Supporting You Through Change
People Strategy 2016-2019
People Strategy
A Foreword by Sir Henry Studholme
People lie at the heart of the Forestry Commission. Our reputation as
a world-class forestry organisation comes from the passion and
commitment of our workforce and our pride in what we do.
While our woods and forests remain as valued and appreciated as
ever this is a period of reappraisal of how government functions.
Supporting people to continue to perform at their best in this time of
change is a priority. Our People Strategy 2016-19 sets out the
framework for this support.
As we respond to the changing needs of the world around us, our
mission remains clear: to protect and expand forests and woodlands
and increase their value to society and the environment.
Against this background we need to continue to work together,
upholding our shared values, to achieve success, seeking
opportunities to develop ourselves and the organisation.
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Supporting You Through Change: People Strategy 2016-2019
People Strategy
Supporting You through Change - the Purpose of the People
Strategy – Allie Walker, Interim Director Human Resources
What we do in the Forestry Commission is of great social, economic and environmental
importance, and all of it depends on the efforts of the employees who work here.
Ministers in both the UK and Scottish Governments are strongly supportive of our work,
and committed to a positive future for both public and private forests and woodlands. To
achieve this, recruiting, retaining and developing our people is paramount.
We must also recognise that the Forestry Commission is undergoing a period of
significant change. Whilst we do not yet have absolute clarity on what the future looks
like, we do know that Scottish Ministers are committed to completing the devolution of
forestry and this is certain to have major implications for the future of the organisation.
We know that the UK Government is committed to reforms in Defra including measures
to keep England’s public forests in trust for the nation. We know that Forest Research
has a refreshed remit taking in certain central forestry functions and that our current
Shared Services will be replaced over time by services established in the countries.
Our ability to adapt as the Forestry Commission continues to evolve, depends on our
employees having the right skills, knowledge and values to both deliver our current
goals, and to prepare for future requirements.
We want all of our employees to be prepared, equipped and engaged as we enter a new
chapter in the Forestry Commission’s history. For some people change brings new
possibilities and is something to be relished. For others, periods of change can cause
uncertainty. During these times communication and leadership are more important than
ever.
Change provides opportunity. As we continue to evolve, there may be the chance to take
on new roles or project work or to develop new skills. We want to ensure everyone is
enabled to make the most of these opportunities as we adapt together to a new future.
The 2016-19 People Strategy builds on the previous strategies. Many of the themes
from the 2011-16 People Strategy are still relevant, but there is an increased focus on
how we plan to develop and support our employees during this time of change. This
strategy provides a foundation on which Scotland, England, FR and Central Services will
continue to build as their paths begin to diverge.
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Supporting You Through Change: People Strategy 2016-2019
People Strategy
Our Mission for the Forestry Commission
Our mission is to protect and expand forests and woodlands and increase their value to
society and the environment
Our Vision for this People Strategy
Forestry Commission employees are prepared, equipped and engaged to deliver our
mission, manage the changing work environment and to drive the change in a positive
and successful way.
Our Values
Our People Strategy will continue to reflect and incorporate our values:
Teamwork
Respect
Communication
Professionalism
Learning
Creativity
How will we achieve our vision?
The key themes we need to focus on to achieve our vision are:
 Employee Health, Safety and Wellbeing
 Engagement through Change
 The Right People in the Right Place
 Employee Knowledge and Skills
 Equality and Diversity
 Recognition and Reward
Our commitment to you
We want you to:
 Feel that your personal wellbeing is supported and valued
 Continue to feel committed and motivated to do your job to the best of your
ability
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Supporting You Through Change: People Strategy 2016-2019
People Strategy
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Have leaders you can believe in who are focused on communicating and engaging
with you
Know that you are treated fairly and with respect and integrity
Feel informed and engaged by the opportunities change brings
Know that you are enabled to maximise development opportunities that arise from
the changes
Have the skills and knowledge to contribute to delivering our mission as the
organisation evolves
Have the appropriate resources and time to deliver sustainable objectives
What will Success Look Like?
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England, Scotland, Forest Research and Central Services will each have action
plans to deliver local activity aligned to our key themes
Change will be managed fairly, consistently and transparently
Everyone will have been treated with dignity and respect
Our employees will feel engaged and communicated with
Our employees will have continued to develop their skills as the FC evolves
Our behaviours will continue to reflect our FC values
Business as usual will continue to be delivered to the usual high standard
Supporting You Through Change: People Strategy 2016-2019
People Strategy
Key Themes :
Employee Health, Safety and Wellbeing
The Health and Safety vision is that “Everyone working with the Forestry Commission
remains safe and well and our woodlands are safe and enjoyable places to visit”
We will continue to manage health and safety by caring for people and upholding our
legal duties. We will seek ways to support employee wellbeing.
We will work to deliver localised Health, Safety and Wellbeing plans to ensure that
everyone is safe and healthy at work.
Our focus will be on:
 Delivering the Health and Safety Strategy
 The Health and Wellbeing of our employees
 Supporting our employees’ wellbeing through change
Through:
 Ensuring the organisation has legally compliant policy and guidance
 The development of tailored action plans
 Ensuring our employees have the tools and understanding to do their job safely
and to deal with change
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Supporting You Through Change: People Strategy 2016-2019
People Strategy
Engagement through Change
We recognise that the Forestry Commission is undergoing a period of significant change
and this is certain to have major implications for the future of the organisation. We want
all of our employees to be prepared, equipped and engaged as we enter a new chapter
in the Forestry Commission’s history.
