LEAD HR Assignment

The HR department intends to plan all its activities such that the new strategic objectives may be achieved.

Thus, for example, it will be seen to that in the Payroll system, whatever money is kept from the employees’

wages (NI, tax, etc.), it has to be completely transferred to the proper department within the legally stipulated

timeframe to fulfil the Strategic Objective of being 100% legally compliant. The objectives of other various

activities will be detailed hereunder.

In the meantime, I am considering the following HR activities as being key for the attainment of my

department’s objectives:

Recruitment and Selection

Performance Management

Learning and Development

The objectives of these three core activities will be as follows :

Core Activity 1: Recruitment and Selection – Interviewing

1. During the selection process, the best people will be chosen on the basis of their qualifications.

Candidates that are to contribute to our business expansion should also pass specific ability tests

regarding cognitive, integrity and personality. At least 20% of the new recruits are to possess high

creativity. Creative candidates should provide value added to our organization by un-tapping new

business opportunities.

2. The quality of our products reflects the quality of our employees. So it’s extremely important not to

recruit the wrong candidates. This will affect our competitiveness as it is very expensive to employ the

wrong candidates.

3. Become leaders with the help of precision interview probing and find critical competences that predict

performance.

4. Obtaining the best talent by ensuring that the applicant meets the job requirements, fit the

organization and its leadership structures, but also that the job fits the candidate. To attract the best

candidates, it is intended to increase benefits, etc.

5. A small legal department consisting of a lawyer will be setup to check that the recruitment and

selection process is 100% legally compliant. Such department will also carry out internal audits of the

process to check adherence to particular acts, such as Employment and Industrial Relations Act,

Equality Act and Equal Pay Act amongst others.

6. Being socially responsible by removing personal prejudice and bias in the selection process as well as

providing equal opportunities and fair pay.

An External HR Audit will be carried out to check that the core activities and its objectives are consistent with

the mission and vision of the organization, and also to check the job description for each department position.

Such audit will also help in improving and developing the HR business objectives since a recommendation

report will be issued at the end of the Audit process.

The following diagram shows the flow chart for Recruitment and Selection activities:

Induct and train the new employee

Take up references

Make a decision and offer

Hold selection interviews and/or events

Shortlist applications

Market the job

Decide how to attarct candidate

Decide on most appropiate application and selection method

Write/review a job description and person specification

Analyse the job

Determine whether recruitment and selection is

necessary

Core Activity 2: Performance Management

1. Un-tapping new opportunities could be reached when management connects staff motivation and

behaviour with corporate objectives by focusing on people. This will help to clarify performance. The

aim is to incorporate performance appraisals into comprehensive performance management system.

A clear understanding of expected behaviour and performance will be established.

2. Achieve leadership in quality and competitiveness by means of a key area frame work system. First by

specifying the job targets. The next step is to list job aspects which need high performance and

purpose to fulfil; however keeping in mind SMART objectives. It is also necessary to provide valid

reasons for correcting performance short falls. This could be done with the help of a reflective journal.

3. Becoming leaders and establish good governance by enhancing management skills and by

monitoring/assessing performance. This will be done by giving the job holder more control of

performance in key areas.

4. People talent is maximized by sharing common understanding of performance needs, by agreeing on

objectives and performance. Secondly, it is intended to keep track of performance with the aid of

effective feedback and make good use of its characteristics.

A 360 degrees feedback (refer to diagram below) will be implemented to achieve this aim.

5. To be 100% legal compliant, the legal department will check that information about employees is

secure and cannot be accessed by unauthorized personnel according to the Data Protection Act. The

reason for this being that sensitive information of performance appraisal should not be public.

6. Social responsibility requires that the organization builds on performance success and develops

people to their full potential. This will be done by adopting a Problem Solving approach rather than a

Tell (autocratic) approach (see diagram below).

360 degree

feedback

Top Mgnt

Immediate

superior

Peers

Subordinates

Self

Customers

Again, an External HR Audit will be carried out to check that the HR department has an updated written policy

and an updated mission statement, and also to check if there is a documented risk register for the

department. Suggestions for improvements will be provided at the end of the audit in order to provide added

value.

