)
report. 1.2m

1.0m
How is Whitehall performing?
Civil service staff numbers have 0.8m
fallen by around 19% since the 2010
WORLD WAR 1

WORLD WAR 2

spending review to around 385,000 in 0.6m

September 2016 the smallest number
since the Second World War. Some 0.4m
departments the Department for
Work and Pensions (DWP), Department 0.2m

for the Environment, Food and Rural

Affairs (Defra), and Department for
Communities and Local Government
(DCLG) saw staff cuts of more than a
third. All but five departments had their
day-to-day spending budgets cut, some
(DCLG again, and the Department for
Transport) by more than half.
Despite cuts to staff and money,
Whitehall departments are still
functioning. Ministers continue to
receive policy advice. Legislation
continues to be passed. Indeed,
staff morale a key indicator of
organisational health has actually
risen over the last year. According to the
Civil Service People Survey, engagement
rose in nearly every department between
2015 and 2016 (the glaring exception
was the record fall in the redundancy-
0.0m
1900 1910 1920
Source: IfG analysis of CO, Civil Service stats 1902-1990; ONS PSE, 1991-8 annual, 1999-2016 quarterly.
Excl Central Govt Security from 1999.
hit Department of Health). Scores on
leadership and managing change and
on how people feel about their manager
are as high as theyve ever been.
However, Whitehall is still trying
to do too much. Single Departmental
Plans were first trailed in summer 2015
as ways to outline ministers priorities
and clarify the trade-offs and choices
required by the civil service to achieve
them. But when published in February
2016, they were little more than a rehash
of manifesto commitments seven
Secretaries of State had more than sixty
priorities each, making it difficult
1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
for civil servants to know what their
ministers wanted them to focus on.
What does Whitehall look like
as it faces Brexit?
If Whitehall already had too much to do
before the EU referendum, it has much
more to do now.
Theresa Mays decision to set up two
new departments to deal with Brexit
the Department for Exiting the European
Union (DExEU) and the Department for
International Trade (DIT) as well as
creating the Department for Business,
Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS),

14 Public Service Magazine Spring 2017


inevitably distracted departmental
leaders from the business of government
as the new organisations were set up.
DExEU, at least, is finding its feet, its
engagement scores comparing well with
the rest of the civil service.
Of course, Brexit also means challenges
for many existing departments. Defra
estimates that 80% of its work is framed
by EU legislation. But the department has
seen some of the biggest staff reductions
since 2010 numbers have fallen by
a third as well as day-to-day budget
reductions of more than a fifth since
2011-12. The Home Office, too, will face
building a new immigration system with
similar budget reductions, and with 10%
fewer staff than in 2010.
How open is Whitehall?
Were lucky that successive UK
governments have opened up lots of
data, and to have such dedicated public
servants working on data and openness
within departments. But for all that
vitality, its not clear what direction
the current government wants to set.
There are also some warning signs:
under Theresa May, the Home Office
had the worst record of all departments
in replying to freedom of information
requests on time.
Publication of some key datasets has
also been patchy. Take departments
organograms, which hold information
crucial to workforce management and
planning, such as departmental units,
grade balance and pay: in March 2011,
every department published these; for
March 2016, eight departments did not.
What does this matter? One conclusion
from this patchy publication record
and the variable quality of the data is
that departments themselves are not
making enough use of their own data.
If they were, the data would be better
and more easily accessible. If this is the
case, government is not using data on
everything from its size and shape to
its performance that could help it to
deliver better outcomes for departments
and citizens.
If Whitehall is to rise to the challenges
of reduced staff, reduced budgets and
Brexit, government needs to use its own
data intelligently.
Gavin Freeguard is head of data and
transparency at the Institute for
Government.
Expanding our
learning services
Neil Rider explains
how the union
plans to expand
further the range
of learning and
development
services on offer to
FDA and Keystone members.
In my last article I talked about developing
FDA Learn/Keyskills services as part of the
unions commitment to supporting mem-
bers in their professional development and
achieving their career aims. This work falls
under three broad categories: professional
masterclasses, career development train-
ing and conferences.
I am very glad that we are now expand-
ing what we do in terms of content,
engagement and location. This is vital to
ensure that we deliver services which
address the needs of all of our mem-
bers, while expanding our partnership
base with employers and providers. We
are doing this mindful of the current re-
write of the Civil Service Competency
Framework and the expanding number of
bespoke versions of the framework across
the public sector. We are also address-
ing the scope of political change which
our members in policy and other areas are
charged with helping to deliver for govern-
ment.
We know that the career development
courses we offer (e.g. Competency Writ-
ing, Interview Skills, Making Data Make
Sense, Law for Non-Lawyers) are the
most popular, with leadership and per-
sonal skills courses (e.g. Stand and Deliver,
Introvert in an Extrovert Environment)
a close second. To expand our work on
career development, our new Competency
Based Interview Skills course from Newz-
park joins a number of other new courses
including How to Have a More Produc-
tive Working Day and Coding for the Web.
We are constantly seeking to ensure our
services meet the needs of members and
tie in with employer priorities wherever
possible, and the number of employers
commissioning our courses attests to that.
Opinion
Political change brings with it a demand
for new skills. We recently had a very suc-
cessful conference with Dods and KPMG on
Unlocking EU Skills, which discussed the
impact of Brexit on our members. We are
committed to developing further confer-
ences and events looking at the strategic
and policy demands facing our members.
This includes Women Into Leadership
Health, using an established FDA brand to
develop a conference for MiP members, as
well as a putative event looking at the chal-
lenges in Scotland possibly working with
other unions who share a similar footprint.
From the what we turn to the where.
Recognising the UK-wide base of our
membership, we have increasingly been
looking to deliver services outside London.
This has perhaps been most apparent in
Scotland where we have delivered three
projects with Scottish Union Learning for
the newly emerging FDA Scotland Strat-
egy group. The Strategy Group brings
together major membership concentra-
tions in Scotland to join up FDA activity,
including learning and development. Our
Education Scotland section was instru-
mental in this initiative and we have
engaged members in the Scottish Gov-
ernment and COPFS, while developing
partnerships with the Home Office and
HMRC to deliver events.
Elsewhere, we have planned and deliv-
ered events in Cardiff to follow up the
Women Into Leadership Cardiff event. In
Northern Ireland, we are running our new
Competency Based Interview Skills course
which, while based on the Scottish Skills
for Success framework, also went down
very well in the Department of Health in
Leeds.
We very much want to know the views
of members and employers about our
learning and development services, and
any suggestions for potential courses, con-
ferences and events, as well as potential
providers or partners, are always very wel-
come. Contact fdalearn@fda.org.uk
Neil Rider is the Head of FDA Learn
and Keyskills, the unions professional
development programmes.
Public Service Magazine Spring 2017 15
 Opinion
Interview

