A Manager s Toolkit: How to develop your workforce

Transcription

1 A Manager s Tookit: How to deveop your workforce

2 Contents Introduction Who is this tookit for? 1 Why has it been deveoped? 1 What shoud it assist you with? 1 Who has deveoped it? 1 Purpose of the resource and its structure 2 Workforce Deveopment Awareness Issues facing the advice sector workforce Skis gap and shortages 4 Recruitment and retention difficuties 4 Barriers to accessing training and education/ack of career progression in parts of the sector 5 Lack of succession panning for an ageing workforce 5 How this tookit can hep 5 Competency Assessment Tookit Section 1: Creating a Learning Organisation - (Strategic Panning) 7 Section 2: Find, Train and Deveop Your Staff - (Recruitment and Induction) 20 Section 3: Supervision 46 Section 4: Appraisa 63 Section 5: Approaches to deveoping your staff (Training & Learning) 77 Section 6: Grievance and Discipinary 105 Section 7: Exit interviews 110 Section 8: Signposting and resources 116

3 Who is this tookit for? This Manager s Tookit: How to deveop your workforce is aimed at both those who are new to management experience and those that have management and wish to refresh or enhance their skis. It is for existing and new managers in the advice sector who frequenty 'fa' into manageria positions with itte or no training or context to hep support them in their roe. Often they wi earn on the job, by doing than through a systematic manageria earning framework. Within the Manager s Tookit there are two main parts: 1. A workforce deveopment awareness section that highights some of the key issues that affect the advice sector now, and possiby in the future, such as skis gaps, recruitment and retention difficuties and ack of succession panning 2. A comprehensive and practica tookit containing a range of resources and toos to hep managers improve how their workforce is deveoped. Why has it been deveoped? This resource has been deveoped in response to identified peope management skis and knowedge gaps among managers. The resource responds to these issues and aims to hep managers to better deveop their workforce. What shoud it assist you with? Overa, the Manager s Tookit aims to "raise awareness among advice centre managers of what the various workforce deveopment issues are for the sector and how this affects their organisation". It wi hep to assess skis/ competencies assessment and enhance these for managers to use in advice centres. Who has deveoped it? This has been deveoped by Working Together for Advice, which is a partnership project that provides a range of support services to independent advice centres across Engand. Advice Services Aiance is eading the project on behaf of a consortium comprising five of its member networks: AdviceUK, Age Concern Engand, Citizens Advice, Law Centres Federation and Youth Access. The overa aims of the project are to: give more peope more opportunities to get advice further improve advice quaity demonstrate the vaue of advice to funders and the wider community Introduction 1

4 improve the efficiency of advice services buid the capacity of the advice sector. The workforce deveopment and training workstream aims to deveop a coordinated approach to workforce deveopment and training by addressing identified needs across the advice sector. The workstream's aim is to put the sector in a better position to attract and retain staff through providing appropriate and sustainabe training, a cear quaifications framework and better manageria support. Purpose of the resource and its structure This manager s tookit provides both theoretica and practica guidance and information about how to deveop and improve your workforce. It ooks first at a number of workforce deveopment awareness issues such as recruitment and retention of staff in the sector and issues affecting its future. The tookit contains a range of practica resources and toos to hep managers improve how their workforce is deveoped. Overa, the tookit wi enabe you to ink the theory of workforce issues to your practice and have access to various toos and resources that are designed to hep you review and make improvements to your organisations current and future workforce practices. The resource has been deveoped in consutation with managers who attended training on the contents of the Tookit in Look out for Top Tips and Good Practice Checkists throughout. Our thanks to Advice Centre Managers that attended the training and contributed to the Tookit in Birmingham, Leeds, London, Oxford and Sheffied. Introduction 2

5 Workforce Deveopment Awareness - the issues facing the advice sector workforce

6 Workforce Deveopment Awareness - the issues facing the advice sector workforce Whist the advice sector is cear about the important contribution it makes to the ives of individuas, ess is known about the current and future deveopment needs of the workforce that provides such crucia services. Much of what is now known has been identified through severa pieces of research work, such as: Advice Forward: deveoping skis for the future, Vountary Sector Skis Survey Third Sector Skis Research, The research shows that the sector operates in a constanty changing externa environment. It faces short term funding and a range of other issues, incuding: Skis gaps and shortages Recruitment and retention difficuties Barriers to accessing training and education/ack of career progression in parts of the sector Lack of succession panning for an ageing workforce. The Manager s Tookit: How to Deveop your Workforce aims to respond to a range of issues these by providing managers with practica information and guidance on how to improve and deveop their workforce. Skis gap and shortages The research identified management, mentoring and coaching as key skis gaps within the vountary sector, and peope management was highighted as one area where the gap was considered greatest. The Advice Forward report aso highighted a ack of appicants with suitabe skis as being a major probem in reation to recruitment. This probem was echoed in the 2007 Vountary Sector Skis Survey. Recruitment and retention difficuties There are significant difficuties regarding recruitment and retention in the sector, incuding: a genera ack of appicants a ack of appicants with suitabe experience and quaifications a priority acking area was ack of appicants with suitabe skis. Other issues incude a high turnover of staff for a number of advice centre organisations. Retention aso poses a probem, for the foowing reasons: unattractive saary, ack of career deveopment opportunity, work pressure and having to trave too far. Workforce Deveopment Awareness - Issues facing the advice sector workforce 4

