1. Digital policy-making in BIS’s
Labour Market Directorate
Paula Lovitt MBE
Henry Green
Rennie Andoh
Employment Status and Employment Contracts Policy Team, Labour Market
Directorate
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
2. What do we mean by digital?
• Two main uses: engagement and listening.
• Engagement – publicising consultations
online, tweeting policy announcements etc.
• Listening – reading industry blogs, tracking
public mood etc.
3. Engagement – why?
• Share good news and
announcements
• Reach a wider audience
• Target specific audiences
• Test and challenge our
approach
4. Listening – why?
• Hear from new people
• Research and identify MP
or campaign group
arguments beforehand
• Target specific audiences
6. Employment Law blog – top tips and
lessons learned
• Make sure you have enough material and resources (staff) to run the blog
and post regularly.
• Do not worry if you don’t get as many readers/comments as anticipated.
• Establish a small editorial team to look over drafts and make suggestions.
• Be open to using all types of media (audio, video, pictorial) .
• Look for different ways to promote the blog internally and externally
• Establish an efficient clearance procedure and a good relationship with
those you need clearance from
7. Case study 2 – Zero Hours Contracts
consultation
• Vast majority of
consultation responses
via. Survey Monkey
• We asked stakeholders
to circulate the link for
us (i.e. Mumsnet and
Saga) to ensure it
reached all stakeholders
• 38,000 responses –
biggest in BIS history
8. Be prepared!
• Digital engagement means more people know
about your policy and consultation
• More awareness = more responses
• Zero Hours consultation got 800 substantive
responses and 37,000+ emails from the public
• One group’s successful internet campaign can
shift the outcome of the whole consultation
9. The future?
• Faster responses – need to
respond quickly to people in the
digital age
• Re-evaluate our approach to
open-policy making – how do
we analyse and value them?
• A more digitally literate Civil
Service
