There has been some comments on the Probation Matters blog
over the last weekend about what it is imagined SPOs can or cannot do to stem
the tide that is TR. The short answer, of course, is very little. We are there to
do a specific job and refusing to do something like arrange for court reports
to be done or allocate work will just result in that SPO on a discipline
charge. We can exercise a duty of care towards all staff generally and
especially to those who appear to be struggling but that is as far as it goes.
Given the low turn-out for the last strike the notion that all the SPOs could do something as co-ordinated as undermine TR is a non-starter, in my view. I have no evidence that I could rally my colleagues into some form of mass revolt. As a current (but not for much longer) SPO and, until recently, a JNCC rep for NAPO I have some experience of speaking out, feeling its consequences and being made aware of its limitations. I am aware of what colleagues on other bands are experiencing and I try to take on what I can and my response has never been JTFDI.
Given the low turn-out for the last strike the notion that all the SPOs could do something as co-ordinated as undermine TR is a non-starter, in my view. I have no evidence that I could rally my colleagues into some form of mass revolt. As a current (but not for much longer) SPO and, until recently, a JNCC rep for NAPO I have some experience of speaking out, feeling its consequences and being made aware of its limitations. I am aware of what colleagues on other bands are experiencing and I try to take on what I can and my response has never been JTFDI.
You never get a reasonable appraisal - no matter how much work
you do or to what standard. You can refuse to sign it off, write you own
rebuttal but the document is still there as a supposed warning to you. There
are other, myriad ways in which various
SMT members, over the years, have exacted their revenge at my perceived lack of
loyalty and refusal to play their management game - things that I would not dream
of doing to anyone.
Having said all that I would not have behaved any other way.
Like many, I believe in the power of collective action but over TR I have not
seen a lot of evidence of it. As a JNCC rep I felt let down by NAPO at times
because I did not feel we received the support and guidance we required to deal
with an unknown landscape. The office I work in has good union support but members
still went into work on the day of the second strike. I was the only SPO
to strike in my area. Due to TR I made the decision that, after many years in
post, I needed to look for another job. I have done that and will be taking up
a new post in a different organisation next month. I am full of regrets and
anxiety about it. If it had not been for
TR I would not be leaving, but that is a tale for another day, if Jim lets me
come back.
Anon SPO 2
Anon SPO 2
"Not everyone in Probation is nice". Very true. Sadly. Good luck in the new job. If I had the vaguest idea of what else I could do, I would be off.
ReplyDeleteI know exactly how you feel - although I am not a SPO I have been very vocal over the years and frequently accused of megaphone diplomacy - my response has always been, so what, at least I'm diplomatic. I have over the years had suggestions made that I become a SPO, but I have resisted, as I know this is cynical, but I just felt they wanted to keep me close and try, as they would, to dampen my spirit and mess with my head. Not to mention that party line - so divisive and self centered. I have had really good experiences of SPO's over the years, but in the last 10 years, they have been appointing drones to dispense with quality and introduced 'walking in straight lines' national standards; and target driven nonsence. Many of them, are really floundering now, as the pendulum has gone the other way, this desistence and professional judgement stuff - just at the time of TR putting the cat among the pigeons, without their checklists and tick boxes, they are truly awful. Good luck to you in your new job.
ReplyDeleteThere are people rolling over at all grades, not just management. This infighting is futile and reactive. Focus on the issues not who is fighting the hardest.
ReplyDeleteGood luck in your new job. It feels like a bereavement, doesnt it? Is there a mechanism by which NAPO can embrace and harness the energy -and freedom to speak out- of staff who have left the service? Joanna Hughes is an obvious example but I wonder if there isnt a nascent grouping of recently exited or exiting staff? There is a really crucial period between now and May 2015 when these voices might be particularly powerful.
ReplyDeleteyes, it is a form of minor grief going through the process of making your mind up to leave. I think NAPO is collating examples of staff leaving and why to give to M.Ps- the human impact of a situation appears to carry weight.