THINK LIKE
A SERVICE
USER, ACT
LIKE A
TAXPAYER

Kay Hender talks to Chair, it was a bedroom. If walls could
talk
Meg Hillier, Chair of the The office is dated by the sign above
Commons Public Accounts the door, announcing the domain of
the Chairman of the Public Accounts
Committee, about Committee. Hillier is the second female
grandstanding, Brexit Chair of the PAC, which is charged with
holding ministers and civil servants to
and circus school.
their finances and the taxes they pay.
Hillier explains that while the Flint
amendment was included in the Finance
Act, implementation is being held back
because the Government is saying it
doesnt want to go it alone. So, were
asking how many countries do you need
to work with before you go for this?

M
account for the efficient delivery of public
services. She has been filling the rather
eg Hilliers big shoes of fellow Labour MP Margaret
office is steeped Hodge since June 2015.
in history. She Hillier clearly relishes the scope of her
tells me that, role: You see in your hand the guts of
when he was Whitehall spread before you the good,
Chair of the the bad and the ugly and weve seen
Public Accounts all of that in just the last year and a half
Committee (PAC) from 1959 to 1963, future alone, she says.
Prime Minister Harold Wilson worked
at the grand round table were sitting at, Corporate tax and HMRC
possibly where you are now, shaping Hillier says shes most proud of the
future Labour Government policies. In work weve been doing on tax. She be changed to allow civil servants to
The PAC has been asking HMRC to
be more transparent over the details of
corporation tax settlements for years,
creating problems for officials bound by
the departments confidentiality rules.
PACs questioning of senior HMRC staff
about this issue has been criticised by
both the FDA and its members in the
past, with the Committee famously
compelling an HMRC lawyer to swear on
the Bible before answering questions on
corporation tax in 2011.
Hillier is clear that the rules need to
Photographs: Stefano Cagnoni

the days before Portcullis House, two or
three MPs often shared the same room, so
Hillier says Wilson became Chair of PAC
in order to have this office. She reveals
that before it was designated to the PAC
highlights whats been dubbed the Flint
amendment named after PAC member
Caroline Flint which allows ministers
to require multinationals operating
in the UK to publish information on
be more open. She says: I dont blame
current officials for sticking to the rules
theyve got, thats their job Weve been
very clear on some of the work HMRC has
been doing on enforcement, they get a

