out a particular area for a couple
of days.”
Pay transparency
No discussion of diversity and
inclusion at the BBC would be
complete without reference to a certain
former China editor’s equal pay claim,
and her decision to stand down in 2018
over a ‘secretive and illegal pay culture’.
And no discussion of career
progression and job roles would be
complete without details of the huge
journey the BBC has – necessarily as
part of its simplification and efficiency
agenda – been on when it comes to pay.
“One of the things I observed when I
joined and was trying to navigate the
different job types we had, was that
there wasn’t any mechanism to
understand it,” says Hughes-D’Aeth. “I
think it’s fair to say it wasn’t a top
priority for the organisation. And I
think probably if you haven’t worked
on something like that before it sounds
a bit bureaucratic.”
Nonetheless Hughes-D’Aeth saw
how vital this was to fairness and
transparency. So 27 job families were
created with seven bands, which
“dovetailed” with the need to carry out
terms and conditions reform. Which
was where, again, close work with the
BBC’s unions came in.
“We spent nigh-on two years
working with them. Originally we said
we’ll look at policies, allowances,
working patterns, wellbeing. Then I
said let’s put pay and grading in as well,
because I’d already been doing the
career path framework part and this
was a great opportunity to formalise it.
BBC in numbers
BBC profile Strategic HR
“We spent those months in small
working groups, consulting with staff
as well as the broader unions… That
culminated in going to Acas with a few
things we couldn’t agree on last April.
We took it to ballot and managed to
win and have implemented the vast
majority now… So then with 600 jobs
we could do market-informed pay for
each of those… Now we have a very
transparent framework; anyone can go
on the intranet and see it.”
Understandably this big push on pay
– combined with Carrie Gracie’s highprofile
departure, the on-air pay
disclosures and gender pay gap
reporting – meant heightened scrutiny
from staff around their own pay.
“Back in July 2017 we said ‘look this
is a huge pay scale reform, there’s a lot
of conversation about pay. If you feel
there’s an issue with your pay then raise
it with us’,” says Hughes-D’Aeth.
This was something of an opening
the floodgates moment, she admits:
“We’ve now dealt with more than 90%
of them. But it’s been a lot of time and
effort. You often have to look back over
many years. With the vast majority
there is no issue; it just needs a bit more
explanation,” she adds. “But there are a
small number where we do recognise
there are historic equal pay issues, and
we’ve put our hands up and are dealing
with those.”
Not that this has stopped the critical
headlines coming thick and fast – on
pay and beyond – something that
almost put Hughes-D’Aeth off the job
when the call came back in 2014. “It
was the public spotlight and did I
really want to put myself in a position
where almost every move I made
was scrutinised?”
In terms of dealing with this and the
incredibly long hours, she says it all
comes back to knowing the power of
what her team is achieving.
“More than anything else you need
to be confident and truly believe that
what you’re doing is the right thing,”
she says, adding the value of a
supportive team and family.
And the results coming through
certainly evidence the right thing
being done. By January 2019 the BBC
had reduced the number of senior
managers by 46%, from 540 in 2010-
11 to 245, and the public service
broadcasting (PSB) senior
management pay bill by £24.5 million
(38%), from £64.1 million in 2010-11
to £39.6 million. It had also reduced
spending in on-air roles, mainly
freelancers, in PSB from £194.2
million in 2013-14 to £147.6 million
in 2017-18.
Echoing several other reports, the
National Audit Office (NAO)’s full
audit into pay at the BBC, published
in May, stated: ‘The BBC has taken
significant steps to improve the
consistency, transparency and
fairness of its staff pay and working
practices, and is well ahead of other
organisations on pay transparency and
the gender pay gap.’
The next chapter
So it’s a fitting time to step aside and let
the BBC’s new joint group HRDs (see
p53) take the organisation through to
the next chapter, feels Hughes-D’Aeth –
who this year entered our HR Most
Influential Hall of Fame, with the BBC
winning the Diversity and inclusion
and Leading transformation awards at
this year’s HR Excellence Awards.
“There’s a benefit to a fresh pair of
eyes. Now it’s about embedding the
efficiency and effectiveness work but
not taking your eye off the ball on those
OD things or your own HR team.”
But what next for Hughes-D’Aeth?
“I think I want to get a bit more balance
on my time,” she says, adding that
she’ll then probably pursue an NED
portfolio career.
“But first I want a holiday!” she adds.
And certainly no-one could begrudge
her that. HR
Did I
really want
to put myself
in a position
where
almost every
move I
made was
scrutinised?
BBC Studios
generated returns
of £243
million to
the public service
arm of the BBC
in 2018/19
17.1 million
people watched the
fi nale of Bodyguard
The BBC’s gender pay gap is
6.7%,
down from
7.6%
91% of the UK adult
population use BBC services
at least once a week
The proportion
of leadership
roles held by
women stands at
44%
hrmagazine.co.uk November 2019 HR 35
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