Jefferson takes helm as FS and CS jobs merge
(CNS): The deputy governor said that top civil servants are leading by example with the merger of the financial secretary’s post with the chief officer’s job in the finance ministry. Franz Manderson formally announced Thursday that Kenneth Jefferson would, in addition to being FS, take up the duties once covered by the CO following the retirement earlier this year of Sonia McLaughlin. Jefferson, who has been financial secretary since 1 November 2004, has been responsible for advising the finance minister on government’s regulatory, fiscal and budget management operations. He will now also be in charge of the financial and human resource operations of the entire ministry, including oversight of the large customs department and the Economics and Statistics Office.
Manderson, the deputy governor and head of the civil service, said he was happy that the operations were in the “very capable hands” of Jefferson and the merger was an important example.
“The amalgamation of the two posts shows that civil servants at the highest level are leading by example and doing more with less,” he said.
The minister responsible for finance and economic development, Marco Archer, said Jefferson would easily meet the additional challenges. “His signature traits are high efficiency and effectiveness, and I certainly look forward to working with him in this expanded role,” Archer added.
Meanwhile, Jefferson said he was also looking forward to working with the diligent staff to accomplish the tasks that lie ahead.
Jefferson started his civil service career as an Audit Manager at the Auditor General’s Office in 1994, having worked at Price Waterhouse and Ernst and Young here and in London. He later became Deputy Financial Secretary and Assistant Financial Secretary before his appointment as the FS.
Category: Local News
Exceptions cannot be examples….
<a href="https://www.allsectech.com/Allsec/human-resource-management-system.aspx">Human Resource Management System</a>
The poster at 8:20 who said this was a "no brainer" was right. But notice that already it has not affected headcount. The C salary saved has been offset by the C salary created to pay for the person who takes over Mary Rodrigues' chief officer post now that she has been moved to a newly created post to implement EY. This is how things tend to happen in the civil service even with the best intentions. Notice that just recently we were told there would need to be extra firemen hired (to cut down on overtime and because a report from England said so) and more customs officers are to be appointed to take care of the increased complexities of the new customs coding system. What will be next? More police to handle increasing crime? More teachers to cope with increased enrollment? More prison guards for dealing with prison overcrowding? Or some "new initiative" that the politicians come up with "to better serve us"? Ah so it go.
Customs and fire and prison should just close on Sundays. Wouldn't want to destroy those poor officers families now, would we? Are they all going to hell for working Sundays now?
Just goes to show what a difficult and time consuming job Sonia was doing…!!!
well done for this decision.
Thank God at least one person has seen the truth of what has been going on in Finance, 7:44. You are 100% correct.
The ignorance of CNS posters continue to amaze me… look at some of the suggestions here. 1 HR manager for the entire Government. Really?? An organization with 3500 employees and 1 HR Manger – how crazy and stupid is that??
Everyone wants Mr Manderson to do his job better but wants to take away the people that he needs to assist him…. what a great idea. I know he is good but no one is that good.
Please folks complaining about everything is just plain dumb.
You are absolutely correct 09:48, the level of commentary on here leaves much to be desired. The sad thing is that many are making comments and casting aspersions from a point of complete ignorance.
When Civil Servants do poorly, they bash them, when they do well, they bash them. If someone is hired or promoted they find something negative to say about them and when someone gets fired, yup, you guessed it, the vultures start circling.
People need to get it together, Civil Servants are human, Many worked hard and studied in school just the same as private sector workers, if their training, hard work and dedication eventually gets them to the top, why do you feel a need to try and tear them down? is that the only way you can feel good about your life? to tug and pull at anyone who appears to be moving up or doing something positive with their lives?
The Civil Service bashing is getting a bit old to be quite frank, I wish some posters would take a moment to really reflect on their writings and ask themselves if their utterances really have any positive impact on the conversation or indeed society.
Hey, easy on the ignorance bit, friend. There are some very smart people writing in to CNS who, like me, also watch Jeopardy every afternoon and get most of the answers right. What about you, are you any good?
Yes one HR manager and have various HR staff. That is how other large organizations work around the world. There are many things that can be automated. Having a smaller department means that the staff have to be more efficient, work harder and not laze around on the phone or on facebook or personal errands all day long.
I think this is a good move, Ken Jefferson is a decent hardworking man. When you are the boss, you take the fall for all the incompetence below you. Unfortunately, in the Civil Service, you don't always get to choose who work for you (especially if you inherit them) and you can't fire the bad ones, you just get to take the blame for their work or lack thereof. The poor FS has been tarred and feathered since 2009, but for those who really know him, they would also know that he is a well educated man with impeccable worth ethic and a high degree of integrity. I don't know if congratulations are in order Ken since you basically took on the role and responsibilities of someone who previously reported to you, which probably means more work and probably the same pay. Therefore all I will say is good luck, keep your head up and keep up the hard work, I certainly appreciate what you do for my country.
And therein lies the problem with the Civil Service with your one statement:
AND YOU CANT FIRE THE BAD ONES.