16 Public Service Magazine Spring 2017


very good return rate on some of this. We
push for more because were impatient
to see more money coming into the
Exchequer. Weve been pushing for more
civil servants in parts of HMRC, such
as compliance, because we recognise
that. The problem is they have to abide
by confidentiality which gives the
companies succour to hide behind it too.
I ask if she thinks the Government
and its civil servants should be held to
account by select committees in the same
way. As the saying goes: civil servants
advise, ministers decide.
Ministers need to take responsibility
overall, she says, but if youre running
a very large multi-billion project, a
minister is not going to be over the detail
of that; its just not possible with the
number of things in a ministers portfolio.
We have Accounting Officers for a reason,
theyre responsible for the money and
guarding taxpayers money wisely Our
job is not to question policy but look at
the efficiency, effectiveness and value
for money of Government spending
Sometimes youll get a civil servant
saying The Secretary of State said, so
well know that strays into policy and say,
OK, we get it.
Grandstanding
When I ask Hillier about the frequent
allegations of committee grandstanding
thrown at her predecessor, she responds
that people who say that are usually
on the receiving end of questions, I
would hazard Styles of questioning
are a different thing to grandstanding.
Grandstanding is someone proclaiming
from the position of Chair on something
without basis and using it as a political
platform.
I remind Hillier of the first question
the committe asked of civil service Chief
Executive John Manzoni, during Margaret
Hodges time as Chair, not long after he
had been appointed: What is the point
of you?
I dont think its grandstanding, its wont parade it.
asking questions that people want to
know, Hillier quickly replies. I cant
remember the John Manzoni one, but
there were lots of discussions about who
was running the civil service there were
two heads and then it was one I dont
imagine John Manzoni was thrown by
that question. [You wouldnt say] that to
a junior person theyve maybe stepped
up to the plate because theyre the right
Interview
FROM PPE TO 2005-2006: Member
of the Northern Ireland
PAC: HILLIERS
Affairs Committee
BIOGRAPHY
2007-2010:
1990: Graduated Parliamentary Under-
from St Hildas College, Secretary at the Home
Oxford, having studied Office, covering identity
philosophy, politics and 2010: Shadow Minister
economics
for the Home Office
1990: Worked for the 2010-2011: Served
South Yorkshire Times, as Shadow Secretary
then Housing Today of State for Energy and
1994: Elected as a Climate Change
Councillor in Islington 2011: Became a Member
Waltham Forest as a
1998-1999: Served as founding Member of the of the Public Accounts
the youngest ever Mayor London Assembly Committee
of Islington 2005: Elected as Labour 2015: Elected as Public
2000: Represented MP for Hackney South and Accounts Committee
Hackney, Islington and Shoreditch Chair
Be straight, be is dominating, the political eye is being
taken off other balls, but its still a big
honest, dont be unknown.
defensive. When Itll be interesting to do a headcount
things have gone now and a headcount when were some
wrong, admit it. way down the Brexit line, to see how
many [more] civil servants there are as a
result of coming out of Europe. You could
add it up quite quickly, but its too early
person for that project, so we do try to yet.
welcome them There are times when On the subject of her own
witnesses try to grandstand and see it as organisational skills, Hillier says: Id
an opportunity to get headlines the next be in logistics if I wasnt doing this. Im a
day we dont like being spun so it works busy Mum, I have lots of lists and I have
both ways. [my assistant] Emily. I have fantastic
Hilliers advice to a civil servant teams at the NAO and my own office.
facing PAC is be straight, be honest, Ive got three children but Im not a
dont be defensive When things have mollycoddling mother. My eldest, whos
gone wrong, admit it. She adds: My a teenager, says he really likes the fact
mantra is we need to think like a user that I just trust him to get on with things.
and act like a taxpayer, and so do civil Its the same as the civil servants in front
servants. We give credit to people whove of us, working parents juggling children,
acknowledged problems and tell us when they work long hours too.
something went wrong, because then we Away from work, Hillier says shes
can move on and ask What next? We quite good at compartmentalising.
When Im with my children thats it
I make sure I carve out time to do
Brexit something different. For a while I went
Hillier believes the civil service faces a to circus school with my daughter I
huge challenge in meeting the demands represent the National Centre for Circus
of Brexit, given the likely pace of Arts in Hoxton. She and I can do a bit of
negotiations and policy changes. Weve acrobatics. But Im better at juggling work
got two years to get a lot of this done. and life than juggling balls.
[The PAC is] worried there isnt enough
thinking about how this is going to Kay Hender is Editor of Public Service
translate in a post-Brexit world. Brexit Magazine.
Public Service Magazine Spring 2017 17
 Opinion
Performance management
Fair, flexible and
forward-looking
As four major departments prepare to scrap their guided
distribution appraisal schemes, Kay Hender asks whats next
for performance management in the civil service?
W
hen civil service
Chief Executive
John Manzoni
publicly stated at
Civil Service Live
2016 in London
that he was not a fan of the current
performance management system, many
civil servants were hoping it would be the
beginning of the end for the oft-criticised
process. Their wishes were granted at
the end of last year, when a new civil
service-wide performance management
framework to be introduced for grades
below the SCS from April 2017 was
announced.
The new framework will replace the
common performance management
system introduced in 2012 under then-
Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude.
18 Public Service Magazine Spring 2017
Significantly, a number of employers
including big hitters like HMRC, the
Department for Work and Pensions, the
Ministry of Defence and the Home Office
have moved quickly to end the forced
or guided distribution of performance
markings, with effect from the 2017-18
performance year.
More flexibility for
departments
Andrew Kean, Deputy Director
supporting performance management at
Civil Service Employment Policy (CSEP),
confirms that the new system will allow
more flexibility for departments to tailor
their arrangements in a way that works
best for them within their own culture
and business needs.
Kean says that CSEPs role is to
support departments one-on-one but
also working with them collectively
a sharing of best practice. The new
performance management framework is
intended to enable a a much stronger
emphasis on regular, good quality,
engaging conversations, he says. Thats
one of the things that all departments
have said they want to achieve.
But could this lead to an increased
burden on managers? If youre a
manager, part of your role is to have good-
quality, regular, ongoing conversations,
replies Kean. The feedback is that
not enough staff feel this is their
experience Deloittes moved to an
ongoing conversation model and found
that, while managers did increase the
amount of time spent on performance
management, it was much more evenly
spread and managers felt that was a
much better investment of their time.
Kean thinks the next six to twelve
months will be really interesting, as

departments small and large, can learn
from each other and make it work in their
own contexts.
Valuation Office Agency trial
The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) is
already trying out a new performance
management system. Its unique twelve-
month trial, which began in July 2016,
has removed guided distribution, box
markings, mid-year moderation meetings
and end-of-year validation meetings,
focusing instead on the achievement of
objectives throughout the year.
VOA Chief People Officer Janet
Alexander explains: Our managers and
the people they manage have monthly
performance achievement conversations,
but the style of those conversations is
quite different. We ask people to come
into the room having reflected on their
performance over the last month, and
discuss whats been achieved and
perhaps what hasnt gone quite so
well. Where something hasnt gone
well, the individual and their manager
discuss what the manager can do to
help that person to improve, whether
that is additional training, a shadowing
opportunity, or some other sort of
intervention.
In addition to these monthly meetings
between managers and their direct
reports, senior leaders from each area
meet up once a quarter to ensure they are
confident that managers are identifying
people who are doing particularly well,
and those who are struggling, and taking
action to support both, she adds.
Alexander says that feedback from staff
has been positive so far because there
are fewer surprises. People are saying,
I dont have to save up lots of evidence
to prove what Ive achieved at the end of
the year. The monthly conversations are
relatively short only about 30 minutes
or an hour and because youre talking
about what happened last month people
can recall it, rather than dredging back
over it.
Importantly, Alexander reports that
people generally feel that this system
is fair, even people who need support
and are underperforming, because the
perception was whether its true or
not that guided distribution meant
that when you were told you were a poor
performer, it was to meet a distribution
rather than because of your performance.
People now think, If Im being told Im
People
generally feel
that this system is
fair, even those who
need support or are
underperforming.
an underperformer, its because Im an
underperformer, not to meet a quota.
She admits that the civil service,
in common with many other
organisations, finds that when it looks
at performance data, people with
protected characteristics are often under-
represented as high achievers and over
represented as under-performers. So
were looking to see whether the change
in system allows us to demonstrate that
people with protected characteristics
FDA welcomes end to
guided distribution
Guided distribution in performance
management is unfair, demoralising
and demotivating, says FDA
Assistant General Secretary Rob
ONeill, who has led the unions
campaign on the issue. Diversity
data has consistently demonstrated
a disproportionately adverse impact
on some groups of staff for example,
BME and those with disabilities
and contributed to poor engagement
scores recorded in staff surveys.
He adds that the union has opposed
guided distribution since its
introduction in 2012 and has taken
every opportunity to make a case for
its removal including a campaign
of industrial action taken by our
members in HMRC.
ONeill welcomes the removal of
guided distribution in four of the
largest civil service employers and
says that the FDA is looking for
others to move in the same direction:
The union is keen to sit down with
departments and with people at the
centre to explore the new flexibility
and to help to deliver a performance
management system that is robust,
fair and works for both employers and
staff.
Performance management
Opinion
are being treated the same as those
without.
On the potential for the new system
to generate extra work for managers,
Alexander says that some managers
with big spans and remote staff can
find the new system challenging. My
view is that managing people is their job
and it needs to be done well, but what
we have taken away is the mid-year and
end-of-year moderation and validation
meetings, as well as the end-of-year
write-ups, which were extremely time-
consuming.
Alexander says one of the reasons for
adopting this method of performance
management is to build management
capability. Essentially, you build that
by allowing managers to manage and
giving them some tools to manage
with, she says. We wanted a culture
that was more about coaching and
performance achievement than
retrospective performance evaluation.
The trials progress has raised interest
across the civil service, notably from
civil service Chief People Officer Rupert
McNeil. Alexander feels the trial system
could work in larger organisations, but
adds: You would need to think very
carefully about the size of the cadre
that each senior leadership group looks
at. Around 150 to 200 people is the
maximum size, anything bigger than
that and the numbers get too big. Then
you really are not able to have a properly
informed conversation about people.
One of the measures of success for
the trial is managers ability to identify
people who are under performing
or who need support, or who have
high or emerging potential, and their
ability to support people differently
because of that identification, says
Alexander. We still need to address
underperformance, whether thats
short-term, where people need support,
or where people are consistently not
performing; this system still has to
demonstrate that we do that.
But, overall, Alexander feels that
the VOA trial system has the potential
to be transformational in terms of
the relationship between managers
and the people who work for them,
because you change the dynamic of
the conversations. And you improve
engagement as managers and staff are
involved in the process more than they
were before.
Public Service Magazine Spring 2017 19
 Dave Penman

