HR Profession Map
Assignment 5
Joanne Cope
Unit Code – 4DEP
Developing Yourself as an Effective Human Resource Practitioner
(A.C.1.1) (a)
The CIPD HR Profession Map (HRPM) was launched in 2009 but was made available to all Organisations and HR professionals in October 2012. www.cipd.co.uk It is used to help an individual to develop in their career and to help them prioritise their work load. It sets goals in order for them to move to the next band. It also helps an organisation to identify skills needed to develop a person/a team and to identify areas for development.
The profession map has 10 professional areas and 8 behaviours and are set out in 4 bands for the different levels of HR professionals. Band 1 being the lowest. …show more content…
There are 3 main groups to the profession map being:-
PROFESSIONAL AREAS – What HR Practitioners need to do and know. This consists of 10 different parts including the 2 core areas as follows:-
Core Areas – This is the heart of the map. No matter what band you are in everyone needs these 2 core elements. You need to know what the business is about and to also know its competitors, customers and employees.
Insights, Strategy and Solutions; and
Leading HR
8 Specialist Professional Areas
Service Delivery and Information;
Organisation Design;
Organisation Development;
Resourcing and Talent Planning;
Learning and Talent Development;
Performance and Reward;
Employee Engagement;
Employee Relations.
BEHAVIOURS – This is how to carry out activities. They are dividend into 4 bands of competence from beginners to leadership. The behaviours are:-
Curious;
Decisive Thinker;
Skilled Influencer;
Personally Credible;
Collaborative;
Driven to Deliver;
Courage to Challenge;
Role Model.
BANDS AND TRANSITIONS – This is used to help a person to develop from one role to another. It is split into 4 bands. You must be able to fulfil all the elements in one band to progress to the next band.
(A.C.1.1) (b)
Employee Relations – As I do not work in HR but work in Employment Law I believe the most essential element I can relate to is Employee Relations (“ER”). The criteria of Employee Relations develops depending on the band you are in. ER definition is “Ensure that the individual and collective relationship between the Organisation and its employees are managed appropriately within a clear framework underpinned by organisational culture, practices, policies and ultimately by relevant Law” www.cipd.co.uk .
Develop Employee Relations strategy, Policy and Procedure – As a band one you must be able to work with individuals and managers to make sure the organisations values and behaviours are met.
I feel that in my role as Department Co-Ordinator I do this on a daily basis. I supervise the support staff and guide them when they are not sure of something. Also as co-ordinator I feel that the Partners (Managers) come to me as a first point of contact.
You must also keep relevant ER documentation. I do not have to do this in my current role but I do understand what our HR people do as all documents are stored on our HR package “Cascade”. However, we do keep clients ER documentation up-to-date so I understand the importance of this.
Embed Employee Relations Strategy, Policy & Practice – In order to do this you must monitor employees’ processes and ensure compliance with ER plans and legislation.
As I work in Employment Law we constantly give guidance to clients of the processes that need to be done and the up-to-date …show more content…
legislation.
As I band one you should implement guidelines on ER issues and make sure the information and updates are given to staff and managers.
Again at our firm all the updated information is added to our Cascade Package and also there are compulsory on-line training programmes.
You must also be able to advise managers and staff about policies and procedure and be able to give advice, training and support to everyone in order for them to develop.
As Coordinator I push for the support staff to request training I feel that will help them thrive in their position.
You should also be able to track and monitor the teams’ performance against plans and recommend areas of improvement. Again I do this on a daily basis and this is done through feedback to Partners, through Departmental Meetings and also ‘catch ups’ with the HOD (Head of Department).
Conflict Management – As a band one you must be able to encourage people to be able to have honest and open conversations. I would like to think as coordinator that each and everyone in my department whether Junior Secretary to the HOD are able to speak to me openly and even if a more junior member does not feel they can be open with the HOD that they are able to speak to me I can relay their issue back.
You must also be able to provide timely information and support advisers and managers. There are certain information I have to provide i.e WIP reports, absenteeism, holidays and cover for the
department.
