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Recruitment and Selection a New HR and Line Managers Guide By Anne Kazungu Okwera

Recruitment and Selection A New HR and Line Managers Guide.docx

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Performance Management System (PMS), guide for new line and HR managers.

It is that time of the year when performance management related conversations are starting to take place or already taken place in some organisations. It is time for reflection, stock taking and setting new goals for the new financial year. The impact of Corona on most organisations means that these conversations have most likely been procedural for most people as goals that were set were certainly not achieved because of the situation.
Armstrong, (2006) defines performance management as the systematic process of improving organization performance by developing the performance of individuals and learning
Performance management is an importance component as it helps both organisations and individuals determine whether they are growing or stagnant. This can be done by defining objectives or standards and working towards achievement of goals.

As with other Human Resources function, PM is owned and driven by lined managers
There are several performance management models however it is up to each organization can determine which model they wish to follow in line with their values ,cultures and goals.A consultative process bottoms up approach will ensure all views are taken into consideration in determining the best process that works for the organisation.
Most corporate and International or Charity organisations tend to shape the direction in which PM should be handled or managed in line with their culture and values.

Generally,the performance management standards should predefine among others ;
_how regularly performance reviews should be held
_ responsibilities of management HR ,line manager and the staff .
_Reward structures if any

It is important for managers and HR to clearly understand that as in most HR functions in the organisation ,HR is a support function, while the line manager owns and drives most if not all of the process ,including performance management.
Profit making organisations typically use a balanced scored card method of measuring performance .
The balanced scorecard also referred to as BSC is a framework used to implement and manage strategy and where the measures are based on customer, operations or processes, financials and People linking organisation vision, to strategic objectives, measures and targets.
Non-profit or International Non-Government Organisations or (INGO’s) use a hybrid model where the measures are based on operations, people and financials and values/culture.
Performance management is broken into three main areas that is;
• Goal Setting
• Performance Monitoring
• Performance evaluation

Goal Setting

It has been said that what is not measured is not done. It is therefore important as part of the process to define how performance is going to be measure. This include agreeing on the targets and performance ratings prior to the performance period, Ideally the line manager should organise a session with the team as most teams are dependent on each other, where they discuss departmental goal and agree on roles, responsibilities and areas of focus in the performance period. This should be done at the beginning of the performance cycle. The detail is always in the fine prints. The extent to which the department and individual’s tale time to sift through this process will determine the smoothness of the entire process that is performance evaluation, in the performance year.

As with any other human resources function, failing to plan is planning to fail. Ideally breakaway sessions for groups whose performance impact each other should be organised prior to any goal setting and subsequent review periods.This enables teams to not only appreciate one another’s roles but to be able to see where their roles fit in the bigger pictures.

Defining Performance ratings and scores
Goal setting cannot be complete without defining performance ratings and scores and targets. During the goal setting stage to avoid ambiguity, these should be clearly defined and thereafter assigned ratings. Define what it means to meet, exceed expectations or underperform.

Similarly non measurable variables such as Behaviours or values can be described and assigned values.For example an individual that has met all criteria defined in the organisations value dictionary may be assigned an A,B or C.A hypothetical example is where values 4,3,2 are assigned for example; Exceeded, Met and Not Met Expectations .
Behavioural standards on the other hand can be measured by assigning parameters or values such as A,B,C for Exceeded,Met and Not met expectations respectively. Using this parameters, an individual that has non behavioural based performance standards may be assigned a 3 but if they did not meet the behavioural standards or values,they would then be assigned a total of 3C.
The performance management policy should be able to define all these parameters of measurement clearly as well as outline if there are any associated rewards for individuals that meet or exceed expectations or remedies for those that do not meet the expectations.

