Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

HR strategyOutsourcing

Legal watchdog in dock over flawed outsourcing plans

by Personnel Today 12 Apr 2005
by Personnel Today 12 Apr 2005

The Office of the Legal Services Ombudsman has been attacked by the leading civil service union for its “flawed” recruitment practices and management techniques.

The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union has voiced concern that the office’s performance is being undermined by the outsourcing of key work and the failure to recruit more staff.

Responsible for overseeing the handling of complaints in the legal profession, the current ombudsman, Zahida Manzoor, has been in the post since March 2003.

The PCS claimed there has been a 40% turnover in case workers since Manzoor took up her position and that morale of employees had hit rock bottom.

It is understood that the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA), which oversees the legal ombudsman’s office, has expressed concern.

A spokeswoman at the department refused to discuss the allegations, but said: “It is for the ombudsman and her management team to oversee the throughput of work in the office and to secure appropriate resources.”

She added that the DCA was working to support all staff at the Office of the Legal Services Ombudsman “as appropriate”.

David Vincent, PCS branch secretary, said: “We [the union] are gravely concerned about the negative impact that flawed recruitment practices and dubious outsourcing is having on the performance [of the office].”

Vincent said crucial posts had gone unfilled for months and the legal ombudsman failed to consult with the union before outsourcing casework to private company, Safecall.

The PCS said the ombudsman completed about a third fewer investigations between April and December 2004 than during the same period in 2003, a claim rejected by the legal watchdog.

In a statement, it said it was on track to meet its performance target of 90% of all reports issued within six months for 2004/05.
The PCS is urging the DCA to intervene and talk to the union.


Avatar
Personnel Today

previous post
Win a weekend in New York with PersonnelToday.com and Oracle
next post
Measuring employee motivation

You may also like

Adapt culture to hybrid work: do not force...

20 May 2022

Women in FTSE 350 leadership: ‘A lot of...

20 May 2022

Squishy, flabby, foggy HR? Andrew Bartlow talks to...

20 May 2022

How the Global Business Mobility visa will overhaul...

14 Apr 2022

How workplace culture should support employees’ wellbeing

13 Apr 2022

Organisational purpose: Alex Kruger talks to Oven-Ready HR

25 Mar 2022

How should employers handle whistleblowing complaints?

18 Mar 2022

Commuting by car fast becoming unaffordable

11 Mar 2022

Hays and Shell cut Russia ties but for...

8 Mar 2022

Ukraine and Russia: HR must play key role...

8 Mar 2022
  • The Search for Talent: Six Major Employer Pitfalls PROMOTED | The Great Resignation continues unabated...Read more
  • Navigating the widening “Skills Confidence Gap” in 2022, and beyond PROMOTED | Cornerstone OnDemand conducted a global study...Read more
  • Apprenticeships are the solution to your recruitment problems PROMOTED | Apprenticeships have the pulling power...Read more
  • What it really means to be mentally fit PROMOTED | What is mental fitness...Read more
  • How music can help to ease anxiety at work PROMOTED | A lot has happened since March 2020, hasn’t it?...Read more
  • Why now is the time to plug the unhealthy gap PROMOTED | We’ve all heard the term ‘health is wealth’...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+