7 Barriers to accessing training and education/ack of career progression in parts of the sector Key issues for the Not for Profit sector were ack of funding security and funders reuctance to pay for capacity buiding. This means imited resources avaiabe for training and deveopment. In terms of career progression, research identifies that the workforce is not professionay we quaified in advice, and parts of the sector show ow eves of membership of professiona bodies and associations where they can access reevant training and deveopment. Fexibe training provision, aternative ways of deivering training and taking into account the diverse earning needs of earners are suggested ways of responding to training and career barriers in the advice sector. Cearer and more coordinated career paths are required to make the sector a more attractive and sustainabe pace to work. Lack of succession panning for an ageing workforce The issues of high staff turnover, skis shortages and recruitment difficuties a impact on advice centres service deivery. This makes the sector ess abe to increase their capacity, and makes succession panning ess certain. The sector has an ageing workforce, as evidenced in the Advice Forward report.. If it is to change this profie then much needs to be done to make it an attractive option for new staff who need "a recognised professiona status of advice work outside of the traditiona soicitor framework". (Advice Forward, 2006, p ) How this tookit can hep Research points to a more co-ordinated and strategic workforce deveopment programme as the soution to these probems and access to more resources to respond to these issues. This tookit forms a part of a soution to hep managers improve their skis and knowedge around workforce issues and faciitate better access to training and deveopment of staff by addressing a range of topics and issues. Managers can use it to strengthen and buid their workforce in terms of better recruitment, aternative training modes and better panning for workforce deveopment from the outset so it becomes intrinsic rather than an afterthought. Workforce Deveopment Awareness - Issues facing the advice sector workforce 5

8 Competency Assessment Tookit 6

9 Section 1: Creating a earning organisation 7

10 1. Creating a earning organisation Creating a earning organisation Find, train and deveop your staff Supervision This section wi expore the foowing topics: Signposting and resources Appraisa What is a Training Needs Anaysis (TNA)? How you can carry out a TNA How to ink workforce deveopment to the strategic panning process How to ink workforce deveopment into a funding bid Exit interviews Grievance and discipinary Approaches to deveoping your staff This section highights the intrinsic reationship between strategic panning for your organisation and deveoping your workforce. Neither can be effectivey sustained without the support of the other. It is vita to consider the inks between deveoping your workforce and the strategic panning you undertake for your organisation in order to strengthen, maintain and buid the skis and confidence of your workforce, which in turn impacts on the quaity of services you provide. What is a Training Needs Anaysis (TNA)? A TNA is one part of the Training Cyce. There are two parts to a TNA. The first part is identifying that a situation requires further investigation. The second part is the in-depth anaysis which identifies the gaps and soutions to the workforce's deveopment needs.! Top Tip Remember: Panning for training shoud begin at the strategic panning stage rather than being an afterthought. Section 1: Creating a earning organisation 8

11 Diagram 1 - The Training Needs Anaysis Cyce Training Needs Anaysis Evauating the Training Designing the Training Deivering the Training A TNA uses a method or range of methods to identify workforce deveopment needs and soutions, of which training can be one possibe soution. The purpose of a TNA is to: evidence skis gaps within the workforce to earners and management identify reevant workforce deveopment soutions underpin and support the strategic direction of the organisation. The different eves of a TNA A training needs anaysis can be conducted at four eves; person eve, job eve (for either a group or an individua), department eve or organisation eve. Section 1: Creating a earning organisation 9

