The COVID-19 Pandemic has demonstrated the importance of business continuity in organisations. From our observations, the immediate response (in addition to safety and health matters) to the pandemic by a number of organisations focused on business continuity. CARICAD, in response to this need, developed a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) template at the start of the pandemic in 2020, for customisation by Member States. By adopting a Business Continuity Plan in the heart of the pandemic, Member States were able to deploy effective plans, putting in place contingencies, identifying capabilities and strengthening technological infrastructure. From a Human Resources Management (HR) perspective, all of these actions assisted with the management of the sudden increase in remote work arrangements. For instance, the use of technology including business communication platforms such as Microsoft Teams facilitated HR processes in recruitment, learning management systems, and redeployment of employees, among others. For most if not all organisations, the COVID-19 pandemic has clearly demonstrated that HR is an integral component of business continuity. Public Sector Organisations (PSOs) have been forced to re-focus and to re-direct themselves towards becoming more flexible and adaptable.

The pandemic required answers to important questions:

• What does our talent bench look like?
• Do we have the capabilities for interim replacements in the event of an unexpected absence or multiple absences?

This article treats briefly with some key HR considerations to ensure continuity in PSOs, as they confront risks and opportunities in times of crises.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also shown that public officers, whether senior managers, mid-level officers, individuals in critical positions including specialists,  as well as administrative and technical support staff are not immune to the virus. CARPHA has reported a total of 3,255,544 cases in the Caribbean as of March 7, 20221. The risk of further cases occurring in the Caribbean, according to CARPHA, remains Very High. PAHO also reported that in January 2022 COVID-19 infections were increasing in most countries in the region because of the Omicron variant and that Caribbean islands had the steepest increase in infections since the pandemic began2. Public Sector employees no doubt are included in this number. From CARICAD’s knowledge of regional public services, public sector programmes and projects continue to be impacted by the absence of COVID-19-affected employees at all levels, thus creating disruptions in work continuity.

ILO-OECD in 2020 reported loss of jobs and declined income, globally resulting in supply shock3. It was also reported that there were unprecedented fall-offs in employment and total hours worked. In fact, according to the ILO, there was a decline of 9.9% in total hours worked in the Caribbean, at the peak of the pandemic4. Such data shows that the impact of COVID-19 on organisations and the workforce is significant.

1 – CARPHA Situation Report #219

2 – Congressional Research Group – In Focus, 2022 Latin America and the Caribbean: Impact of COVID-19 January 21, 2022

3 – ILO-OECD “The Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on jobs and incomes in G20 economies” 2020

4 – ILO: COVID-19 eliminates the equivalent of 1.5 million jobs in the Caribbean,2020

COVID-19 has intensified the need for PSOs to seriously consider well-tailored risk-management programmes to plan for the unexpected absences or loss of key persons during times of crises and subsequent Recovery effort. The adoption of succession planning and structured interim replacement planning must now become critical HR processes to ensure business continuity. The idea of succession planning is certainly not new; however attention to the process has increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Its adoption will therefore require a reinvigorated approach to the development of talent which includes re-skilling, upskilling, and retooling of public sector employees.

Succession Planning and Talent development go hand in hand and are two critical HR processes. For clarity, talent development focuses on processes and programmes that build capabilities which in turn impact an organisation’s ability to drive results. Succession Planning is the process whereby an organisation ensures that employees are recruited and developed to fill critical roles. This process ensures that there will not be a critical role vacant for which a replacement employee is not prepared. It is now recognised that critical roles are not only strategic in nature such as senior managers, but also include those roles that are critical to the success of essential workflows.

While Succession Planning may be commonly understood as the identification of critical positions and preparing to move people into higher-level jobs,  I hold the view that succession planning is not just about preparing for the automatic replacement of employees who leave or retire. The concept is broader. Succession planning is about developing a clear approach to the identification and development of talent for all levels of staff, through which skills development interventions can be prioritised and delivered. PSOs would therefore need to develop clear approaches to the identification and development of high performing talent, identifying future workforce and talent requirements, ensuring effective retention, talent management, robust data, and development strategies across staffing levels.

As the above suggests, Succession Planning requires purposefulness in terms of deliberate action by PSOs. It is worth noting that the majority of CARICAD Member States that responded to our surey do not have a Succession Planning programme in place (CARICAD Survey-2018).

The reasons given for not having such an important HR process in place include financial constraints, the lack of HR systems to support succession planning, the absence of meritocratic systems, and the failure to recruit, train and retain the right individuals who will lead in the future.

As PSOs re-evaluate their succession planning efforts, several key factors should be borne in mind. Succession Planning in the Public Sector must entail active engagement by top executives, Public Service Commissions and unions who are all required to coalesce to build a holistic strategy and set the tone for guiding the development of employees through training, mentoring, coaching, shadowing, and similar modalities.

This concept of a talent growth approach to succession planning is a key consideration, whereby, not only are staff well prepared and developed for the challenges of strategic initiatives and the ever-changing world in which work is conducted, but the systems, structures, and cultural interactions within the public sector must serve as active enablers. Ensuring successful succession planning will require a keen focus on individual plan development that sets the foundation for learning experiences whether through education, engagement or exposure/attachments. Such actions will help strengthen the talent bench. A talent growth approach to succession planning also supports structured replacement planning which has the objective of minimising the threat of interim unplanned loss of key job holders as has been experienced during the pandemic.

Some may be of the view that Succession Planning is a waste of time and there is a perception that jobs are not being filled by persons with the right competencies. There may even be a tendency in our region to see key posts in the public service as rewards for loyalty and not competence. There are those who may even say: “Why do succession planning when no one is certain that he/she will be appointed in identified key positions?” Whilst these may be the realities in some of our organisations, Succession Planning can be part of a wider talent development plan that is aligned with recruitment, retention, training and development and performance management. I hold the view that an approach that can be perceived as non-threatening in terms of limiting cherry-picking or selectiveness in relation to appointment, promotion, training etc. and one that provides opportunities for employee growth and development at all levels, in a fair and equitable manner, would be better embraced in a public sector setting.

There are costs in time and effort associated with talent-based Succession Planning. However, having the right staff, in the right place, and at the right time, should represent a great return on investment and improved organisational performance. Succession Planning is a long-term investment that continues to be worthwhile regardless of diminishing budgets and prevailing cynicism.

In order to curtail risks associated with the loss of valuable employees, organisations must engage in succession planning. Effective implementation of Succession Planning in public sector organisations in our region is not an impossible feat. However, the process must be focused and transparent in ensuring that a pipeline of talent is available for future leadership and interim replacements. It is equally recognised that a fully integrated succession system will require an effective enabling environment including complementary HR strategies and other systems

As you consider your specific public service environment you are invited to reflect on the  following questions:

• How might we re-calibrate our HR Strategies to enable and adopt a talent-based approach to Succession Planning?
• What barriers might there be to successful implementation of Succession Planning in your country and organisation?
• How can Succession Planning be done under institutional fiscal constraints?

Please note that CARICAD is far advanced with the development of a Succession Planning Guide which is expected to be available before the end of June 2022.