THAT is WHY the CS is the way it is. The "BAD ONES" should get booted out on their asses and made to find a job in the Private Sector. THEN they wll see how good theyhad it.
SMH!
Leading by example? So which one got made redundant?
The previous Chief Officer position you Do Do
Thank you for clarifying that it'll be just the positions in the CS that'll possibly be made redundant, not the actual people. I didn't know that. What a relief.
Say wha Marco ??? They slipped the cool aid in your water bottle too !!!!
Awesome, hopefully now he can be held accountable… just like all the other Chief Officers are. Right?
Excellent move, please now do the same for all of government, hire just one HR manager for the core government service, as a matter of fact revert back to the Public Service Commission board for hiring in the CS. Let the managers of the statutory board do their interviews and select their own employees. Far too much monies are being spent with HR managers and Accountants and Accounts Manager for each department. Get rid of the security officers at all government buildings and hire retired police officers that are able and want to work at security officers I am sure they have the training and government won't have to pay them pensions and insurance, if they are retired they are already benefactors of pension and insurance. I am sure many of those retirees would be happy to work for less than what the government is paying the security companies.
Thank God you were not part of the EY team bobo @11:14. You haven't got a clue about the size and complexity of the civil service, have you? And to think that we might want as security officers those policemen who we are all now saying are useless (see CNS posts repeatedly on the subject) but 25 or more years later when they are retired and slower and fatter and lazier that they were when they were supposed to be active cops-that really beggars belief. And I keep telling you every time you bleat on about this, the Public Service Commission was a "commission" not a "board"……hence its name!!! Geddit???
The entire Caymanian population are aware of the size of the CS, it's supersized at and most and needs to be overhauled, the complexity is still puzzling. Not all retired policemen are fat, slow, lazy and useless. I know many that would run circles around you physically and mentally and not to mention many of the supersized and inefficient private security officers that you find all over government buildings. The Public Service Commission as I know it in Cayman functions very similar to any government statutory board thus why I refer to it as a board I am very aware of the very subtle difference between the two are you:?
16:57, you are clueless my friend so I am not going to say any more. Your last sentence makes no sense.
Agree with youfully, especially Human Resource managers on work permits.
Franz should have started with retired Peter Gough who sits outside his door in his office. Then the Portfolio of the Civil Service Chief Officer post should be dowgraded to a Head of Section. The idea of reintroducing the Public Service Commission is an excellent suggestion. It would be responsible for hiring Civil Servants. The HR Mangers and Chief Financial Officers that are scattered throughout the Civil Service can eventually be made redundant.
22:50, here's a thought that might not have occurred to you. Why not let Franz Manderson (a very bright person whom I know) decide whether he wants to employ Gough (whom I dont know) since Gough works for him and not you. You might want to mind your own business and leave Manderson to mind his. Knowing Mr Manderson as I do, no one is going to "sit outside his office" (doing nothing is your insinuation, I imagine) unless he is doing vital work for him.
Isn't this the same character that miscalculate the national deficit from $18M to $81M back in 2009? Am I missing something here, should he have been demoted to a clerk?
"Leading by example" is starting to mean the more mistakes you make is the higher you can get. And people are following!!
It was only a paper surplus so that doesn't count. Paper surpluses have a margin of error of +/- $100 Million
But only on government finances in Cayman.
The FS didn't do the financial statements himself. I believe there are people below him that prepare these and give them to him so maybe if you want to blame someone for that mess up look below. 3/4 of the people they have employed in the government as "accountants' do not have an accounting qualification, taking a few accounting classes here and there does not make you an accountant, and sadly some who have the qualification just got the qualificaiton because they were good at taking exams or something because they don't have a clue when it comes to application of accounting. It is a sad state of affairs.
Politics is the cause of all of government's inefficiencies, because politics was what created the additional post of Chief Officer in the first place. The FS position had long existed. However, the Civil Service is the body that gets the blame when politics has over-bloated and convoluted the situation.
Ohhhhh puhleaze! What BS about doing more for less. What you mean is doing enough for what he gets paid handsomely to do like all the other overpaid top ranking civil servants. I do agree though that this is where the cuts need to start AT THE TOP . If more of this merging of duties is done within the civil service at the top then that would be the savings we are looking for. Too top heavy and the top too highly paid.
7;57. What are you talking about. You need help!
Mr Manderson thank you for your efforts to reduce the cost of the civil service. This is a welcome change and was not the “easy” option. Mr Jefferson we are expecting you to rise to this challenge.
" leading by example" …by leading from behind…
This was a no brainer. There never was a need for a Finacial Secretary (government pay scale B) AND a Chief Officer (pay scale C) but the status and the salaries of both the incumbents had to be preserved (at a VERY high cost to the taxpayer).
Jefferson Manderson Archer continue to take the piss
"Leading by example" is a laughable statement after over 10 years of Civil Service's chronic failure to honor their obligation to keep adequate records – despite the warnings and public outrage – weren't they, "leading by example" then too? Now people finally realize they are on the cusp of loosing their cushie jobs, or entire departments, and they are scramble to demonstrate they are awake.