Human Resources Flashcards
Role of HR Policies
Serve as reference points when Human Resource Management practices are being developed
and when decisions are being made about people.
• Help to shape the corporate culture and define ‘the way things are done around here’.
• Provide generalised guidance on the approach adopted by the organisation and therefore its
employees concerning various aspects of employment.
• Help to ensure that when dealing with matters concerning people an approach in line with
corporate values is adopted throughout the organisation.
• Formalised HR policies can be used in induction, team leader and management training to help
participants understand the philosophies and values of the organisation and how they are
expected to behave within that context.
• Provide the philosophy of the organisation and of its values and as guidelines in specific areas.
• They provide frameworks within which consistent decisions are made and promote equity in the
way in which people are treated.
• They provide guidance on what managers should do in particular circumstances.
• Facilitate decentralisation and delegation so that line managers have a role.
• They are often developed in conjunction with trade unions, representative bodies and joint
consultative committees and so represent the workforce contributing to policy development and
are an important part of the development of good employee relations
• They define the philosophies and values of the organisation on how people should be treated,
and from these are derived the principles upon which managers are expected to act when
dealing with Human Resource matters.
• The overall policy defines how the organisation fulfils its social responsibilities for its employees
and sets out its attitudes towards them. It is an expression of its values or beliefs about how
people should be treated.
• Form the basis of procedures, such as Grievance, Discipline, Recruitment and Selection, which set
out ways in which actions concerning staff will be carried out. They spell out what must be done
and how to do it.
Human Resource policies need to be based on values including:
treating staff fairly and equally.
• going beyond merely supporting the often minimal requirements of legislation.
• taking into account personal circumstances, such as the need to recognise work life balance (see
below).
• promoting learning and development for everyone.
• an emphasis on performance management so that staff know what is expected of them and are
given feedback in an appropriate way.
• recognising the importance of the quality of working life through well designed jobs, team work,
lack of bullying and harassment, stress being recognised and safe, and where possible, pleasant
working conditions being provided.
• a commitment to equality and diversity
Demonstrating a Commitment to Work-Life Balance
• recognising that putting in place practices which promote work-life balance will benefit the
organisation.
• recognising that individuals will often work best when they are able to balance work with other
aspects of their lives.
• identifying the joint responsibilities of employer and employee so that workable solutions can be
developed.
• developing appropriate policies which meet both the needs of the organisation and the
individual.
• demonstrating leadership and ensuring that managers make their staff aware of the facilities
available and react positively to requests.
• providing facilities such as:
o increasing part-time opportunities for permanent staff.
o permitting flexible working, such as home/remote working, term time only contracts.
o making job sharing available.
o enhancing training opportunities for potential managers.
o developing awareness training for senior managers, emphasising the benefits of developing
all staff.
o introducing career breaks.
o providing or paying for crèche facilities for employees.
o ensuring that an individual’s rights (eg training opportunities, promotion prospects,
pensions, holidays etc) are not disadvantaged because the job holder is a part-time
employee or has gaps in their service with the organisation.
Human Resource policies need to be based on values including
treating staff fairly and equally.
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• going beyond merely supporting the often minimal requirements of legislation.
• taking into account personal circumstances, such as the need to recognise work life balance (see
below).
• promoting learning and development for everyone.
• an emphasis on performance management so that staff know what is expected of them and are
given feedback in an appropriate way.
• recognising the importance of the quality of working life through well designed jobs, team work,
lack of bullying and harassment, stress being recognised and safe, and where possible, pleasant
working conditions being provided.
• a commitment to equality and diversity
What are the Characteristics of organisations committed to Equality and Diversity
Strive in the workforce and in service provision to reflect the richness of diversity that exists in
society and includes people of different abilities, ages, bodily appearances, classes, castes,
creeds, cultures, genders, geographical localities, health, relationship, mental health, social and
economic statuses, places of origin, political beliefs, race, religion, sexual orientation and those
with and without responsibilities for dependents.
• Stress the importance of all staff and service users being treated with respect and dignity.
• Carry out Equality Impact Assessments to ensure that policies and procedures do not
discriminate in any way.
• Strive to be seen as providing a service for all sections of the community and understanding the
needs of different communities.
• Have processes in place to engage with different communities.
• Recognise which groups are particularly vulnerable to deaths caused by fires and promote fire
prevention and safety.
• Provide targeted information to meet the needs of different communities.
• Work with hard to reach groups to prevent attacks on firefighters.
• Work with other agencies to improve services to all sections of the community.
• Use surveys and consultation exercises to measure performance.
• Be outward looking and learn from good practice used by other organisations.
• Ensure that managers are aware of their role in promoting equality and diversity.
• Emphasise the importance of treating everyone with dignity and respect and acknowledging
others’ different perspectives.
• Recognise that if equality and diversity are not an integral part of the culture of the organisation
then discrimination may occur.
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• Put in place policies and procedures to prevent discrimination, bullying and harassment and
reinforce that this type of behaviour is seen as being unacceptable.
• Have open and transparent recruitment and promotion procedures.
• Ensure that the organisation has the required skills by recruiting from as wide a pool of potential
applicants as possible.
• Recognise the need to counteract the effects of past discrimination and to abolish stereotyping.
• Set targets for the recruitment of staff from under-represented groups and use management
information to monitor progress.