DeleteAnon SPO 2,
As the Anon SPO at 02/08/14 22:55 I was pleased to read the blog today and thank you for highlighting the difficulties of being the lonely voice, from above and below this role. I am sorry to hear you have left Probation and wish you well. Had I have been assigned to the CRC I would have been gone by now however my preference was NPS so I am seeing how the land lies, as DipSW trained I can always utilise this in another route. I do feel let down by NAPO whose dysfunctional leadership has failed many. Nevertheless I remain active as members still need to be represented and hope the AGM and new Leadership will provide hope for the future.
ReplyDeleteThe only way to fight TR is to resign and find another job.
ReplyDeleteIf only Chris Grayling would follow that advice...
DeleteAs an SPO, I fully agree with all that has been said in this post. I am not quite so alone in my SMT but hardly in a majority either. The difficulty of managing a devious manipulative team member is wearing and sometimes impossible. Particularly the person who has been passive aggressive and a downright liar for years and given to you to FIX.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds a lot like me-that;s what TR does for you
DeleteSure you're okay about being a 'manager'? You sound out of your depth to me, old bean. Such issues are commonplace, often staff are more complex than clients, and we all have our own shit to deal with as well. One might argue that your post is quite passive aggressive. Take five to re-read your post.
DeleteNow you are being Passive Aggressive.
DeleteThe best people left a long time ago...
ReplyDeleteYeah. Thanks for that.
Deletethat is not a brillian tmorale booster! There are some magnificent people still here! But it seems that lots of people are either leaving, planning to leave, or wishng they could. Which is a massive risk for the long term of what I thnk of as "probation"
DeleteAre we being encouraged to leave to save redundancy payments? I'm sure not leaving until June - suits my mortgage but more than that I'm not saving them money by leaving now!
DeleteSomethings are worth than money ( sanity and health to name a few).
DeleteI don't agree that only the good people are leaving -plenty are staying and are prepared to stick it out - I know things will turn round but ,given my age, I will be way past drawing my state pension before it happens. It is always an entirely individual decision and I knew I could not last out beyond share sale, which is now not a long way off. I may have made a terrible mistake - frying pan to fire-but I knew I would regret not being given a chance to change what I do for a living. I think that, like other contributors, if I had been either sifted to or assigned to the NPS I would have to think carefully. As it was I was automatically assigned to the CRC on the basis of a post I had been in a matter of days and which is not representative of my work record to date. I do genuinely believe that there are some tasks the government should not slide out of in terms of responsibility and the criminal justice system is one of those tasks, in my view. I do not dislike what I ma doing now, have nothing but high regard for the people in units I manage and have a lot of time for our new director. The culprits who did the dirty work for the Min of J have , in this area, gone to the voluntary and private sectors apart from one languishing in the bowels of the Ministry so there is no one now around to be angry with over this mess.
DeleteI will still visit this blog - still keep in contact with those I care for at work and get to grips with a new job.
Anon SPO 2
Anonymous 4 August 2014 10:12 - "The difficulty of managing a devious manipulative team member is wearing and sometimes impossible. Particularly the person who has been passive aggressive and a downright liar for years and given to you to FIX."
ReplyDeleteBefore you start to think that someone needs 'fixing' it might be useful to consider 'what am I doing that may or may not be contributing to difficulties that you describe. From my experience people who speak up tend to become negatively labelled. Issues tend to remain unresolved and not addressed instead moving the person on. The question I would be asking is if your team member is manipulative - then what is it we are doing to make the person manipulative. Not meant to be negative but if you were social work trained you would know this basic and simple principle.
What nonsense! What are the credentials of this person? Seems like a clearly inexperienced and incompetent SPO attempting to speak for all SPO's. Many SPO's find a voice in management meetings and are able to influence both other SPO's and ACO's. Likewise many SPO's have decent appraisals and do a good job from all points of view. It's not a perfect job but this is an inaccurate account, or just someone in the wrong job, they said them self they intended to leave.
