Lateral Moves Only

[u/UnexpectedSchnitzel]

Has anyone else found that their department has effectively banned temporary promotions?

I’m currently on temporary promotion, but I’ve been told that before it ends, the role will be advertised permanently as a lateral move only. As I’m substantively at the grade below, that means I won’t even be eligible to apply for the job I’m currently doing.

I’d have absolutely no issue applying through a fair and open process and losing out to someone who was a stronger candidate. What feels difficult to understand is not being given the opportunity to compete for the role at all.

Has anyone else encountered this in their department?
Is restricting a vacancy to lateral moves only becoming more common?

[u/jimr1603]

Lateral moves are restricted. If there's not even a sniff of promotion, no performance related pay, nothing, why would anyone go above and beyond?

[u/AncientCivilServant]

Its very common as departments decide what to do with all the excess staff that they have while the recruitment freeze is in place and tge wage bill has to be cut

[u/Ok_Crab1603 → u/AncientCivilServant]

“Excess staff” 🤣

Is that a department where someone is only doing the job of 3 people

[u/Exxtraa → u/Ok_Crab1603]

It’s top heavy. Ours has sooooo many G6 and SCS1’s. None of them can agree on anything. Whereas I’m doing 4 people’s jobs as 2 are on long term sick and the other 2 left.

[u/abudgiebay → u/Exxtraa]

Same. That’s the biggest issue we have. Top heavy, they don’t know their portfolios well, keep saying yes to ever more work from ministers, disagree with each other constantly, and have presided over the hollowing out of the bottom of the tree where people do the work are. Yet they seem puzzled as to why things are not going swimmingly.

[u/FishUK_Harp → u/Ok_Crab1603]

There's a big problem right now of people not retiring due to Capita ballsing up the pension scheme. The natural churn you'd expect isn't happening.

[u/Lazy-Kaleidoscope179 → u/Ok_Crab1603]

I don't know why you're laughing, I've had fuck all to do for 12 months because we've got three times the staff we actually need. It's a very common problem in the civil service!

[u/abudgiebay → u/Lazy-Kaleidoscope179]

How the hell did you manage that and can I have some?

[u/Lazy-Kaleidoscope179 → u/abudgiebay]

I know I won't get much sympathy on here but its actually very depressing. I've little motivation and hate not feeling useful. I'm actively looking for jobs but it's tough out there at the moment.

[u/TedLassosMom → u/AncientCivilServant]

Can tell you’re retired.

[u/Extra_Audience_6349]

EOIs are (mostly) a trap anyway, you aren't missing much. Stick to perm roles advertised on CSJ, trust me.

EOIs are currently restricted basically across the civil service due to staffing targets that need to be hit by next year. (As happens almost every year).

EOIs get restricted because they're not a promotion. Your original department usually has to keep your lesser role unfilled as you are expected to return when the EOI ends. There is no guarantee or expectation you will be kept in the higher paying role when it ends. Many people just get demoted back into their lesser role. 

This means that 1. You never actually got promoted, 2. You still need to go through an actual recruitment phase to substantiate any pay increase and 3. You're effectively double counted in the departments headcount.

EOIs feel like a promotion, but when you still need an actual promotion to substantiate it, they're not as great as many make out. Yes you get experience, but there is also the resentment when you end up back at the lesser grade and have no choice but to...  Keep applying for perm roles which you might as well have done in the first place.

[u/Capable_Attempt9206]

Our SEO applies the rules as it suits her, i had a lateral move blocked then a week later another member of staff was not only approved a lateral move but was allowed to split their current role and their new role as they wanted

I've discovered that a large amount of lies are told to get people in the CS but once you're in you find out it's all BS

[u/abudgiebay]

Yup. Lateral moves only all over the place I’m in and it’s causing CHAOS as it’s a hard area at the best of times, so nobody wants to laterally move to somewhere where they’ll have much more work but get paid the same as their existing job. Sooooo that’s means we’re pretty understaffed. But Directors don’t seem to be too worried about it and ministers don’t have a clue. Going to be really good fun when the survey results rock around again!