e Government ‘Communication Service Reshaping GCS FAQs - Edition 1 Dated 13 July 2020 12:00 Answers given in this document are provided in good faith as the best available at the above date. Because the Reshaping GCS programme has just started, it is possible that some of the circumstances will change in the future. We have tried to provide as much clarity as possible at this stage Single Employer I've never heard of the Single Employer Model - why not, if it was agreed years ago? ‘Single employer in this context means everyone who works in a communications rale in the Civil Service would be employed by one departmentorganisation. This is likely to be the Government Communication Service. This sort of arrangement already operates in the Government Legal Department and the Government Commercial Service. No 10 believes a single employer will ensure unified standards and have a positive impact on the people we serve The idea is not new and has been discussed by Directors of Communication since 2014. The PM's personal backing now means this is the time to bring this into being. Will teams still be based within individual organisations but line managed by Whitehall or will all government communications roles now be based in the centre? The former, though some roles can expect to move closer to the centre af government. But we expect many roles will continue to operate from within departments, as now Whatever is designed for a long-term government communications offer, we know that priorities will shift, new priorities will emerge and unforeseen developments will mean more work and more communications support needed. Do you anticipate that,in addition to a core communications function, departments will also need to bring on board communications expertise on a contract-by-contract basis? As is the case now, we will assess workload and resourcing requirements and bring in extemal support where necessary So If this is the case, how can we prevent this moving back towards shadow function territory, and how could we best have oversight and coordination of these roles to make sure they work with us, not against us? What this means in practice, how we do this and over what periad of time is to be determined. The idea of a ‘Licence to Practise’ or some form of accreditation is being considered. Like much of the annauncement of GCS’s Reshaping, what we have are the principles: it is up to GCS to work out the details. How many senior comms positions will there be in the new structure i.e. DD/ Director level? Structures are still to be developed How will communications activity being led by the intelligence agencies being impacted by the changes to government comms? Communications activity will continue to be appropriate to the needs of the organisation Will government social media channels be remodeled as part of this centralisation? eg. a focus on a single UK Gov account, rather than individual departmental teeds ‘There are currently no intentions for this. Will there be further investment in the tools and programmes we need to be able to effectively communicate internally. Currently what we have is not fit for purpose which makes it difficult for us to be digital first Reshaping GCS gives us the opportunity to build on our existing best practice, look at haw we are organised and review what we need to ensure we are a modem fit for the future communication function. Can you please break down the timings for this process? At this very early stage the timings are not yet finalised. We will ensure you are kept updated and will produce a high level timeline shortly. The PM expects us to begin the new model by 1 April 2021. Our aim is to complete the whole programme by April 2023, earlier if possible A bit more about the process and how much we will be consulted?We will be keeping you informed via in-person or virtual sessions, FAQs and other internal comms plus of course through Directors and Heads of Communication Comms is about listening not just talking, there will be opportunities to feed in ideas. thank you for all the feedback so far. We will follow all of the normal required steps for consultation as per any proposed restructure and have begun discussions with the Trade Unions. Can a Shadow/ Challenge Board be established? It could be beneficial to have different grades and ministries/ ALBs represented? We will build in opportunities far challenge. Itis crucial that ALBs are represented in this process. Is Comms the only Gov profession being slimmed down? All professions are reviewing how they operate as part of the wider Civil Service Reform agenda If there are questions unanswered in Wednesday's [Alex Aiken Town Hall] call [on 8th July] , will you commit to answering them all separately? We have had well aver a hundred questions in, including from Wednesday's session, with many duplications. In this document we have consolidated as many as possible. We will review and refresh this set of FAQs Operating Model Is the number of 30 communicators per department accurate (and similar questions)? ‘We will work out what this actually means in practice as we develop the operating model ‘The expectation is to develop an aperating model that can deliver all the MCOM disciplines. The Prime Minister and his team have made clear that there will need to be strong, clear evidence for more resources in a department or organisation. Reports said there would be 30 comms people in each department. Does this include arms-length bodies and NDPBs? ‘We're working out what this means in practice. ALBs in the Civil Service are included in the scope of this review Has a benchmark been set in terms of how large press offices and/or comms functions should be uniformly under these proposals? No. The operating model is stil to be developedWhat will be the resourcing operating model (including both internal and external comms) across departments (including non-ministerial), ALBs and government-owned companies, under this single employer model? We expect a resourcing operating madel to begin to shape over the coming months. Our professional aperating model, MCOM, with evidence-based insight and data-rich evaluation as well as cutting edge digital techniques and using templates such as OASIS continue to be at the core of our professional approach We have a variety of established contracts and software, will these and the people who support them no longer be necessary? Will all communications software and services be brought into the centre? This will take shape as the resource operating model takes shape. What is going to happen