People Management

A people manager is responsible for the learning and development, performance, and wellbeing of the people they manage.

Generally, you will not be able to choose your people manager, though if you have a preference, we will try to take it into account. You will be assigned a people manager when you join one of the professions.

If you change roles within the same profession, your people manager will remain the same. The only exception to this is when your new work manager is the same as your people manager. In this case, you can decide if you would like to get a new people manager or not.

Responsibilities

As a people manager, you would be expected to:

  • work with the people you manage to agree and monitor goals and objectives, in collaboration with their work manager
  • work with the people you manage to identify learning and development needs and opportunities
  • support the people you manage to access the right training, including apprenticeships and certifications
  • act as the primary contact for people you manage for all people queries and issues, including pay and expenses,leave, conduct and behaviour, absence management, and performance management
  • hold regular conversations with the people you manage
  • help the people you manage with their Government Digital and Data assessments, and ensure that they are getting the right opportunities to meet the criteria
  • support loans, secondments, and managed moves to meet development needs
  • support the people you manage to access health and wellbeing resources, including disability support and workplace adjustments, staff networks, and mental wellbeing resources
  • provide technical support, advice and coaching as needed
  • help the people you manage to find mentors and coaches
  • lead the onboarding process for new starters they will be managing
  • lead the offboarding process for people they are managing who are leaving
  • manage the probation process for people new to the civil service
  • be a point of contact for any issues regarding bullying or harassment

You can find detailed guidance in the People Manager Handbook.

Meetings

You should make sure you’re having regular conversations with the people you manage. You should meet at least every eight weeks and may want to meet more often. It is up to you to agree with the person you are managing how often you want to meet.

You may want to meet more frequently if:

  • you have concerns about the performance, conduct or behaviour of the person you are managing
  • the person you are managing needs extra support to meet a short-term goal, such as completing their DDaT assessment

You may want to meet less frequently or on an ad hoc basis if that better suits the needs of the person you are managing.

In general, the approach should reflect the needs of the person you are managing and they should guide you.

You should also meet quarterly with the person you manage and their work manager in a ‘management triad’. These conversations can be used to:

  • review performance, goals and objectives
  • ensure that the individual’s role is supporting their development
  • share and reflect on feedback