Playing the
long game
Following his re-election at the end of last year, FDA General
Secretary Dave Penman talks to Matt Ross about Brexit,
civil service cuts and the future of the union.

B
rexit is an
enormous
challenge, and
critical to the
country but
its being done
on a shoestring:
a make-do-and-
mend approach, with very few extra
resources, says FDA general Dave
Penman. This is madness.
Many departments have seen
administration budgets shrink by a fifth
since 2010, he adds, and theyre being
asked to find another 20% by 2020. Yet
Brexit will demand a lot of resource and
expertise to support our exit process and
to cope with all the policy requirements,
and if we dont invest in that work, the
chances are it will backfire quite quickly.
As workloads spiral, budgets decline and
public sector salaries lose value, Penman
fears, somethings got to give.
So Brexit presents a major threat to
both the working lives of FDA members, The Treasury thinks pay restraint has has become more flexible during this
and their ability to deliver for the public. been a success: they can see no cost to it, Parliament, and the FDA is negotiating
But it also attracts intense media interest because people arent leaving in droves, with 60 civil service organisations
and that, says Penman, has provided he says. But he warns that, as inflation on ways to improve members pay,
an opportunity to get out there into and private sector salaries inch up, those employer by employer. The FDAs
the public space and make the case for chickens will come home to roost, and members are, he adds, intelligent
wider investment in the civil service. by the time youve reached the point people who understand the limitations.
Since Brexit, Penman has been where youre driving people out of the They know we cant wave a magic wand.
doing a lot of press and TV work organisation, its going to take you a And were honest about the things we
hammering home the message that decade to turn that around. can influence, and those that are more
Photographs: Niklas Hallen

endlessly squeezing civil service pay
will ultimately produce an exodus of the
most skilled and valuable staff, badly
undermining the governments ability to
deliver on its priorities.
Penman is playing a long game
here: as he acknowledges, the
macroeconomic policy of the public
sector pay cap is a very difficult thing to
unlock. But the Treasurys approach
difficult.
The FDA is willing to use hard levers,
says Penman, but only in pursuit of
realistic goals. Were unafraid to
challenge employers and government,