The following diagram shows the flow chart for Performance Management activities:

Listen Motivate Inspire Coach Lead

Job improvement plan Promotion or transfer Salary review

Action agreed - Build on performance successes and develop people to their

full potential

Make decissions about actions needed and correct performance shortfalls

Appraisal interview conducted with best possible quality feedback

Clear understanding of actual vs expected employee performance

Appraisal form completed

Core Activity 3: Learning and Development

1. Organizational Learning mentality could allow business to expand and un-tap new opportunities.

a) The need for a powerful and cohering vision of the organization to be communicated and

maintained across the workforce in order to promote awareness of the need for strategic

thinking at all levels.

b) The need to develop strategy in the context of a vision that is not only powerful but also open-

ended. This will encourage a search for a wide rather than a narrow range of strategic

options, will promote lateral thinking and will orient the knowledge.

c) Within the framework of vision and goals, frequent dialogue, communication and

conversations are major facilitators of organizational learning.

d) It is essential continuously to challenge people to re-examine what they take for granted.

e) It is essential to develop a favourable learning and innovation climate.

2. Effective training is suggested as a solution to provide quality products and competitiveness in terms

of pricing, etc.

a) The training is based on a thorough evaluation of learning needs

b) Clear objectives have been set for the outcomes of the training

c) Standards are set for the delivery of the training

d) Success criteria and methods of measuring success have been established

e) The responsibilities of planning and delivering the training have been clarified

f) Those responsible for the learning activity are well qualified in whatever the role that are

expected to play.

g) Adequate resources have to be allocated for the training

h) The training must have the support of top management

i) The training has to be implemented effectively as planned, within its budget and in

accordance with the defined standards.

3. Enhancing leadership and good governance by means of Management Development

a) To build and develop the qualities and skills and attitudes of participants

b) To be supported by appropriate HR policies, to do with recruitment and selection, reward,

talent management and succession planning

c) To have the full commitment of those responsible for the operation of the process

d) To motivate those encouraged to participate in it

e) To link the organizational goals and context

4. Further development of talents could be enabled through a Personal Development Plan. Personal

development planning is carried out by individuals with guidance, encouragement and help from their

managers as required. A personal development plan sets out the actions people propose to take, to

learn and to develop themselves. They take responsibility for formulating and implementing the plan

but they receive support from the organization and their managers in doing so.

a) Analyse current situation and development needs. This can be done as part of a performance

management process.

b) Set goals. These could include improve in performance in the current job, skills, knowledge

and competences.

c) Prepare action plan. The action plan sets out what needs to be done and how it will be done

and what are the outcomes expected.

5. With respect to the Employment and Industrial Relations Act (EIRA), it will be seen to that periods of

training are deemed also to be periods of employment (EIRA 26.4). Thus our employees will always be

given the normal salary during the period of training both on-the job but especially for off-the-job

training.

6. Corporate social responsibility is best practiced by giving our employees the opportunity to get the

most from all possible learning experiences. This could be carried out through Blended Learning

activities. This is the use of a combination of learning methods to increase the overall effectiveness of

the learning process, by providing different parts of learning mix to compliment and support one

another. Within a training course a complimentary mix of different training activities might take place,

for eg: case studies, simulations, role playing and other exercises.

Once again, an External HR Audit will be proceeded to check that the HR department is sufficiently staffed for

the industry and the size of the firm, and also to check that the budget is in line with other businesses of

similar industry. Afterwards, recommendations for improvements will be issued as in other HR activities.

The following diagram shows the flow chart for Learning and Development activities:

HR Auditing (non-core) – where related tasks are objectively evaluated within their effectiveness and

efficiency to attain corporate targets and legal obligations. Objectives include :

- Aim for effectiveness of :

a) Risk management to maximize the probabilities that objectives are reached, thus ensuring the

organization, individuals and communities to be sustainable.

b) Control and governance processes through valid HR audit considerations, to balance the interests

of many stakeholders.

Learning &

Development

Individual

learning &

Development

Self Directed

Learning

E-Learning

Coaching &

Mentoring

Organisational

Learning &

Knowlege

Mgnt

Blended

Learning

Managemnet

Development

Training

Workplace

Training

Formal

Off-the-job

Training

- Set up the HR Auditing process/cycle to be part of the organization culture and mindset in this

department. This entails to:

Identify HR activities -> Assess their risks -> Risk Audit plan -> Test/analyze results -> Report

- Setting up an effective HR system which could be able to address issues of HRM challenges such as

management of talent, demographics, work life balance, change, diversity of culture, and to become a

learning organization.

