On March 21, 2024 the Chief Personnel Officer (CPO), Commander Dr. Daryl Dindial hosted a staff sensitisation session and disclosed that the Cabinet had granted approval for a new Organisational Structure for the Personnel Department. The announcement aimed to ensure that employees were well-informed about the transformational changes occurring at the Department resulting from the organisational restructuring initiative.

The CPO highlighted that the Department’s last restructuring exercise occurred in 1997 when it was deemed as a Central Human Resource Management Agency. He added to achieve this milestone, the Department collaborated closely with the Public Management Consulting Division (PMCD) of the Ministry of Public Administration which is charged with the responsibility for organisational design/restructuring for the Civil Service.

In determining the needs of the Department, the CPO revealed that PMCD’s staff engaged in consultation with the Department's Divisional Directors and Heads of Units to identify specific requirements and gaps to efficiently inform the restructuring exercise to meet the existing and emerging needs of its stakeholders.

Furthermore, Cdr. Dindial identified the need for a dedicated Division to focus on a compliance portfolio in the Personnel Department, to ‘inter-alia’, monitor the Department’s devolved functions. He further disclosed that the new Human Resource Management Compliance and Training Division will be responsible for ensuring that all Government entities subject to guidance and policy from the CPO’s Office are fully aware of, and are compliant with, Human Resource Management policies emanating from the Personnel Department such as; Contract Employment, Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), Performance Management and Industrial Relation practices. He added by doing so, unfair Industrial Relation practices and potential litigation costs against the State is expected to be reduced.

He envisions an annual report will be published identifying the level of compliance, performance metrics and the gaps in compliance by all Government entities subject to guidance and policies from the CPO’s Office. He explained the gaps will form the basis of training interventions that will be undertaken to improve compliance in the next cycle. He further explained, the decision of the Cabinet has provided yet again another opportunity for the CPO’s Office to improve the performance of the Civil Service and support Public Service transformation.

The CPO expressed his gratitude to the Honourable Minister of Public Administration, Senator the Honourable Allyson West, the staff of the Personnel Department and the staff of PMCD for their strategic inputs and recommendations during the exercise. The Division will commence its first external exercise in May 2024.