'Be woke, get promotion': UK civil servants' performance parameters leaked

A leaked official document outlining a new performance management approach for senior civil servants (SCS) has come to the fore in UK according to which, SCS members are encouraged to engage in activities beyond their core responsibilities, particularly in areas like diversity and inclusion. The leaked document, obtained by The Sunday Telegraph, suggests that achieving the highest scores in performance management requires SCS to demonstrate a “significant corporate contribution.” This includes involvement in initiatives related to capability building or diversity and inclusion at a cross-government functional level. Critics argue that these criteria create “perverse incentives” aligned with an “ideological agenda” promoting woke causes. Jacob Rees-Mogg, former Cabinet Office minister, criticises the approach, labeling it a bureaucratic box-ticking exercise and emphasizing the need for efficient public service delivery. The guidelines, issued in April, indicate that SCS focusing on specific policies, such as migration, must extend their efforts outside their Home Office directorate to excel in performance reviews, which, in turn, influence the allocation of annual bonuses. Ministers, seeking to cut spending on equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) initiatives, emphasize the importance of increasing productivity and saving money in Whitehall. A Cabinet Office spokesman clarifies that leading diversity and inclusion programs is not the sole factor in determining SCS performance scores, and the Treasury is currently reviewing EDI spending for taxpayer value. Esther McVey, recently appointed as a Cabinet Office minister, aims to bring a practical approach to the role. Her husband, Philip Davies MP, anticipates her involvement in reducing spending on EDI schemes, highlighting concerns about taxpayer money being wasted on such initiatives. Research from Conservative Way Forward reveals that approximately one million days a year are spent on equality and diversity training in the public sector. As the government navigates the balance between incentivising civil servants and managing taxpayer resources, the debate over the efficacy of such programs continues.