20 Public Service Magazine Spring 2017


but also unafraid to reach agreement.
Over pensions, for example, the
union took industrial action as a
demonstration of the strength of our
members feelings, in order to influence
the negotiation process. Then it engaged
with government negotiators, securing
a deal that produced the flattest
contribution rates in the public sector.
Senior NHS managers make pension
contributions of 14-15%, he points out;
senior civil servants pay 6-7%.
But its no longer enough, Penman
argues, for unions to perform well in
traditional representation and advocacy
work: members also expect help with
developing their skills, their careers
and their professional networks.
Increasingly, were helping members
to make a success of their careers, he
says. Our learning offer has grown
exponentially over the last five years.
Theres such a thirst for it partly
because employers learning offers
have reduced, but also because we offer
something different. Its not technical
training, its about thinking about your
career, about supporting people through
selection or promotion processes. Some
3-4,000 members now undertake FDA
training courses each year, and the union
is expanding its offer notably through
its Women in Leadership conference
series, and a new set of courses focusing
on the skills required for Brexit.
Its partly in order to improve its
learning services that the FDA is buying
a permanent headquarters in Borough,
near London Bridge station (see page 13).
Part of my job is to secure the future of
the union, says Penman. Weve never
owned anything in our 100-year history,
and about 8% of our income goes on
rent. The union will attempt to pay
off the mortgage as soon as possible
and that will take a significant cost out.
Meanwhile, the union will gain its own
conference and training space in central
London, along with catering facilities
and the opportunity to generate income
from hosting events.
Penman has also been investing in
the FDAs communications operation
boosting the press team and developing
a new website to strengthen its voice
in the public debate. And then theres
Keystone: the FDA offshoot serving civil
servants in SEO, HEO and equivalent
grades.
The launch of the new union, Penman
explains, was a reflection of the way
the FDA had already changed by
opening up membership to all grades
in the security services, the Diplomatic
Service and the Fast Stream. And
changes within the civil service have
started to blur the traditional Grade 7
boundary: In some departments, SEOs
are managing hundreds of staff and
doing jobs that grade 7s or even 6s did a
decade ago, he says.
The next task for Keystone, says
Penman, is to develop a strong
professional voice for its members a
group whose interests may often diverge
from those of traditional FDA members.
Its got to evolve to genuinely reflect the
values and interests of its members, he
explains. Getting that right is what will
attract more people to join it.
FDA members are
intelligent
people. They know
we cant wave a magic
wand. Were honest
about what we can
influence and whats
more difficult.
And this is the key challenge, because
Keystone, like the FDA, is fishing for
members in an ever-shrinking civil
service pool. As the FDA expands
its range of services, and austerity
drives more demand for collective and
individual representation, the union
is recruiting faster than ever. But at
the same time civil service cuts are
pushing large numbers of members out
of employment: Were running up the
down escalator, says Penman with a
bitter smile.
Losing members squeezes the FDAs
income, leaving the union facing similar
Dave Penman
challenges to many civil service bodies:
I couldnt be prouder of the team
weve got, and they work tremendously
hard on behalf of members, says
Penman. But when everyones working
long hours just to deliver day-to-day
services, its a challenge to get people
thinking about recruitment. He urges
FDA members to take on roles as local
representatives, helping to spread the
word about the unions work and bolster
services at local level: Its tough for
FDA members because lots of them
have really busy day jobs, he adds,
but weve got a really good offer, and
we need local representatives to help us
raise our visibility in the workplace.
Penmans focus on local volunteers
reflects his own path through the union
movement, which began when he
became a local union representative in a
social security office. That work really
shows you what people value about
unions, and the reasons why people join
them, he says. And its that acquired
knowledge that, permeating up through
the organisation, keeps its leaders
focused on its members needs.
Having moved through roles as an
organiser, negotiator and manager to
lead the FDA, Penman is determined
to retain and strengthen those links
between the local and the national.
Only that crucial connection with the
frontline, he believes, can ensure that
the General Secretary understands how
to develop and strengthen the union and
protect its ability to defend its members
interests in a very difficult period for
the labour movement. Its easy to get
into an ivory tower, he comments.
There are lots of challenges in running
the organisation, and in dealing with
ministers or permanent secretaries, and
youve got to force yourself to go back
down and ensure that youre in touch
with whats going on throughout the
organisation.
Thats one of the advantages of having
18,000 members rather than 800,000:
everyones got my email address, and
they can contact me with complaints or
challenges or ideas, Penman adds. And
he gives his email address: a handle as
down to earth as the General Secretary
himself. The emails dave@fda.org.uk,
he says. Write to me!
Matt Ross is an editor, journalist and
change manager.
Public Service Magazine Spring 2017 21
 Wendy Jones Awards
Opinion

Tommy Newell talks to previous winners of the
Wendy Jones Award, which recognises FDA members
who have made an outstanding contribution to
promoting equality in public life.
leadership skills as an NHS manager and
exceptional role model.
Zoeta has been working in the NHS
for over 30 years, and is currently a
commissioning manager in one of
Birminghams Clinical Commissioning
Groups. Zoeta has also distinguished

Promoting equality
herself in the trade union movement,
making a huge contribution to recruiting
members for Managers in Partnership

and diversity
(MiP). In 2013, Zoeta became Chair of
MiP and, over the following three years,
represented the union to government
and strategic bodies.

through the Wendy Recipients of the Wendy Jones

Award have to be outstanding in their
dedication to equality, and Zoeta

Jones Award
is no exception. She has mounted
effective challenges to institutional
discrimination and supported her NHS
colleagues experiencing problems
with race discrimination. Zoeta joined
Surinder Sharma, the first NHS equality
tsar, in championing race equality as
members of the Governing Council of the
Health and Social Care BME Network.
Three years ago, the network awarded
her its highest accolade, the EMBRACE
Award for Person of the Year.
Accepting the Wendy Jones Award,
Zoeta said: Im truly honoured to be
recognised for my efforts in raising
awareness of the issues faced by
black and minority ethnic managers.
Unfortunately, policies intended to
ensure that talented BME managers
are promoted remain inconsistent,
uncoordinated and lacking in real drive.
A key factor is the lack of sufficient BME
representation at senior management
level, which is a powerful barometer of
how well an organisations talk matches

E
reality. For me, this is simply not good
enough and Ill continue to keep raising
ach year at the this issue.
Annual Delegate The lack of However, looking at the senior
Conference (ADC), the sufficient BME management levels within our unions,
FDA celebrates the representation at we need to also put our own house in
work of its members order and lead by example. We have
in promoting senior management made some good progress in improving
equality through the level is a barometer the number of women in management,
Wendy Jones Award. of how well an but are still struggling with
Wendy (pictured opposite) was a long- organisations talk representation from BME managers.
serving member of the FDA staff, who So I want you to think about how
sadly passed away in November 2012.
matches reality. you can truly improve the diversity at
During her time at the union, she was an senior management level and create the
outstanding lead officer on equality. opportunities to allow this to happen.
Last years winner, Zoeta Manning,
received the award in recognition of her Tommy Newell is FDA staff writer.