Performance Monitoring
Coaching and monitoring is a continuous process during the performance cycle and the objective is to identify performance gaps, earlier on and the line manager together with the staff agree on how to close existing gaps.
The entire objective of performance management should be to help the staff achieve their goals.The role of the line manager is to support the staff in doing so.
Performance improvement plans or tools are available to help the line manager and staff document performance-based discussions especially if certain areas of work are falling through the cracks

Performance evaluation
The organisation should determine how regularly performance reviews should be held but typically this consists of two periods mid -year and of year evaluations. In most organisations ,the mid year is an informal but important exercise that allows for the line manager and their staff to sit together and take stock for whether predefined goals out are being achieved or not.End of year reviews on the other hand are often mandatory and a basis for performance increases in some organisations especially in International Non-Government Organisations (INGO) that may prefer keeping ways of working as informal and stress free environment as much as possible.

The importance of incorporating 360 degree feedback in performance reviews

For performance measure to be comprehensive, there should be an aspect of 360 degree feedback allowing feedback to trickle down from all of the organisation ,this can be feedback from managers to theory colleagues, supervisees to supervisors, customers and partners to staff.The main purpose should be for self-improvement or corrective as opposed to punitive .Receiving feedback from individuals outside the normal team an in individual interacts with gives one a self-reflection aspect. In order to be productive and cause less friction in the organisation ,360-degree feedback should be handled with high level of emotional intelligence and leadership especially by the line manager as it may backfire.
In terms of process, the organisation should consult with staff and decide how best they want the 360 degrees feedback process to be handled.
In certain organisations staff are allowed to choose names of at least 3- 4 people from the different areas of the organisation (fellow colleagues and partners or customers) that they often interact with that they would like to receive the feedback from. The line manager then sends the 360 degree feedback form with predefined parameters to the selected individual who fills and sends it back to the line manager. The line manager then discusses the areas of improvement with the staff.
It cannot be overstated that for the entire performance management function to work effectively, Organisations should develop a performance management policy and related performance management tools such as performance appraisal forms and performance improvement plan guidelines .

From a HR perspective ,documentation is very key in managing the entire process as it can be a basis for disciplinary proceedings and ultimately litigation especially where performance is used as abasis for termination or dismissal. The role of HR is to help lead the conversation on the process and guide management to make right choices and decisions and support line management in implementing the agreed processes. Depending on the size and nature of the organization, choices can be made to use technology to manage the performance management process however the important thing is to have a framework, however basic or manual. The most important thing is to ensure that the process is fair and transparent and support individuals to perform better and not to be used as a tool for managing people out of the organisation even if it may lead to that inevitably.
The writer, Anne Kazungu Okwera is a consultant /HR professional
Email:[email protected]

References
Armstrong (2006), Handbook of Human Resource Practioners 10th edition
www.investopedia.com/terms/b/balancedscorecard.asp

How a Balanced Scorecard Is Used A balanced scorecard is a performance metric used to identify and improve various internal functions and their resulting external outcomes.

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The Role of the HR Manager in Steering and Managing Learning and Development in Organizations.

