HR Professional (Certificate in Human Resources)

Day One: HR as part of the Business

Competency Description: It is essential for an HR department to be a strategic influence over the business not an administrative function. This means that an HR professional must be aware of the needs of the business. This in turn requires an understanding of the socio-economic issues in your market place.

Key Behaviours:

• Business Awareness - understanding the key business issues that affect the profitability and growth of the organisation.
• Market Awareness - Understands external forces and pressures in the wider environment. Understands how these impact on the organisation and the market place
• Strategic Thinking - turning strategic thinking into effective, delivered actions
• Capability Development – prepared to invest in own development not just rely on external input
• Change Leadership – recognises change as an opportunity

Topics to be covered:

• Understanding the context
• Establishing the Socio-Economic developments
• Creating an HR department that lives the organisation’s brand values and HR and Culture
• Change management practices – changing the shape of the change curve
• Business awareness for HR professionals

Day Two: The Component Parts of the HR Function

Competency Description: Establishing the expectations of the line management team. Finding the balance between the contribution made by line management and that made by HR. Creating an effective role for HR in the key functional areas.

Key Behaviours:

• Interpersonal Understanding - Displays a range of active listening and questioning skills
• Reads individual and group behaviours
• Capability Development - Identifies capability required to implement future strategies successfully
• Relationship Building – takes an interest in others can see the perspective of others
• Teamwork – able to work as a member of a team even in circumstances where there is no direct self interest
• Organisational Awareness – able to contribute to the success of the organisation as a whole

Topics to be Covered:

• Recruitment and Selection – avoiding the common mistakes
• Using Competencies; establishing positive and negative descriptors within competencies
• Asking competency-based questions
• Matching Induction to Recruitment
• The role of the Employee Relations function within HR
• Handling Disciplinary and Grievance Issues – case studies

Day Three: Refinements

Competency Description: Creating the practices that develop the contribution of the HR function. Developing the policies to support best practice. Making it happen for real.

Key Behaviours

• Partnership Building - establishing relationships with others inside and outside the Organisation which are constructive and which facilitate the delivery of Organisation objectives.
• Capability Development – respects and harnesses dissimilarity
• Diversity Awareness - Actively challenges intolerant and/or insensitive actions or behaviours in the workplace
• Performance through People - obtains high levels of performance from own team and contribute to high levels of performance amongst organisation as a whole
• Achievement Orientation - Identifies measures for evaluating goal achievement and ensures that these are understood

Topics to be Covered:

• Making the links to precedent
• The HR department and labour law
• Developing Employee Relations policy to respond to socio economic conditions
• Understanding Equality Diversity and Discrimination
• Case studies and policy implications
• How to design and implement a performance management system that impacts on the whole organisation

Day Four: The Psychological Contract

Competency Description: Creating the conditions in which all employees can give their best. Finding the balance between employee’s rights and obligations. Understanding ambition; the need for career planning and personal development.

Key Behaviours:

• Organisational Awareness – understands the culture of the organisation
• Empowerment - Exercises judgement over capability of individuals, recognising variations in ability and potential
• Capability Development – actively pursues development opportunities for staff
• Capability Development - Sees the importance of development to the future of the Organisation and appropriately supports and/or develops policy initiatives
• Planning and Organising – able to establish efficiently an appropriate course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a goal or goals

Topics to be Covered:

• Becoming an Employer of Choice
• Policies to create job Satisfaction,
• Practices to improve Retention
• Identifying the Key Players
• Succession Planning and matching performance with potential
• Developing a Continuous Learning Culture

Day Five: The Way Forward

Competency Description: Moving forward into the new roles for HR professionals. Developing the role of the manager. Changing the nature of HR to reflect the new reality.

Key Behaviours:

• Results Focus - able to see the importance of results, be motivated about the achievement of results and to take the action necessary to achieve those results in the short and longer terms
• Leadership - able to use personal skills to guide individuals and/or groups towards achieving individual, group or organisation goals
• Relationship Building – builds win-win relationships
• Impact and Influence - able to persuade and influence others, taking the needs of others and the situation into account
• Integrity – is able to take actions based on own judgement

Topics to be Covered:

• Understanding Motivation and avoiding a simplistic approach
• Where pay and reward fit with motivation
• The Messages for Leaders
• Evolution of HR from Tactical to Strategic  
• Employee Relationship Management
• The personal skills needed for the new roles 
  • Influencing Skills
  • Managing Conflict
  • Assertiveness