to non-devolved department staff who work in the Devolved Nations, providing their department's comms in these specific areas and to the specific audiences in these areas. They will remain serving the Devolved Nations, though employed directly by the single employer for GCS Will there be the possibility to explore new ways of working, such as self-managing teams delivering campaigns based on high, flexible GCS standards, and who can draw on senior-level coaches to support them (known as the Buurtzorg model applied in many different industries) We are always keen to explore new ways of working if these prove more efficient and effective in serving our audiences. The single employer model is an opportunity to build on and share our creativity, work mare collaboratively and evolve our communication approach. Please could you give more details on what the organisation structure will look like and what ‘smaller, more agile teams' might mean and or look like? This is still to be develaped and we will share proposals as they emerge. This should become clearer later in the year. Will central Comms take over everything that each Department Comms teams do? as trying to do Internal Comms and the policy liaison? ‘We will develop a model that is fit for purpose and recognises the importance of departmental communication What will happen to already formed shared services like Design102?We will learn from and bulld on existing goad examples of shared services to ensure we operate efficiently and effectively. Do you envisage designers being part of the single employer model alongside our comms colleagues? | can see many benefits of having design teams aligned with all areas of comms. ‘Yes, as they perform a communications role Will we still be based in the departments we currently work in? Early thinking is that some people will move to a central team at the heart of government, whilst others will stay focused on work exclusively of their department. But i's far too early to be any more specific. We will keep you updated as operating model development progresses How will work be prioritised? What will government communicators be expected to deliver under the new model, will this be both proactive and reactive’ rebuttal comms? Work will continue to follaw gavernmentistatutory priorities. How can we manage unofficial communications bubbles appearing in departments? Each Group Director / Director and Group Head / Head of Communications will have a responsibilty to ensure alignment to the consistent unified communication model Will there be more coordination between departmental newsdesks? ‘Yes - greater coordination is anticipated to be a positive benefit of the single emplayer made! Does the new structure centralize power, and does this undermine democracy? The single employer model aims to ensure better coordination, greater efficiency and effectiveness and unified, excellent professional standards and practice. This approach has been mandated by the PM who of course was democratically elected Will efforts be made to keep existing teams together? We are not able to confirm this at this early stage and will keep you updated as operating model development progresses Will we have a say on which campaigns/policy areas we work on? We are not able to confirm this at this early stage and will keep you updated as operating model development progressesThere are cases where we outsource design for many campaigns only for itto come back in-house at the eleventh hour, will there be more focus and faith in using skillsets already existing across government, as well as saving taxpayer's money? The single employer model is an opportunity ta better maximise the wealth of existing skills within the GCS and organise ourselves in a more effective way for the future. Will the single employer GCS move towards greater sector and comms discipline specialisation (as per Ditchley lecture), or will comms professionals be expected to get experience in a breadth of disciplines and subject areas? ‘As now, we encourage people to be expert in their chosen discipline but also diversify that expertise around Communications over time. How do you see this announcement and work programme sitting alongside the DFID/FCO merger into FCDO? Will they be combined or remain to separate workstreams? The DFID/FCO programme will continue as is for the present with a view to the single employer model as it develops What do you think is the biggest challenge to making this new approach successful; both to the government and UK citizens? Change is challenging - for those doing it and those experiencing it. The change itself is a huge challenge for all of us, but together we can do this. How will it work in spaces where there are multiple teams and agencies within a department? For example, apprenticeship comms encompasses ESFA marketing comms and DfE comms teams. Itis too early to answer. This will need to be worked aut over time with advice and support from those involved. Defra Group have centralised comms from the ALBs into core Defra with huge successes and unexpected impacts too. Do you think these are worth capturing as ‘insight’ when designing a centralised comms function for all of government? Also, what lessons were learned following the disbanding of the COI that can be taken forward for this Change programme? We are very keen to learn from previous models and what has and hasn't worked Where does Alex see the military communicators who sit inside DDC fitting into the single employer model?People who are regarded as career communications practitioners are in scope. We will work. with colleagues to understand the implications for different departments. How will the relationship between the new single employer and individual organisations work? ie who has the final say on priority setting and use of resources? The principle will be one of collaboration and will need to be worked out aver time. The PM's priorities and statutory campaigns will impact ways af working. What key opportunities do you see that the Single Employer Model will bring to staft in Government communications? There are many positive possibilities of this madel, including better career development and progression, opportunities for movement across projects and disciplines in the GCS in the Civil Service How would this model work for staff overseas for example comms within Embassies/Missions? Whilst the detail is still to be worked out, we expect GCS communicators ta continue to be part of the GCS. Other staff are likely to continue with local arrangements Will changes mean