12 Diagram 2: Boyde s TNA Focus (1983) Organisationa Department Job Leve Areas TNA can assess Strategic priorities for the organisation Operationa priorities for the organisation Competition Technoogy Legisation Department priorities Team strengths and weaknesses Lega and systems changes New skis or knowedge Person Tacke areas for deveopment Assist career progression New skis or knowedge This section focuses on how to conduct an organisation TNA. How to conduct an organisationa TNA Before choosing your methods for your organisationa TNA, you need to consider the foowing: What has triggered the TNA? As previousy outined, the purpose of a TNA shoud be to evidence skis gaps, identify soutions and support the strategic direction of the organisation. Organisations shoud carefuy consider any interna or any externa factors might have triggered the use of a TNA to address inappropriate factors e.g. redundancy. What are your organisation's strategic priorities? You need to have a cear idea about what your organisation's strategic priorities are in the immediate and the onger term. Your choice of TNA methods shoud aow you to estabish if there are any skis gaps which wi prevent or hinder you achieving your short term strategic priorities, and aow you to anticipate where there might be skis gaps in the future that might prevent you from reaching the strategic priorities you are working towards over the next three to five years. The TNA methods shoud aso trigger ideas about potentia workforce deveopment soutions. Section 1: Creating a earning organisation 10

13 What are your organisation's operationa priorities? As with your strategic priorities it is essentia to have a cear understanding of what your organisation's operationa priorities are. The targets your agency has e.g. cient groups to work with, number of sessions deivered etc., wi impact on your choice of TNA method. For exampe, do you need to increase productivity, assess ega knowedge or anayse how staff members approach equaity and diversity and how they work towards assessing and meeting the needs of diverse cients. What types of roes are present in your organisation? The types of roes that you have in your organisation wi impact on your choice of methods and it might not be reevant to appy a banket method across a roes within your organisation. Some methods wi be more suited to roes that change reguary e.g. agency managers and some methods to jobs that have specific tasks and activities that are centra to their roe e.g. reception staff. What is the cuture of your organisation? When seecting the method(s) to use in your organisationa TNA you wi need to consider whether they fit with the cuture and ethos of your organisation. A TNA method shoud be in-depth and thorough and ook to provide constructive feedback where appropriate to individuas. Whist it can chaenge existing practices or procedures you shoud consider whether the method you have seected is appropriate in terms of size of organisation, its aims and vaues. In addition, you shoud assess the previous experience of both the organisation's and individuas experience of TNAs. Has it been good or bad? You wi need to ceary expain: the purpose of conducting a TNA; what it is hoping to achieve; how the information wi be used; what individuas can expect from the method(s) that wi be used; and what the impact on them wi be. There are a number of different methods that you can choose to conduct a TNA, some of them incude: Section 1: Creating a earning organisation 11

14 TNA Methods Method Description Strengths Weaknesses Corporate aims and objectives Review of strategic priorities to identify potentia skis gaps in future Ensures workforce deveopment soutions support the strategic priorities of the organisation Needs to be carried out aongside other methods to provide evidence on existing skis and skis gaps Competency anaysis The same competencies can be appied to various roes and eves Can be used as a deveopmenta too Effective to benchmark what is outstanding performance Can be viewed as bureaucratic by staff Used aone it can sometimes resut in a ack of baance as individuas try to deveop one competency others are negected Lack of fexibiity Comprehensive task, knowedge, skis and attitudes Manager and staff member identify the tasks together with knowedge, skis and attitudes that are required to perform the job at an appropriate eve. Most reevant for jobs with specific tasks that do not tend to change frequenty e.g. reception staff Time consuming Key task, knowedge, skis and attitudes Simiar to above but focuses on the tasks that are essentia to produce resuts. Usefu for manageria roes Beneficia to ook at roes where the emphasis on key tasks changes frequenty Limited appication to nonmanageria roes Section 1: Creating a earning organisation 12

15 Method Description Strengths Weaknesses Comparison of job content with job description Both staff member and ine manager anayse and discuss whether the roe being undertaken is the same as the job description Can be used as part of the appraisa process Usefu for identifying where someone might be performing above Can be seen as bureaucratic Potentia to be time consuming Monitoring statistics and trends Review absence, sickness, time sheets, productivity and targets to identify where skis gaps might be an issue. Good for ooking at issues that might be department or organisationay wide Needs to be compemented with other TNA method when ooking at gaps in soft skis Appraisa process Review absence, sickness, time sheets, productivity and targets to identify where skis gaps might be an issue. This tends to take the format of a meeting either on a 6 or 12 monthy basis. It reviews the performance of the individua since the ast appraisa or start in the roe, whichever is appropriate. The meeting is aso used as a basis to set objectives for the next appraisa period in reation to work and the individua persona deveopment. As a guideine the manager shoud tak for no more than 20% of this meeting. Ensures TNA is buit into the ethos of the organisation TNA reviewed at reguar intervas usuay either 6 or 12 monthy Provides individua with opportunity to share their successes and identify their workforce deveopment needs for the next appraisa period and beyond. Often seen as bureaucratic Can be time consuming for managers of arge numbers of staff Section 1: Creating a earning organisation 13

