Revs & bens staff to be trained 24 hours a day 7 days a week

http://www.oaktree.org.uk/

What on earth is Mr Mustard on about; staff cannot be trained for 24 hours of the day can they? They can according to this set of Q&A. Mr Mustard thinks that the answers which are in OneBarnetspeak, a modified form of councilspeak as spoken, at length, at Croydon Council (see InsideCroydon) need clarifying so he has added an answer in plain English, in red.

Revenue & Benefits Q&A’s: 29 May 2012

Q1. When will we receive the assimilation outcomes?A. The evaluations are still being undertaking and as soon as these are complete we will invite people to individual meetings to discuss the outcomes and next steps.
Indicatively we will be looking to commence outcome meetings at the latter end of week commencing 4 June 2012.
w/c 4 June 12

Q2. What happens if I am away from the office on the day outcomes are communicated?A. It is likely that the outcome process will take place over a number of days, should individuals be out of the office for the entirety of this period we would seek to make them aware at the earliest point on their return.

Local arrangements for communicating outcomes can also be agreed for planned extended leave.

You will be told as soon as you are back

Q3. When we are advised where we will be based, when will we find out which team we will be in?

A. The structure of the teams will be determined by the respective senior manager in collaboration with the Team Manager’s, and this will be discussed in detail over the coming weeks.

Pass.

Who put that rogue apostrophe in?

Q4. Do we have the right of appeal of where we are told we will be based?
A. You will be invited to a meeting to discuss the outcome of the assimilation evaluation and a rationale for the decision that has been taken.

No.

Q5. When and how will Revenue & Benefits training be delivered?

A. Training will be delivered both by existing subject area specialists and the Training team, and this will be on a continuous basis to ensure that the team is appropriately prepared for the future needs of the service.

See this link for the difference between continuous and continual. It is very worrying that the management of the massive One Barnet programme is run by people who are so sloppy in their use of language. It makes one question their competence.

Q6. Will Job description be changed?A. Where there is a current proposal to amend existing JD’s this has formed part of the consultation process.

Maybe

If as the service develops there is latterly a need to revisit the existing job descriptions this would be done through consultation.

New job descriptions will be imposed in the usual way.

Q7. Can I refuse to move to a role in the contact centre?

A. No. Appointments to the contact centre will be by assimilation and reflect the needs of the organisation.

Yes, get your coat and your P45

Q8. Who will make the decision on where people will be placed?

A. Decisions are being reached as follows:

• Assimilation evaluation: These are undertaken by the respective line managers, plus an second informed manager. The finalised outcome is an average score taking in to consideration both evaluations. Details of the criteria used have been discussed during the consultation sessions and can be found on the intranet.

• Structured interviews will be undertaken where the evaluation has not suitably differentiated between those in scope for assimilation. The interviews will be held by senior front and back office service managers'

The management will decide. Another surplus apostrophe has appeared.

Q9. Why are performance reviews not being used as a selection tool?

A. The assimilation evaluations focus on the core knowledge, skill and experience requirements of the assimilable roles, the outcomes will therefore allow for informed decision to be taken.
Performance reviews don't give the answer we want.

Q10. The required skill, knowledge and experience may differ between roles. Does the evaluation take this in to consideration?

A. The evaluation looks at the core requirements of the respective roles.

Yes.

Q11. Why has the scale 0, 10, 20 been used?
A. The evaluation criteria and scale are defined by the Managing Organisational Change policy

Pass.

Q12. Who will need to attend an interview?
A. Interviews will take place where the assimilation evaluation has not suitably differentiated between members of the in-scope team to reasonably allow an informed decision to be taken.

Interviews will be structured and scenario based therefore focusing on the core competencies for both assimilable roles (front and back office).

Anyone who has rocked the boat.

 
Q13. Will I find out my evaluation outcome before any interview?
A. Yesgosh, a one word answer

Q14. Is there a reduction in Appeal’s or Overpayment’s team roles?

A. Customer contact activity and the appropriate resource to manage this will transfer to the CSO but there is no overall reduction in permanent Officer roles.

No.

Q15. Will individual work load increase? 

A. The proposed changes, in addition to increased financial accountability, are focused on service improvement. This means that we will need to work smarter through improved process and a more empowered staff team.

As has been communicated throughout the consultation period, the putting in place of:

- A dedicated Customer Contact team

- A centralised Support and Control team

- The Transition team

Will see the service transformed and resource more appropriately aligned to meet current and future demands.
Workloads will increase.

 
Q16. Why has the structure changed from that first proposed when consultation was opened?
A. The structure has changed twice since consultation was opened, firstly the addition of two Team Leader roles within the front office structure, and subsequently through the introduction of two additional roles within the Revenue’s team.We didn't know what we were doing. Another duff apostrophe.These changes have been as a direct result of the consultation period and reflect the level of involvement of the staff team in the defining of the future operating structure.

The optional second round of one to one’s consultations that are now taking place have been offered with a view to discussing the recent changes in more detail, and offering further input to the process.
Another duff apostrophe.



One Barnet is run by verbose illiterate management.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard

Ed gets £80,472 p.a. to write guff

what sort of website wouldn't be online? Croydon Council are the complete masters of writing loads and saying nothing but Barnet are catching on. Look at this rubbish on the Inside Croydon blog. This is all such vague stuff that Mr Mustard can barely be bothered to get his red pen out. Now for the second division councilspeak offering from One Barnet Tuesday, 12 June 2012 at 14:42 - Schroder, Johnathan What next for the Corporate Change Programme? The council is starting to think about the next wave of corporate change programmes. A series of strategic reviews are being conducted which are cross-cutting and inter-linked. Can't we just cut your post Mr Gowan? These reviews will examine: community safety; early intervention and prevention; health and social care integration; leisure; and the street scene. Ed Gowan, assistant director of commercial transformation, said: "These strategic reviews are the next stage in the transformation of Barnet. We are beginning to build upon what has been achieved so far by the One Barnet Programme by looking beyond the mechanics of how we deliver services to identifying where we can improve the lives of residents. The council wants to make sure that our resources are focussed on what residents need and that we can facilitate communities taking ownership of some of these issues for themselves." "These reviews are very much part of the 'one public sector' approach as they will necessitate working closely with other public sector partners in the police, NHS, probation, and across many directorates of the council itself. As ever, the council will be driving for efficiency by mapping how much public money is spent across the large number of bodies involved with these five areas, and sharing resources and reducing duplication where possible. The council will also look to be customer-centric by assessing whether it is meeting all the needs and expectations of residents." These strategic reviews are in their early stages. A business case will be developed for each of these reviews. It will be requested under Freedom of Information legislation. See future editions of First Team for further updates. Mr Mustard has his log-in and will keep an eye out. Yours frugally Mr Mustard