22 Public Service Magazine Spring 2017

2017
 Wendy JonesOpinion
Awards

2015
David Chrimes
Chair of the FDA Equality and
Diversity Committee
I had the pleasure, honour and
privilege to meet Wendy Jones at my
first ever ADC. She had the uncanny
knack of both inspiring and making
you feel at ease.
It was well known that Wendy was
absolutely committed to securing
equality, diversity and inclusion for
our members. Therefore, nothing
could be more fitting and appropriate
than to name the FDA's flagship
award, for those members committed
to securing equality through their
actions, in her honour.
In my career both within and
outside the FDA nothing has given
me more satisfaction than receiving
the Wendy Jones Award in 2015. The
fact that you are acknowledged by
your peers adds that extra value and
recognition.
I am now delighted to be involved
in the judging for the Wendy Jones
Award, and I look forward to hearing
about the considerable achievements
of FDA colleagues, which are always
both humbling, and inspiring.
2014
Hakim Din
Former National Specialist for
Race Equality and International
Education, Education Scotland
In 2014, I received the Wendy Jones
Award. It was a great surprise to me
that my friends and colleagues had
nominated me for the award, as Im
not the sort of person that looks for an
award for doing the right thing.
Receiving the award was a great
honour and recognition for the
contribution that I and others in
Scotland had made to the fight against
racism, injustice and inequality. The
award has not changed my behaviour
in any way and nor should it. I have it in
my study and every time I look at it, it
reminds me that the struggle continues.
I have the
award in my
study and every
time I look at it, it
reminds me that
the struggle
continues.
Craig Stephenson
Director of Commission Services,
National Assembly for Wales
It was a surprise and a delight to
receive the Wendy Jones Equality
Award a couple of years ago made
all the more special because my
colleagues had nominated me.
The award sits just behind my desk
alongside awards from Stonewall
Cymru for the National Assembly
for Wales's achievements on LGBT
inclusion. Creating an inclusive and
diverse parliamentary organisation
is really important to me and to
my colleagues, so receiving this
recognition from the FDA was
certainly one of the highlights of the
year.
Though I didn't know Wendy Jones,
I'm pleased that my trade union has
recognised the contribution she made
to equality by annually celebrating
what FDA members from across the
UK bring to this important agenda.

The FDA is seeking nominations for the 2017 Wendy Jones Award
and wants to hear about any initiatives and activities in the

2017 equalities arena that deserve to be celebrated.

Please email your nomination to Equalitymatters@FDA.org.uk.
nominations Nominations should be no more than 500 words, and explain why
you think she or he should be the award winner. All entries must
be received by the closing date of 5 April 2017.

Public Service Magazine Spring 2017 23

 Reviews
Reviews of the latest books and technology
Books
A Womans Work
By Harriet Harman
Allen Lane, 405pp, 20
Although Harriet Harman
never held a front-rank
cabinet job, she is probably
one of the most influential
politicians of recent
decades. I knew exactly
what I was coming into
Parliament to do, she writes of her
arrival at Westminster following the 1982
Peckham by-election. I was there for
women we wanted equality, in work
and in politics. We wanted childcare,
maternity rights, for domestic violence
to be taken seriously and for women to
play an equal part in political decision
making. Harman has stuck to her
agenda for 35 years, with a measure of
success that puts most male politicians
in the shade.
In 1982, Harman joined just 20 other
women in the Commons. Now there are
almost 200 not equal representation,
but what Harman calls a critical mass.
When she became the first sitting MP
to have a baby, she faced outright
hostility from male MPs, and was too
much on the defensive to even ask for
maternity leave. Now, pregnant MPs
are almost commonplace and ministers
of both sexes take parental leave. And
its inconceivable today that a Prime
Minister would even try to get away with
forming an all-male cabinet, as John
Major did in 1992.
Harman lead the successful but highly
controversial campaign for all-women
shortlists in the Labour party. This
was the real turning point for women
in British politics, leading directly to
the election of over 100 women Labour
MPs in 1997. We argued for it as a last
resort, she writes, because we had,
over many years, tried everything else
24 Public Service Magazine Spring 2017
Harman has stuck to her
agenda for 35 years,
with a measure of success that
puts most male politicians in
the shade.
to get women Labour candidates into
safe or winnable seats and nothing had
worked.
Harman says her involvement with
the womens movement in the 1970s
convinced her that real change for
women could only come with a Labour
government. This is a lesson Jeremy
Corbyns party will have to learn all
over again, but also one that can stick
committed campaigners like Harman
with some very awkward choices.
As social security secretary in 1997,
Harman was forced to cut single
mothers benefits because Labour had
promised to stick to Tory spending plans.
She kicked up a fuss but eventually went
along with the policy. Our government
still felt fragile to me. I couldnt do
anything to threaten it, she writes. Its
typical of Harman that when she was
shabbily sacked from the cabinet by
Tony Blair a few months later, she comes
close to blaming herself.
But while Harman has a great story
to tell, this book falls between three
stools. Having dismissed memoirs as
male vanity projects, she is reluctant
to write one, so we just dont get enough
Harriet for a satisfactory autobiography.
As a chronicler of the Blair-Brown years,
Harman is too reticent and still seems
as reluctant as ever to rock the boat.
Through her ever-reasonable lens, the
split between Blairites and Brownites
seems even more incomprehensible than
it did at the time. You end up thinking,
what the hell they were rowing about?
And as a history of the womens
movement, it just feels a bit bloodless.
There are lots of details about people
worked with, meetings attended and
press releases issued, but real working
women seem almost absent from what
might have been their story.
No doubt Harman sees her
unwillingness to dish the dirt or blow
her own trumpet as a positive thing, but
A Womans Work is perhaps just a bit too
modest for its own good.
Reviewed by Craig Ryan