that people will no longer be able to move flexibly between policy and communications roles? Eg comms people from DEXEU parked in policy roles? No, people who are career communications practitioners will remain members of the GCS but this does not mean they cannot work spells in policy. Indeed, we encourage this in the appropriate circumstances Is there consensus among directors of communications that this is the right move? Directors of Communication recognise the need to evolve and reform the profession in line with wider civil service reforms and as part of aur continuous improvement of the profession. Together they will work through the detail and shape the future of GCS. How do you envision strategic local communications being delivered under this model? Or is it now irrelevant? Local strategic communications will remain an important part of GCS operation. Scope Is my organisation/profession in scope?Yes, the review nominally includes everyone — departments and ALBs, embeds and substantive communicators, across all disciplines. We don't yet have more detail - that's all to be worked out How will this implementation affect Military Specialist Communicators - including Reservists? Everyone who is a career communications practitioner in the Civil Service is included in scope What impact will this have on the international comms and marketing network? It should help teams across the network to work even better together on stronger co-creation and execution of campaigns What about those supporting business change teams with local employee engagement and strategy ie not ‘communicating to a mass public audience’. Will they bein scope? ‘Yes, everyone who is a career communications practitioner in the Civil Service is included in scope. How will the proposed changes affect staff doing communications work in departments/agencies who are not currently recogniseditagged as GCS? Everyone who is a career communications practitioner in the Civil Service is included in scope, whether they are currently recognised as GCS or not. Will this affect NHS ALBs? Those on Agenda for Change terms? Non Civil Servants are not in scope Talent, Skills and progression What are the implications of this change programme for the recognition of the digital comms profession (digital was not included in the options of discipline above, or in the GCS careers framework)? A digital future Is even more important so expect this aspect to grow in importance Will we look at establishing a recognised qualification in government or public sector comms to generate more value in our roles and demonstrate a degree of professionalism on par with other specialist services across government? Possibly, as part of our Licence to Practise for GCS.What about those who work in Government Comms who may not have comms as their core skill? Colleagues such as administrators, PAs, finance assistants and ather support staff are essential to the running of Government Communications. Many of us have completed GCS development programmes and qualifications which now feel devalued by talk of the need to ‘professionalise communications’ We believe we are one of the most professional communications organisations in the world ‘We will build on existing professional development and recognise that we need to continuously evolve and imprave our skills individually and collectively. Does this suggest you no longer view having CIPR and PRCA membership as helpful in GCS roles? What is their view on this? Are you also then going to be scrapping the affiliation with such orgs? We value our partnerships with other communication industry membership bodies. We have no plans to terminate our affiliations. Are there any likely consequences for talent programmes such as Impact, Fast Stream, Apprentices? These schemes will adapt, continue, and if anything strengthen, as part of our professional development offer What does this mean for apprentices during and after they have finished their apprenticeship? For those during their apprenticeship it means no change. As is the case now, we aim to place Apprentices in GCS roles after they successfully complete their Apprenticeship How will this affect people from low income/people with disabilities/BAME etc. wanting to join the internship etc? We are proud of our diversity and inclusion pragrammes. We will continue to build on our best practice and strengthen these schemes and build diversity into our communication. practice. in order to better reflect the UK and support the people we serve What is the impact of the changes on GCS training available and career development? The opportunity to deliver GCS training and career development will grow stronger. A single employer model makes it easier for people to progress their careers because people can move across the profession more easilyThe Professions Good internal communications are essential for an engaged and productive workforce. How do you envisage internal communications for different departments will be built into a centralised communications function? (Very many similar questions). The detall is stil to be worked through. Itis important for internal communicators to be close to and around staff and organisation leaders as this is a very important source of insight for IC. Practitioners will be a key part of the single employer model and GCS. Where does an announcement like this leave dedicated campaign teams that work on specific marketing campaigns all year round? The detall is stil to be worked through and we will Keep you update as this progresses. The intention is to have fewer, stronger campaigns. We will ook at each campaign team where there are staff dedicated to a specific campaign. How will the changes to our Communications community affect those of us with specialist careers, like graphic design/animation, and those producing specialist accessible communications. Will we be required to diversify and leave our profession to remain in Comms? What will happen to teams outside of press that work on content and those who offer specialist skills such as graphic design and videography? Composition of comms teams may change as Directors work through the relevant changes. However with a single employer model there is the potential to pool resource teams such as graphic design and videography, plus of course the opportunity to diversity How will these changes affect people who work in the digital (DDAT) profession? ‘Some of us are more aligned with the Government Digital Service (GDS) but we sit within the comms directorate in our departments. This includes people