There are a few other elements that have to be covered under Band one ER like collective negotiation and consultation and performance culture. These are areas I hope that once I have finished this course I will be able to develop.
(A.C.2.1) – A customer is defined as someone who buys goods and services from us.
Customers in my organisation can be anyone from Partners, staff, Tribunals and Suppliers. In my role I could have a Partner putting in urgent work that needs to go to clients. I could also have support staff needing my assistance in booking holiday and I could have the Employment Tribunal calling regarding a hearing coming up.
The best way to prioritise this would be to communicate with each party. I would also ask each person for the deadline they require their task completing. If they all said it was urgent I would prioritise it the following way:-
Tribunal – My reason to put these first would be that Tribunals do work with deadline dates and my firm could be penalised financially if they did not meet these deadline dates/times.
Partner – I would then deal with the partner’s urgent work for clients as clients are paying for the work and we like to offer Stellar Service to our clients.
Staff Holiday Request – I would do this last but I would make sure the employee was aware that I was not ignoring them and would give them a date/time of when I would get back to them.
(A.C.2.2) – Communication is about passing messages between people or organisations. Messages between a sender and receiver takes place using a medium such as email or phone www.bbc.bitesize.
There are lots of types of communication:-
Verbal;
Non-Verbal;
Informal Methods;
Formal Methods;
External;
Vertical etc
Verbal Communication – This is face to face or by using the telephone but basically using your voice.
Advantages
Disadvantages
Saves Time
No proof of conversation
Saves Money
Cannot be used for future reference
You can gain reaction
Can result in misunderstanding
Increase in Productivity and Efficiency
Less Expensive
Non-Verbal Communication – Are things sent by email or letter. It can also include gestures and expressions.
Advantages
Disadvantages
More Formal/Physical Record
Takes Time
More Accurate
More Expensive to Prepare
Errors can be corrected before letter/email sent
No immediate feedback
Trail of Evidence
Less Personal
Vertical Communication – I looked at this as I had never heard of it before. This is also known as ‘a 2 way communication’. The management give instructions and this is sent downwards.
www.thebusinesscommunication.com
Advantages
Disadvantages
Provides clear lines of authority
Employees at the bottom of a tier can feel less valued
Tight Control
Employees can dislike this culture
Managers can closely monitor the activities of subordinates
Can take time for the decisions to filter down
Employees have a clear career ladder.
(A.C.2.3) – To makes sure you deliver an effective service you must make sure you can deliver this on time and on budget. When you take on a new job/activity you should have an idea of whether you can deliver this on time and within the budget. This means everything should be planned and that you have the resources to deliver.
You need to make sure you have the capability to do the job. This means having the skills and experience to deliver.
You also need the capacity i.e. suitable staff, equipment and resources in place.
You also need quality – You should have processes and systems in place in order that you can deliver the products and services that are fit for the purpose.
Planning is the main aspect!
If you are dealing with a difficult customer communication is important. You must keep them up-to-date with what is happening and make sure you connect with the customer and show concern. You must use positive language and interact with them. Understand what they need in order to resolve the problem. Offer a solution and not make excuses. Explain the process. Follow up and also when the job is finished evaluate and plan a course of action so the problem does not happen in the future.
Example: I was asked to take minutes at a client’s premises for a disciplinary matter. They were having to potentially suspend 2 employees. The matter became a lot more prolonged than we had first anticipated so we had to communicate to the client that obviously the original budget we had set would be exceeded as I eventually took minutes for around half of the employees. The timescale also was extended and it also meant that I had to attend out of office hours in order to interview employees working the night shift. The client was very pleased with the service we offered but I do believe that had we not kept them informed as the goals were moved then this would not have been the case.
Referencing www.cipd.co.uk www.bbc.bitesize. www.thebusinesscommunication.com Activity 3
(A.C.3.1) – See Attached Plan
(A.C.3.2-3.4)
I undertook a self-assessment against the CIPA Associate Membership criteria and I can become an Associate Member by gaining my qualification I am presently undertaking.
