Highways England People Strategy

Highways England People Strategy 1. Accountable Leadership 2. Capable Employees We require positive, proactive and engaging leadership to be demonstrated at all levels of the organisation, through all individuals and teams taking accountability for their delivery and their personal responsibilities as individuals, teams and managers of people. We expect all employees to take accountability for decisions and leaders to empower their teams. High Performance Organisation : We will support the development of our people, relevant to their role and professional aspirations, using structured career paths to enable them to manage their own journey. We will hire talented individuals to drive growth and innovation at pace and build internal capability through blended learning programmes. We will develop our people to provide the inspiration, coaching and recognition needed. We aim to release the potential of our people to drive the business forward through developing their capability. Deliver a high performance organisation through enhanced capability, accountability and improved customer service via an engaged, modernised and innovative workforce. 3. Customer Focused Delivery We will organise ourselves to create a modern working environment that puts our people and our customers at the heart of the business. We will support our employees to build stronger relationships, respecting and prioritising our internal customers alongside our external customers. We will go the extra mile to help one another. 4. Rewarded for Performance We will recognise, reward, and retain high performing individuals who deliver excellent service to our customers and demonstrate the company values and behaviours through a robust performance management framework, including a financial / non financial rewards offering and recognition programme. 1

Executive Summary People Strategy In order to achieve the objectives of the Roads Investment Strategy, Highways England will need to accelerate the delivery of schemes, grow and up skill in terms of delivery and deliver under increased scrutiny. It will require high performance across the company to meet the increased volume of business and it will need to put in place new ways of working to deliver this agenda. Our people need to be more productive - not by making them work longer, but by building their skills and knowledge so they can achieve the same result in less time enabling them to manage more investment. Our people will play a key role in delivering the additional capacity and increased performance requirements set out in the RIS. Our ability to perform well, innovate and continuously improve relies on them. To that end, the People Strategy takes the Strategic Business Plan and the aspirations of Highways England to be high performing and provides the direction for our people based activities over the 5 year period. By doing so it makes clear the implications of the people strategy for Leaders, Employees and the HR function. The People Strategy consists of four strategic pillars, which are Accountable Leadership, Capable Employees, Customer Focused Delivery and Rewarded for performance. This plan will be phased over the 5 years and will require commitment from the business at all levels to change and transform the way we work with our people, in terms of resources and visible leadership of the change. This programme will be supported and facilitated by the HR team. The immediate commitment is to those activities which support the successful transition of the Highways Agency to Highways England. These focus on getting the fundamental basics in place to enable Highways England to operate e.g. Reward and Pay, Recruitment, setup our own HR services and to launch Values and Behaviours that will deliver the culture shift, transformation and growth required. Key activities are already in progress with an integrated HR Change plan. 2

Accountable Leadership

Accountable Leadership We require positive, proactive and engaging leadership to be demonstrated at all levels of our organisation, through all individuals and teams taking accountability for their delivery and their personal responsibilities as individuals, teams and managers of people. We expect all employees to take accountability for decisions and leaders to empower their teams. Commitments We will: 1. Shape strategic direction Develop leaders who can shape and articulate the strategic direction and enable delivery from the organisation, empowering, inspiring and holding each other and the organisation to account, in line with our values and behaviours. Leadership will support a whole company approach - overtly cutting across team or directorate boundaries to drive the business forward. 2. Communication and engagement Foster a culture where we are not only accountable to our external stakeholders and customers but to our employees through two-way communication and engagement to build trust and commitment. 3. Role Models Reward and recognise individuals who role model the values and behaviours of the organisation and take ownership for supporting and developing the people they work with. 4. Culture Value the strength of a diverse and inclusive organisation. Embed and demonstrate our values and behaviours to foster a culture of accountability. 4