16 Method Description Strengths Weaknesses Strengths Weaknesses Opportunties Threats (SWOT) anaysis This management too can aso be appied as a TNA too. It can either be used on the organisation as a whoe or on individuas. For exampe what strengths do we have as a workforce, what are our weaknesses, what opportunities do we have that we can access e.g. free workforce deveopment and what are the threats to our workforce? Good for providing genera overview Opportunity to ook at interna and externa opportunities for accessing workforce deveopment soutions Need to ensure baance between the four areas and that feedback is constructive and objective 360 degree feedback This is a deveopmenta too that can be used to support appraisas or as a standaone exercise. A specific set of criteria is deveoped that can incude skis, attitude and behaviour. A range of individuas are then asked to comment on the extent that they agree the person successfuy meets the criteria. Good for new peope managers/those wishing to identify particuar areas for deveopment Can be used to inform a Persona Deveopment Pan Anonymous Ideay needs to be appied from the top down Nationa Occupationa Standards (NOS) for various roes can be used as a basis to deveop the 360 degree criteria for Section 1: Creating a earning organisation 14

17 Exercise Reason Identify what has triggered your decision to undertake a TNA Reason: Refect if this is a vaid reason, if it is not revisit if a TNA is required. If it is a vaid reason to continue... Strategic priorities Do you have a cear idea about what your strategic priorities are? Our strategic priorities are... If not, you need these before you can make your decision about undertaking a TNA Organisationa priorities Do you have a cear idea about what your operationa priorities are? Our operationa priorities are: If not, you need these before you can make your decision about undertaking a TNA Section 1: Creating a earning organisation 15

18 Roe profies Identify a types of roes in your organisation. What type of TNA method is most appropriate for each roe? Roes: TNA method: Cuture Are the TNA methods seected appropriate for the organisation in terms of size, aims and vaues? What is the organisation s previous experience of TNAs? How wi this impact on how the TNA is undertaken? What is the individua s previous experience of TNAs? How wi this impact on how the TNA is undertaken? What do you need to do next? Section 1: Creating a earning organisation 16

19 How to ink workforce deveopment to the strategic panning process Workforce deveopment as part of the strategic panning process The strategic panning process shoud incude time to refect on existing skis shortages and the impact that this wi have on your abiity to meet your strategic priorities. For exampe, if you have introduced a new case management system in order to support your fundraising priorities and a number of members of staff are sti not using the system, your strategic panning shoud refect how this is going to be addressed. This shoud then feed into your organisationa workforce deveopment pan. The strategic panning process shoud aso incude an anaysis of where there are potentia gaps in skis as you deveop your organisation over the next 12 months and beyond. For exampe, if you are hoping to deveop a home appointment service you woud need to think about what additiona workforce deveopment staff deivering this service might require e.g. conducting risk assessments out of the office. Again, this shoud then be fed into your organisationa workforce deveopment pan. Links to organisationa workforce deveopment pan When deveoping or reviewing an organisationa workforce deveopment pan it is usefu to go through the foowing process to ensure that it is effectivey inked to the strategic priorities of the organisation: Step 1: What are the organisation's strategic and operationa priorities? Do existing and panned workforce deveopment soutions support these priorities effectivey? If not, what ese needs to be done? Step 2: Are workforce deveopment soutions evauated against how they support the priorities? If not, how coud they be? Step 3: What procedures exist to identify skis gaps against strategic priorities e.g. are supervisions and appraisas used? If not, how can supervisions and appraisas be used more effectivey to support workforce deveopment needs and strategic priorities? Section 1: Creating a earning organisation 17

20 Ensure understanding of strategic priorities amongst individuas Communicate strategic priorities on a reguar basis Expain why they are the organisation's strategic priorities Identify how each individua s roe and work pan support the strategic priorities Check individuas understanding of strategic priorities and they impact on their roe Identify how workforce deveopment soutions support your organisation's strategic priorities Wherever possibe make a cear ink between the soution and how it wi support your strategic priorities. This can be usefu when justifying the expenditure and impact on resources attendance at a training course might have. This shoud be considered on both organisationa and individua's workforce deveopment pans. For exampe, attendance at a commissioning course might support a strategic priority of engaging with a oca authority s commissioning process. Evauate workforce deveopment soutions Evauating the workforce deveopment soutions your organisation accesses wi support your strategic priorities by identifying if skis gaps required to meet strategic priorities have been successfuy addressed and/or they require further attention. A usefu structure to consider when undertaking evauation of workforce deveopment soutions is the mode deveoped by Kirkpatrick in the ate 1950s. Section 1: Creating a earning organisation 18

