After the UK government's sudden reshuffle, we asked commentators how HR leaders should deal with organisational restructures. Annie Makoff-Clark reports.
The sudden resignation of former housing minister and deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, after an independent ethics adviser found that she had failed to pay enough tax on her Hove flat, prompted a dramatic government reshuffle. The adviser’s report concluded that, although Rayner had “acted with integrity”, she had breached the ministerial code.
A subsequent cabinet overhaul of both senior and junior ministers took place just days after Rayner’s resignation. There had always been plans for a ministerial overhaul, but not quite so dramatic, nor so soon.
Inevitably, there has been widespread media scrutiny of Starmer’s reshuffle, but it’s of interest to HR too, not least because it raises questions about the effective management of an organisational restructure. We asked HR practitioners how to get it right.
“The way a departure is communicated can influence stability, employee confidence and how people feel, so communications are the ‘north star’ for a business,” says Gemma Bullivant, HR consultant and coach. “There’s a real need for positive communications, but it’s not about putting lipstick on a pig.”
Communications need to be positively framed, but with clarity, honesty and timeliness. “A lack of, or vague communication could spark the rumour mill. It’s about being intentional with communications, so that HR is...
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