At work

While most of the BBC Executive Board are already on the sun terraces of Europe, HR supremo Valerie Hughes D'Aeth has stayed behind to write not just one, but three blog posts about how she's transforming the BBC. She's big, she's bold and she's TAKING OWNERSHIP.

"I want our staff to have the information they need to know they are paid fairly, and for licence fee payers to know we are spending their money wisely."

"Each job at the BBC now has a clear pay range for the first time. We’ve shown all our staff what the pay range is for their specific job, and where they as an individual sit within it. Where there are more than twenty people in a job, staff can see how they compare to others in that same job. And staff across the organisation are now able to see the pay ranges for each job in the organisation. This will mean they have a clear idea of where they sit in comparison to other jobs and what to expect pay-wise when applying for an attachment or promotion. It also means new joiners will have a clear understanding of the pay range for their job."

There are number of previous HR bosses who will dispute the claim that this is the first time there have been clear pay ranges. What will be entertaining, now as previously, is to identify the individuals who are paid way above pay ranges 'cos they're special.

Val claims she's close to sorting on-air pay, too.

"We have been able to show on air staff their proposed pay ranges, alongside a clear criteria for how pay reflects skills, experience and audience impact. It means that they not only know where they sit within their job pay range, but crucially, why. And, equally importantly, we have proposed an approach to defining time commitments for presenters, so that we can ensure a fair comparison between different time commitments, between programmes and different contract types.

"Similarly to the rest of the organisation, we’ve proposed introducing one standard on air contract and simplifying allowances. We have also devised an approach for consistency in setting pay when people work on multiple programmes."

How much preparation time a presenter requires before going in front of cameras and microphones is a tricky business. This may come to be known as The Jeremy Vine Clause. It also covers those tricky hours before 0600 when Today presenters retire to small rooms with the op-ed pages of the Mail, to get fired up for their programme's ever-popular combative interviews.

On gender equality, Val wants staff to know she's been there too. It's almost as if she's being coached....

"As a mother of three myself, I’m only too aware of the demands of juggling work and childcare."