Question

You are the HR manager of a large local council (Shire). The council has adequate funding for HR services delivered by a dedicated HR department.

Your organisation’s strategic and operational plans call for the council’s organisational structure to change; with the employees to be divided into new sections. This is likely to cause significant disruption and it is expected that some employees will be dissatisfied with the restructure.

Together with the HR team, CEO, managers and a selection of employees, you agree to work toward these objectives to allow for the delivery of the required HR services:

1. To identify current competencies.
2. To develop and implement professional development programs for all employees.
3. To recruit employees as required.
4. To assist current employees adjust to the restructuring program.
5. To provide information to line managers to help them minimise risks to the health and safety of employees.
6. To develop and implement suitable health and safety policies.
7. To improve the management of workers’ compensation claims and facilitating return to work for injured employees.

Prepare suitable strategies to allow each objective to be achieved. Provide details of performance indicators you could use to measure whether or not the strategy has been effective. (50–75 words per objective/ strategy)

Answer 1

1. Identify Current Competencies

The Council has to adapt to the changing environment and so does its employees. The HR manager ought to know the competencies and skills the employees already have. Current competencies can be identified by any of the following ways:

• Putting the employees in real problem solving situations to assess their proficiency and skills.
• Obtaining team feedback of each and every employee regarding his performance.
• Obtaining public feedback of the work done by the Council during the past few months and if it is satisfactory. This is an efficient way to know about the needs of the public and assess the areas the council lacks in.

2. Developing and implementing professional development programs

Once the weak areas have been evaluated, the next step should be to develop and implement development programs to fill the competency gaps.

• Organizing regular training programs is the first step that must be undertaken by the HR department. Alongside, a learning activity sheet can be maintained for each employee that can be used as a tool for the supervisors to track the employee's growth and efficiency of the development program.
• Regular tests are to be conducted to track the employees' progress.
• Developing a collaborative, structured plan for each employee with clearly defined targets and career goals. These should be based on their skills, competencies and opportunities for them in the Council.
• Encouraging the employees to think critically and develop a problem solving attitude by constantly asking for their opinions and feedback.
• Departmental rotations are an effective way to challenge and stimulate the employees. It also helps in understanding the roll best suited for each and every employee.

3. Recruiting employees as required

• Posting jobs on social media like LinkedIn, various job portals will help in connecting with the right applicants. Another way of recruitment is on campus recruitment. Recruitment from campus ensures influx of fresh and young minds into the council and helps in bringing innovative ideas to the table.
• Implementing an employee referral programs like those implemented in the private sector aids in attracting talent.
• Develop and effective recruitment process. Make the applicants take the aptitude tests, schedule technical interview to judge their knowledge, include behavioral and situational questions in the interviews to assess the applicant's confidence and problem solving skills.

4. Assisting the employees to adjust to the restructuring program

• Create a step-by-step instruction guide to help the employees cope with the changes in the work culture.
• Offer training and mentorship to the employees to build confidence.
• Engage every employee - slow adapters, enthusiasts and the dissatisfied lot, in the process from day one in designing, evaluating and accepting the changes.

5. Providing information to line managers to help them minimize risks to the health and safety of employees

Risks are the inevitable part of any job and if cannot be eliminated, must be reduced to ensure safety and health of the employees. Line Manager needs to be provided with information to keep in mind the safety rules which can be done as follows:

• Provide required information during the induction training and workplace briefings.
• On the job training can be provided to the line managers and other workers to teach them ways to certain safety.
• Develop emergency plans to be used during any emergencies with the help of line mangers .
• Include the safety and health performance appraisal for the line managers in the overall appraisal program of the council

6. Developing and implementing suitable health and safety policies

• Involve the workers while developing the health and safety policies. Workers tend to adhere to it more when the policies are framed keeping in mind their suggestions and feedback.
• Provide induction training to all the new employees and frequent workplace briefings to the existing ones.
• Regular checking and maintenance of the equipment and tools to ensure they are safe to use.
• In case any accident or mishappening occurs, investigate the reason behind it and maintain a record to avoid such accidents in the future.

7. Improving the management of workers’ compensation claims and facilitating return to work for injured employees

• Reduce claims by promptly responding to the incidents. Proper investigation at the right time helps in ruling out fraudulent claims by the workers.
• Work on reducing the time frame between investigation and resolution and make certain that the workers get proper medical aid.
• Effectively socialize the Return-to-work policy by clearly defining, establishing and communicating protocols.
• Stay in touch with the injured worker to help him come out of the fear of re-injury and not withdraw from the employer.
• Modify the equipment and tools and accommodate light duty job assignments to keep the worker engaged after he returns to work.