NHS Tayside - Back to the Floor

In NHS Tayside, an innovative and informal hands-on initiative has set a path for the future. Alex Killick, Director for Workforce, returned to NHS Tayside in September 2008 following a 5 year secondment to the Scottish Government. Having been away from the organisation for this length of time, Alex was aware that he would be unknown to a number staff members. He was keen to acquire a full understanding of the team he was returning to and deliberately wanted to be visible, knowing that the responsibilities of his role can result in a lack of face time, therefore giving an appearance of remote management. He felt it was important to be connected to the team.

He therefore put himself into the shoes of his co-workers and spent a day doing the job of an HR advisor. He wanted to understand not just the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of his team’s work, but most importantly the ‘why’. If changes were to be made, Alex was determined to make changes from an informed perspective.

His HR team handles all staff-related matters from recruitment to retirement and everything in between. Alex was therefore directly involved in a cross section of the team’s responsibilities including assisting in back to work interviews, reception duties for the Recruitment and Employment Service Team and helping to process Change of Circumstance forms for payroll purposes.

This hands-on experience enabled Alex to ask objectively ‘Can we improve on how we do things, can the steps taken to achieve desired outcomes be altered and can administrative processes be refined or streamlined to make life better for my staff and the service better for our colleagues?’

Although ‘Back to the Floor’ is not a formal approach within NHS Tayside, Alex concluded that it was a great experience. It has helped him build a relationship with his team and he now encourages an open door policy where time is dedicated to staff members without infringing on a line manager’s role. In feedback, the team reported that it was a great success. In a relaxed atmosphere, they had the opportunity to meet Alex and, importantly, let him know about the things that work well and the things that could work better.

Looking to the future Alex plans to make Back to the Floor visits a regular fixture so that he can see the impact of change and, significantly, to hear how things are going for his people working at the ‘sharp end’. He also feels that this should be a two-way process from which everyone can benefit and is actively encouraging his team to follow his lead and take the reins of his role for the day. He is always open to hearing ideas for improvement, as he knows from his ‘Back to the Floor’ experience the importance and value of a fresh perspective.