Henry Ford stated that the only thing worse than training employees and then losing them is not to train them and keep them. This saying underscores the value of Training or Learning as a key tool to develop employee skills and contribute to Organization sustainability. Learning or Training is vital to any organisation, often presenting a prime opportunity to expand the knowledge base of an individual and is defined as the process by which individuals and organizations obtain, improve, retain skills, knowledge, tools, equipment and other resources needed to do the job competently.
Many employers do not prioritise training claiming they do not have the budget nor time for employees to participate in learning interventions. This situation is further compounded by tight deadlines and therefore little time allocated for training let alone opportunity to put into practice skills that have been acquired in the learning environment.
In organizations where Strategic Human Resource Management is practiced, the Human resource development plays a central role in steering Learning and Development initiatives. The Human Resource Manager will typically spend 20-30% of their Strategic Objectives in the provision of learning, development and training opportunities in order to improve individual, team and organizational performance. In this regard, HRD is essentially a business-led approach to developing people within a strategic framework. With the buy in of the Senior Management team, the HRD must take the lead in defining the L& D strategy and developing a training plan.
The biggest challenge HR Managers will encounter is selling the Training strategy and getting buy in from their line managers and heads of department who are often the budget owners especially in the INGO (International Non-Government Organisations ) sector where budgets are often centralised, and specified for project related activities with no thought for the soft skills and other development needs of the staff. In such Organizations, there will often be a ‘play for power’ between HR and Finance that is the main custodian of Financial resources. Without the backup of the Country Director or Managing Director, the key Champion of Learning and Development and other key HR initiatives, HR is likely to be the main casualty.
This situation is compounded by the fact that during times of downsizing, Training and Development suffers the most and takes the most cut to the budget. More to that most HR Managers are ill equipped or under resourced ,often without skills in training plan identification, analysis, training plan preparation and rarely delivery skills and have to rely on external consultants to deliver key training programmes.HR Managers must overcome this by ,learning how to prepare SMART Business proposals or concepts to convince management justifying the need for the training programmes and balancing this with developing the skills of their teams to work with line managers in training needs identification and analysis. The HR Manager should able to nurture inhouse resources to deliver learning programmes where possible. The Training or Learning and Development Strategy which should be the steering wheel or masterplan of Learning and Development in the Organizations should ably define all these processes.
To put things more into context, impact of Covid-19 on most organisations has necessitated that staff work from home and at some are downsizing in order to be able to stay afloat. This may signify the need for IT or computer training for staff that previously may not have used computers .Sales people failing to telesales may denote the need for acquisition of teleselling skills ,project officers failing to write good project proposal may imply that there is need for project proposal writing skills ,similarly line managers finding challenges supervising staff or and writing management reports may require supervisory skills and report writing skills development. Ignoring these needs will ultimately result in delay to accomplish projects and affect organization sustainability. A human Resource Manager must be able to build this scenario and show justification for the training. To identify these needs, the HR Department must work closely with the staff and their line managers. Not all identified needs can be addressed through training interventions and assessing needs from wants, career development vis avis job related needs requires thorough discussions between HR, staff and Line managers. Standard practice is to capture these needs earlier in the performance management cycle preferably during appraisals or through the performance monitoring period and agree which interventions are most appropriate. The ability of HR to follow through with staff and line management and get these needs identified and collated in timely manner is what makes the HR department stand out in regards to managing organisation learning and development. For Learning or Training to be effective, the Human Resource Manager put in significant effort in training needs identification and analysis and training plan preparation. In a large organization, It helps to have a dedicated resource to do this in a large organization.
Once the HR Manager has succeeded in selling and getting management buy into the training plan, they must then identify the most effective way of delivering the training. Winston Churchill said ‘Where my reason, imagination or interests were not engaged, I would not or could not learn’. In the face of Covid19 and work from Home or offsite or new ways of working, HR Managers must find creative ways of delivering learning. These may include use of Online learning tools or platforms and other innovative ways of learning as opposed to the traditional face to face workshops. Success of training and learning intervention may be measured both short term which may be through determining attendance rates or training hours per employee, or long term and more difficult to measure measured by improvement in productivity, reduction in mistakes, increase in sales and so on and so forth.
For Learning and Development to be successful, the HR Manager must take the lead L&D strategy development, training needs identification/assessment, delivery and evaluation of all learning and development initiatives, and at the end, be able to show how the learning programmes impacted the bottom line if organisations so as to continue securing the investment in this central function of Human Resource Management. Obviously to achieve this, there is need for close collaboration and working closely with staff and line management to identify and deliver the relevant solutions.

