Organisational Culture in the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service

27. The SFRS’s People Directorate has responsibility for the management and delivery of services to support all the human resource elements of the organisation. Within the People Directorate, the People Advice and Employee Relations team are described as acting as a first point of contact for people matters in the Service. We have already made mention of some of the Service’s overarching strategic documents, such as its Long Term Vision and draft Strategy 2025-28, however, the Service does not have a current single strategic document covering People. We see this as a potential development that could bring with it obvious improvement in creating, understanding and maintaining a positive workforce culture.

Recommendation 2

We recommend that the Service engages with its workforce to develop and create a People Strategy that meets the needs of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Framework and the Service’s Long Term Vision.

28. The team are there to provide advice and support on employee relations matters, people issues, case management and general HR advice. Advisors in the team are aligned to geographic areas and areas of responsibility.

29. There was a restructure of the Directorate in April 2023, and as a result there were grading and job title changes. Throughout our interviews, both with staff within the People Directorate and those outside it, the result of the restructure and the roles that staff undertake, was described as being unclear or confusing with a lack of clarity of workflows and responsibilities. From an external viewpoint, some of the confusion may be attached to the fact that there are a number of posts with the same job title, for example People Manager.

30. Despite the fact that the restructure took place in 2023, some People Directorate staff were of the view that the change was still embedding, many others felt that it didn’t work and should be changed. We found that staff outside the Directorate would just contact a familiar person in the hope that they would find the answer they needed. It was regularly described to us as being difficult to raise queries with People Directorate staff, with lengthy delays or no response to phone calls or email requests. The structure was described as ‘top-heavy’ with too many managers and insufficient lower grade administrative posts; with some staff feeling that they were not providing value for money. This was described as having a negative impact on staff and the Directorate’s ability to progress projects, and on other parts of the organisation having to fulfil functions that had previously been undertaken by People Directorate staff. We were also advised that there was not always a People Directorate member of staff in attendance at key meetings, such as attendance management meetings.

31. The restructure was also said to be the reason why some strategic work, such as that on PA, was said to have lost focus. Staff cited that prioritisation of work was an issue. The workload was described by some as being too great with too few staff, and with perceived constant changing priorities; we mention this again elsewhere in the report. We are aware that a prioritisation workshop took place in order to decide what work should take precedence, we were told that the outcome of this work was inconclusive.

32. Whilst we understand the idea behind the role of the Strategic People Partners within the revised structure, on the face of it the People Directorate appears to us top-heavy and difficult to navigate. We were advised that a post implementation review of the structure was carried out which was reported to be positive. We are of the view that this reorganisation has been very disruptive to the People Directorate, and the cause of cultural problems within it. It has also impacted the services and support it provides to the wider organisation.

Recommendation 3

We recommend that the SFRS review the impact of the current People Directorate structure with a view to improving the efficiency, consistency and capacity of the Directorate to improve delivery of service. This should include openly engaging and consulting with staff across the organisation to understand issues with the current structure. Any revision should support the delivery of the SFRS’s Strategic Plan and provide the professional skills and support necessary to meet the workforce needs across the Service.

33. In carrying out any review of the People Directorate, consideration should be given to the following:

• clarity of roles and responsibilities within the Directorate;
• an effective communication campaign to support any changes;
• the delivery of tailored and effective support services to personnel; and
• an evaluation of any changes implemented.

34. Prior to the most recent restructure of the People Directorate, responsibility for occupational health reporting and management of personnel moved from the Health and Safety department to become part of what is now the People Directorate. As we highlighted in our 2022 inspection report: management of health and safety: an operational focus, there is a potential weakness in the health and wellbeing function not sitting within the Training, Safety and Assurance Directorate.