Performance-related pay introduced for senior civil servants

Performance-related pay progression has been introduced for senior civil servants, with the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister stating that the move seeks to reward “the doers not the talkers”.

The announcement came as part of the government’s response to recommendations from the Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB). The response also set out a base pay rise of 2.5%, although this is lower than the 3.5% advised by the SSRB.

The move followed a speech made by Darren Jones, the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, in January, in which he outlined his ambition to reward top performers to better incentivise delivery.

Speaking after the government announcement, he said: “The Government has followed through, confirming our new approach will reward exceptional civil servants who go above and beyond for the public, while raising the standard we expect civil servants to meet.

“As a package, this represents the biggest change to Senior Civil Service pay in decades and is just one of the many steps the Government is taking to modernise the system to make sure what happens in Westminster is followed through to the streets, schools and livelihoods of people in every part of the country.

“Our job as Ministers is to give civil servants the tools and support they need, so that together, we can build a Britain that is richer, fairer and stronger.”

To support that intent, 1% of the senior civil service paybill will be dedicated specifically to the performance-related progression approach, with the overall paybill increasing by 3.5%.

Pay processes have also been streamlined to make it easier for civil service managers to secure flexible pay arrangements for specialist roles, helping to attract and retain crucial technical skills.

This is but one of the changes which have recently been put forward to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the civil service as part of the Future Civil Service programme, which foresees the reform of development schemes, talent management systems, and recruitment processes.