21 Kirkpatrick s four eves of training and evauation Leve Evauation Type (What is measured) Evauation description and characteristics Exampes of evauation toos and methods Reevance and practicabiity 1 Reaction Reaction evauation is how the deegates fet about the training or earning experience. Happy sheets, feedback forms. Verba reaction, post-training surveys or questionnaires Quick and very easy to obtain. Not very expensive to gather or to anayse. 2 Learning Learning evauation is the measurement of the increase in knowedge - before and after. Typicay assessments or tests before and after the training. Interview or observatioon can aso be used. Reativey simpe to set up; cear-cut for quantifiabe skis. Less easy for compex earning. 3 Behaviour Behaviour evauation is the extent of appied earning back on the job - impementation. Observation and interview over time are required to assess change, reevance of change and sustainabiity of change. Measurement of behaviour change typicay requires co-operation and ski of ine managers. 4 Resuts Resuts evauation is the effect on the business or environment by the trainee. Measures are aready in pace via norma management systems and reporting - the chaenge is to reate to the trainees. Individuay not difficut; unike whoe organisation. Process must attribute cear accountabiities. Section 1: Creating a earning organisation 19

22 Section 2: Find, train and deveop your staff 20

23 2. Find, train and deveop your staff Creating a earning organisation Find, train and deveop your staff Supervision This section ooks at recruitment, retention and deveoping your staff. It: Signposting and resources Exit interviews Grievance and discipinary Appraisa Approaches to deveoping your staff Addresses some of the key barriers to recruiting and maintaining staff Appies particuar recruitment and retention strategies Reviews best practice in recruiting, seecting and inducting staff Identifies practica toos to identify training needs of new staff Demonstrates how recruitment and induction can be used as a staff motivation too Expains the new Quaity Mark requirements for recruiting and inducting staff. Getting the right peope into the organisation is a priority for any manager. The high cost of recruitment makes it important for a manager to get it right first time. The recruitment process begins when the organisation identifies the need to empoy a person through to the point at which appication forms for the post have arrived at the organisation and up to a candidate's first day. The seection process chooses a suitabe candidate from appicants to interview and goes on to identify a suitabe candidate to fi a post. Barriers to recruiting and maintaining staff Imagining ourseves in the position of a job appicant wi hep to identify the reasons why organisations fai to recruit and why peope eave an organisation. This shoud make the job of recruiting and inducting new staff a ot easier. Section 2: Find, train and deveop your staff 21

24 There are a range of barriers to recruiting and maintaining staff that organisations face. Once we understand what these are, we can begin to overcome such barriers. Exercise: Think of as many barriers as you can as to why peope may join or eave your organisation? Things that hinder me joining an organisation Things that trigger me eaving an organisation Knowing why peope join or eave your organisation can hep you design better processes to attract and retain good staff. This may be achieved by: proper induction, support, stimuating and chaenging work. Recruitment and retention strategies Once you identify triggers for staff eaving your organisation it can hep to avoid common recruitment issues and retain good staff. The foowing exercise foows on from the 'barriers to recruiting staff' exercise. Exercise Ask group to review their barriers and triggers and decide on 2 or 3 recruitment and retention barriers to take forward and work into a soution using the frameworkon the next page. Section 2: Find, train and deveop your staff 22

25 Recruitment Strategy Framework Existing barriers/issue How identified What needs to change How wi it change? Who is responsibe Timeframe Worked Exampe Short term funded posts Low appication numbers Unfied posts Staff eave before end project Period of funding More bids for onger term projects Manager in consutation with senior staff capabe of writing winning bids Open bid rounds - 3 months Fixed bid dates - 2 monthy Section 2: Find, train and deveop staff 23

26 Retention Strategy Framework Existing barriers/issue How identified What needs to change How wi it change? Who is responsibe Timeframe Worked Exampe High turnover of staff among BAMER* workers Informay Exit interview records Assess reasons for eaving Equaity & Diversity training for staff? A staff informed of Equaity & Diversity training Manager & Senior Management Team Within next 3 months If performance reated, offer support & training Ongoing review of performance in supervision BAMER = Back, Asian, Minority Ethnic and Refugee * Section 2: Find, train and deveop staff 24

