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The vision RH editorial team

New public sector remits, an ever-expanding use of digital technology, demographic and territorial shifts – these are just some of the elements that are forcing government administrations to transform themselves. To maintain the vital balance between budgetary constraints and citizens' expectations, public sectors around the world need to update their HR strategies and develop new management tools.

Several countries have undertaken reforms to promote mobility. Support for staff continues to play a major role in this process as it is the cornerstone of success.

Faced with a refocusing of its remit, the Canadian federal administration was obliged to reorganise its workforce. Under the terms of a directive, the system it put in place included prioritising placements for civil servants whose department was restructured, as well as special access to a job exchange programme.

To revitalise certain medium-sized Danish cities, the Danish government has relocated several of its ministries and agencies. Staff who have agreed to move have been granted two days of telework and commuting is included in working time.

Mobility is also a means to transfer skills: The goal of Ireland's Civil Service Mobility programme is to encourage civil servants to apply for positions outside the capital region to fill territorial vacancies in certain counties. For spouses who are unable to find positions in the same area, an experiment carried out by three departments allows secondment to the private sector.

At a time when careers are divided into successive phases, providing support also means enabling public servants to move into a variety of career paths and to take advantage of new opportunities.

As part of the Dutch administration's implementation of a new integrated HR management system, an application allows civil servants to make algorithm-driven career forecasts. Group professional development workshops are also being offered.

Making certain positions more accessible to staff wishing to make a career change is the goal of the British "Success Profiles" programme, with eligible positions prioritising behavioural skills and recognition of professional experience.

To support staff at the end of their careers who may encounter difficulties with respect to mobility, the Swedish government HR service is developing a specific offer to help these staff to better adapt to a new environment.

This transformation is also bringing about changes in how work is organised, with the arrival of new models that combine autonomy, flexibility and accountability – models that must be supported.

There is a growing need for flexibility at work. Introducing flexible working times can be achieved by creating a "time savings account" that is valid for an individual's entire career, and therefore transferable in the event of a change of employer. This will shortly be rolled out for German civil servants, who can put aside overtime hours and unused holidays, and even compensation with which employees may be credited.

Similarly, encouraging government departments to facilitate work/life balance is a trend that is quickly gaining traction. Under the terms of the Lavoro Agile (Agile Working) directive (which came into force in 2018), the Italian administration has committed itself to ensuring that 10% of public employees benefit from temporal and spatial flexibility arrangements by 2020.

Several provisions in the coalition treaty deal with federal civil servants. They include creating allowances for certain stressful occupations, eliminating additional remuneration for married civil servants in favour of an increase in the pro rata compensation based on the number of children, and expanding the stock of reserved rental housing, particularly in cities where rents are the highest (Frankfurt, Munich).

The "Quota 100" pension reform entered into force on 1 February. This initiative will allow a number of civil servants to retire earlier. Eligibility is based on a simple rule: the retirement age and the number of years worked must add up to 100. The law calls for a six-month waiting period before civil servants can file requests, and the government must commit to hiring and training replacements during this period.

After difficulties with the Phenix application, the government has decided to set up a new integrated HR and payroll information system. The ProGen team is working to define of a mobile digital solution that is accessible at all times. It is based on user needs, which are expressed through a collaborative platform, and on transactional management processes.

To cope with an expanded remit, the Prudential Supervision and Resolution Authority (ACPR) will significantly increase the number of hires made outside the competitive process. To do so, the Authority has organised its first "jobdating". The idea is to allow candidates to come and speak for about twenty minutes with employees about their jobs, before discussing with recruiters.

Although Spain has only one official language at national level (Castilian), the government will pay bonuses to public officials in contact with the public who speak at least one of the country's three regional languages (Basque, Catalan and Galician). This measure is being overseen by the newly-created Ministry of Territorial Policy and Public Function.

The Norwegian government has designed a programme to integrate for new hires. "God Start!" is a dedicated platform that provides them with both general knowledge about working for the government and practical knowledge about their new environment. The uptake lasts six months and there are assessment interviews at various points with managers.