However Associate Members should have an awareness of the different areas of HR but have experience in 1 to 2 areas of specialism.
Associate Members must have the following 3 criteria:-
Skills and Knowledge – Be able to problem solver and also have the knowledge i.e employment law regulations;
Partnership With Clients – They need to be able to support and be able to deal with people who are not happy. They also need to be able to deal with employees returning from maternity leave, new starter etc; and
Deal with impacts and measures – They need to deal with issues in the right way.
As I have mentioned in my Development Record and Plan I attend a bi-monthly HR forum which helps me understand the day to day issues that go on in all different companies from Insurance, Accountants, and Manufacturing. The main topic at the moment is the new case of bonus and commission pay when taking holidays!
I have also attended a few Employment Law Updates which give me the up-to-date legislation.
CPD is a tracking and documenting exercise. You need to track your progress and set targets and if you are not achieving them what you can do to be able to achieve them. CPD should be used for training that you have done and need. CPD can also motivate you as it pushes you to achieve the goal to move on to the next one.
CPD is important as it gives me goals to achieve. It helps me to improve my knowledge and skills. I also need to keep up with legislation changes and making sure I use my CPD is important for this as you can plan and know the key dates for changes in Regulations.
There are lots of reasons to do a CPD as follows:-
Professional – You need to do it for your job requirements – I have to do certain online training courses at the law firm I work for and these are compulsory.
Reflective Practice – You look at the decisions you have made and how you handled it and how you could change it in the future.
Thinking Performer – You need to be able to think about what you have done, plan and organise it and a CPD record helps you do this.
My Development Needs –
(1) I need to carry on with attending the HR forums and Employment Law Seminars;
(2) I also need to gain more hands on experience which at this time I am not sure how I will be able to do this but it is something I will speak to my Supervisor about and then will detail on my CPD to ensure I am doing what is needed;
(3) Carry on with my CIPD training.
Words for Activity 3 – 488 plus Development Plan & Record
Joanne Cope
Unit Code – 4DEP
Developing Yourself as an Effective Human Resource Practitioner
(A.C.1.1) (a)
The CIPD HR Profession Map (HRPM) was launched in 2009 but was made available to all Organisations and HR professionals in October 2012. www.cipd.co.uk It is used to help an individual to develop in their career and to help them prioritise their work load. It sets goals in order for them to move to the next band. It also helps an organisation to identify skills needed to develop a person/a team and to identify areas for development.
The profession map has 10 professional areas and 8 behaviours and are set out in 4 bands for the different levels of HR professionals. Band 1 being the lowest. …show more content…
There are 3 main groups to the profession map being:-
PROFESSIONAL AREAS – What HR Practitioners need to do and know. This consists of 10 different parts including the 2 core areas as follows:-
Core Areas – This is the heart of the map. No matter what band you are in everyone needs these 2 core elements. You need to know what the business is about and to also know its competitors, customers and employees.
Insights, Strategy and Solutions; and
Leading HR
8 Specialist Professional Areas
Service Delivery and Information;
Organisation Design;
Organisation Development;
Resourcing and Talent Planning;
Learning and Talent Development;
Performance and Reward;
Employee Engagement;
Employee Relations.
BEHAVIOURS – This is how to carry out activities. They are dividend into 4 bands of competence from beginners to leadership. The behaviours are:-
Curious;
Decisive Thinker;
Skilled Influencer;
Personally Credible;
Collaborative;
Driven to Deliver;
Courage to Challenge;
Role Model.
BANDS AND TRANSITIONS – This is used to help a person to develop from one role to another. It is split into 4 bands. You must be able to fulfil all the elements in one band to progress to the next band.
(A.C.1.1) (b)
Employee Relations – As I do not work in HR but work in Employment Law I believe the most essential element I can relate to is Employee Relations (“ER”). The criteria of Employee Relations develops depending on the band you are in. ER definition is “Ensure that the individual and collective relationship between the Organisation and its employees are managed appropriately within a clear framework underpinned by organisational culture, practices, policies and ultimately by relevant Law” www.cipd.co.uk .