The writer is Anne Kazungu Okwera
Anne is a HR Professional/ Consultant and founder of Koch Investment and Consultancy Services
Anne has a Master’s Degree in Management studies and a post graduate Diploma in Human Resources from Uganda Management Institute
and a Degree in Education from Makerere University
Email: [email protected]
Fbook pages :Anne Kazungu /Koch Investment and Consultancy

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CULTURE AND DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT EATS ORGANISATION STRATEGY FOR BREAKFAST,OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE FOR LUNCH AND EVERYTHING ELSE FOR DINNER




Watching these pigeons or doves as some would call them, from the family ‘Columbidae’ , beautifully coloured and healthy looking ,fluttering about and nibbling away at breadcrumbs thrown at them by bird watchers ,myself inclusive, recently reminded me how much diversity exists in nature and that if well harnessed, has the potential to contribute to great human experiences .The similarity to diversity at the workplace specifically captured my attention. It helped me put context into the words of one brilliant unknown person and I paraphrase, ‘’the ability of an organization to manage culture and diversity, eats strategy for breakfast, operational excellence for lunch and everything else for dinner’’.
The basic concept of managing diversity accepts that the workforce consists of diverse population of people and of both visible and invisible differences including factors such as age,gender,race,background,disability,personality,religion and working style.Diversity is funded on the premise that harnessing these differences creates a productive envorinment in whch everybody feels valued,where their talents are fully utilized and in which every organization goals are met (Kandola & fullerton 1988)
Human Resource managers and management in general have to accept and understand these differences ,take them into full account and learn how they can harness the great diversity that exists at the workplace ,to not only make the workplace a great place to work ,but where employees look forward to coming every day and are highly productive.
For this to happen, It is important to take into account the differences in personalities and attitudes and individual differences which may include issues arising from employment of youth,women,culturally different groups ,religious affiliations and persons with disabilities at the work place
The ability to appreciate that people are very complex and change overtime ,and that organisations put pressures on individuals that can result in stress and ultimately affect their productivity should help Human Resources practioners/managers manage diversity at the workplace better and harness this differences for the organisation to fully achieve its objectives. (Armstong,2010)
Managers should be willing to challenge the status quo and also be challenged and do what they may not be naturally comfortable doing in order to accommodate diversity at the workplace.
Managers equally have the responsibility to walk the talk by designing and implementing diversity and inclusion friendly policies and practices which may include provision of flexible working hours and working from home arrangements to make provisions for working parents with childcare needs, providing flexible holiday options friendly maternity and paternity leave policies, providing comfortable rest places for breastfeeding mothers, proactively employing people from minority/vulnerable groups or persons with disabilities are some of the practices organisations can adopt to encourage diversity.
Others include allocating specific days for diversity where different cultural practices are recognised and appreciated by all staff in an effort to promote and encourage diversity at the workplace.
Human Resources Managers are usually at the forefront of ensuring policies on diversity and inclusion are designed and implemented and facilitating some of the difficult and sometimes controversial conversations that if not managed early enough may threaten diversity and inclusion at the workplace. This may include discussions on employment of marginalised/minority groups, religious practices at the workplace, dress codes, relationships in the work place to mention some and of course adoption of many other innovative practices.
The ability of HR Managers , management and staff to shape these difficult conversation and reach consensus on the preferred cultural ,inclusive and diverse policies and practices and ‘ways of working’ both informal and formal , will ultimately result in a more friendly and harmonious workplace where all staff look forward to coming to very day and are productive eventually leading to the achievement of organisation goals. It is in fact not only an art, but also a science, to be able to listen to not only the loud attention seekers, but also to the silent, quiet voices of the not so extroverted individuals whose opinion equally matter.
Organisations ,just like the people they hire ,are constantly evolving and changing and the ability to learn, relearn and unlearn becomes the real test for the organisations long term survival and growth, after all in the words of Richard Branson, ’Create the kind of workplace and culture that will attract great talent’ and retain them. Culture and Diversity should not just be a rhetoric, great organisations continuously design, redesign and review culture, diversity and inclusion policies and practices, and successfully manage their implementation.