27 Best practice in recruiting, seecting and inducting your staff Stages of the recruitment process The recruitment process begins when you identify the need for someone new in the organisation. Common triggers are an existing staff member eaving, or there is new work to be done. Recruitment ends after the appointment has been made and you have reviewed the whoe process. There are a number of stages and activities to foow: 1. Identify vacancy - A vacancy arises because an existing member of staff eaves or the organisation creates a new job. 2. Prepare job description and person specification - The job description ists the duties of the job whist the person specification gives detais of the experience, skis and abiities needed to carry out the job. 3. Advertise - A job advert is written and is circuated via interna buetins and other oca and nationa media, internet recruitment sites, speciaist pubications. 4. Managing the response - Appication forms are sent out aong with copies of the job description and person specification and must be returned on or before the cosing date that has been set. 5. Short isting - A shortist is compied of appicants who are going to be invited for interview. This is done by the recruitment pane who compare each appication form with the requirements of the person specification. Feedback can be provided (upon request) to those not shortisted and appicants have the right to compain if they fee they have been unfairy treated. 6. Arrange and hod interviews - The pane wi use the same set of questions with each interviewee. The interview may incude a seection test. Feedback can be provided (upon request) and unsuccessfu appicants have the right to compain if they fee they have been unfairy treated. 7. Request references - The successfu appicant for jobs working in certain areas, incuding working with chidren or vunerabe aduts, wi be asked to appy for a crimina discosure check through the Crimina Records Bureau (CRB). References wi be requested using a set pro forma/by giving referee the job spec etc. 8. Appointment action - The successfu candidate is appointed and induction training is arranged. Interview and seection A professiona recruitment process is important. It heps vaidate the recruitment decision and supports the image and reputation of the organisation. Section 2: Find, train and deveop your staff 25

28 In order to make sound recruitment decisions, it is important to pan the interview. Seection tests These are usefu to test the candidate's skis and knowedge and prove what has been decared in the appication form and in the interview. It's important to ensure that tests reate to the job requirements. For exampe, a test for an advice worker might examine communication skis and abiity to retrieve information on an area of socia wefare aw, but a test soey on their typing and wordprocessing skis where this forms a minority of the roe is ess essentia, but more essentia for a supporting administrator roe. Candidates who have disabiities shoud be offered use of additiona equipment if necessary. This shoud be prepared in advance, having asked appropriate questions on the appication form. If you decide to use a test with candidates, te them what is expected of them, what the test wi be and how ong it wi ast before they come for the interview. In an advice context the type of test you need wi be determined by the job type and eve you are recruiting for. Beow are some of the most commony used ones in the advice sector. Types of Tests and Exercises Skis Tests Skis tests are used where candidates need a particuar ski to perform the job, e.g. typing, faxing, driving, or operating a piece of machinery. Many skis are taught and tested by outside bodies, in which case candidates are ikey to hod certificates of proficiency. However, where candidates do not hod such certificates, or where they have been obtained severa years ago, it may be appropriate to devise a short skis test. In an advice context, it is ikey that a receptionist or administrator wi undergo some sort of wordprocessing speed and accuracy test as part of her assessment process. Good practice checkist What wi be the size and composition of pane? A pane shoud be made up of mixed sex and ethnicity wherever possibe. Usuay no more than three peope for a senior adviser roe. Ony when recruiting at CEO eve need there be more and not aways. Wi there be any exercise or test to use? Ensure that any used are vaid and reevant to the job. Where wi the interview take pace? A private space with no interruptions that has adequate space and ight is idea. What timetabe wi you work to? Aow at east five minutes before and after each session for preparation and review, and comfort breaks for the pane. Do you have a structure and a cear questioning strategy? Logica order and that each pane member has the same version, is aware of question s/he wi ask. Is there a preferred stye of interview? Forma (set questions) or informa (ooser, conversationa stye). Wi there be any note-taking? Expain to the candidate that you wi be taking notes. What information wi there be for candidates? Structure of department, terms of empoyment, when they can expect to hear resut. Section 2: Find, train and deveop your staff 26

29 Written and Ora Presentations Presentations are often used to assess candidates appying for posts which require a compex set of skis, together with specific professiona/academic knowedge. By asking candidates to prepare and deiver a presentation on a given subject, and in some cases to participate in a discussion afterwards, seectors see the individua's presenting skis, anaysis and reasoning, abiity, evidence of their professiona/academic knowedge and evidence of their attitudes. Exampes of ora and written presentation questions 1. Advice Worker giving technica advice A management committee member comes up to you after the management committee meeting to ask you about his case. He is behind with his mortgage payments and has heard somewhere that he can ask for the interest rates to be reduced. You are a generaist adviser, but not many of your cients have mortgages. What he is saying sounds vaguey famiiar but you do not reay know. The committee member is being very insistent that you take on his case. You are asked to write an outine about what you woud do to dea with the situation. You have 20 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to present your answers to the pane as part of the interview process. 2. Senior Advice Worker/Supervisor You are presenting to the Centre Manager your proposa to expand the advice service to provide immigration Leve 1 advice to the community. Your presentation shoud state the pros and cons of expanding into this area of advice and give your suggested timetabe for impementation broken down into what you consider to be key pieces of work. You shoud aso briefy suggest any initia training/earning that the staff, managers and/or trustee board need to consider before expanding into immigration advice. You have 30 minutes to prepare and the presentation shoud ast no more than 15 minutes. Case Studies As with presentations, case studies can be a vauabe way of assessing a candidate's knowedge of a particuar subject area, and their ikey approach to handing a particuar situation. This seection method is sometimes used for candidates appying for manageria posts, or for posts requiring knowedge of specific procedures. Section 2: Find, train and deveop your staff 27