who work on GOV.UK. Reshaping GCS applies to those in the Communications Profession. We will work with colleagues fram other professions and functions to align objectives and share areas in common such as professional development Brand management isn't as prominent in GCS as perhaps marketing/media, it is mainly absorbed by campaign teams. Will the change take this into account and ensure the important role of branding isn't lost? Brand management will continue as now to remain important in campaignsArms Length Bodies What will be the impact on ALB communications teams (very many similar questions) ALB staff who are Civil Servants are in scape of this programme to be employed by the Government Communication Service Should a communications professional currently working locally for an ALB expect to. be redeployed to GCS Local? We don't know this yet, the details are stil to be worked through and we will Keep you updated. How is the balance of comms between departments and ALBs likely to change? This will be worked through as part of the programme. MCOM It would be good to know whether you think that these changes may affect the future look and emphasis of the different functions covered under the MCOM2 model. We have made a huge amount of progress aver the last few years, and we intend to build on that. MCOM and OASIS, with evidence-based insight and data-rich evaluation as well as, cutting edge digital techniques will continue to form the core of our professional appraach. What the operation within this might look like, and how it will meet the needs of individual departments, is what we will be working out aver the next few manths. Will each communications discipline be considered individually through this process? We're not sure yet. We will ask for views and suggestions on this and share detalls as soon as we're able to Licence to Practise What will the new "licence to operate" cover and is there going to be regular testing? It's too early to say - what we want to end up with is a way of certifying and accrediting our communicators, as ather professions do. It will build an our excellent professional development offer, assessed through our GCS Academy. It will be supported by commsindustry bodies. This brings us on par with ather government functions and professions like Finance and HR. Please could you give some clarity on what the regular assessments might involve for individuals, if you are able? The detail of this has nat been worked through yet. Ideas on how to do this are welcome. Do we have to (re)apply for jobs as part of the new model in order to retain our Comms specialism? The detail of this has nat been worked through yet. Ideas on how to do this are welcome. Business as usual/delivery How are the many campaigns going to be run for all Departments with such a small team? ‘We want to have fewer, better cross-government campaigns, held to high standards and focused on our audiences. The detail of haw this warts is stil to be worked through How do these proposed changes align with the increased workload Covid has brought for Government comms and is likely to continue to bring for the foreseeable future? We have done, and continue to do, incredible work an Covid; building on aur learning, this transformation Is aimed at making us more efficient and responsive and improving still further on what we currently do. What will be the role for Insight & Evaluation teams during the "review" period? and will the function of Insight & Evaluation still be a core element per each department or will this just be provided by one central group? The detall is stil to be developed. It's too earty to say at this stage ‘Are we going to be stagnated until all the decisions are made - on recruitment, campaigns, budget allocation etc. It's business as usual until there are specific changes announced. This is especially important to continue to deliver excellent service to our organisations and to continue to bulld the professionalism of the service.Location What opportunities will there be outside of London, in localities where communications can make the biggest difference? GCS has staff all round the country - this will aver time expand and continue. Support Are you able to expand on what support will be provided to all staff during this, difficult period? Itis a Civil Service principle that we always support aur teams in such times. Please speak with your line manager, talking and listening is Key during this time. Your Director or Head of Communication will be keeping you informed, and we will be communicating often and. discussing with you. Within your departments there are also a number of support services available; if yau feel you need additional support (e.g. through an employee assistance programme), above what your team provides, we would urge you to seek this through these avenues. Getting involved: What's the best way for us to get involved with the programme now? ‘We will be working with DoCs and Heads of Communication in every organisation in scope to test ideas and will Keep you updated on haw you can get involved and will likely do something wider in the early Autumn, What are some steps we should take now to prepare for the changes ahead? Continue to deliver consistently excellent communication, with evidence of impact and success. Please contribute your ideas and get involved where opportunities arise Media coverage Why weren't we informed before this news appeared in the media? The timing of the announcement on éth July wasn't of GCS’s making, and we apologise that you did nat hear about it first through GCS. The timing isn’t what we would have wanted and certainly is not how we advise into our organisations. We know this has caused a lot of hurtand anger among many. From here on, we're now trying to repair that and actually practise what of course we know about goad comms We've worked so hard over the COVID pandemic - why are our efforts not recognised and valued? They are - the Prime Minister and government have been pleased, impressed and proud by what we've achieved. There is plenty of evidence of the success of GCS and our communicators. Examples like our work through Covid-19, EU Transition and ather major programmmes are, genuinely, applauded and appreciated Did you know Number 10 was talking to The Times PRIOR to publication, and if you did, what steps did you take to inform directors of communication? This announcement was nat as we would have wished. This announcement was made the hight before publication. Directors of Communication were rung as soon as we knew this