Welcome to Civil Service HR
Chris Last, Head of Government HR Operations
There is no better place to be an HR professional than in the Civil Service, and HR can, and does, make a difference to the way the Civil Service delivers its business.
The HR environment is committed to finding solutions to the issues that challenge everyone in the country; from climate change, immigration and counter-terrorism, to taxation, welfare reform and education.
This is also an exciting time of change for us, as we radically alter the way in which we organise ourselves to deliver HR services. It is the first time that HR leaders from across government have come together to implement a simpler and more efficient model, moving us from thinking on a departmental level about how we provide services and policies, to a cross-government perspective. We have made significant progress already and the transformation is on track for delivery by 31 March 2013.
It is essential however that, as we reorganise the structure of HR, we continue to develop ourselves as professionals and be clear on our priorities. We have already established the HR Capability Framework which identifies the core standards to build and maintain HR professionalism in government, and my vision for all of us within Civil Service HR is that we
• work collaboratively within, and across departments, on activities that are of common interest, sharing best practice and learning from each other;
• understand and deliver the business strategy of the organisations we are supporting; and,
• build our strengths and capability as HR professionals, as we work towards raising the bar for HR professionalism across government.
The people we employ in the Civil Service come from a range of diverse backgrounds, representing almost every skill and profession. To add to this, the Civil Service needs to deliver increasing more complex services with fewer resources. This means that every civil servant needs to work to his or her full potential, capable and willing to deliver excellent services in a fast moving, continually changing world; and the HR profession is critical to making this happen. This is the strategic change agenda for HR professionals across government and I am sure you will enjoy the many opportunities and exciting challenges working in Civil Service HR presents!