Enhancing HR Strategy in INGOs: Insights from the Job Value Review

1. Building effective and responsive INGOs, the strategic role of HR:The IS Job Value Review8 February 2008

2. Agenda • The project: why we are doing it and what we are doing • Challenges and issues • Learning points

3. Context • Need for change has been driven by: • increased threats to human rights in the name of national security • more NGO entrants in the human rights arena • demand for greater accountability from members and funding agencies • increased competition in the labour market for staff with the required skills • significant increase in the number of failed recruitments

4. Context • The Job Value Review (JVR) project was designed to maximise the impact that the IS has on the human rights agenda • In order to do this we need to be able to retain and recruit people with the required skills, experience and aptitude • And therefore, we need to create an employment experience that is inspiring and fulfilling for staff and which enables them to deliver to their potential • ‘tangible aspects’ such as salary and benefits • ‘intangible’ factors such as career progression, personal development, job design, flexible working arrangements, organisational culture and management capability, capacity and support

5. The journey - where we were, where we are now, where we need to get to • Phase 1: data collection • A consultation and review process to identify the scale of the challenge and the work streams required (of which a report on findings and recommendations was the main output) • Staff focus groups, 1:1 interviews and teleconferences involving approximately 75 staff • Analysis of historical recruitment and retention data • A staff survey which provided qualitative and quantitative data from 378 (80%) staff members • An external pay and benefits comparison involving 14 major INGOs and data from established sector specific surveys

7. The journey - where we were, where we are now, where we need to get to • Phase 2: • The development of options and frameworks for consideration and decision • Establishment of work streams on: • Job description design • Competency framework • Performance management (now called Contribution and Development) • Pay and grading • Benefits • Job evaluation and pay modelling • Outcomes of other work streams: negotiation and consultation • Phase 3: • Detailed design and implementation

8. Employee life cycle • Job Description • Pay • C & D • Grading • Pay • C&D • Competencies Attract Exit • Job Description • Competencies • Pay & Benefits Progress Recruit Strategy Organisation Induct Perform • Job Description • C&D • Competencies • Job Description • C&D • Competencies Values Learn & Develop Deploy • Job Description • C&D • Competencies • Job Description • C&D • Competencies

9. Key challenges and presenting issues • Role of the International Executive Committee • Involvement of the Amnesty International movement • The union • ‘Baggage’ from previous pay and benefits review • Selling the management team the value of engaging with the HR function, rather than seeing the project being an HR project • Lack of effective and adequate communications infrastructure • Funding restrictions • Identifying our comparators and the complexities of international comparators (local sections etc.) • Recruitment and retention issues • Organisational culture

10. Key learning points • Consultation: • Can’t start soon enough • Can’t do it often enough • Can’t do it widely enough • Factual data obtained from staff survey and external benchmarking • Communication • Project set in motion paying too much attention to final end date and not communications • You cannot tell people often enough; people don’t really engage until they see the implication for themselves • Need to plan and use the available effective communications channels • Ensure that key players are aware of their responsibilities • Cultural change in emphasis and purpose of communication – from telling to dialogue • Building trust – proving that what we said made a difference (proof points) e.g. demonstrating that consultation inputs did make a difference • Not positioning as an HR project and locating within the bigger picture • creating links for individuals, identifying gaps in understanding • linking everything to the overall strategy and mission of the organisation • Approaching it in an holistic manner/helping people understand linkages and reaping benefits from integrated approach

11. Key learning points • Project Management • Initially confusing layers of involvement – good intentions though • Continuous assessment of barriers and how to address them as we progressed • The importance of engaging with staff reps throughout the process • Not sacrificing integrity of process for artificial timetable • Degree of pressure keeps the momentum • Reflections: • Need to keep meetings structured and relevant • Need to ensure keep finger on the pulse all the time • Need to keep the right people informed • Can be an expensive project because the experts come at a cost • Impact • Engagement tends to uncover a lot of hidden individual people issues and managers use the process to resolve issues that should have been dealt with • Prompts thoughts and conversations about other organisational issues, such as organisational design • Changing the culture to make people into corporate citizens

12. Questions ….