Nothing but a Circus: Misadventures among the Powerful
by Daniel Levin
Allen Lane, 208pp, 20
The cover of this book
depicts a man in a suit on
a unicycle attempting to
balance on a tightrope.
It is an apt image for the
balancing act between
hope and cynicism
faced by those working with large
institutions, particularly in the political
arena. It is this tension which lies at the
heart of the book.
The author is a lawyer by profession,
but has spent much of his career as
a political and economic advisor
to various public and third sector
institutions in several countries. He has
structured the book as a sequence of
chapters telling interlinked cautionary
tales based upon his experiences
working in this field. Thanks to his
fluency as a storyteller the pace never
slackens, and it is difficult to stop
reading once one has begun.
Off the shelf Other recent reads
Sherlock Holmes and
The Nine-Dragon Sigil
Tim Symonds
MX Publishing, 364pp, 11.99
Few authors could
tackle such well known
characters as Sherlock
Holmes and Doctor
Watson as well as Tim
Symonds. Symondss style
of writing sits perfectly
with that of the characters original
author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, while
still allowing him to put his own mark
on the story. With a mix of action,
mystery and humour, the engaging plot
takes readers on a new journey with
these famous detectives and Symonds
goes to great lengths with descriptive
detail that transports you back to
England and China in the early 20th
century. This books progression from
the original series feels natural and
ensures it is a must-read for any true
Sherlock Holmes fan.
The nefarious effect of power is
the binding theme for these stories.
However, another theme which
emerges time and time again is the
impact that assumptions about and
misunderstandings of cultural norms
can have on dealings between nations.
For example, the chapter entitled
Luanda Lessons illustrates how
Western economic experts routinely
underestimate levels of local
knowledge. If you want to see true
capitalism in action, look at countries
like Angola, with abject poverty and a
huge wealth gap, Levin writes. Believe
A theme which emerges
again and again is the
impact that misunderstandings
of cultural norms can have on
dealings between nations.
Mr Barrys War
Caroline Shenton
Oxford University Press, 288pp, 25.00
Mr Barrys War continues
on from where its prequel,
The Day Parliament
Burned Down, left off. The
book tracks the efforts of
architect Charles Barry and
the trials he went through
during the rebuilding of the Houses of
Parliament after the Great Fire of 1834.
Barry, who beat off stiff competition
to build a new gothic-style Palace of
Westminster, enlisted Augustus Pugin to
design the interior decor of what became
one of the worlds most iconic buildings.
The book highlights the many challenges
Barry faced during the 25-year building
project, including hostile MPs continually
changing their minds, remarkable
engineering feats, swampy quicksand,
sewage issues and cholera, to name but
a few.
Reviews
me, that is where people have no choice
but to understand how money works.
Chess la Russe discusses how
difficult it is to discern the true
intentions of people playing the
diplomatic long game, and Very Foggy
Bottom presents a critical view of
the working methods of the US State
Department.
Understandably, the author focuses
on his more negative experiences; good
news rarely makes for a riveting read.
As a result, Levin enthrals and appals
in equal measure and this is one of the
most illuminating and entertaining
books I have read on this subject. It
should be required reading for anyone
considering a career in diplomacy
and should provide some rueful
reassurance for those already engaged
in one.
Reviewed by Anne Grikitis
The Reluctant Leader
Peter Shaw and
Hillary Douglas
Canterbury Press, 129pp, 12.99
Few of us can honestly
deny that reluctance
to take the lead has
led to missing out
on opportunities,
both personally and
professionally. Coaching
experts Shaw and Douglas use the
wisdom they have extracted from
leaders across all sectors to help us push
against the limits of willingness to lead.
The books easy to read structure and
use of relatable case studies allows you
to quickly access the advice you need to
push yourself forward and to take charge
of how you react in the future. What are
you waiting for?
Reviewed by Rory Desch
Public Service Magazine Spring 2017 25
 Reviews
Kit
Amazon Echo Smart Speaker with Voice Recognition & Control
Although only recently launched in the
UK, the Amazon Echo was originally
launched in the US in November 2014.
This could be a major benefit for UK
consumers, as it has allowed Amazon to
iron out many of the Echos initial kinks.
What makes the Echo stand out is the
Alexa Voice recognition service that
can help turn any home smart. Users
can ask questions, bark commands and
control other smart devices, as well as
using it as a speaker.
Considering its size, the Amazon Echo
belts out some good quality sound,
using its woofer and tweeter to provide
good bass and treble notes. The speaker
itself offers 360 degree omni-directional
sound, and seven microphones with
noise cancelling technology are
positioned within its shell to ensure
users can be heard from anywhere
within the room.
The device is fairly straightforward
to set up. Realising that users might
initially be shy of asking questions,
Amazon provides some helpful hints to
start you off. To connect to your home
network, simply download the Alexa
companion app on to your phone and
follow the instructions provided. Other
connected Amazon devices like Fire TV
will also appear in the Alexa app.
Alexa can help keep you abreast of
many things, like updates on news,
sport, music, weather and traffic, as well
as your calendar. The beauty of Alexa is
that its intelligence intuitively grows the
more you use it. Although the Amazon
Echo comes with over 2,000 skills,
Tech lowdown:
Colours: Black or white
Connections Wi-Fi & Bluetooth
Compatible with: Fire OS, Android, and iOS devices
and is also accessible via your web browser
Dimensions: 235 x 83.5 x 83.5 mm
Audio: 2.5 inch woofer and 2.0 inch tweeter
26
editor Nick Sutton offers an up-to-
front pages of Britain's biggest daily
initial feedback suggests that quality
varies and you may struggle at first to
find the better ones among the many
others.
If you just want sound, there are better
speakers available at this price, but used
in conjunction with its AI technology,
you will quickly find many other uses for
the Amazon Echo as it learns about your
interests.
Price
149.99
Smart Tech
Choice Tweeters
@WhichUK for its unbiased product
information, reviews and campaigning
for a fairer deal for consumers. By
putting consumers needs first, Which
can help you to make better choices.
@suttonnick BBC news website
the minute outlook on press reporting
of politics and regularly tweets the
newspapers.
@goodgym offers the chance to get
fit by running while doing something
good within communities. It combines
regular outdoor exercise with
volunteering for community projects
and visiting lonely older people at
home.
App happy
WifiMapper
For those who are not lucky enough to
have a generous mobile data contract,
WifiMapper could help meet your
needs. This app tracks the best WiFi
spots for you, allowing users to help
build the maps as they share the best
places to get free WiFi. Users can also
distinguish the type of usage, either
by WiFi type or place type.
Prisma
This easy to use fun app will
transform your photographs into
miniature works of art. With a variety
of art styles to choose from, ranging
from comic book doodling to classic
paintings, youll soon create your own
masterpiece. Its high quality range
of imagery ensures youll be sure to
generate some top class results.
Mondly
This new free language learning
app offers more than previous apps
of this type with a wider range
of languages and content. Mondly
helps you to speak, read and write
the language of your choice. The app
also sets you homework, categorises
topics and offers a chat bot, which
allows you to continually chart your
progress. If you want to develop your
skills further, there are paid options
for accessing more content.
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 Going Public
Malcolm Burgess tours the workplace