The writer is Anne Kazungu Okwera a HR Professional/Consultant

Anne has the following accomplishments;
Degree in Education (Science, Biology) from Makerere University
A post graduate Diploma in Human Resources from Uganda Management Institute
Master’s Degree in Management studies-HR option from Uganda Management Institute
Anne is a co- founder of Koch Investment and Consultancy Ltd
Co-founder of Light Empowerment Foundation;
Co-founder KHUB International Ltd (Composed of a group of HR INGO professionals engaged in consultancy work)
Founder:YoungNgo Coalition Network

She can be contacted on [email protected]
Fbook pages :Anne Kazungu /Koch Investment and Consultancy

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Does Witchcraft and Sorcery actually exist at workplaces? ; How can Human Resources Managers deal with such Complaints?
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A harmonious environment is where all workers are treated with dignity and respect, where no worker is subjected to harassment by conduct that is related to religious, sexual orientation or political affiliation and that is free of rumour mongering, backstabbing and unfair accusations or disciplinary actions.
The workplace is a convergence of people from all kinds of backgrounds, beliefs and practices some of which may border on the unorthodox and the Human Resource manager by the very nature of their role, is at the centre of dealing with related complaints and grievances.
HR Managers are also required to be impartial in application of all rules and policies and procedures ,however due to the complicated nature of some scenario, they , may be caught in unpleasant situations that do not present for clarity in decision making .In such cases, the Human Resources Policy, The employment act or legal instruments/advisory counsels, best practice and experience usually come in to aid the Manager.
One such scenario that may present a difficulty in decision making and that is often faced by the Human Resources Manager is where allegations of witchcraft or sorcery at the workplace is brought to attention.
One of the first informal comments I ever received from a friend when I took up my first Managerial role in the human Resource department was that ‘ I should watch out for what I ate or drank in the workplace as the staff there were prone to practising witchcraft and sorcery ,often going as far as poisoning colleagues they believed were acting contrary to their interests’.While I naively took this caution with a pinch of salt, I was cautious thereafter about when and where I accessed my food especially office tea. Thankfully, I never did receive any complaints of witchcraft during my employment there.
Prior to that I recall one scenario where a staff in an organisation I previously worked for , was allegedly ‘caught entering the office with live lizards in her bag’. I do not recall hearing if those allegations were later proven or not.
A story is also told of a staff who threatened his colleagues that he/she would bewitch them and the colleague reportedly later had weird dreams in which that colleague appeared to him/her, severely warning the staff.
Other stories I have heard of witchcraft in the workplace involve allegations of ‘fetishes ‘being found under the keyboard of some colleagues reportedly left by a ‘suspected fellow colleague’.
In one similar scenario and on two separate occasions two different witchdoctors called a Human Resource manager (whose names are withheld for confidentiality purposes ) reporting that two of the Manager’s staff had visited them with requests to deal with the Manager; one to influence the manager for a promotion and the other because she/he felt threatened. Both witchdoctors had called to warn the Manager because they believed in her/his innocence and felt no need to ‘unleash ‘their witchcraft on her/him. One could call this a mere coincidence and possibly ‘fraudsters’.

Such and many other scenarios like these exist at the workplace. Allegations of Witchcraft and sorcery at the workplace may be difficult to prove due to lack of evidence. This does not however mean that such allegations should be swept under the carpet or ignored. The Human Resources Manager should maintain a log of all complaints, their nature and status(in progress, pending or closed/dismissed) .This log could prove to be evidence in any case that merits disciplinary proceedings .Similarly all records of complaints ,Managers incidents reports or ‘show cause’ notes /emails should be well maintained by the Human Resources Manager in line with the confidentiality and data management policies of the Organization.
Where possible, staff against whom such allegations are made, proven or not ,should informally be made to know by the Human Resources Manager or by their line manager in the presence of HR , that such allegations have been reported against them and that even if not proven ,HR/the organisation takes all complaints seriously .Such a message ,may drive home earlier than later and deflect any potential .envisaged damages .
In handling such scenarios, the HR Manager is expected to act with a lot of tact, maturity and utmost confidentiality as mishandling such cases could potentially backfire, leading to even more disharmony and mistrust in the human resources manager, department and workplace. The HR Manager, should have an ‘antenna’ that ‘identifies’ and ‘disarms ‘or ‘neutralises’ potential negative vibes in the workplace before they escalate any further.

