National Numbers Blog

The Times reported on Sunday that public sector employees are being motivated to turn up for work each day with lures of cars and cash incentives.

The incentives are part of a Government scheme which aims to reduce absenteeism thus saving £11 billion across the public sector. If employees turn up to work, they have more chance of winning prizes as part of the long-term scheme.

Those benefiting from the scheme include public sector workers, such as employees of the DVLA, fire-fighters, and postal workers; all of whom have already received some of the impressive prizes on offer.

Some of the more conventional prizes include cars like the brand-new Honda Jazz, and cash amounts of thousands of pounds. Nationwide, 37 postal workers have each won a Ford Focus.

The DVLA, however, seem to have taken a somewhat different approach. Their “In to Win” prize draw gives staff a day’s extra holiday allowance. DVLA employees already receive annual leave and can take up to three “duvet days” a year. On these days, an employee is free to choose a particular day not to work, and is presumably allowed to spend the day as they choose (although I’ll go for the duvet option any day!)

The tactics appear to be working: according to the article, the Royal Mail has reported a fall in absence rates from 6.1% to 4.8% over three years. In areas of the UK, both the Royal Mail and fire-fighters have achieved 100% attendance levels since the introduction of the scheme.

I have to wonder if a free personalised registration would motivate public sector staff to show up to work? We have millions to choose from on our web site, and registrations to suit all sorts of professions and jobs. So if you’re looking for a personalised number plate why not try a search on our web site?

New guidelines issued by a Government agency outlining the language to be used by employees of the Highways Agency and DVLA has advised against the use of the word ‘motorist’, and several other phrases.

The guidance has met with a negative reaction from the motoring industry.

The guidelines advise employees to replace certain phrases with phrases that may be perceived as more inclusive to general road users. The use of some negative and informal phrases has also been advised against.

The guidelines, released by the Department for Transport following a Freedom of Information request, advise employees not to slip into using ‘jargon’ and to think of customers “out there on the network”. The guidance also includes the sections “How do we sound human?”, “How do we sound helpful?” and “How do we sound active?”

Employees of DVLA have been asked not to use “unfortunately” along with the phrases “I’m afraid …”, “not possible” and “I can’t”.

Peter Roberts of the Drivers’ Alliance said: “This is an absurd and typically overly-bureaucratic piece of guidance that just goes to reinforce the belief that this Government has an ideological hatred of motorists and anything to do with the motor vehicle“.

James May, the television presenter, slammed the guidelines as a “complete waste of time and money”.

When asked about the ban on the word “motorists”, a spokeswoman for the Department for Transport said: “The dictionary definition of a motorist is a car driver. As an agency we target all road users, including those in vans, buses and on motorcycles, not just those that travel in cars. The word ‘driver’ is a more inclusive term”.

What do you think? Is this guidance a step in the right direction to remove negative and non-inclusive language from communications with such agencies, or bureaucratic red tape? Have your say in our comments!

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