In what must be a sign of my advancing age I have had a Victor Meldrew moment upon finding today's Society Guardian supplement on the wonders of "interim managers" in our public services.
To describe this as one-sided would be generous. It is full of smug articles from self-satisfied self-employed folk doing very nicely out of the public sector (at great expense as exposed by UNISON East Midlands Region).
“Interim” senior managers, paid many hundreds of pounds a day, often deliver little of value to public sector organisations, whilst generating considerable resentment at their excessive earnings and perceived lack of commitment.
In times of change and crisis (which is all my twenty years in local government) we need to recruit and retain high quality permanent managers. Consultants should be relied upon for specialist help but not to run the organisation.
A newspaper ought to report news - and its features ought to be at least a little balanced. Since thousands of public sector workers read the Guardian and know what the reality of the use of consultants is this supplement really sticks in the throat.
A truthful and balanced supplement would have generated less advertising revenue from the consultancy industry though.
Yes, we know this Jon, but have you actually bothered to even complain to the Guardian about it?
ReplyDeleteI have.
To do otherwise is just moaning (often described by the chattering classes as 'commentating').
i did wonder how many of the high powered interim worlers are double dippers and what was meant by the description of their being battle scarred -and therefore fit to take up the challenge!saw your letter to the G in the branch Jon -good stuff.kat
ReplyDelete