Strategic Business and HR Support.
HR Strategy – review recruitment
Objective
Save money on recruitment including agency costs and improve recruitment and retention
to organisation
Action
Reviewed recruitment policies and procedures. Built up internal bank of staff available on a casual basis, like agency workers. Streamlined recruitment and outsourced some to a cost effective recruitment processing organisation. Enabled web based recruitment to improve branding and reduce costs of advertising. Organised training for managers in competency based interviewing and ‘recruit for attitude’.
Outcome
Saved over £1m in year one. Managers more accountable and confident in recruitment.
HR Strategy – create a strategy for growth
Objective
Write a People Strategy for a fast growing organisation
Action
Familiarisation with business sector, importance of competitive advantage through people and how it can be realised. Analysed current position through stakeholders and sources of evidence based on data. Determined what needed to be in place to realise business goals. Identified outcomes needed, how they would be achieved, by who and when, identified risks.
Outcome
Accepted by Board and leadership and kept under review.
HR strategy – embedding a culture
Objective
Bring the vision and values to life for our people
Action
Ensured the vision and values were captured on every strategy, policy and procedural document. Briefed external trainers to ensure they were on message. Allison organised a colleague conference for over 500 staff in a format that was described by leaders and staff as ‘outstanding’. The format was created in collaboration with key staff and events organisers ‘Top Banana’.
Outcome
People who attended were able to cite the values and vision more than 2 years after the event to an independent IIP assessor. The ‘Great People Awards’ started there and continue to present day.
HR strategy – Employee relations
Objective
Harmonise the terms and conditions of 3 organisations
Action
Consulted stakeholders with the HR team. Negotiated with stakeholders including the trades unions. Considered interests of all parties. Costed out proposals. Prioritised. Negotiated some more. Assessed value to different parties of different options. Negotiated. Involved
managers in conveying offer.
Outcome
Agreement reached at minimal cost – mainly perceived as fair by those affected. Evidence for this in Fair Deal scores of Best Companies survey. Featured in an article in IDS.
Business and HR strategy – European excellence standard
Objective
Secure Investors in Excellence award (for quality and service excellence)
Action
Led a team of people with Quality manager to become assessors and put actions in place to review each aspect of the assessment, e.g leadership, policy and strategy and customer service. Collaborated with Midlands Excellence team. Ensured evidence was available to support claims and statements supporting change and ongoing improvements to customers and other stakeholders.
Outcome
Received award and recognition based on survey results from stakeholders and evidence gathered by independent assessment.
HR strategy – employee engagement
Objective
Improve employee engagement
Action
Took steps to find ways to leverage improvement through managers and leaders. Worked to ensure there was greater clarity for people between what they do and the impact they have on the outcomes for the business and the customer. Started a management development programme to get best impact and ROI. Helped managers to see what they could do to make a real difference.
Outcome
Received award at Sunday Times Top 100 Best Companies © as the company achieved one star accreditation.
HR strategy – training needs
Objective
Improve skills base of non technical colleagues in use of IT resources.
Action
Surveyed staff with help of Silver Lining Ltd in conjunction with training manager to assess current position and determine training needs. Based on data set up training delivery to meet the needs of different employees. Assessed and evaluated impact of training at end
of programme. Measurable improvements could be evidenced reducing the need for helpdesk support in IT.
Outcome
Shortlisted for a UK Skills National Training award and a significant return on investment.
Team Development
Objective
Team building – support managers in building their teams
Action
Gathered data as base line information using the ‘Aston Team Performance Inventory” based on research at Aston University of those factors that improve or may hinder team performance. Arranged for all teams to participate in survey. Preserved anonymity of
participants and fed back results to managers and agreed an action plan with them as to improvements they could make.
Outcome
Employee engagement measurably increased as shown in other case studies. People in teams noticed the differences that were enacted.
HR strategy – change in HR practice
Objective
Improve attendance, reduce costs
Action
Analysed all data, shared it widely. Made costs known through internal communications to managers and their staff teams. Rewarded people with good attendance records by writing to them and letting them know it had been noticed. Put rigour in to a process for poor attendance. Introduced a capability procedure. Trained managers to use it effectively. Ensured that sufficient attention was also given to well being to support staff.
Outcome
Sickness Absence reduced from 5.2% to 3.5% in less than 12 months. Significant cost savings.
Business/HR strategy
Objective
Gain IIP accreditation for a group of companies.
Action
Involved managers in a self assessment process for each part of the organisation and its subsidiaries. Agreed action plans with each to leverage meaningful improvements that were of value. Trained managers. Conducted internal assessments. Fed back to managers and staff. Made improvements to a variety of key processes including some harmonisation of appraisals. Arranged for managers to be consulted and
trained in new processes.
Outcome
IIP Group accreditation received. Feedback was that the standard had been exceeded. Foundations in place to achieve higher levels of accreditation.
HR strategy – coaching to achieve results
Objective
Introduce a coaching culture
Action
Gained the support of senior leaders to find ways to create and embed a coaching culture within an organisation with over 200 managers. Worked with ‘GPS vision’ to find ways to measure the ROI of training managers in Coaching and ‘Advance Coaching Solutions’ to provide extensive and CMI accredited training for managers and supervisors. Followed up training with Action Learning Sets to ensure culture sustained and embedded.
Outcome
The coaching culture is sufficiently embedded to meet the Investors in People indicators of success.
HR strategy – Employee relations
Objective
Find ways to have a staff forum for a non unionised workforce
Action
Established groups known as ‘Staff Voices’. Agreed with the representatives that came forward the ground rules, roles and frequency of meetings, what should be on the agenda etc. After 12 months surveyed representatives to find out how well it was working in achieving the objective actively engaging with and communicating with colleagues.
Outcome
The survey results were excellent.