We will talk and work closely with our employees, both formally and informally as the
Forestry Commission continues to evolve. We will seek to maximise the relationship
with the FCTU to ensure that we communicate and consult effectively and transparently.
We will ask for feedback to ensure that everyone has a voice that is heard and is able
and encouraged to share questions, concerns and ideas.
Our focus will be on:
 Treating our employees fairly, consistently and with respect
 Maximising development opportunities for our employees
 Communicating openly and transparently
 Leading with purpose and integrity through change
Through:
 Being respectful and professional at all times
 Ensuring the level of internal communication is timely and appropriate and keeps
everyone informed
 Facilitating feedback opportunities
 Supporting our managers to be strong leaders through change
 Consulting with our employees on change via the FCTU to ensure a clear
understanding of employee areas of concern and then working together to address
these
 A fair and consistent change management process for our employees
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Supporting You Through Change: People Strategy 2016-2019
People Strategy
The Right People in the Right Place
As the Forestry Commission continues to evolve it will become increasingly important to
make sure we have the right people in the right place to enable us to thrive.
We know that through effective planning and more flexible approaches to working we
can help our employees to be ready for the future, whatever shape it may take.
During this period of change, we will seek to identify new career opportunities; take a
flexible approach to managing our workforce and support everyone throughout any
changes.
Our focus will be on:
 Maximising opportunities for our employees whose roles are impacted by change
 Supporting our employees through the changes with clear advice and clarity of
process
 Encouraging flexible approaches to work
 Ensuring business critical posts are filled in a timely manner
Through:
 Enabling flexible working where appropriate
 Communicating with our employees in a timely and clear manner about any
changes and the potential impact
 Providing support services where applicable
 Providing clear advice on available career and development opportunities
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Supporting You Through Change: People Strategy 2016-2019
People Strategy
Employee Knowledge and Skills
As the Forestry Commission continues to evolve, capturing and sharing knowledge will
become increasingly important.
Similarly, different parts of the organisation may need additional or new skills in the
future, so it’s important to identify these gaps.
We will continue to ensure that there is the opportunity to develop skills, knowledge
and behaviours to fulfil current business needs. We will also support our employees in
the acquisition of new skills to equip them for future business needs.
Our focus will be on:
 Enabling our employees to manage change
 Sharing of expertise and knowledge transfer
 Developing knowledge, skills and behaviours for current and future needs
 Helping our employees to grow and develop their careers
Through:
 The creation of England, Scotland, FR and Central Services specific learning and
development plans
 Ensuring each area of the Forestry Commission has a clear understanding of their
leadership and management capability requirements
 Putting in place action plans to capture legacy knowledge for all areas of the
organisation
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Supporting You Through Change: People Strategy 2016-2019
People Strategy
Equality and Diversity
Legal compliance will continue to be the top priority. Against a background of changing
UK demographics, workforce diversity continues to be an essential area of focus for us
all.
We will continue to work towards our goal “to have a diverse workforce that reflects
society and to continue to offer exemplar customer services to diverse communities”.
Our focus will be on:
 Ensuring legal compliance
 Ensuring our workforce represents the community in which we work
 Delivering locally tailored plans that support and encourage equality and diversity
for all
 Building relationships with colleges and universities to ensure a truly diverse
workforce
 Ensuring all of our employees are treated fairly and with respect
Through:
 Publication of an annual monitoring report
 Development of local actions plans
 Delivery of published diversity objectives
 Community engagement
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Supporting You Through Change: People Strategy 2016-2019
People Strategy
Recognition and Reward
We want our employees to feel recognised and rewarded for their contribution to the
Forestry Commission. We want to enhance the pride and morale of our employees by
formally and informally recognising their contributions to our success.
We will maximise all opportunities for employee celebration, whilst working to ensure
that our employees are fairly rewarded for their work.
Our focus will be on:
 Working in partnership with the FCTU to ensure employee views are represented
 Ensuring clear and transparent communication of the pay process
 Identifying formal and informal opportunities for recognising employee success
Through:
 Involving the FCTU as we develop the options for our pay proposals
 Reviewing employee benefits, including examining the opportunities provided
through central civil service schemes
 Exploring non-financial forms of recognition
 Ensuring that management training includes advice and guidance on recognising
and rewarding employee achievements
 Ensuring FC operates within UK Government pay policy
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Supporting You Through Change: People Strategy 2016-2019
People Strategy
“As an organisation we are facing unprecedented change – what the Forestry
Commission does today is significantly different to what we did ten years ago. In two or
three years’ time, things will be different again. It is thanks to your skills, knowledge,
experience and continued demonstration of the FC values, that we will be able to adapt
to this changing environment and keep delivering our important mission to protect and
expand forests and woodlands and increase their value to society and the environment.
The future will bring about new challenges and opportunities and with the support of you
all, our mission for the forests and woodlands of Britain will continue and we will be
prepared and ready to face a new future with enthusiasm and commitment.”
Allie Walker, Interim Director Human Resources
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Supporting You Through Change: People Strategy 2016-2019