Human Resources

There can be few organisations that employ people with such a diverse range of skills as the British Library does. It’s our job to create an environment that enables each and every one of those people to drive forward the Library’s strategy.

We’re a key part of the business. Last year alone we contributed to efficiency savings of £2.7 million. We’re also innovating in every area of people strategy. Recently, we’ve developed a Well Being programme that 95% of staff says they have actively benefited from. We’ve encouraged lifelong learning, including a personal development scheme that allows people to study the topics they’re interested in. We’ve restructured our team to a business partner model to ensure we’re able to work closely with each department to increase business focus. And we’ve modernised pay and reward structures – including the introduction of a web-based discount scheme.

There are plenty of other exciting ongoing projects. Our new talent development and succession planning framework will enable us to address potential skills gaps and retain talent in the digital information age. We’re working on our diversity agenda to broaden our workforce and increase engagement both within the Library and the wider community. And, as befits a key supporter of diversity and ecological and social best practice, we’re developing a Corporate Social Responsibility framework for the Library.

Of course, at all times, we’re monitoring how well we’re faring with our Employee Opinion Survey programme and its resulting action plans. It all adds up to a department at the forefront of HR.