People Matters Committee Terms of Reference

Role

The People Matters Committee is a sub-committee of the HMRC Executive Committee (ExCom). The purpose of the People Matters Committee can be split into two parts:

Strategic development:

  • to take a visionary role, looking two to five years into the future to the Department we aspire to be, supporting ExCom by providing choices for key decisions with regard to on-going development of the People Strategy
  • overseeing the programme of work that will deliver the new People Strategy

Operational excellence:

  • acting on behalf of the Executive Committee, playing an HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) wide role and taking decisions on delegated issues with regard to people policies
  • supporting the Chief People Officer in designing and implementing the HMRC annual cycle of people processes such as performance management

Membership

  • The People Matters sub-committee will be chaired by the Chief People Officer. Membership will consist of one-Director level representative from each ExCom command unless otherwise agreed with the Chair. In addition, the following will also be members of the sub-committee:
  • PaceSetter – Alison McDonald
  • Departmental Transformation Programme/Investment Director – Mike Shipp
  • Director HR Operations – Dorothy Brown
  • Head of Corporate Responsibility and Diversity – Judy Greevy
  • Head of Internal Communications, Martin Cook

Also in attendance but only invited as appropriate for specific items:

  • Policy Senior Manager (People Function)
  • Deputy Director Industrial Relations
  • Employee Engagement Senior Manager (People Function)
  • Deputy Director Organisation Design
  • Deputy Director Learning & Development
  • Head of Employer Brand
  • Deputies will only be allowed by exception and with the agreement of the Chair and the relevant member of ExCom.
  • A minimum of two thirds of members will be required for the meeting to be quorate.

The secretariat function will be provided by the ExCom Common Secretariat. The ExCom Common Secretariat will be responsible for:

  • preparing the agenda
  • commissioning and quality assuring briefing papers
  • producing and circulating draft minutes of the Committee meeting to members and standing invitees normally within ten working days
  • maintaining an action log
  • maintaining the forward look of items for the Committee’s attention
  • ensuring Committee papers are maintained in accordance with the Code of Practice for Records Management; and
  • preparing notes for the Chair’s report to ExCom

2. Reporting

  • The Chair will provide a report on the key points to ExCom (either oral or written), to whom the People Matters Committee is accountable, after each meeting.
  • Draft minutes of the People Matters Committee will be circulated to ExCom as soon as practical and if necessary prior to ratification of the Committee’s next meeting.

Standard items of quarterly reporting will include:

  • Trend reviews of the People-related measures reported at Performance Committee
  • Engagement dashboard from the Engagement Champions group
  • People Function work plan reviews
  • Organisation Design work plan
  • Corporate Responsibility and Diversity work plan
  • Learning and Leadership work plan
  • Business Workforce Change Committee updates
  • The Committee will provide a review of its Terms of Reference and effectiveness on an annual basis.

3. Responsibilities

The People Matters Committee supports the Executive Committee and will determine and monitor the delivery plan to achieve our People Strategy. The Committee supports the Chief People Officer in making judgements with regards to the organisation and policy choices the Department will take in achieving the desired outcomes of the People Strategy.

The People Matters Committee will work with the People sub-committee of the Board. Its role is to provide assurance and governance to the Board on people related issues and provide constructive challenge and thinking on work in progress.

In its relationship with ExCom where:

  • existing HR/People practices are being updated, refreshed or operationalised for a given year, the People Matters Committee would handle the item to its conclusion, focusing on delivery
  • significant new practices are being developed the People Matters Committee will be the Committee that develops, challenges and proposes the solution, for sign off by the Executive Committee

The decision making scope of the Committee will cover:

  • agree the delivery plan for the HMRC People Strategy
  • agree supporting strategies and inter-dependencies
  • agree the priority and work plan for HR policy remit
  • review items escalated via the departmental risk register, and referred by the Board, ExCom, Board People sub-committee or Performance Committee for in depth review

The People Matters Committee will review relevant issues referred to it by ExCom that appear on the departmental risk register.

4. Rights

The People Matters Committee may also co-opt people for periods of not more than one year to provide specialist skills, knowledge and experience.

5. Meetings

The People Matters Committee will meet monthly, with two Strategy Review overnight events a year.