Develop Employee Relations strategy, Policy and Procedure – As a band one you must be able to work with individuals and managers to make sure the organisations values and behaviours are met.
I feel that in my role as Department Co-Ordinator I do this on a daily basis. I supervise the support staff and guide them when they are not sure of something. Also as co-ordinator I feel that the Partners (Managers) come to me as a first point of contact.
You must also keep relevant ER documentation. I do not have to do this in my current role but I do understand what our HR people do as all documents are stored on our HR package “Cascade”. However, we do keep clients ER documentation up-to-date so I understand the importance of this.
Embed Employee Relations Strategy, Policy & Practice – In order to do this you must monitor employees’ processes and ensure compliance with ER plans and legislation.
As I work in Employment Law we constantly give guidance to clients of the processes that need to be done and the up-to-date …show more content…
legislation.
As I band one you should implement guidelines on ER issues and make sure the information and updates are given to staff and managers.
Again at our firm all the updated information is added to our Cascade Package and also there are compulsory on-line training programmes.
You must also be able to advise managers and staff about policies and procedure and be able to give advice, training and support to everyone in order for them to develop.
As Coordinator I push for the support staff to request training I feel that will help them thrive in their position.
You should also be able to track and monitor the teams’ performance against plans and recommend areas of improvement. Again I do this on a daily basis and this is done through feedback to Partners, through Departmental Meetings and also ‘catch ups’ with the HOD (Head of Department).
Conflict Management – As a band one you must be able to encourage people to be able to have honest and open conversations. I would like to think as coordinator that each and everyone in my department whether Junior Secretary to the HOD are able to speak to me openly and even if a more junior member does not feel they can be open with the HOD that they are able to speak to me I can relay their issue back.
You must also be able to provide timely information and support advisers and managers. There are certain information I have to provide i.e WIP reports, absenteeism, holidays and cover for the
department.
There are a few other elements that have to be covered under Band one ER like collective negotiation and consultation and performance culture. These are areas I hope that once I have finished this course I will be able to develop.
(A.C.2.1) – A customer is defined as someone who buys goods and services from us.
Customers in my organisation can be anyone from Partners, staff, Tribunals and Suppliers. In my role I could have a Partner putting in urgent work that needs to go to clients. I could also have support staff needing my assistance in booking holiday and I could have the Employment Tribunal calling regarding a hearing coming up.
The best way to prioritise this would be to communicate with each party. I would also ask each person for the deadline they require their task completing. If they all said it was urgent I would prioritise it the following way:-
Tribunal – My reason to put these first would be that Tribunals do work with deadline dates and my firm could be penalised financially if they did not meet these deadline dates/times.
Partner – I would then deal with the partner’s urgent work for clients as clients are paying for the work and we like to offer Stellar Service to our clients.
Staff Holiday Request – I would do this last but I would make sure the employee was aware that I was not ignoring them and would give them a date/time of when I would get back to them.
(A.C.2.2) – Communication is about passing messages between people or organisations. Messages between a sender and receiver takes place using a medium such as email or phone www.bbc.bitesize.
There are lots of types of communication:-
Verbal;
Non-Verbal;
Informal Methods;
Formal Methods;
External;
Vertical etc
Verbal Communication – This is face to face or by using the telephone but basically using your voice.
Advantages
Disadvantages
Saves Time
No proof of conversation
Saves Money
Cannot be used for future reference
You can gain reaction
Can result in misunderstanding
Increase in Productivity and Efficiency
Less Expensive
Non-Verbal Communication – Are things sent by email or letter. It can also include gestures and expressions.
