Improving Working Lives Initiative

Improving Working Lives Initiative

Introduction

In the UK the requirement for radical change in the public sector has necessitated significant movement away from traditional structures, approaches and assumptions resulting in new organisational forms and changed psychological contracts (Herriot et al., 1997). The UK National Health Service (NHS) is one such public sector organisation characterised by continuous, radical national and local change in pursuit of a culture change away from bureaucratic and hierarchical processes "toward newly valued entrepreneurial attitudes and behaviours" (Bolton, 2002, p. 129). Successfully changing an organisation such as the NHS, while maintaining high standards of care on an ongoing basis, requires the sustained trust, commitment and goodwill of staff at every level and in every aspect of the service. Clearly this has implications for the employment relationship in the health service and, given that it constitutes one of the world's largest labour forces employing around one million people (Bloor and Maynard, 2001), any change impacts on the working lives of significant numbers of people.

Kiffen-Petersen and Cordery (2003) suggest that employees' trust in management may be a significant factor in their attitude towards major organisational changes that involve extensive structural, philosophical and value changes, as is the case for many in the NHS. They also note the existence of evidence of an association between trust in management and positive organisational outcomes including receptivity to change initiatives and organisational commitment. As part of developing, and maintaining, mutual trust and commitment it is widely argued that employers must meet the employee expectations which form part of the psychological contract, an important element of which, Armstrong (1999) argues, is being able to trust in management to keep their promises. If a promise is seen as a pledge, an undertaking to do or not to do something, or to give reason to expect something as per its dictionary definition (Weiner, 1995), then in an organisational context, policy statements form such commitments.

Discussion

The “Improving Working Lives Initiative” is an element of the NHS Plan. It makes it obvious that every member of the NHS staff is permitted to work in an organization which can show its obligation to more flexible working states and provides staff more rule over their own time. (ww.whittington.nhs.uk)

Herriot et al.'s (1998) first manifestation of trust is based on the fulfilment of perceived obligations or commitments. Issues of equity and fairness are also important, both as elements of the psychological contract and as contributors to the development of trust during periods of change (Saunders and Thornhill, 2003). Pillai et al. (2001) argue that when distributions of organisational outcomes are considered fair, higher levels of trust are likely to ensue. Thus, according to these formulations, the experience of fulfilled obligations or promises is directly related to the generation of trust, which in turn is a necessity for the successful implementation of change.

What Are The Reason For Considering This Topic?

There are a number of reasons of considering this topic. Within this paper we consider the fulfilment of one such "promise" as made ...