The training organization CEGOS recently published the 3rd edition of its "x-ray of HR departments". The primary finding: HR has become more complex and the gap is widening between HR managers' goals, the practice of the profession and what employees expect from it. Although the majority want to become involved in skill-building, they mainly provide support for change, because the key issue is reorganisations and restructurings. 

"RESIST" is a toolkit to help civil servants prevent the threat posed by the dissemination of misinformation. The six-step information process (from identification to outcome monitoring) delivers practical skills to counter misinformation, reduce its impact and strengthen organisational resilience. It is complemented by an extensive training programme.

Accessible via Internet, Intranet and SMS, "O'RH" provides 3,500 civil servants (for both the city and its metropolitan area) with a single point of access where they can easily find answers to basic HR questions and cut through red tape. Requests that are too specific or personal are automatically forwarded to the HR department, which provides an appropriate response within five days.

The OECD gives citizens a voice to express their views on the transformations taking place in the world of work with the deployment of digital technology and demographic changes. The OECD believes that it is important for policy makers to strengthen the resilience and adaptability of labour markets so that transitions can be managed with as few disruptions as possible, while maximizing potential benefits.

Twelve-week paid parental leave has been introduced for Federal employees. Staff are also eligible if they take in a child or provide care for a relative. A study showed that granting such leave would allow the government to save at least $50 million per year on costs incurred by staff replacements, and would contribute to making working for the government an appealing option.

The "Inclusive Toolbox" was set up by the Dutch government to encourage administrations to hire more people with disabilities and to better integrate them. Public employers can find all the information they need about hiring, adapting the workplace and career paths. A centre of expertise provides support during the various stages.

More and more companies are using digital solutions to step up their recruitment processes, but how does this fit with the more sensitive areas of searching for specific skills and screening candidates?

At Crédit Agricole, paperless procedures and the use of Big Data are part of the HR department's daily life.

It starts with prospecting. Thanks to an innovative solution entitled Golden Bees, which uses programmatic advert technology, the bank targets candidates proactively: customised job offers are sent only to targeted profiles via various channels (e-mail, social media, etc.).

When it comes to screening and ranking applications, another technology then comes into play. The recruiting department establishes the behavioural profile of the "ideal employee". This composite portrait is screened using a questionnaire given to each candidate applying online, a kind of "predictive test" that evaluates the answers.

Finally, using a scoring system, the manager can obtain a pre-selected list of the best CVs, accompanied by interview guidelines that have been generated specifically on the basis of the behavioural aspects of the position in question.

It is not always easy to ensure that the civil service is representative of the society it serves. Depending on cultural and economic factors, national administrations often act in a segmented way when it comes to diversity and inclusion.

In its application of the measure¹ that was at the top of the list in the 2014 Federal Coalition Agreement, the Belgian Federal Administration stands out for its comprehensive approach that takes into account all types of differences, regardless of how visible they are.

Several bodies (steering group, project group and working groups) now form the "Federal Diversity" network, which supports and guides projects that are part of a three-year strategic plan, ensuring their successful implementation.


 

The network's efforts therefore cover all of the actions and awareness campaigns carried out in the following areas:

• People with a migration background

• People with disabilities

• Gender parity

• Sexual orientation, gender identity and expression

• People in precarious situations and/or who are socially excluded
 

Initiatives that have actively contributed to respect for everyone and enrichment for all include:

• The beproud! network which was launched in 2016 after the publication of a study that demonstrated how, despite progressive national regulations, some officers still experience problems vis-à-vis acceptance of their sexual orientation. The project was supported by ministerial cabinets.

• The "experts in experience" initiative, which initially consisted of hiring people who had themselves experienced a situation of poverty to assist citizens in difficulty in their administrative procedures. Although this represented a challenge in terms of HR management, it has been deployed across all federal public services.

Spotlighting diversity projects, both large and small, by rewarding them for their efforts is the goal of the "Diversity Awards", the 4th edition of which will be held at the end of this year.

¹ "The Government shall take measures to reflect the diversity of society in the composition of the workforce. It shall also ensure the diversified composition of selection panels and the neutrality of selection procedures."