The monthly focus of this 23^rd issue is dedicated to support for career paths and more particularly the high added value of the various actions carried out. As usual, we present you the last trends in several countries on this theme and the inspiring ways in which they are implementing them.
Beyond the news, you will get acquainted with the "Next Step" initiative on management of departures at Mazars and the three innovation laboratories serving Latvia's future administration.

We stay at your disposal for your opinions, remarks or suggestions. Do not hesitate to write to us: 
contact-visionrh@kiosque.bercy.gouv.fr

You changed job, employer and / or email, remember to update your subscription data:
https://kiosque.bercy.gouv.fr/alyas/abo/edit/envisionrh

Have a good reading. Take good care of you and others!

The vision RH editorial team

Longer careers due to later retirement and greater mobility because of promotions, restructuring and retraining: these are all factors that put career path support at the heart of today's HR strategy.

National administrations have become aware of the need to offer solutions that match the growing needs of both staff and departments.

Following the example of France, many countries have recruited and trained staff to provide career development services. In Austria, in addition to the new public employment job exchange, an internal mobility support unit is available to federal staff. The unit manages a database of candidates who wish to change jobs, and it assists them in their efforts (creation of profiles, job offers and interviews). This helps regulate problems of under- and over-staffing.

Among the tools that can be used to match profiles and positions, the skills inventory remains the central element: in Finland, the Administration has upgraded its career path and mobility management system by integrating a new module. Skillful combines skills (both personal and professional) with the tasks carried out in the positions held. This new functionality is in high demand by departments, as it facilitates the identification of experts and know-how.

Preparing for change with an eye to moving into the future under good conditions is not innate, and requires significant personal investment. In Belgium, federal government employees can benefit from a system in which qualified career coaches (as part of the Talent Plus network) provide coaching sessions using innovative interview techniques, exercises and questionnaires to provide food for thought.

Some countries, such as the United Kingdom, have opted for the creation of careers. Successively developed using a similar model, they now cover almost all sectors and offer genuine prospects in terms of career advancement and functional and geographic mobility. The designers have modelled the various career development possibilities and an online module provides detailed answers for staff questions.

The Netherlands has chosen to get each individual involved in his or her career path, taking into account key career events and giving them the means to achieve this, and has introduced two measures to stimulate recurrent interest:

• Group workshops prepare agents who wish to change posts. There are four themes: building a professional network, highlighting one's profile, presenting a structure based on an employer brand and communicating effectively within a department.

• A new integrated HRM system was rolled out, in which the structure of positions and the assessment process were jointly redefined. Career path management has been streamlined thanks to an app that allows users to create their own simulations.

To cope with lengthening working lives, some countries are taking the lead in developing specific programmes for those entering the second half of their careers. In Sweden, a range of services (interactive workshops and a dedicated HR team) adapted to the needs of those concerned is aimed at preventing skills obsolescence and even professional wear and tear, and in Switzerland the federal administration is committed to remaining an appealing employer by offering a development model (prospective interview with a view to a possible change in assignment).

The Minister of Territorial Policy and the Civil Service has announced a reform plan primarily aimed at filling vacant positions and stepping up the replacement of the many civil servants who will be retiring. It is organised around 4 themes: a renewed civil servant status, measures for equality, increased use of teleworking, new plans for training and recruiting talent (the criteria for access to public employment will be reviewed).

Caregiver leave taken by federal public employees will now be taken into account when length of service is calculated for the purpose of retirement benefits. Time spent in the day-to-day life of a family member who suffers from reduced autonomy and requires ongoing assistance is now considered a career pursuit and counted as such.

A programme to assess the impact of artificial intelligence on work, innovation, productivity and skills has just been launched by OECD. The goal is to support administrations in managing the digital transition by ensuring a responsible and people-centred use of automation processes to improve individual and societal well-being.

By intelligently deconstructing preconceived ideas that some citizens have about public sector employment, the department that pools recruitment at national level wants to encourage more people to apply. Its website includes a series of questions and concrete answers, on topics such as how to apply, the selection process and the diplomas required.

The federal government wants to improve its recruitment processes, and qualifications must take precedence over the degree earned. A pilot phase is currently being conducted in several government agencies. External "talent selectors" help departments break out of certain patterns and more easily detect candidates who match the profiles in question.

