Discussion summary

Taking stock after sixteen months of Covid-19 restrictions.

Eleven chairs of UK public bodies gathered for an informal discussion session, shortly before the lifting of all government Covid-19 restrictions.  

This PCF Chairs’ Hour was facilitated by Lucy Armstrong, Chair of Port of Tyne, with Jeff Halliwell, Chair of Transport Focus and Coal Authority framing key considerations.

Fresh thinking to support board relationships in the virtual and hybrid contexts.

As in other sectors, public bodies have found that context, function, role and history make a difference to the online experience. 

Virtual governance has impacted in very practical ways, bringing savings to public bodies in terms of time & expenditure.

We heard divergent views on the loss of personal contact when working virtually. It appears personal preference and working styles are impacting here, suggesting hybrid working will be difficult to manage effectively.

Developing new relationships virtually is perceived to have been more difficult. Chairs’ noted there appears to be a substantial difference in the relationships of board members who joined public bodies before and after March 2020.  

Chairs’ acknowledged the difficulty handling mental health issues and supporting board colleagues when working virtually.

Wider stakeholder relationships can be enriched by virtual engagement.

Movement restrictions due to the pandemic has inevitably reduced the opportunities for informal contact between Non-Executive and public body leadership. Recognising the importance of personal, social relationships, many chairs have been proactive, introducing additional and varied mechanisms alongside the formal governance sessions.

Chairs reflected on the need for a careful and considered approach to public engagement in view of heightened political sensitivity and delays to legislative process through the pandemic.  

The shift online has brought a substantial improvement in transparency for some public bodies, with significant levels of attendance in public meetings.

Covid-19 has prompted a fundamental reconsideration of governance approaches.

Reflecting on the impact of the last 16 months on governance in public bodies, our contributors shared a diverse range of perspectives and experiences. Intriguingly, in conclusion there was consensus: Chairs’ experiences have caused them to question everything.

Reflections from the wider discussion

Chairs advocate taking time to understand and learn about the impact on staff.  

A number of chairs acknowledged the gender difference, especially experienced by those with child &/or care commitments, during the pandemic. In future governors will need to anticipate and consider how to accommodate significant personal commitments and support staff wellbeing, while ensuring effective delivery of public services.

Anecdotally, many senior staff are now reviewing and reassessing their lives in light of the pandemic. Chairs’ warned how they may face governance difficulties if this results in simultaneous high turnover of Non-Executive Director (NEDs) and of the senior staff within public bodies.

More positively, our chairs appreciate the growth of inclusivity through working online, with virtual meetings appearing to have significant benefits for a number of people, in particular for those with additional needs and introvert preferences. Sustaining these improvements and inclusivity gains in the hybrid or physical context is considered to be very important. 

Chairs likely to consider ‘purpose of work’ ahead of ‘mode of work’. 

Chairs’ are fast developing experience in supplementing transactional virtual meetings with techniques to develop relationships such as hosting informal, networking sessions.

Rather than viewing the future as a matter of ‘returning to work’ or ‘returning to physical meetings’, chairs’ appear more likely to be considering which mode (physical, hybrid or digital) best suits the context, discussions and work to be done.

Chairs’ observed how multi-modal dialogue and working is something which appears to be more comfortable for younger generations. Use of multiple screens, channels and platforms to supplement physical interactions may prove increasingly valuable over time.  

Hybrid meetings currently require high quality technology solutions, matched by advanced participation and facilitation techniques.

Optimism for a virtual or hybrid world, perceived to be more democratic and fairer.

Board member recruitment has necessarily been impacted by the pandemic. Reliance on virtual recruitment will continue to impact board recruitment. Though board member onboarding is perceived to be more difficult, the opportunity to engage and recruit from a much broader demographic and geographic pool is considered to be particularly valuable by chairs.

Hybrid and digital governance offers an opportunity to address regional inequality and under-representation in public bodies.

In terms of public engagement, the substantial rise in public involvement was perceived to be particularly important, reflecting heightened significance to efforts to improve physical and digital inclusion.

Suggestions for further reading

Business and individual attitudes towards the future of homeworking, UK Office National Statistics (ONS) report, June 2021

COVID-19 guidance: returning to work (iwfm.org.uk) Institute for Work and Facilities Management.

COVID-19 resources, reports (employment-studies.co.uk) Institute for Employment Studies.

The Future of work (theeconomist.specialreports) The Economist reports, April 2021.

The Future of work (accenture.com) Accenture report, April 2021.

We would love to hear from you if you have any suggestions for further reading to share. Please get in touch with us at secretariat@publicchairsforum.org.uk