Disciplinary Procedure (non-core) refers on how to deal with disciplinary issues.

- Aim for having the lowest possible number of disciplinary cases. It is required to take note of all

possible valid reasons for disciplinary procedure and provide a reference document so that it could be

useful for any future discipline cases. These could include, identification of minor / moderate / serious

offences, unacceptable work behaviour, gross misconduct and promoting transparency, etc.

- Promote discipline at every level of the organization. Make employees aware of the discipline policy.

This should include the contents of a disciplinary procedure and contents of the disciplinary process.

- Grievance Procedures - refers to complaints employees raise towards the organization.

Strive for an open door policy regarding this issue so that it could be easier for employee to state the

nature of grievance and desired solution, ideally in an informal manner.

Health and Safety (non-core) – to ensure as far as reasonably practicable, the health, safety and

welfare at work of all employees.

- To ensure that Organization Overall Duties and Workplace Regulations (under the Health and Safety

Work Act) are reached are put into practice. Examples: Equipment is operated safely, minimize hazard

risks by frequent checks, regular monitoring of working environment, and minimize risks from

particular areas.

Practical aspects of organization responsibilities are suitable risk assessment of H&S, implement

necessary measures, provide health surveillance, appoint competent persons and to provide

information.

- To make all employees aware about their H&S duties with the help of safety representatives. A

mindset of Prevention should be targeted and training should be given where necessary. Duties

include taking care to avoid injuries, cooperate with everyone during H&S issues, and not to interfere

with anything provided to protect their H&S. The safety representatives play a very important role as

they must bring to attention anything that could be harmful to H&S.

- Aim for prioritizing the Management of Safety as the majority of accidents are not caused by careless

workers, but by failures in control falling under the responsibility of management. Main aspects of

management related to H&S include strategy, law, risk assessment and H&S committees.

Management committed to high standards together with a positive safety culture are crucial for this

aim.

The following is the HR department organisational chart:

Role Profiles of Core Activities Owners:

Recruitment & Selection Manager

Responsible for the development of Recruitment and Selection process in line with HR business

objectives as listed above.

Maintain documentation as per legislation as well as metrics that could be used for further planning.

Must be suitably qualified with at least five years experience in Recruitment and Selection

Strong interpersonal skills in dealing with all levels of management, employees, external groups

and/or organizations.

Head of HR

Learning &

Development

Manager

Performance

Management

Manager

Discipline Officer

Recruitment &

Selection

Manager

Manager (Non-

core activities)

Safety Officer

Legal & Internal

Audit

Performance Management Manager

Responsible for the development of Performance Management process concerning HR business goals

as mentioned in the above points.

Tracking, reporting and improving Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

Must have suitable qualifications and possess process management experience or demonstrated

skills – willing to achieve six sigma certification.

Strong analytical skills with a track record of identifying potential issues and formulating solutions.

Learning and Development Manager

Responsible for the activities of Learning and Development process in line with HR business objectives

being listed above.

Participate on organizational project teams, assessing training needs, identify areas which require

additional training, communicate and clearly inform management about employees strengths and

weaknesses identified in training and needs assessments, to ensure alignment with company’s mission

and training objectives.

Possess the right qualifications together with excellent planning and prioritizing skills, with the ability

to multi task and adapt.

Comprehensive knowledge of advanced instructional principles, methods, techniques and standards

as well as knowledge of current and emerging trends in learning design and development.

Governance (rules & practices to direct organization) and Risk Management Strategy / Plan :

HR audits are based on risks; therefore an adequate HR audit policy could considerably reduce particular risks.

The reason being is that HR audits help businesses to bring a systematic and disciplined approach. This will

provide a guideline to assess and progress on the effectiveness of risk management, control and governance

processes. Once audit considerations are established (such as policy standards, risk management focus, etc),

internal audits will allow the board of directors to be periodically reported regarding performance versus

business objectives.

ACTUAL PLAN

It is important for these strategies to reach objectives and to be disseminated throughout the

organization by means of implementation of functional targets so as to reach the main objectives.

