With the Civil Service facing unprecedented cuts in both cash and resources, managers are being reminded of the importance of looking after staff during times of change.
Although workers are being encouraged to suggest their own ideas for cost savings through the Spending Challenge website, some have criticised Chancellor George Osborne for asking for recommendations that will result in employees losing their jobs.
John Telfer, Joint Managing Director of IBP says: “With budgets currently being slashed across every department, the majority of staff are understandably feeling particularly uneasy. In a time of such radical change, employee engagement is now more important than ever. The Civil Service is going to have to be creative to find new ways of working as there won’t be any money for consultants."
Investors in People (IIP) is recognised, and internationally respected, as a business improvement framework. Of the 60,000 organisations that are working with Investors in People in the UK, almost 20 per cent are in the public sector.
“Managers need to spell out the business case for continuing with schemes such as Investors in People,” continued John Telfer. “Rather than looking at the initial outlay, organisations need to think about how much it is worth to hold on to established good practices and what would be the cost of managers not effectively managing their teams? Private sector organisations such as Nationwide estimate that a 2% increase in their employee engagement index translates into 10% productivity and efficiency gains.”
According to recent research by the Cranfield School of Management, Investors in People has been proven to build managerial capability and through doing so, raise levels of employee engagement and improve performance.
John Telfer added: “With less reliance on external consultants or the National Audit Office, Investors in People offers cost effective, objective, external advice and support as well as providing feedback on the issues that are keeping your senior team awake at night – what could be more valuable than that?”
“We have experienced, knowledgeable specialists that understand the Civil Service environment and the challenges that managers and employees face but who also have private sector expertise.”
Public Sector organisations will find our 'Investors in People in the Civil Service - The Business Case' document useful as it provides answers to many of the questions asked when developing the business case for working with the Investors in People framework.
Benefits of working with Investors in People include increased productivity and sales, greater staff retention and employee engagement, increased motivation, reduced absenteeism, improved HR systems and an increased ability to adapt to change.
Contact IBP by email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 0800 612 3098.