Advantages
Disadvantages
More Formal/Physical Record
Takes Time
More Accurate
More Expensive to Prepare
Errors can be corrected before letter/email sent
No immediate feedback
Trail of Evidence
Less Personal
Vertical Communication – I looked at this as I had never heard of it before. This is also known as ‘a 2 way communication’. The management give instructions and this is sent downwards.
www.thebusinesscommunication.com
Advantages
Disadvantages
Provides clear lines of authority
Employees at the bottom of a tier can feel less valued
Tight Control
Employees can dislike this culture
Managers can closely monitor the activities of subordinates
Can take time for the decisions to filter down
Employees have a clear career ladder.
(A.C.2.3) – To makes sure you deliver an effective service you must make sure you can deliver this on time and on budget. When you take on a new job/activity you should have an idea of whether you can deliver this on time and within the budget. This means everything should be planned and that you have the resources to deliver.
You need to make sure you have the capability to do the job. This means having the skills and experience to deliver.
You also need the capacity i.e. suitable staff, equipment and resources in place.
You also need quality – You should have processes and systems in place in order that you can deliver the products and services that are fit for the purpose.
Planning is the main aspect!
If you are dealing with a difficult customer communication is important. You must keep them up-to-date with what is happening and make sure you connect with the customer and show concern. You must use positive language and interact with them. Understand what they need in order to resolve the problem. Offer a solution and not make excuses. Explain the process. Follow up and also when the job is finished evaluate and plan a course of action so the problem does not happen in the future.
Example: I was asked to take minutes at a client’s premises for a disciplinary matter. They were having to potentially suspend 2 employees. The matter became a lot more prolonged than we had first anticipated so we had to communicate to the client that obviously the original budget we had set would be exceeded as I eventually took minutes for around half of the employees. The timescale also was extended and it also meant that I had to attend out of office hours in order to interview employees working the night shift. The client was very pleased with the service we offered but I do believe that had we not kept them informed as the goals were moved then this would not have been the case.
Referencing www.cipd.co.uk www.bbc.bitesize. www.thebusinesscommunication.com Activity 3
(A.C.3.1) – See Attached Plan
(A.C.3.2-3.4)
I undertook a self-assessment against the CIPA Associate Membership criteria and I can become an Associate Member by gaining my qualification I am presently undertaking.
However Associate Members should have an awareness of the different areas of HR but have experience in 1 to 2 areas of specialism.
Associate Members must have the following 3 criteria:-
Skills and Knowledge – Be able to problem solver and also have the knowledge i.e employment law regulations;
Partnership With Clients – They need to be able to support and be able to deal with people who are not happy. They also need to be able to deal with employees returning from maternity leave, new starter etc; and
Deal with impacts and measures – They need to deal with issues in the right way.
As I have mentioned in my Development Record and Plan I attend a bi-monthly HR forum which helps me understand the day to day issues that go on in all different companies from Insurance, Accountants, and Manufacturing. The main topic at the moment is the new case of bonus and commission pay when taking holidays!
I have also attended a few Employment Law Updates which give me the up-to-date legislation.
CPD is a tracking and documenting exercise. You need to track your progress and set targets and if you are not achieving them what you can do to be able to achieve them. CPD should be used for training that you have done and need. CPD can also motivate you as it pushes you to achieve the goal to move on to the next one.
CPD is important as it gives me goals to achieve. It helps me to improve my knowledge and skills. I also need to keep up with legislation changes and making sure I use my CPD is important for this as you can plan and know the key dates for changes in Regulations.
There are lots of reasons to do a CPD as follows:-
Professional – You need to do it for your job requirements – I have to do certain online training courses at the law firm I work for and these are compulsory.
Reflective Practice – You look at the decisions you have made and how you handled it and how you could change it in the future.
Thinking Performer – You need to be able to think about what you have done, plan and organise it and a CPD record helps you do this.
My Development Needs –
(1) I need to carry on with attending the HR forums and Employment Law Seminars;
(2) I also need to gain more hands on experience which at this time I am not sure how I will be able to do this but it is something I will speak to my Supervisor about and then will detail on my CPD to ensure I am doing what is needed;
(3) Carry on with my CIPD training.
Words for Activity 3 – 488 plus Development Plan & Record