3 hours ago
6
Ministers have been warned that they risk civil servants feeling attacked after new guidance was published banning staff network meetings in working hours.
The document said civil servants should make sure cross-government networks remained impartial, and brought in a requirement for senior managers to sign off events.
The new guidance was broadly welcomed by unions and Whitehall experts for providing clarity about the existing rules, which are set out in the civil service handbook.
Announcing the changes, the Cabinet Office said it had brought in the changes because ministers and civil service leaders had been concerned by recent reports of “inappropriate events” being conducted by some networks.
The new guidance states that all events must now be signed off by a senior civil servant before preparations begin. The changes also make clear that events should always take place outside working hours, unless they directly benefit the organisation, such as learning and development – and in these instances, signoff from the line manager of attenders will be required for them to go to the event.
It warned that, under the guidance, network activity may be suspended or ceased if networks do not comply with the new rules.
However, the government was cautioned that its decision to brief the new rules to the Telegraph – including a Labour source saying it would stop “nonsense” events – risked the civil service once again feeling under attack.
One civil service union source said: “Work to mend the relationship between civil servants and ministers, which deteriorated so badly under the last government, is undone when policy developments are briefed exclusively to media which have a long history of attacking the civil service.
“It risks staff feeling under attack at a time when once again they are being asked to do more with less.”
Others also warned the government that it must not lead to a lessening of its commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI). Some of the biggest civil service staff networks are the Race Forum and the LGBT+ network.
Steve Thomas, the deputy general secretary of the Prospect union, said: “Formalising new rules around staff networks is a sensible step and will add clarity around the civil service code.
“It is important, however, that this does not represent a weakening of the government’s commitment to the importance of EDI and we will be working with the Cabinet Office to ensure this does not happen.”
after newsletter promotion
Nick Thomas-Symonds, a Cabinet Office minister, said: “We are taking action to prevent inappropriate uses of networks in the civil service.
“While the vast majority of networks and their events are run within the rules, this new guidance delivers clarity. It will ensure all network members and leaders are aware of the need to remain impartial at all times and fulfil the expected behaviours set out in the civil service code.”
Alex Thomas, a programme director at the Institute for Government, said the new rules were “reasonably proportionate as most meetings take place after work or in lunchtimes anyway”, and “reminding civil servants that they are primarily there to do their core jobs is not a bad thing and clearly civil service networks shouldn’t be campaigning or agitating against government policy”.
However, he said staff networks were valuable for many different groups within the civil service and there had been some undue criticism of legitimate networks.
