The Great Debate UK

Redundant redundancy terms?

-Owen Morgan is the commercial director of HR consultancy Penna. The views expressed are his own.-

As the pace of change in the public sector increases, the government is starting to reveal additional information around how it plans to deal with the funding crisis that the sector faces.

Amongst a range of controversial plans, one issue has recently caused particular consternation — the revelation that the Government plans to limit the generous redundancy terms offered to some civil servants.

While some of those in the private sector applaud the initiative, asking “why should private sector workers see their taxes go to funding severance packages that are far in excess of what they could ever expect to receive”, those directly affected are, unsurprisingly, up-in-arms.

Unions threaten industrial action and those tasked with implementing the change perceive they have just been handed another difficult issue that makes their work even more challenging. For those workers who are seeing their redundancy terms altered it’s likely to lead to increasing pressure at a time when many will be fearful regarding what the future holds.

So what can be done? How can the government navigate these proposals through the statute books whilst still retaining a motivated, loyal and performance-driven public sector, something that will be of key importance when we emerge from the restructuring phase?

Equally, how can public-sector staff who are likely to lose their roles be treated sensitively and with due care during what, for anyone, is a very difficult time.