Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • 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
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • 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
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Civil ServicePersonnel Today

Overhaul in Civil Service calms merit pay storm

by Personnel Today 18 Jan 2000
by Personnel Today 18 Jan 2000

Civil Service HR policies are to be radically revamped after the Government
published a far-reaching modernisation programme.

The controversial performance-related pay scheme will be extended but the
Government has calmed union opposition with the new measures.

The three-year plan, costing £100m, is based on six themes including
diversity, performance management and leadership. It is the culmination of a
year-long review involving top mandarins, unions and ministers.

The Civil Service, which employs 460,000 staff, has been criticised in
recent years over race, sex and disability discrimination, poor performance
management and inconsistent pay policies.

Tough targets on recruitment and promotion of ethnic minority staff have now
been set. Initial targets on a number of other issues, including implementing a
new vision and values statement, defining leadership qualities and extending
360-degree feedback, have been set for April.

Other policies include a new competency framework for all staff and more
flexible working and targeted early retirement of senior staff to create more
promotion opportunities.

But the Government is to continue to link performance appraisals with pay,
with the system revamped to raise the level of performance-related bonuses.

Signs of racial bias in performance appraisals have plagued the Department
of the Environment, Transport and the Regions for more than a year, leading to
union protests and threats of tribunal claims. But civil service unions have
backed the Government’s initiative.

Charles Cochrane, secretary of the Council of Civil Service Unions, said,
"It is not so much learning the lessons from the private sector but
recognising that there are a lot of good things going on outside the Civil
Service, and also inside it."

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By John Robinson

www.cabinet-office.gov.uk

Personnel Today

Personnel Today articles are written by an expert team of award-winning journalists who have been covering HR and L&D for many years. Some of our content is attributed to "Personnel Today" for a number of reasons, including: when numerous authors are associated with writing or editing a piece; or when the author is unknown (particularly for older articles).

previous post
Case Round up
next post
Europe is top for quality of living

You may also like

Five misconceptions about hiring refugees

20 Jun 2025

‘Resign’ if you disagree with UK stance on...

10 Jun 2025

Thousands of civil service roles to leave London

14 May 2025

Cabinet Office to shed 2,100 civil service jobs

10 Apr 2025

Quangos to shut down in government efficiency drive

7 Apr 2025

DSTL scientist constructively dismissed for gender-critical views

24 Mar 2025

Civil service cuts will see 10,000 jobs go,...

24 Mar 2025

20,000 government credit cards to be frozen

18 Mar 2025

NHS England: ‘world’s largest quango’ to be abolished

13 Mar 2025

Civil service boss: three days in office is...

26 Feb 2025

  • Empowering working parents and productivity during the summer holidays SPONSORED | Businesses play a...Read more
  • AI is here. Your workforce should be ready. SPONSORED | From content creation...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 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • 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
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+