THE Ministry of Defence (MOD) has paid out a total of £1.75 million to settle bullying claims, according to the latest figures.
The department has kicked off a programme of work set to “clear standards and expectations of behaviour” among its staff after a series of reports shone light on the rates of bullying and sexual harassment.
The “Reaffirming our Standards” programme was started after 60 female senior civil servants wrote to permanent secretary David Williams about a “hostile” and “toxic” culture last November.
It paid out £1.75m in settlements due to bullying, harassment and discrimination last year, an annual report revealed
In 2022-23, a total of £2.54m was paid out – the first year such payouts were recorded in the annual report.
The MOD’s culture has come under scrutiny over the past year with reports of alleged bullying and sexual harassment made public while the letter sent in November included anonymised testimonies from female employees who said they had been “propositioned,” “groped” and “touched repeatedly” by male colleagues.
Speaking to Civil Service World (CSW), an MOD spokesperson said the Reaffirming our Standards programme was launched in response to this.
It aims to “ensure all staff know and show the standards of behaviour that we expect,” according to the department’s annual report.
The programme covers three areas which includes:
- Improving awareness, capability and accountability of MOD leaders to set the right example, exercise a duty of care and address concerns immediately
- Create an open and transparent culture, with clear standards of behaviour and inclusion
- Overhaul systems and processes, including casework and HR, to ensure they work effectively and support staff to raise any concerns they have
The report says: “Reaffirming our Standards aims to improve the lived experience of personnel across Defence, be they military or civilian, through setting clear standards and expectations of behaviour, through ensuring we uphold these standards and through increasing people’s confidence in our systems and processes that we will act swiftly and decisively if things go wrong.”
A new director general for people and organisational development has also been appointed “to help drive the cultural, behavioural and procedural changes required”.
Esther Wallington, who previously worked as HR director at the MOD before becoming chief people officer at HM Revenue and Customs in 2016, took up the new position in May.
An external ethics adviser is also to be appointed, modelled on existing ethics counsellor positions within the National Security Office.
The department also said it has drawn on input from a variety of organisations, including trade unions and “teams making positive change across government”.
A MOD spokesperson told CSW: “The Reaffirming our Standards programme was initiated following a letter from a number of female civil servants about unacceptable behaviour and cultural issues.
“It builds on work taking place across the department and the military to ensure that all staff know and show the standards of behaviour that we expect, as well as instilling a positive culture, and eliminating unacceptable behaviour.
“As part of this, we are improving the reporting and handling of complaints, taking action to prevent harassment and discrimination, and have introduced zero-tolerance policies.
“The Reaffirming our Standards programme is overseen by an external challenge panel of experienced subject matter experts.
“We know there is more work to be done and are committed to improving the experience for both military and civilian personnel in defence."
