THE Isle of Man government’s employment structures are "overly bureaucratic and failing on all sides", according to a report into HR management.
The report’s findings are so critical that it has led to Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne to call for an urgent and radical shake up of the employment structures and management of the public sector work force.
Mr Gawne chaired a Council of Ministers sub-committee comprised of Union representatives and HR experts from the private and public sectors, which was established to look into Government’s HR management and employment structures.
He has suggested that greater urgency is now needed in adopting the radical changes outlined in the report which will bring clarity, consistency and simplicity to an “out-dated management structure”.
He added, "Getting Government's HR policy right is a key political issue at any time but is now critical as a result of the financial constraints we currently face as significant savings can be made through enhanced productivity and reduced bureaucracy.
"The Government currently spends £330 million on its people and it is vital that we empower them to deliver Government's objectives effectively and efficiently. A change of culture is urgently needed, which moves us away from the current risk averse institutional mindset to one which actively engages our staff and encourages them to strive to deliver ever improving services.
"We need to invest in improved technology and adopt simplified procedures which reduce administration time and produce the relevant management information which is core to strategic decision making.”
He said he had failed to penetrate "the mystic jargon and management speak all too often associated with HR and people management".
He added, "It is clear from the committee’s deliberations that the current system is not delivering the services which all sides wish it to deliver. Staff are confused by the current system, unions are frustrated by it, managers are discouraged by it, Departments feel thwarted by it and the various bodies responsible for delivering HR services struggle under the overly elaborate structure which history has imposed on them. I was particularly pleased to receive strong Union input and support for the overwhelming need to change."
The committee concluded that it is time for a radical approach to be taken so that a simpler and more relevant system can be introduced which empowers staff; allows unions to be more actively engaged in helping government help its workforce deliver better services to the Manx people.
The committee also said it wanted to allow managers to manage, making much clearer that management responsibilities lie primarily in the work place, and give departments a greater degree of flexibility in managing their human resource.
It also wanted government to develop a more professional team of HR managers with a much clearer remit to deliver specialist advice and support to departments allowing them to better deliver their services.
Mr Gawne added, "The committee concluded that the complicated range of employment types and structures of Government leave managers unclear on which procedures to follow, and Departments frustrated in pursuing their objectives.
"It can reasonably be argued that the wide range of terms and conditions between civil servants and the remaining 75% of public servants is unfair and divisive and there is a strong case for a more unified approach.
"The changes proposed in the report will require improvements in standards of line management as they are heavily reliant on managers ensuring they manage staff performance whilst engaging their teams.
"Senior officers will be more empowered to manage their staff, and politicians will need to show leadership and be aware of the impact of their behaviours on the proposed new structure. It has been suggested that the current risk averse culture is understandable in the light of the blame culture sometimes adopted in Tynwald and demonstrated again this week.
"The report sets out a radical new direction which if adopted will change the way we work and what we expect of our people. It will result in improved productivity from staff who feel valued, and will allow under-performance to be addressed quickly and effectively.
"This will undoubtedly be one of the most significant issues we will have to tackle in the coming five years and I urge both Government and the HR community to support some of the most far reaching changes ever proposed to the structure of the HR function in our public service."