54. Hannah the

(3) When I think of my line manager,
I basically see

Happiness Consultant (a) David Brent

(b) Captain Ahab
(c) Goebbels
It's funtastic! Don't worry, Hannah has (d) A funsultant
got used to the sarcasm; in fact, it rather
goes with the job. But she would have us (4) I know my situation at work
know that achieving a more positive would be much improved if I could
workforce by having fun in the office is a (a) Work from home
serious business. Rome wasn't built in a (b) Be left undisturbed
day, and certainly not by just bringing in a (c) Be listened to
bouncy castle so someone can get a (d) Dress as my favourite animal or
strangulated hernia. a Ninja
Hannah likes to begin by reminding her
clients that existing fun' initiatives are (5) According to a recent study by the
probably anything but. The office London School of Economics, the
Christmas party is a minefield of disasters time when we feel most miserable is
waiting to happen. The Secret Santa may (a) Going to work
only deliver a car ice scraper. Celebrating (b) Arriving at work
people's birthdays every week is boring (c) Having a meeting
and expensive. Leaving parties (d) Having to go home
encourage only temporary jollity (mainly
for the person leaving). (6) I believe that decades of research
In this time of smart, lean and on the link between employee
innovative workforces, it's hardly satisfaction and productivity show
surprising that start-ups and hi-tech that the results are
companies lead the way with office fun. (a) Inconclusive
Hannah waxes lyrical about swings, (b) Unhelpful
hammocks, pods and ping-pong tables (c) Depressing
all de-rigeur along with the blonde wood The Happiness (d) Dependant on having a personal tree
and industrial fittings. She mentions, Questionnaire house in the office
discreetly, how such features make
employees happy to spend increasingly (1) At work I would definitely be (7) Whenever I think of Wednesdays
long hours in the office. All we ever really made happier by I think of
wanted to do, it seems, is sit on plastic (a) F ewer long e-mails (a) Cake
grass at eight o'clock in the evening and (b) No more bureaucratic forms (b) Team meetings
share Eureka! moments with our (c) No more pointless restructurings (c) The weekend
colleagues. It's just a question of (d) A slide (d) Using my scooter to shoot off for that
transferring this to a typical civil service water cooler moment
scenario. (2) I see myself never leaving my
Her first step is for departmental heads office due to Hannah just hopes that everyone
(sorry, happiness ambassadors) to put (a) M
y excessive work load concerned has a good sense of humour.
some key questions to their employees. (b) My 'presentist' colleagues After all, they're going to need it.
Illustration: David Simonds

They inevitably generate much hilarity (c) My depressing rented accommodation

but, as Hannah says, smile and the (d) The chance of the office soon being
whole world is forced to, if they know modelled on a nightclub, with free bars, Malcolm Burgess is the author of Dont
what's good for them and wish to pass chill-out zones and Formula One Mention It: The A-Z of Modern Bullsh*t
their annual review. simulators (www.oxygenbooks.co.uk).

28 Public Service Magazine Spring 2017

 Crossword
Win!
There will be a prize of a
Members by free FDA Learn/Keyskills
Schadenfreude course or workshop, worth
Eleven answers approximately 150, for the
clued without first correct entry drawn
definitions belong after the closing date. Find
to a 12-member set. out more about the courses
Solvers must highlight on offer at: www.fda.org.uk/
the unclued member professionaldevelopment/
which forms part of FDA_Woorkshops.aspx
one of the entries. or www.wearekeystone.
org.uk/keyskills-courses
Solution next issue.

Solution and winner

Individual Success by
Schadenfreude (Solution)

ACROSS
1 Scottish town having little vitality (7)
5 English king heading for livery yard (6)
10 Logic circuit sticks restricting independent
robots (8)
11 Dutch jewellery's no good (6)
12 Pine next to Irish bridge (8)
13 Middle of now sprawling beech wood (6)
15 Make the Mafia's leader sweat (9)
17 Island belonging to landlocked Asian country
(5)
19 Jack's last vessel carrying special beer low in
alcohol (5)
20 Associates bursting with energy skipping at a
lively dance (9)
22 A woman, 51, left by Iowa nationalist (6)
24 Kind nurse meeting Newton in Kentucky (8)
26 Egyptian god accepted Greek character twice
(6)
27 Gunners at work dress in wet weather clobber
(8)
28 He imitates East Caribbean gardener? (6)
29 Welsh executive in favour of democrat (7)
DOWN
2 Son and I dine out with active UN member (9)
3 Mislead knight climbing a ravine in East
London (5)
4 Old rector prepared revised agenda (10, 2
words)
6 Square dance succeeded games at Hoylake for
example (9)
7 Courtly German leaves old Frenchman in
command (5)
8 Americans look for rises after any changes (7)
9 Bovine crossing a river joining lake (6)
14 Perhaps sterilize article on hard ground (10)
16 Earl can smile mixing an hallucinogen (9)
18 Soldiers and reformed internee out of Norway
take part in a cross-country sport (9)
19 King Lear split with one daughter (7)
21 See skill lifting wing cases (6)
23 Ill-mannered bloke on heroin (5)
25 Somewhat mistaken African source of fibre (5)
The shaded entries are the
fifteen Team GB individual
gold medallists at the 2016
Olympic Games.
Winner: Simon
Cunningham, HMRC.
How to enter
Crossword entries should be
sent by Friday 5 May 2017
to: Public Service Magazine
crossword, FDA, 8 Leake Street,
London SE1 7NN or by email
(with PSM crossword as the
subject) to psm@fda.org.uk
Please provide an email address
so we can tell the winner how
to claim their prize.

Public
PublicService
ServiceMagazine
MagazineSpring
Spring 2017 29
 Small ads
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30 Public Service Magazine Spring 2017
to the beach. Sleeps six. Furnished and
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Puglia, Italy
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