1. The Future Deal for Public Sector Workers
Dr Martin Reddington
Prof Helen Francis

2. Employer Employee Organisational
Contributions: Contributions: Outcomes
Pay and Reward Job Engagement EPS
Support to learn Job Performance Sickness Absence
new skills Team Performance Attrition
Genuine concern Organisational Customer
for well being Citizenship Behaviours Satisfaction
Job Security Organisational Product Innovation
Interesting Work Commitment Product Quality
Provide
psychological
safety to allow
surfacing of
tensions Tensions
© Prof Helen Francis and Dr Martin Reddington

3. Balance of the Deal
© Prof Helen Francis and Dr Martin Reddington

4. Conversational Practice
© Prof Helen Francis and Dr Martin Reddington

5. Zone of Zone of
Defection Zone of Affection
Acceptance
Deal Favours Employer Constructive Deal Favours Employee
Tension
© Prof Helen Francis and Dr Martin Reddington

6. Analysis – the different lenses
Statistical Analysis of Thematic Analysis
ratable survey items of free text
responses to open
questions
© Prof Helen Francis and Dr Martin Reddington

7. Balance of the Deal (Overall)
46% 79%
46% 69% 78%
45% 50%
54%
© Prof Helen Francis and Dr Martin Reddington

8. Cumbria n=15
Kent n=1160
Council Comparisons
Dagenham
Wychavon
Barking &
n= 186
n= 122
Psychological Contract 66 46 48 52
Perceived Organisational Support 68 45 48 63
Employer contribution 67 46 48 57
Job engagement 93 79 78 77
Efficacy 89 78 77 82
Organisational Engagement 72 50 55 72
Employee contribution 84 69 70 77
Imbalance -18 -23 -22 -20
Overall Satisfaction 72 54 58 74

9. Thematic analysis
Free Text Barking and Wychavon Cumbria Kent
Responses Dagenham
Best thing about N=107 N= 79 N=14 N=742
working for the
Council
Biggest tension N= 83 N=58 N=14 N=582
(challenge) you
currently face in
the workplace
Working with N= 89 N=44 N=14 N=724
line to find best
way of getting
something done

10. Public Service as a Motivating Force -
Best thing about working for the Council
Positive
Providing public services that are free at the point of access (despite the
official 'customer' terminology for users - as if they are paying directly
for what they get) is very meaningful to me, particularly when
users/customers are needy or disadvantaged in some way.
Negative – links to psychological contract
Uncertainty with regard to my future employment. The Council is
taking advantage of hard working and conscientious frontline
workforce, knowing we strive to ensure a good service for our
families. Less agencies to work with, more paperwork, more social
problems with families, no time to give them as catching up constantly
with triplicate paperwork and unreasonable expectations
© Prof Helen Francis and Dr Martin Reddington

11. Perceived Organisational Support
Best thing about working for the Council
High Support-
I enjoy working for the London Borough of Barking &
Dagenham. We all have objectives and goals that we set for
ourselves but we are able to manage this in our own time
management as long as the job gets done. I also like the flexi-
time structure
Low Support
Amount of work expected of me, versus the time
available to do the work with no support from my
manager
© Prof Helen Francis and Dr Martin Reddington

12. Psychological Contract and Support
Positive
Although the workload has increased and the
financial resources have reduced there is still
recognition from my managers for work well done
Negative
Flexi-time (most valued), but now this has been
retracted to 8am start feel that there are not a great
deal of benefits left
© Prof Helen Francis and Dr Martin Reddington

13. Conversational Practice (Overall)
65%
46% 69% 69%
65%
62% 68%
© Prof Helen Francis and Dr Martin Reddington

14. Barking & Dagenham
Council Comparisons
Wychavon n=122
Cumbria n=15
Kent n=1160
n=186
Conversational Practice 74 65 64 67
Conversational Practice Solutions 76 69 66 72
Conversational Practice
Performance 73 62 63 65
Workplace Tensions 65 68 69 57
Job Pressure 82 65 69 57

15. Conversational Practice - Solutions focused
High support
We have taken on responsibility for delivering a new
service and with my line manager have had many
useful and productive discussions to find solutions to
resolving any issues that have arisen.
Low support
Finds managing conflict difficult and avoids taking
action to address accountability.
© Prof Helen Francis and Dr Martin Reddington

16. Conversational Practice - Performance focused
High Support
We consider different options, their strengths and
weaknesses, and decide on the way forward with a
joined up approach
Low Support
i am suffocated by my line manager, the word TRUST is
not in her vocabulary
© Prof Helen Francis and Dr Martin Reddington

17. Council Personality
Agreeableness Innovation Competence Style Directive Supportive
Friendly Adaptable Hard Working Prestigious Authoritarian Open
Agreeable Exciting Confident Efficient Controlling Sensitive
Socially
Honest Imaginative Competent Refined Assertive Responsible
Resilient Appreciative
© Prof Helen Francis and Dr Martin Reddington

18. Personality Comparisons
Agreeableness
100
75
Supportive Innovation
50
Kent
Wychavon
25
Cumbria
B&D
Directive Competence
Style
© Prof Helen Francis and Dr Martin Reddington

19. Beyond the Diagnostic – taking things forward
 Re-Calibrate expectations in relation to things outside of
your control (Pay freezes, pensions, budget cuts and the
ongoing fluidity of organisational change with attendant
risks to job security)
 Invest in perceived organisational support and
conversational practice - the ‘Deal Makers‘