The Strategic Human Resources Manager is however ,not ‘the handler of complaints ‘ as many disillusioned staff and managers may think, but rather is expected to facilitate discussions, acts as a conciliator/mediator and make sure that all supervisors and Managers have the capacity to handle staff complaints and grievances before they escalate and that Policies , processes and procedures particularly the Human Resources Policies Processes and procedures (HRPP) are updated and adhered to.
Human Resources Mangers should act professionally and avoid encouraging an environment where grapevines are the norm and where staff/Managers use complaints or whistleblowing policies s to victimize or witch-hunt colleagues they simply do not like or agree with them .Instead HR should encourage management to adopt a top down and down -up approach where open communication is encouraged and people encouraged to speak up. This could be in form or regular one on one meetings between staff and their line managers, staff forums where staff meet with management ,skip level meetings where staff meet with Human Resource and management without their line managers present and staff employee consultative meetings where staff discuss their issues with their representatives. There should however be an avenue where staff occasionally meet with the top management and their issues addressed, Neither staff nor their managers should be victimised by their supervisors for speaking out.
The Organizations complaint or ‘speak up’ policy should be well defined, detailing all complaints channels and further stipulate that staff who make false allegations/accusations will be dealt with in line with the policy. Similarly, a harassment policy should be well defined and stipulate cases of harassment, discrimination and how they should/will be handled. The defined policies should be left to work and principles of fairness applied to all parties involved.
In creating a harmonious environment, The HR Manager plays a big role in mediating and seeking conciliatory approaches where complaints and grievances especially In relation to minor violations/infringements.
The Human Resources Manager also plays a big role in taking the lead in updating the Human Resources policies and procedures in consultation with Management and making sure/advising management to ensure that the policies are aligned to the minimum conditions stipulated in the employment act and where possible, best practice. Where the human Resources Manager is in doubt of steps to be undertaken in applying disciplinary policies, it is advisable that they consult their internal/legal counsel, their line manager or other more experienced colleagues in the industry before initiating any disciplinary proceedings.
The disciplinary schedule of the Uganda Employment Act 2006 stipulates the following;
• All organisations shall have disciplinary rules, the form and content of which may vary according to the size and nature of the Organization
• In case of a minor infringement of work discipline, the employer shall deal with the situation by way of informal advice and correction rather than invoking formal disciplinary procedures and that; disciplinary rules should clearly indicate the following;
a) The employees they apply to and the circumstances where the rules apply
b) The content of the rules expressed clearly in form and language understood by the employees and
c) The penalties for the infringement of the rules and consequences of future infringements of the rules
In absence of legal counsel, in handling disciplinary cases, Human Resources Managers should advise management to follow the Employment Act provisions of Investigations, a Fair Hearing and Appeals Processes. Investigations should be conducted by impartial parties , Fair Hearing Committees should act with as much independence as possible, Investigators and Line Managers should not head disciplinary committees where their staff are and if possible they should not be part of the disciplinary hearing process-They can however be called upon to provide evidence (This is to avoid violating The fair principle of the prosecutor and the judge not being the same persons )
To make disciplinary proceedings and resultant decision making easier, the HRPP should not only detail the possible infringements against the Organisation but also stipulate the expected penalties in alignment to the Labour Laws/best practice.
Without clear a professionalised Human Resources Department, Human Resources Policies, Processes and Procedures that are aligned to the Local Labour Laws and International best practice, open communication lines between management and staff ,the organisation is likely to find itself with a very toxic and volatile work environment that ultimately leads to high levels of attrition, and expensive law suits that could easily have been avoided and that impact the bottom-line/sustainability.

The Writer is Anne Kazungu Okwera
A Human Resources Practioner and HR Consultant
Email:[email protected]