• Support the recruitment, promotion and development of under-represented groups in the work
force by:
o recognising which groups are under-represented.
o finding out the reason for under representation.
o finding out what the perceived barriers are.
o meeting with people from under-represented groups to discuss possible concerns and
misconceptions.
o ensuring that under-represented groups form part of any general consultation processes.
o demonstrating how respect for cultural issues are in place such as prayer room facilities.
• Recognise that they may have to take positive action to attract job applicants from underrepresented groups. In the United Kingdom, many Fire and Rescue Services provide ‘Taster
Sessions’ and ‘Have a Go Days’ for females and members of black and minority ethnic
communities who could be interested in becoming firefighters. Some also provide information on
fitness standards, so that people can work to achieving these prior to applying.
• Strive to ensure that all staff feel accepted, supported and valued.
• Emphasis on all staff achieving their full potential.
• Be prepared to make reasonable adjustment for disabled employees and potential employees
who have a disability.
• Provide personal development opportunities in the form of secondments, special projects and
other opportunities to undertake new challenges and extend experience in managerial roles
where certain groups are underrepresented at managerial levels.
• Recognise the benefits of having a diverse workforce, which includes:
o ‘opening doors’ for staff into different communities
o improving relationships with communities and assisting with promoting fire prevention and
health initiatives.
o employees developing valuable skills in relation to working with a much wider group of
people.
o improved customer care and market place competition.
o increased competitiveness through staff understanding the needs of different customers and
markets.
o the organisation being seen as complying with legislation where this is in place.
o the organisation having a positive ‘brand image’.
o an enhanced corporate image and reputation through maintaining ethics and values.
o the organisation being perceived as giving something ‘back’ to the community, which in turn
increases its reputation.
o respect from employees for those who they perceive as being different in some way.
o different ideas, views and experiences being brought into the organisation.
o a greater skills base and dissimilar mind sets enhancing flexibility, creativity and innovation.
o the organisation being seen as an employer of choice to attract and retain talent.
o creation of an inclusive culture, rather than one dominated by a particular group.
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o improved morale and motivation because staff feel part of the team, rather than the ‘odd one
out’.
o reduced turnover and increased retention, because staff do not feel they have to be a ‘clone’
of the workforce majority.
o reduced recruitment costs.
o managers recognising the importance of being a positive role model.
o improved knowledge and skills within managers which in turn creates increased confidence
and the ability to resolve performance issues.
o increased objectivity and removal of old fashioned perceptions of favouritism and ‘jobs for
the boys’.
The value of a grievance procedure lies in the fact that it:
recognises that employees may have legitimate grievances which need to be responded to
promptly and sympathetically.
• provides a route for informal resolution in the first instance with more formal proceedings if
necessary.
• can be a way of clearing up tensions and conflicts.
• allows an employee to raise issues of concern with the management of an organisation.
• allows employees to explain what they would like to see happen to resolve the situation.
• provides a route for the solving of problems about which staff feel strongly.
• allows issues to be aired rather than fester and cause conflict.
• recognises that problems are a fact of organisational life.
• reassures staff they do not need to suffer in silence.
• can result in improvements in the organisation and in relationships.
• can identify crunch points within an organisation.
• provides a clear process and timescale for issues to be raised.
• represents good human resource management and employee relations practice in that it
ensures consistency, transparency and fairness in the handling of problems.
• allows an employee to be supported by a friend or trade union representative.
What are the Stages of the grievance procedure
Informal stage. The employee raises a grievance with immediate line manager. At this stage the
role of the manager is to:
o listen to the facts being presented.
o obtain the employee’s side of the story.
o ask questions to obtain clarification as staff my feel upset or emotional and may not always
present things in a clear way.
o summarise the problem so that it is clear.
o check the situation with anyone else involved.
o consider what action could be taken and what the consequences could be. The aim being to
find a ‘win-win’ solution.
o reply to employee who has submitted the grievance and record the facts and the decision
taken for future reference.
• Formal stage. The grievance is submitted in writing and there is a timescale for a written reply.
• Appeal stage. The grievance is considered by the next level of management, a hearing has to be
held within a specific period of time and a decision has to be provided within a specific period of
time.
At all stages it is normal for an employee to be able to call upon the help of a friend or trade union
representative.
Grievance records kept such as
The nature of the grievance.
• The different stages used.
• The decisions reached.
• Details of any meeting and the outcome
A Job Description sets out:
Job title.
• Location of the post.
• Rate of pay.
• Working hours and details of any shift systems.
• What the employee is responsible for in terms of staff, budgets, targets and equipment.
• Role and duties of the employee within the organisation.
• Any special working conditions, such as the need for any special clearances, such as checks on
criminal records.
What is required for Employee/Person Specification
For the right person to be recruited and selected, the job description needs to be used to draw up an employee/person specification. This is a document which sets out the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies needed for someone to successfully carry out the duties of the post. The following criteria are often used in drawing up an employee specification:
• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Competences. These might indicate the need for candidates to undertake tests as part of the selection process.
• Type of behaviour required which links to the core values of the organisation eg good team player, commitment to equality and diversity.
• Qualifications and training.
• Experience, which is relevant to the post.
• Special requirements such as unsocial hours.
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• Specific requirements such as project management abilities.
Very often the employee specification contains essential requirements and desirable requirements. Essential criteria are those without which an appointee would be unable to adequately perform the job. Desirable criteria are those that may enable the candidate to perform better or require a shorter familiarisation period.
The job description and employee specification enable an organisation to ensure that it has the right set of skills and also enables potential candidates to decide if they are ‘right for the job’.