Accountable Leadership As a Leader I will : As an Employee I will : 5 Shape strategic direction 1. Understand and articulate the vision and strategic narrative for the company and their department. 2. Actively provide direction and manage ambiguity through engagement, empathy and communication. 3. Ensure that the work they are doing in their departments and team is in line with the Strategic Business Plan. 4. Challenge the way we think as an organisation and drive collaborative and integrated working towards shared goals and long-term strategic objectives. 5. Support a whole company approach - overtly cutting across team or directorate boundaries to drive the business forward. 6. Empower and encourage innovative behaviours and action across all levels pushing down decision making except where reserved under clear management processes. 7. Define clear decision making, KPIs and management processes to drive performance and the success of individuals, teams and the business. Communication and engagement 1. Engage in regular two-way communications, regarding the Strategic Business Plan and our progress with all stakeholders proactively seeking input and feedback. 2. Inspire and motivate their employees through effective relationships of mutual trust and respect. 3. Work in partnership with Unions to create a positive Employee Relations climate acknowledging their contribution as a stakeholder. Role models 1. Ensure basic working needs are met in a proactive and timely manner. 2. Visibly role model our values and behaviours, acting as an advocate for our new ways of working, and demonstrate integrity in all decisions. 3. Demonstrate situational leadership in managing their team, recognising individual development needs and adapting their style. Proactively seek and act on feedback. 4. Be aware of their personal style and impact and be able to flex this to the needs of the team and the situation. 5. Provide help and encouragement to ensure staff have the skills and experience they need to fulfil their potential. Culture 1. Seek to grow diversity and inclusivity into their teams through recruitment and developing talent. 2. Actively listen to each other and be fully supportive of change. Be open and courageous to challenge the status quo to improve our organisation. Shape strategic direction 1. Understand and be able to articulate the vision and direction for the company and their department. 2. Have clear objectives that directly link to the Strategic Business Plan, and can explain how their job contributes to the achievement of the company vision. Communication and engagement 1. Take responsibility for engaging and communicating across the business, and for proactively giving and receiving feedback on performance. 2. Be open to and respect different viewpoints. 3. Effectively communicate the message to the right people at the right time, in the right way. Role models 1. Bring our company values and behaviours to life through how I deliver my work and interact with colleagues and stakeholders. Culture 1. Be open and courageous to constructively challenge the status quo to improve our organisation. 2. Actively listen to each other and be fully supportive of change. 3. Respect diversity and work with inclusivity.

Capable Employees

Capable Employees We will support and invest in the development of our people, relevant to their role and professional aspirations, using structured career paths to enable them to manage their own journey. We will hire talented individuals to drive growth and innovation at pace and build internal capability through blended learning programmes. We will develop our people who can inspire, recognise and coach potential. We aim to release and channel the potential of our people to drive the business forward by developing their individual capability. Commitments We will: 1. Career Paths Develop structured career paths to enable employees to manage their own development journey, and create a talent management approach in line with our organisation s journey. We will manage our internal talent holistically across the organisation to develop our talent pipeline, recognising the need for differentiated career paths and professional development opportunities that meet our future requirements, and have multi-generational appeal. 2. Recruitment Recruit and develop our employees based on merit and professional capability to ensure our ability to deliver and innovate against the businesses plans and reflect the diversity of our stakeholders. Roles will be designed to attract and retain new capabilities recognising the need to feed the talent pipeline at all levels of our organisation. 3. Nurturing talent at all levels Implement a smart talent management approach which supports development for all employees, including high performers and high potentials at all levels of the organisation. We will support individuals to take ownership of their own career development within a recognised profession through a blended learning approach. 4. Skills and Behaviours Enable our people to develop skillsets which underpin identified business needs, and continuously improve in their roles. We will identify the required business capabilities and develop the delivery skills needed for our future organisation. 7

