13.3 Human resources (HR) policies#
13.3.1 Defining human resources (HR) strategy and policy#
HR policies are ‘a written source of guidance on how a wide range of issues should be handled within an employing organization, incorporating a description of principles, rights and responsibilities for managers and employees. HR policies define the philosophies and values of an organization on how people should be treated; these are the foundations upon which managers are expected to act when dealing with HR matters. Therefore, HR policies serve as reference points when employment practices are being developed and when decisions are being made about people. They help to define ‘the way things are done around here’. Examples of HR policies are criteria for selection, performance, incentives and rewards, and learning and development.
HR policies should flow from HR strategies. An HR strategy is a “statement or framework determining how HR can support business or organizational objectives, focusing on longer-term people issues and macro-concerns about structure, values, commitment and matching resources to future need.”
Examples of HR strategies are incentive and reward strategy and learning and development strategy.
An organization’s human resource management (HRM) framework ties up strategy and policy and supports its implementation.
13.3.2 The need for HR policies#
HR policies play an important role in fostering and supporting cultures of trust, fairness and inclusion. They outline the responsibilities of both employer and employee in the employment relationship. They can impact employee motivation, organization reputation and the ability to attract and retain talent. These policies can support the attitudes and behaviours needed for sustainable performance, creating mutual benefits for employees and organizations.
HR policies provide frameworks within which consistent decisions are made—based on the organizations’ core values—and promote equity in how people are treated.
The policies ensure that employees understand their roles and how their work contributes to achieving the goals of the NSO. Because they provide guidance on what managers should do in particular circumstances, they facilitate empowerment, devolution and delegation.
13.3.3 The scope of HR policies included in this Handbook#
Types of HR policies organized according to the employee life cycle would include:
Beginning employment
Recruitment and criteria for selection;
Induction/On-boarding;
Beginning training.
During employment
Compensation, benefits, performance and rewards;
Health, safety and well-being;
Employee relations and general HR issues (job rotation, secondment, communication);
Retention;
Learning and development (training, coaching and mentoring, talent development).
Ending employment
Exit interview;
End of employment (Retirement, resignation, separation, change jobs, etc.).
An example of a set of coherent objectives that HR policies are designed to help attain are:
Workforce planning - Increase the proportions of professional staff by expanding the annual intake of young professional qualified staff.
Ensure that once recruited, qualified people are assigned suitable jobs, and everyone is treated fairly.
Devise a proper mixture of deterrents and incentives, to be made explicit to the staff.
Learning and development - Administer sufficient training to staff members at key points in their careers, to maximize versatility and motivation.
Succession planning - Ensure that key jobs are staffed and have a possible successor ready to step into an incumbent’s shoes should the need arise.
In this handbook, discussion on HR policies covers recruitment, workforce planning, learning and development, retention, job rotation and exit interviews at the end of employment.
13.3.4 Competency Framework#
A competency framework is a tool that guides the formulation and implementation of HR policies starting with the recruitment and aiming at building professional capability and staff well-being and ensuring that the organization stays on course in achieving the expected objectives.
The Government Statistician Group (GSG) Competency Framework (UK) (🔗);
Australian Bureau of Statistics Statistical Language (🔗);
Australian Bureau of Statistics Statistical Capability Framework (🔗).
Excerpts from the Government Statistician Group (GSG) Competency Framework (UK) shown in Box 7 highlight the purpose, uses and key contents of a competency framework. It shows how a competency framework is linked to the mission of the government statistical service and the strategy for UK statistics.
Box 7: UK Competency Framework
The Government Statistician Group (GSG) Competency Framework of the UK sets out what members of the statistical profession are expected to achieve in addition to the competencies set out in the Civil Service Competency Framework (CSCF).
This framework will support us in meeting these aims [referring to the mission of the Government Statistical Service (GSS)]. It will help us recruit and retain a strong cadre of Statisticians and Statistical Data Scientists and build the professional capability of all GSS members, keeping statistical evidence and advice at the heart of decision-making across society.
In alignment with the Civil Service Competency Framework (CSCF) and the Better Statistics, Better Decisions Strategy, it places the values of honesty, integrity, impartiality and objectivity at the heart of everything that statisticians do.
The framework is structured into the five pillars, which describe how we will deliver our strategic objectives (e.g., we will be innovative in our approach to presenting and disseminating results that meet our customers’ needs). Within each of the five pillars, competencies are grouped into four statistical strands (Acquiring data/Understanding customer needs, Data analysis, presenting and disseminating data effectively, working with credibility) that outline what we will do to deliver our strategic objectives (e.g., we will apply the latest data visualisation method to our statistical product to boost user engagement).
Through aligning with the five pillars (Helpful, Innovative, Capable, Efficient and Professional), it describes the way that we want statisticians and statistical data scientists to work with others to provide a professional and high-quality service, be innovative, deliver cost-effectively and ensure we continue to grow the capability of the statistical community.
Statisticians and statistical data scientists work in a huge range of roles across government, and this framework has been designed with that flexibility in mind. No individual will be expected to satisfy the full suite of competencies within a given pillar/level – the competencies that you are required to demonstrate will depend on your post, and these will have been initially established at the recruitment stage, or where they have changed, at the start of the performance year. However, you will be expected to be aware of the wider competencies/skills in play across both the GSG Competency Framework and the CSCF.
This framework will be used for recruitment, performance management and development discussions from April 2016.
13.3.5 Communication of HR Policies#
Turning HR policy into practice requires working across the organization to ensure that leaders, line managers and employees fully understand the policies and expectations. How these are communicated depends on the organizational culture and nature of the policies.
Line managers are pivotal in bringing HR policies to life; thus, training is crucial to ensure that managers have a clear understanding of the policies and have the capability to implement policies sensitively and fairly.
Induction (the process where employees adjust or acclimatise to their jobs and working environment) plays a key role in making sure new employees are aware of all the policies and procedures within an organization.
Statistics New Zealand (🔗).