"Qualifica Digitalis" is a project initiated by the ICT Strategy Council in partnership with FOKUS and FöV, two specialised research institutes. The goal is to identify the skills – and the means to promote them – that staff at every level in municipal, regional and federal departments need to have to successfully carry out the government's digital transformation

VALTIO-JOKO is a new programme developed by the national training provider (HAUS) for senior public managers. It focuses on the latest trends in networking and collaboration. With guidance from experts, participants are invited to jointly design projects, working on co-development processes and introducing new facilitation methods.

With 56.1% of women in senior positions in the public sector, the country is now the European leader (the European average is 41.9%). For several years now, Slovenia has made gender parity a priority and has demonstrated that it is possible to maintain a balanced distribution – even in abandoning its initial quota rule – by proposing appropriate mechanisms.

Staying in touch with 5,000 government employees working at a large number of sites spread out across a very large territory can be an opportunity to rethink and adapt the way we communicate. The Département Council has therefore launched a podcast. Each month, it goes into the field to discover the various occupations that are being carried out. A podcast is a way of making everyone's work known and of giving a voice to employees who are far from the central offices.

A majority of civil service jobs are still located in the London area. The British government has presented its comprehensive "Places for Growth" relocation plan, which will involve moving 22,500 civil servants by 2030. All government departments will be affected. Government Estates Management is preparing the new locations, which will be spread over 11 major British cities.

With the deployment of telework and alternative management methods following the adoption of the "Lavore Agile" directive, the civil service is acquiring a tool that enables it to collect and monitor data in real time. It is accessible to all, and reference documents and standards will be issued, together with tools and guidelines on how best to adopt and implement intelligent solutions.

Unions and management are currently negotiating an "Employee Wellness Support Program" (EWSP). The idea is to provide better coverage for absence due to long-term illness (elimination of the waiting period and up to 26 weeks of paid leave). it is intended to complement the current system, where staff acquire sick leave entitlements as they move through the ranks.

It is a topic that many steer clear of, and is often taboo: little attention is paid to an employee's departure – whether voluntary or not – beyond administrative or legal procedures.

Companies today are becoming aware of the impact this has not only on the continuity of service, but also on the image conveyed.

Mazars, the leading French audit and advisory group with a global presence, has chosen to turn it into a strength by creating the "Next Step" initiative:

• As soon as a departure is considered (up to 18 months before the planned departure date), the employee is given an initial (and strictly confidential) interview with an HR manager

• The company undertakes to search for positions that correspond to the employee's profile and an official request is sent to the potential recruiter once both parties have agreed

• If the hiring takes place, the employee is "seconded" for a 3-month trial period. If it proves to be successful, the company waives the notice period.

This initiative has several advantages. It is a genuine decision-making tool for employees, who can use it to successfully transition between positions, and it provides significant leverage to develop professional networks and forge innovative partnerships. For recruiters, it means security with respect to profile qualification, shorter time-frames and a means of facilitating integration.

¹ Mazars has 23,000 employees and is present in 89 countries.

At the end of 2017, Latvia launched an in-depth reform of its public sector. At the core of this major change were the redefinition of remits, reorganisation of the workforce and the introduction of new working methods.

Under the banner #GovLabLatvia, three innovation labs were set up, a first in Europe in this area. Each worked on a theme corresponding to one aspect of the reform, in close collaboration with the other two:

• Simplifying processes to create a new approach aimed at minimising and streamlining administrative tasks

• Bolstering the Administration's image and reputation to offer solutions based on global best practices in value integration

• Strategically managing human resources to create an innovative human capital management framework, drawing on successful examples from the private sector.

,

A total of 16 prototype solutions (8 of which deal directly with HR topics) have been developed in the labs. One of them, led by the Ministry of Economics and entitled "Official Shadows Entrepreneur", has already been deployed and enables public officials to better understand how companies operate on a daily basis.

In this solution, managers propose a project they have initiated or an issue they are facing and invite a counterpart from a government department, selected for an immersive experience. The first phase brought together 35 companies and 98 civil servants.

Alongside philosophy and methodology of conceptual thinking, the labs employ principles of agile development and an iterative approach (solutions are not created with the aim of solving everything at once, but over time), and use the LEAN model (favouring ongoing improvement and the elimination of unnecessary activities).

Guidelines have been developed to help all those who, working for a central or local government, are concerned about the quality of public services and wish to make improvements by developing the best solutions.

In May 2019, a hackathon was held in Riga, at which 22 participants designed a prototype to implement the OECD recommendation¹ on leadership and capacity in public administration.

#GovLabLatvia is one of the flagship initiatives of the government programme ExCeL (Excellent for the Centenary of Latvia), dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the country's founding.

¹ Latvia is the 35th member country of the OECD, as of 1 July 2016.