Our talented people, evidence-based approach and sound methodology are central to the effective delivery of our regulatory duties, all underpinned by our values: to be inclusive, professional, ambitious and collaborative.
This year we will build on improving our efficiency, with the help of technology. In last year’s culture audit our staff fed back that there is too much internal bureaucracy, and we have therefore been looking at what more we can do to streamline processes and harness Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automated tools to improve the ways in which we interact and deliver projects.
The development of our new three-year technology strategy ‘Empowering ORR through Digital Transformation’ has allowed us to better understand how technology can support the organisation’s needs. We will focus on three objectives this year: transformed systems: investing in integration and automation; digital skills at scale: training our staff to maximise the benefits of the new, more efficient administrative tools at our fingertips; and driving digital adoption: building a network of IT Champions who can champion digital change and support colleagues in accelerating digital readiness.
Maintaining robust cyber security remains a priority. We will focus on the outcomes from audits, security testing and government measures to align ORR with industry best practice. The expanded remit and expertise of our Information Governance Group will strengthen our data governance.
One example of how technology and innovation will be improving our processes is our new HR Helpdesk, which will be embedded this year. It is intended to drive self-service and give managers insights into the types of queries coming from employees, identifying trends and potential improvements in communications.
Having a wide range of talent enables us to be more innovative and also resilient. Diversity of background brings new experience into the organisation and also allows us to engage better with our stakeholders. But it’s not just about attracting diverse talent, it’s about creating the right culture where people want to stay and contribute their best. We will therefore continue to implement our three-year diversity and inclusion strategy.
We continue to focus on attracting and developing talent for the organisation. We will launch a new recruitment applicant tracking system to make the recruitment process less bureaucratic and more impactful. We will continue to support early careers, through our internship programme and multi-discipline apprenticeship programme.
To support our people in the workplace, we will be rolling out training on the new sexual harassment legislation, giving employees the tools to identify and then act if they witness or experience harassment at work.
We continue to work to the Greening Government Commitments (GGC) 2021-25 and our Corporate Environmental Strategy and will aim to meet any new GGC commitments that come through this year.
We will continue to explain the value of our work in effective and independent regulation to media and stakeholders and listen to feedback. We will expand our digital communications and outreach via social media and continue to ensure transparency in our activity through publication across a range of channels, including our website. Internally, we will ensure our staff feel valued for their work and are kept informed of matters which affect them and that there is regular dialogue with management on changes due from rail reform.
Our legal team will also continue to provide a high quality, specialist service in respect of preparing cases and ensuring our decisions are always based on robust and pragmatic legal advice. Combining in-depth industry knowledge with expertise in commercial, public, competition, consumer and criminal law, the team’s lawyers are ideally placed to support the work of the organisation right across its functions.