30 Other types of tests ess common to advice settings Group Seection Methods Group seection methods are most frequenty used to assess candidates' eadership quaities and their abiity to express themseves ceary and get on with and infuence coeagues. The types of exercise which are used incude: eaderess group discussions command or executive exercises (e.g. outward bound) group probem soving. Group exercises are time consuming and, therefore, costy. However, they may be usefu for appointments requiring good eadership and communication skis. You can find exampes of group seection exercises at Psychometric Tests There are three types of psychometric test: Tests of abiity, aptitude or inteigence Questionnaires to measure "personaity" Questionnaires to estabish interests and preferences. This is a compex subject area. Pease see to access more information and exampes. Conducting the interview The interview is the most widey used method of assessing job appicants. It is a two way process. For the interviewing pane, it represents the opportunity to seek evidence, through discussion of the appicant's skis, abiities and attitudes. For the appicant, there is the chance to expand on the information given in the CV, and to ask questions about the post and the organisation. Every interview shoud have a cear and transparent structure to both the interviewers and the candidate. A simpe one to foow is beow (GASP): Greet Acquire information Suppy information Part Section 2: Find, train and deveop your staff 28

31 Greet Interviewers shoud provide candidates with an outine of the interview process in the invitation to interview etter/emai and at the actua interview they shoud introduce themseves and te appicants when they wi be abe to ask questions, and confirm the foow up process. A gente introduction heps put the candidate at ease. It may hep for a pane member to begin by giving some basic information such as the structure of the interview, names of pane members etc. This gives the candidate time to reax. Remember, nerves are not necessariy a reason to mark a candidate down; beware of prejudging the candidate at this eary stage. Acquire Interviewers shoud gather information by use of open, cosed and probing questions foowing agreed question format based on agreed question criteria. Ensure that discriminatory questions are not asked. Open question: Why have you appied for this job? Cosed question: Are you abe to work evenings and weekends? Probing question: Te me more about why you eft your ast job? Suppy Interviewers shoud suppy appropriate and accurate information by being aware of the questions and queries that candidates are ikey to ask. Exampes of questions incude: What is the type/ength of contract? What is the saary? How did the vacancy arise? What is the ocation? Is there any remote working? Part Interviewers shoud ensure that candidates are cear on what happens next, in particuar how and when they wi hear the outcome of their interview. Ensure that any administrative detais that are your responsibiity have been deat with, e.g. detais of referees are accurate. Ensure that the candidate is eft with an image of professionaism and courtesy - so that regardess of the outcome in their individua case, they wi carry away a good impression of the organisation and wi fee that they have been deat with fairy. Guideines on conducting interviews for appicants with a disabiity The interview causes some form of stress for most interviewees, but there may be added anxieties for those with disabiities. It is therefore essentia that those responsibe for carrying out the interview consider the practica arrangements for interview, and ensure that a candidates receive fair treatment. Consider aowing onger for dysexic candidates, disabed toiet access etc. An exampe of how one organisation approached interviewing a disabed candidate is beow: Section 2: Find, train and deveop your staff 29

32 Exampe To prepare for her interview a candidate made it cear that she had a visua impairment and coud not read written materia in a font size ess than 12 point, nor coud she easiy see on a standard computer/aptop. The organisation did the foowing: Sent a correspondence to her, incuding the test question in 14 point, we in advance of the interview Aowed her to handwrite her answers instead of using a aptop, and gave her a onger time to prepare her presentation exercise than candidates with no disabiity access needs. Resut The candidate did not get the job, but fed back that she fet that she had been given an equa chance to prove hersef, and was not hindered in any way because of her disabiity. Generay When interviewing the job description and seection criteria shoud be uppermost in the minds of the interviewers. They shoud aim to see beyond any disabiity and ook at the abiity of the appicant. Interviews shoud be specific at examining the skis, training, experience and abiity of the interviewees and questions shoud not focus on the detais of the appicant's disabiity. Arrangements for any specia equipment which may be required, or for any organisationa impications of the candidate's disabiity, shoud be deat with separatey; it shoud be cear to the candidate that seection decisions are being made primariy on the basis of their skis and abiities. After the interview Once the interview is compete it is easy to fee that the recruitment process is over. However, it is sti important to ensure that the fina stages of the process are competed; inform a candidates of the reevant outcome, keep records of the decision and anayse the process in a fair manner. One way of doing this is to use a sampe interview score sheet used to score candidates answers to questions. Making the decision and informing the candidate The fina appointment decision shoud be agreed by a pane members. This shoud be done in consutation, at the end of a the interviews. Pane members shoud not discuss the candidates unti they have a, individuay competed their assessment sheets on each candidate. Informing the successfu candidate Procedures for this might differ according to the post or the department, but best practice is to phone the successfu candidate once the decision has been made. Section 2: Find, train and deveop your staff 30

