About the research

This research focused on identifying positive practice and suggestions for reform.

We already know from previous parliamentary reviews, prior research and media reports that there were significant problems in the way political staff were managed and the workplace they operated in.

We also appreciate that the workplace of politics and government is distinctive due to the nature of politics and democracy. Because in a democracy politicians have to be elected to their job, this means there is a big turnover every election and a substantial group of new politicians, and their staff, start all at once. There is no transition or handover from the politicians and staffers who have lost their job in the election to those who will take their place. And the usual motivations used by managers - such as job security and career progression - are either non-existent or very limited for political staffers. Any recommendations needed to be bespoke,

Whilst anecdotal evidence suggested that more pro-active senior staffers, office managers and MPs develop good practice over time as they learn and reflect on the job, such practitioner wisdom is rarely preserved or passed on. The rapid turnover of staff and lack of handover when power changes hands between political parties in elections means that good practice is lost.

There are also pioneering civil/public servants who have sought to create better guidance for MPs and support for their staff. However they are constrained by limited resources and having to tread carefully between supporting political staffers whilst they themselves need to remain politically neutral. They also have to balance championing good management principles whilst respecting the autonomy of the elected MP.

The research therefore sought to collect and connect practitioner wisdom by asking political staffers and those working in close association with them what best practices they had experienced, observed and developed over time. This ensured that findings offered positive solutions that were grounded in reality.

This research was explicitly designed to generate practical solutions and suggestions for future reform grounded in the experiences of practitioners so that any recommendations would be possible to implement within the realities of politics and government, with a carefully chosen approach and data collection/analysis methods.

Approach

The research followed a pragmatist research philosophy, and an appreciative inquiry approach that asked practitioners what worked, aligning with a positive public administration approach.

Data collection

Practitioners from four countries - Australia, Canada, the UK and New Zealand - were interviewed in 2022-3. This included 71 advisers for Prime Ministers Scott Morrison,, Justin Trudeau, Boris Johnson, Jacinda Ardern as well as 3 more who worked for the incoming Australian PM Anthony Albanese. 83% of the advisors interviewed had also worked for other politicians such as ministers or MPs or party headquarters before or after their PMO role and the data therefore reflects a breadth of experiences across different types and levels of offices. Interviews were also conducted with practitioners who worked in close association to them or had played a key role in innovative reforms, such as in the House of Commons member services team, Parliamentary Service and Director of a new Office of Staff Support. The questions were principally designed to identify specific positive practices that managers of advisors could use, as well as imagine a better future:

Interview questions

1. What did/does your role involve in terms of goals, tasks, skills, who you worked with/for?
2. What do you think is an effective way to recruit and select staffers to meet the demands of the job?
3. What do you think is the best way to orientate and train political staffers?
4. What do you think helps political staffers do their job effectively?
5. How should human resource management for political staffers be improved in the future?

Data analysis

Data was rigorously analysed through NVivo in a series of stages that maximised the grounding of findings in the data and interpretive validity. Stage 1 recorded initial themes in memos during interviews which were used to create an initial code book in NVivo. In Stage 2, initial open and dynamic coding of data was conducted, with each transcript coded line by line, adding new codes and changing hierarchy as the data demanded. In Stage 3, the material within each code was reviewed, and material moved to more appropriate codes where needed, codes with low numbers of references were merged and those with a high number broken up into more specific codes.

Positive management practices are feasible in political offices, but need to become universal - there are multiple ways to improve the way staffers are managed, even within the challenges of the political workplace. The research identified over 50+ distinct practices that are important to effective political management of staffers.

However these only happen an ad hoc basis, so need sharing to become the norm. A lot involve peer to peer interaction. Most need carrying out by those involved in day to day management - not just Chiefs of Staff but more experienced staffers in roles such as directors or office managers.

Significant bespoke reform is also needed, but possible - additional infrastructure needs to be developed by public servants in government departments and parliaments working in proximity to political staffers. Developments are already happening in some institutions but need to be better resourced and more widespread. Public servants can provide non-political support, develop understanding of political staffers’ needs, and collaborate with political practitioners to facilitate relevant political material. An Office of Political Staff Support is needed, as well as organising peer learning and connection between political advisers.

The Political Staffer Resource Centre will help share these practices and support those advocating for infrastructure reform.

Lees-Marshment, Jennifer (2026)

‘Leading wellbeing practices in Prime Ministers’ Offices’ Chapter 19'

Read Rethinking Leadership for Clinical, Counselling and Health Psychologists: Managing Complexity and Change for Thriving Workplaces

Edited by Amra Saleem Rao Routledge

Lees-Marshment, J. (2025)

in Public Money & Management

Read Professionalizing the management of political advisers. Public Money & Management, 1–12

Based on interviews with advisers and civil servants in four countries, the article offers recommendations and realistic guidance that will benefit political advisers and political staff, as well as the civil servants who work in close association with political advisers. It outlines practical tools for managers of political advisers to support new colleagues, give impactful feedback within a fast-paced environment, manage the office to help colleagues cope with high workloads, build a positive culture and maintain wellbeing. The article recommends that an ‘Office of Political Staff Support’ be set up for all political advisers and staff to professionalize this vital area of government. Led by civil servants, human resources (HR) professionals and political advisers, this office would connect staff across offices, promote positive behaviours and support advisers’ wellbeing. It would oversee and facilitate professional talent management, bespoke orientation and professional development, community-building events; communicate HR policies, handle employment issues, review workforce data and preserve and disseminate institutional knowledge.

Advisers and Reformers Chapter 9 in the book The Human Resource Management of Political Staffers Routledge 

Lees-Marshment, J. (2024) 

Read the Best Practice Guidance for Political Staffing for Political Managers

This chapter sets out an overall vision and architecture for political staffing and why it is needed. It discusses the privilege of service in political staffing, notes the current crisis in political staffing human resource management but also argues strongly for the potential for positive human resource management. It provides guidance for practitioners by outlining best practice guidance for political staffers, their managers and reformers. This makes clear the key approaches and tools they need to be aware of and use to improve political offices. Political staffers and advisers need to be properly trained, supported and developed. Not only will this benefit the individuals in the roles, but it will also provide significant benefit to the politicians they work for and in turn the voters who elect the politicians. Higher quality human resource management for political staffers and advisers will generate multiple long-term dividends. It will create higher calibre, more experienced and diverse political staffers who are up and running in their role sooner, perform at a higher level and are retained for longer, preserving institutional knowledge. This will lead to higher functioning offers, generating better outputs, more effectively supported politicians, more strategic decisions and increased delivery of election promises.

Lees-Marshment, J (2024)

Read "The State of Human Resource Management of Political Advisers in Prime Minister’s Offices” in Political Management in Practice Routledge

Lees-Marshment, J. (2025), University of Dundee 

Read the Guidelines for supportively managing staff in a political office

This report presents guidelines for supporting staff in political offices, covering supporting mental health in political offices, building a positive culture and morale, helping colleagues cope with high workloads. giving feedback that improves performance and assisting & developing new colleagues. It then offers a chance for you to reflect on improving your practice.

Lees-Marshment, J. (2024) ,University of Dundee

Read the HRM of Political Staffers Research Report

Political staffing has attracted significant attention recently through media stories and parliamentary reviews which uncovered many problems and a general lack of human resource management. This research focused on how to make the management of political advisers/staffers more effective by interviewing practitioners in Australia, Canada, the UK and New Zealand about positive practices in 2022-3, including 67 advisers for Prime Ministers Scott Morrison, Justin Trudeau, Boris Johnson and Jacinda Ardern.