Capable Employees Career Paths 1. Facilitate the movement of talent at the right point in the employee s career where there is an appropriate available role which matches their aspiring skillset and a recognised professional career path. 2. Recognise and facilitate smart job moves to grow talent and match professional aspiration through effective workforce planning and succession planning. 3. Base attraction on merit and capability, in line with business requirements. 4. Manage expectations around career development and the career paths available. Recruitment 1. Actively challenge bias in the workplace, and promote fair and proper management of attraction, succession, development and retention discussions to ensure colleagues are treated fairly based on their individual merits. 2. Take responsibility and ownership for making good quality hiring decisions, ensuring the recruitment and selection processes are fair, timely, transparent and meets the current and future needs of our organisation. 3. Set the standard for good quality hiring decisions. Nurturing talent at all levels 1. Ensure talent is recognised and nurtured at all levels of our organisation, across all departments and in all professions. 2. Actively identify, develop and deploy their teams based on merit and professional capability taking a holistic view across the organisation. 3. Enable employee development within a recognised professional career path. Skills and behaviours As a Leader I will : As an Employee I will : 1. Enable our people to improve and develop new skills and behaviours through on the job learning, coaching, mentoring and participation in blended learning. 2. Support a 70% on-the-job / 20% coaching / 10% formal training approach to learning recognising their role in developing through on-the-job coaching. 3. Recognise professional qualifications, skills and behaviours which enable the development of both generalist and specialist skillsets. Career Paths 1. Take ownership for identifying aspirational career paths in partnership with the organisation. 2. Actively pursue opportunities to develop personally within a recognised professional career path. 3. Look for opportunities which motivate and inspire me and proactively communicate this to the business, recognising the value I bring to the ongoing needs of the business. 4. Be-self aware around my capabilities and recognise the need to balance my aspirations against the needs of business. Recruitment 1. Act as an ambassador for the organisation. Nurturing talent at all levels 1. Take ownership for my own personal learning plan and for supporting my colleagues to develop. Skills and behaviours 1. Actively participate in the learning, development and implementation of new skills and knowledge appropriate to my job and level within the organisation. 2. Actively seek opportunities for self development and increasing self awareness. 8

Customer Focused delivery

Customer Focused Delivery We will organise ourselves to create a modern working environment that puts our people and our customers at the heart of the business. We will support our employees to build stronger relationships, respecting and prioritising the needs of our internal customers alongside our external customers. We will go the extra mile to help one another. Commitments We will: 1. Customer is at the heart of our work Ensure that our people can articulate how and why their job benefits their customers, supporting each employee to deliver excellent customer service, utilising customer insight to create a customer orientated culture. 2. Building stronger relationships Treat our internal and external customers with the right priority and respect, building productive relationships which build bridges and enable all employees to understand their stakeholders priorities and objectives. We use our relationships to gain insight to anticipate, shape and serve our customers need. 3. Getting the basics right Develop a supportive and inclusive working environment where employees are equipped to succeed in our business through the provision of quality people services, technology and a collaborative working environment which supports their wellbeing, and clarity around their interfaces and accountabilities. 4. Different ways of working Modernise the workforce and working environment through collaborative and agile working practices and technologies which enable the company to intelligently deploy resources flexibly, minimising duplication, whilst driving innovation and customer service. 10

Customer Focused Delivery As a Leader I will : As an Employee I will : Customer is at the heart of our work 1. Be aware of and put customer needs first, understanding the link between customer satisfaction and business performance. 2. Recognise leading practice and service excellence in individuals or teams, and where appropriate share learning to improve our ways of working across the organisation. 3. Think about the impact on the customer in everything we do. 4. Use customer feedback, frontline insight and market intelligence to shape and drive change in the way people work and deliver within our business. 5. Articulate how the team, the individual and any organisational decisions, actions and changes serve our customers. Building stronger relationships 1. Think cross-functionally and collaborate with all stakeholders. 2. Treat and respect internal customers in the same way we treat our external customers. 3. Take the initiative to identify and develop non traditional relationships. Getting the basics right 1. Take responsibility for the fundamentals of people management, e.g. employee wellbeing, pay, absence management, rosters, and meetings. 2. Be knowledgeable about and use company policies, processes and procedures to support and manage their teams. Different ways of working 1. Work in open, transparent and highly collaborative ways, joining together across the organisation to deliver customer focused services. 2. Support their teams and the wider workforce to enjoy and make use of flexible and agile ways of working, e.g. mobile technology and virtual conferencing. 3. Reward delivery which supports the customer and our organisational values and behaviours. Customer is at the heart of our work 1. Understand my job in context of the wider customer value chain so that I can articulate how I serve the customer. 2. Rapidly adopt leading practice to improve our ways of working across the organisation to best serve our customers. 3. Use customer feedback to shape and drive change. Building stronger relationships 1. Think cross-functionally and collaborate with all stakeholders. 2. Use customer insight to deliver a service that continuously improves our customers experience. 3. Treat and respect internal customers in the same way we treat our external customers. Getting the basics right 1. Take responsibility for accurate and timely completion of their people management responsibilities, e.g. leave requests/ personal data changes. 2. Comply with the policies, processes and procedures of the company. 3. Act towards the customer in a manner they would wish to be treated as a customer. Different ways of working 1. Actively embrace change that drives improvement, and actively challenge activity that does not serve our customers. 2. Embrace modern working practices. 11

