People are the heart of public services. When we talk about transforming business processes and services models, what we are usually really talking about is changes in the way that people work.

Finding ways of enabling people who work in public services to change is a key part of work to improve public services.

But there is a major workforce challenge at a time of decreasing resources. Most public services' main fixed cost is the paybill. If public services are to reduce their costs, they will need to look at how they can reduce staffing costs or work with staff to improve efficiency and service delivery.

The guidance in this section looks at some of the ways public services could manage their workforce better to encourage improvement in public services and a more positive working environment for the staff themselves. This could include staff engagement, managing staff attendance, occupational health and agile or flexible working environments.