Does the government still have a bullying problem?

Friday 14 August 2020

HR specialists who uncovered a “high-level” of secret bullying and harassment in the civil service two years ago have returned to find out whether the widespread problem has finally been resolved.

Over the course of 25 days, HR Lounge will be reviewing case files and policies and holding a number of interviews to establish whether the government’s commitment to stamp out staff abuse in the wake of their previous review has been successful.

The results of their £20,000 follow-up review are scheduled to be released in September. 

Published in 2018, HR Lounge’s original report was intended to remain confidential, but was uncovered by Express following a challenge under the Freedom of Information Law.

It found that public sector employees were being routinely “shouted at”, “belittled” and made the subject of “loose talk and gossip” – few of whom ever spoke out over fears that doing so would be “career wrecking”. 

Pictured: Key issues identified in the original report.

When concerns were raised, managers were generally unhelpful, and matters could sometimes take up to a year-and-a-half to resolve.

The findings led the States Employment Board to commit to a number of policy changes, including the establishment of new guidelines on what constitutes bullying and a dedicated whistleblowing line.

In the months following the report’s publication, the government also signed a £3.5m contract with a UK consultancy to help change the culture of the organisation and instil a ‘Team Jersey’ attitude in all employees.

That contract is now due to be extended – at cost – due to the covid crisis.

Chief Scrutineer Senator Kristina Moore says evidence of that programme’s success is still “yet to be seen.”

For her, the Prison Governor’s recent resignation, which came after Express revealed a row with senior officials over PPE, hints that culture issues are still ingrained.

Pictured: A dedicated whistleblowing hotline was set up following the report.

According to the Senator, the process of resolving these concerns – whether bullying and harassment or other issues – would be enhanced with a more robust exit interview process to establish why “so many good, committed and capable people” have left in recent years. 

Amid a backlog and IT system difficulties, the tax department alone saw 50% of its staff walk last year.

Having asked for details of the exit interviews to understand this “alarming” number, Senator Moore said her Scrutiny Panel had been disappointed to learn that the vast majority of departing employees had not received one, despite it being recognised as "good practice". Just two individuals received a formal interview prior to their departure.

“There is a general level of concern there… We are told, ‘They’ve gone off for more money somewhere else,’ but there are likely to be a number of reasons why,” Senator Moore said.

Pictured: A more robust exit interview policy would help the government pick up on any longstanding cultural issues and resolve them, according to Senator Moore.

Revenue Jersey isn’t the only department having its staffing situation and HR practices probed by Scrutiny.

A report on Teacher Recruitment and Retention put together by the Education Scrutiny Panel, which is chaired by Deputy Rob Ward, is currently in preparation.

It is expected to touch on both the internal and external challenges facing government in recruiting and keeping staff.