Rewarded for Performance

Rewarded for performance We will recognise, reward, and retain high performing individuals who deliver excellent service to our customers and demonstrate the company values and behaviours through a robust performance management framework, including a financial / non financial rewards offering and recognition programme. Commitments We will: 1. Salaries grades and structure Implement a modern pay and benefits strategy that supports attraction and retention of employees through a competitive public sector benchmarked total rewards package aligned to the market median. Create a flexible and business aligned grading structure, informed by job-evaluation, to enable smart, fair and transparent talent management. 2. Performance Management Link performance to personal and team objectives and the overall business plan. Performance will be fairly and robustly managed to encourage employees to realise their potential, drive customer service in line with the company values and behaviours. Employees will be measured against the high performance standard. Poor performance is not tolerated. 3. Attraction and retention Define and articulate our Employee Value Proposition (EVP) which is compelling, modern and successfully enables the attraction and retention of a highly skilled and diverse workforce at all levels of the organisation. 4. Recognition Recognise performance excellence and innovation in line with our values in a timely manner to encourage positive behaviours and advocate new ways of working within a diverse and inclusive workforce. 13

Rewarded for performance Salaries, Grades and Structures 1. Act as an advocate for our new grading structure within the organisation. 2. Utilise new pay systems and structures to drive appropriate behaviours. 3. Reward delivery that is delivered in line with our values. 4. Recognise job satisfaction as a key part of employee reward and retention. Performance Management 1. Provide clarity around role responsibilities, and performance expectations in line with the Strategic Business Plan. 2. Provide timely feedback which supports individual development and provides a realistic assessment of individual and team performance. 3. Appraise employees based not only on their delivery achievements but also upon whether the means of delivery upheld our company values and behaviours. 4. Identify poor performance, address the situation promptly and take action. 5. Have regular performance based conversations. Attraction and retention 1. Be able to articulate how the reward structure is used to motivate potential candidates and existing employees. 2. Recognise that leadership and management is one of the most important factors to employee retention and attraction and act accordingly. 3. Support flexible working practices. 4. Understand the need for, and act as company ambassadors. Recognition 1. Seek out opportunities to recognise excellent performance in employees who drive the business agenda forward, including innovation and the adoption of new ways of working. 2. Recognise professionalism in career progression. As a Leader I will : As an Employee I will : Salaries, Grades and Structures 1. Understand the new grading structure and my role within the organisation. 2. Understand that managerial and specialist skills sets are valued and rewarded by the organisation, and that these are different but comparable. 3. Recognise and be motivated by the available career paths which support the development of my professional capabilities including specialisms or unique skillsets. Performance Management 1. Receive and act upon timely feedback which provides a realistic assessment of my performance and supports my development 2. Appreciate that top performance can not be achieved without demonstrating our values and behaviours in how the delivery was achieved. 3. Understand poor performance will be identified and addressed promptly. Employees will be supported to address concerns, however underperformance will not be tolerated or rewarded. Attraction and retention 1. Feel motivated and proud to work for Highways England, and be able to articulate the benefits of working for the company both in financial and non financial terms, e.g. flexible working. 2. Act as a company ambassador. Recognition 1. Be recognised for my effort and going the extra mile to serve customers, including through innovation and adoption of new ways of working. 14