Activities, processes, key challenges and risks should be identified through the support of HR auditing

personnel - SWOT analysis, research, benchmarking, surveys, networking and performance

measurements (KPIs) are tools that could be helpful in this issue. These activities need to be

documented in a policy manual.

A Risk Assessment (grading of impact vs likelihood) for every activity is made through audit resources. Risk Assessment is imperative as it forms the basis of the governance and risk management plan – tools normally used are interviews with process owners, walk through tests, sampling techniques, analysis and internal control tests about risk impact. Once again, outcome of report has to be documented in policy manual since what is not written cannot be achieved.

Once the risk is identified and assessed, it is needed to decide on the approach that the organization

should take over identified risk – By selecting from :

Avoiding Risk / Accepting Risk / Reduction of Risk / Transfer of Risk.

Risk management and its culture have to be an ongoing and continuous process – to keep risk register

updated with continuous identification of new risks and to mitigate these risks. It also needs to be

supported by all HR personnel.

Audit testing – this will further reduce the occurrences of risks – through the aid of document reviews,

checklists, questionnaires, observations and KPIs analysis

Final report – to provide background information, explain methods used, and to list findings together

with recommendations to management.

Suggested Risk Register of HR Core Activities

Recruitment and Selection LIKELYHOOD IMPACT

RISK

LEVEL

RISK

RESPONSE

RISK

OWNER

Not being 100% legally compliant Moderate High High Mitigate

Lawyer

Not to find creative people High Medium High Mitigate

R&S

Manager

Risk of selecting the wrong candidates Low Medium Low Accept

R&S

Manager

Risk of using personal prejudice and

bias in the selection process Low Medium Low Eliminate

R&S

Manager

Performance Appraisal

If done wrongly, there is a risk that

performance appraisal backfires instead

of being fruitful

Moderate High High Mitigate P.M

Manager

Risk of not achieving 360 degrees

feedback, as it is difficult to achieve High Medium High Mitigate

P.M

Manager

Risk of not using the right approach

(problem solving) during performance

appraisal (2.6)

Moderate Medium Medium Mitigate P.M

Manager

Risk of not addressing particular

performance gaps Low Medium Low Accept

P.M

Manager

Learning and Development

If trainees are not willing to learn, there

would be lack of cooperation and

participation

Moderate High High Mitigate L&D

Manager

Risk of mentors not being committed in

personal development plans of others Moderate Low Low Accept

L&D

Manager

Estimated Budget per Annum

Item *Notes Amount (Euros) Total Amount (Euros)

1. Salaries of Staff Head of HR 1 30,000

3 Managers (core activities) 1 75,000

Manager (non-core activities) 1 25,000

Legal & Auditing 2 25,000

Discipline Officer 1 20,000

Safety Officer 1 20,000 195,000

2. Training costs Amount (Euros)Total Amount (Euros) Interview probing 3 1,500

Study to find talents 4 3,000

Course sponsoring 10 7,500

Training for supervisors 5 4,500 16,500

3. Outsourcing Amount (Euros)Total Amount (Euros) External audits for Recruitment and Selection 6 800

External audits for Performance Management 6 900

External audits for Learning and Development 6 800

Jobs advertising 11 10,000

12,500

4. Equipment/Stationery and Software Amount (Euros)Total Amount (Euros) Diaries 7 200

Booklets and Magazines 9 250

Performance Management Software 8 1,200 1,650

225,650

*Notes to the Budget:

1. See HR Organization Chart. 2. Full time lawyer for legal department in HR (refer 1.5 of Core Activities). 3. Training course for interview probing (1.3). 4. To draw up and make a study analyzing how to obtain the best talent through particular benefits and

allowances (1.4).

5. Training for supervisors to monitor and assess performance so that the job holder will have more control in key areas (2.3).

6. Outsourcing of external audit for each core activity. 7. Provision of diaries to be used as reflective journals (2.2). 8. Expenses of database application/software used in performance management. 9. Expenses of producing booklets to distribute to employees regarding health and safety, discipline and

organization policies. 10. Sponsoring working for off-the-job training courses (3.2 and 3.3). 11. To choose creative people by advertising on professional magazines & sites (1.1 & 1.2).