ReplyDeleteThis emerging idea here that SPO's cannot tell senior managers (their own line managers) that there are too many cases and PSR's to be allocated given staff and resources available is total rubbish. This idea that PO's can go to line managers to say "I cannot do any more" but SPO's cannot say the same is total rubbish. If both PO's and SPO's think it is normal for excessive workloads to be allocated 'because SPO's have no choice' is the most pathetic thing I've read here. Take note from somebody that knows, SPO's spin this line as it is the easy option but in times when resources are as thin as they are now it does not wash and ACO's even know it is not a defensible decision.
First step is remove your good will to work all hours god sends. Second step is request an agreement of what you can and can't do. Third step when the work continues is to call the ACO to your individual/team meeting to find out why your SPO is still allocating you work. Fourth step is an individual or group grievance, based on union advice/support. Fifth step, and if step four failed, your SPO and ACO do not care about you at all, time to find a new job.
Leaving that all aside, let's hear from the good SPO's that are trying to divert and convert reports, arguing for resources, temps, etc, that are giving permission for lesser tasks to be missed, that are calling ACO's to meeting and working together to provide solutions, those courts managers and others that are speaking with courts and letting them know the position we're in, letting them know a PSR cannot be ordered on a whim, letting senior managers know the 'closed sign' will go up if it continues, whether they want it to or not, these very same managers that will cancel attending a management meeting and write a PSR or attend an oral hearing themselves if need be, and there are many like this. Of course they cannot say "I'm not allocating cases or reports", but they can and do let senior managers know that "we are at the stage where staff cannot take more cases or reports until resources are provided", and this prompts action. The point is this doesn't happen enough, or in enough places, as evidenced by the posts and comments here.
Those SPO apologists here can argues with all of this, and it is partly due to these people we are where we are. Take note, a band 5 salary doesn't mean you can't do the right thing, and so yes SPO's are key to fighting TR or even just ironing out the problems and getting the message across that it's not working.
"What nonsense! What are the credentials of this person? Seems like a clearly inexperienced and incompetent SPO attempting to speak for all SPO's."
DeleteIt's one person's view, completely valid and you are beginning to irritate me again. Please desist and stick to reasoned argument and not insults.
Having worked as a manager in industry prior to joining probation I want to explain why I would never ever apply for a probation management post. I had excellent training in my pre probation role which stressed that the most important function we had was to facilitate good work in our teams...and there you have it, the word TEAM. Listen to how many managers in probation refer to MY staff or MY team as if staff are merely their possessions to do whatever bidding they decide, it has always shocked me. It was instilled into me that as a manager you are a key part of the team yet probation seeks to set managers apart and somehow "you're one of US now not one of THEM".
ReplyDeleteI have worked out that in my fourteen years I have had eight SPOs line manage me and encountered many more but only one of them I would rate as a competent manager who would be a manager in industry. Here you have,imo, the key to why TR is being pushed through, a demoralised staff due to consistently poor management over many years.
I rarely visit this blog because of the way it plays into the hands of Grayling, by posting villifications of Napo officials, we should remember that Unison with all its might has failed us in an unforgivable way and whilst Napo has made a number of poor decisions, they are keeping the issue alive with the parliamentary briefings, despite Harry walking away. I am an activist and a SPO who has been subject to an attempt to silence me, whilst trying to keep my team motivated and remain corporate. I refer to 'my team' because I have a reponsibility to my staff, they are not managed by anyone else. They are fantastic, hard working, connected and doing their best in dreadful circumstances, they would do this whoever manages them because they have a tremendous committment to their role. This blog is demeaning at times and does a great disservice to Probation staff at a number of levels. We should stand together, yet this blog is devisive, perhaps that is the purpose of it, all views, but please stop being personal and offensive.
ReplyDelete