Written evidence from the Public and Commercial
Services Union
SURVEY INTO
BULLYING AND
HARASSMENT IN
THE FOREIGN
AND COMMONWEALTH
OFFICE
PCS is the largest union representing staff
in the FCO. We represent both UK based staff and also Diplomatic
Service staff based overseas. We are writing to express our concerns
over what appears to be a high incidence of bullying and harassment
in the FCO.
An FCO staff survey in 2008 showed that 17% of staff
both home and overseas had experienced some form of bullying and
harassment. FCO senior management were shocked by the high rate
(the Whitehall average is 11%). They ordered a more in-depth analysis
of the survey by an outside company ORC International. Their report
is attached.[17]
This showed that locally employed staff, and those
in more junior positions are more likely to feel they have been
subject to bullying, harassment or discrimination. The reasons
given to explain this were: bias against more junior grades, the
UK based/local staff divide and diverse working patterns. The
figures also showed that Black Minority Ethnic (BME) staff and
staff with a disability were more likely than other groups to
report unacceptable behaviour. 35% of BME staff and nearly 30%
of disabled staff said they had been subjected to unacceptable
behaviour.
Sir Peter Ricketts, the FCO Permanent Under-Secretary,
stated one of the reasons for the high figures (in a message to
staff, attached),[18]
was that diversity training courses and the more inclusive working
environment meant that staff now felt more comfortable raising
their concerns, However this is not reflected in any increase
in the number of formal grievances being raised with the FCO.
Much of the bullying and harassment highlighted in the survey
went unreported to the FCO, in the main we believe because staff
lack confidence that their complaints will be taken seriously.
Another reason for the high figures reported
in the survey according to Sir Peter, was that the FCO had finally
got serious about tackling poor performance which he says was
likely to highlight personality issues. PCS does not believe this
to be the case. In our experience poor performance procedures
are themselves sometimes used as a means by managers in more senior
grades to harass and bully more junior staff.
The main concern of our members within the FCO
is that the underlying reason for bullying and harassment, and
one which is not mentioned in the report, is to do with the FCO
culture, which as the Committee may recall was highlighted as
a problem in the 2008 FCO Cultural Audit, i.e. officers capable
of dealing with foreign policy issues within the FCO were more
highly prized than good managers. It was rare to find a combination
of the two.
Our members believe that not enough is being
done to tackle bullying and harassment in the FCO. PCS is currently
seeking a meeting with the FCO to discuss this.
PCS thinks that the staff survey and ORC International
report paint a very worrying picture of bullying and harassment
in the FCO with BME and disabled staff seemingly most vulnerable
to unacceptable behaviour.
We believe this is an issue which the Committee
may be interested in and we would be happy to speak to the Committee
on this matter if they think it would be useful.
22 June 2009
17 Not printed. Back
18
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