Met director stands up to damning inquiry findings

The
HR director of the Metropolitan Police Service has defended the organisation
following the publication of the findings of a damning survey into employment
and workplace behaviour.

The
survey of more than 15,000 of the 43,000 Met staff forms part of the Morris
Inquiry, the independent investigation into professional standards and
employment matters at the police force.

Less
than one in five (19 per cent) agreed that HR/employment policies were
consistently and fairly applied across the force.

The
survey also found there was little confidence among staff that the Met was
embracing all aspects of diversity, and the majority believe diversity has yet
to become part of police culture.

But
Martin Tiplady, HR director
at the Met, told Personnel Today that
the survey only provided a ‘snapshot’, and did not reflect how the Met had
looked before, or how it would look in the future.

"I
am concerned with the findings, some of which are less impressive than we
wished, but we are in an organisation that has come a long way in the past
three or four years," he said.

Tiplady said management at the
Met would now discuss the findings with the Metropolitan Police Authority and
staff associations to create an action plan.

Ian
Lawson, who directs the Work Foundation’s Campaign for Leadership and is
responsible for the Met’s
leadership development programme, said the results put the Met where he
expected it to be "at this stage in [its] process of transformation".

Summary of evidence

Findings
from the Morris Inquiry survey include:

–
19 per cent of respondents agreed that HR/employment policies were consistently
and fairly applied across the organisation 

–  52 per cent said that they were satisfied
with their current job

–
58 per cent agreed that their job makes good use of their skills and abilities

–
58 per cent agreed that their manager supports them to achieve a reasonable
work-life balance

–
30 per cent agreed there is equal access to job and promotion opportunities

–
29 per cent said they felt their contribution was valued by the organisation

–
38 per cent said that they were clear about the development opportunities
available to them

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–
46 per cent said they received the training they needed to do their jobs

By Michael Millar