Source · Select Committees · Defence Committee
Recommendation 88
88
Accepted
Defence Command Paper Refresh prioritises Haythornthwaite recommendations for career flexibility and total reward.
Conclusion
Defence Command Paper Refresh (DCP23) identified the areas of the Haythornthwaite Review that Defence would take forward as a priority: • greater career flexibility through a Spectrum of Service, which will enable Defence to be better at retaining and surging talent across the whole force. This will include increasing fluidity between the military, the Civil Service and industry. Defence will promote ‘zig-zag’ or ‘portfolio’ careers for all of those who want them; • enhanced effectiveness of Defence’s offer by adopting a Total Reward Approach, to offer a more compelling and competitive incentivisation package; and • the digitalisation and simplification of Defence’s people management system, to remove the barriers that prevent flexibility and workforce agility and restrict access to talent.192
Government Response Summary
The government reaffirms its commitment to ensuring the Armed Forces have the right people and skills, outlining ongoing priorities such as increasing recruitment, improving retention, introducing zig-zag careers, reviewing pay and progression, and establishing a new Transformation Directorate, all of which align with areas already identified by the Defence Command Paper Refresh 2023.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
As a Government, we recognise the responsibility to ensure our Armed Forces have the right people in the right place with the right skills, both now and in the future. This is never more pressing as we face global challenges not seen since the middle of the twentieth century. Despite an ever-increasing technological landscape, we know that people continue to be a critical factor in Defence. We are also committed to our Armed Forces remaining a career of choice for new generations. They should be attracted by modern and flexible offers which seek to reflect contemporary motivators and expectations and encourage them to remain in or contribute directly to defence throughout their military careers and beyond. Defence recognise that we must compete in a challenging labour market where there is huge demand for many of the key skills the Armed Forces needs to recruit and retain. This same challenge is faced by Armed Forces globally. We must address complex levers of retention; both positive and negative, to ensure that the best appropriate offer is available to everyone. The Armed Forces, both regular and reserve service, has been a driver of social mobility throughout history, and it is our responsibility to build on the opportunities offered to help people achieve their potential. The Haythornthwaite Review’s 67 recommendations were all accepted in the Defence Command Paper refresh in 2023 and a formal HMG response to each one of the recommendations will be published during 2024. The formal Govt. response will outline next steps for delivery and implementation for each recommendation, reflecting a broad roadmap for recruitment and retention for the short and the longer term. Key indicators will be captured regularly and reported to all stakeholders to measure progress. It will set out clear progress already made in priority areas and demonstrates how Defence is working fast to speed up recruitment, support the retention of the people we have, and build a people system that is aligned to and evolves with society. The work we are already undertaking will transform how we approach recruitment and retention, moving away from a base-fed model and one-size-fits-all culture to one based on the agility and autonomy of a mission-command approach. We are prioritising transforming the Department’s workforce model to attract and retain the talent needed to operate those capabilities. All three services continue to have the personnel needed to meet their front-line operational commitments, but we are not shying away from this challenge. Increasing recruitment and improving retention are absolute priorities, including improved career opportunities and making it easier for people to re-join, on top of the largest pay increase in more than 20 years. Last year, we laid out pay increases for Armed Forces personnel that will see the highest pay increase targeted towards junior service personnel, providing up to 9.7% for junior ranks and 5.8% for officers. The Haythornthwaite Review and Defence Command Paper 2023 set out measures to address future staffing challenges, such as a changing labour market, with a comprehensive approach. This ranges from zig-zag careers where people can leave and re-join the Armed Forces, through to reviews of pay and progression. Defence has now stood up a new Transformation Directorate which is driving delivery and building a clear plan to create a people system that constantly evolves to compete in an agile and aggressive labour market.