HM Land Registry has described the decision by the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Union to ballot members on strike action over plans to return to the office for a minimum number of days per week as ‘disappointing.’
The agency has said it consider industrial action to be ‘a last resort’ adding it is ‘committed to continuing our engagement with PCS and other unions.’ It has said its approach to the issue of office attendance is ‘in line with the wider civil service expectations which in October confirmed 60% attendance.
“Heads of Department have agreed that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service. Senior managers will continue to be expected to be in the office more than 60% of the time. The approach will allow teams and departments to maximise the benefits of hybrid working and getting the best from being together. The Civil Service approach is comparable to other large private and public sector employers.
This reflects the view of Civil Service leaders that there remain clear benefits to spending time working together face-to-face as the government delivers on the Missions commitments. Leaders from across departments commit to continue to listen to staff, to adapt to individual needs where specific changes may be required, and ensure the approach continues to meet business needs.”
Clarifying comments it made in it’s statement, PCS have said it’s opposition to ‘inappropriately using personal data and having to accept extra responsibilities without extra pay’ was in relationship to individual personal performance and proposed changes to staff grading and classification.
The union said under the PCS Land Registry GEC agreed “Data Principles” for the sharing of individual performance data in 2021, individual performance data ‘may be used.’ The union asserts without agreement, HMLR have insisted ‘individual data must be used.’ Adding ‘this will worsen HMLR managers’ overreliance on data to assess performance, without making a reasonable assessment of the complexity of caseloads and other factors that impact on performance, and will only lead to additional pressures for increased output.’
It has also raised concerns about ‘adequate checks and balances on the accuracy and quality of the work’ which could potentially compromise the Register. Changes to ‘Classification’ would allow staff to carry out work applicable to a higher grade, say the union, ‘breaking with established practices whereby specific areas of work are designated for specified grades. There would be no additional payment for this out-of-grade work, it would disguise the resource needed at the higher grade and would reduce future promotion opportunities.’
Over the past three years HMLR has recruited more than 1,700 new caseworkers with the agency saying it has started to see the impact of this additional resource but warns land registration skills and expertise take time to build. Responding to the concerns raised by the PCS union the agency said it is investing in long term training programmes to enable flexibility, resilience and responsiveness in its service.
We do believe that part of people’s training and career development involves being able to demonstrate their potential to take on more complex work with the right level of support and assurance. This both enables caseworkers to build their confidence and capability and enables HMLR to ensure the integrity of the register is maintained.
Through caseworker dashboards the agency says individual productivity, quality and training needs amongst other information will be available as part of rounded performance conversations with line management. The data will enable the agency to ‘accurately understand our performance at all levels but also aids continued performance improvements, helping to develop and nurture talent and to recognise and celebrate our achievements and successes.’
HMLR confirms at no point will any personal employee data be used as part of that (process) and early pilots have evidenced positive outcomes.
An HMLR spokesperson said:
“HM Land Registry is disappointed by the decision of the PCS National Executive Committee to ballot its members on these issues.
“We firmly believe that we will continue to improve our service to our customers by ensuring an appropriate level of office attendance (in line with Civil Service expectations), by more effective use of data to manage performance, and by supporting caseworkers with potential to tackle more complex work as part of their training and career progression.”
In the event of a ballot result in favour of strike action or action short of a strike HMLR says it will respond appropriately to minimise impact.
“In line with the protocols that we activated during the periods of industrial action in 2023, our priority will be to ensure that time-critical services needed for property transactions will continue with minimal disruption. This includes pre-completion searches (which are mostly automated) and expedited urgent applications.
In the event of any action by PCS members, we will closely monitor any effects and respond as needed to maintain essential services that support the property market.”