33 Uness you are authorised to do so you cannot actuay offer them the job. The most you can do is say that you are going to make a recommendation to Human Resources that this person be offered the job. Letters of appointment come from Human Resources and incude the person's contract and terms and conditions. Unsuccessfu candidates shoud be informed as soon as the appointed candidate has accepted the post. How to provide feedback to unsuccessfu appicants It is good practice in recruitment and seection to give feedback to unsuccessfu candidates who have attended interview. For some organisations providing feedback can be cost and time prohibitive particuary where the organisation is sma. For some, feeding back ony to those interviewed may prove best. To make it easier for peope to dea with a rejection, you need to give them reasons for it which they can understand, even if they don't necessariy agree with them. The idea is to portray the information in an objective and positive way, so that the disappointed candidate wi fee good about their effort, your organisation, and fee motivated to continue to deveop themseves and their career. Giving feedback can be an uncomfortabe process for the person who does so, particuary if the candidate faied to provide adequate answers some or a of the questions or was unsuitabe for the post. The chair of the pane is responsibe for giving feedback to those who request it because they ed the interview, and shoud have a good knowedge of the post. If candidates are not successfu, a etter shoud be sent out informing them of the outcome and offering feedback shoud they require this. Giving feedback to unsuccessfu candidates is a key part of a recruiter's roe. Good practice checkist The foowing are key points to consider when giving feedback: Check whether the candidate wants feedback, not everyone does! Ensure that the feedback is based on an objective judgment reevant to the seection criteria for the job (person specification) and the job roe. Feedback given must be based on the notes taken during the interview; memory shoud not be reied on. Feedback shoud incorporate positive feedback from the seection process in addition to feedback on areas where the candidate did not demonstrate that he/she met the criteria for the post. Section 2: Find, train and deveop your staff 31

34 Good practice checkist continued Feedback shoud be constructive e.g. suggesting ways in which the candidate may obtain the skis and experience that woud better fit them for the job. Reference to any knowedge of the candidate that did not form part of the appication or seection process must not be made. Feedback must be consistent with the majority decision of the seection pane, even if the individua providing the feedback does not agree with the decision. Feedback must not be given to anyone except the candidate. When providing feedback over the teephone it is important to check that it is a convenient time for the candidate to speak as they may want to ask specific questions. Discussions about other candidates shoud not be entered into, athough it is sometimes appropriate to refer anonymousy to the successfu candidate in order to demonstrate how the successfu candidate had more appropriate experience, skis or potentia. A record shoud be kept of any feedback given to candidates. If the candidate asks questions reating to a technica/speciaist area of the post or his/her own experience that the individua giving feedback is not famiiar with, the candidate shoud be referred on to another member of the pane for an appropriate response. Keeping records Record keeping is essentia to ensure your procedures are robust and compy with externa scrutiny. The main points you need to consider around keeping records from interviews are: Keep a records of decision making, incuding short isting records and pane members interview notes. An empoyment tribuna can be brought against the organisation up to six months after the recruitment process has been competed. Therefore six months is the minimum period records shoud be kept. It is possibe to bring a case under the Human Rights Act within a one year period, so it may be more appropriate to keep records for at east a year. Section 2: Find, train and deveop your staff 32

35 Anaysing the recruitment process As with any process you undertake, the process of recruitment shoud be anaysed after each appointment to estabish if there are things which can be improved. The main questions you shoud ask yoursef are: What worked we? What was not effective? Were the objectives achieved? Was the panning appropriate? What was the baance of the taking time? How much information was obtained? What shoud be improved next time? You might aso consider asking the appointed person what they thought about the process and if there is anything which coud be atered or improved from the appicants point of view. For exampe, they may say that the map or the directions to the organisation weren't cear - which is not something you might immediatey reaise. Identifying training needs of new and existing staff Finding out your new staff s training needs from eary on can hep retain them in the organisation and quicky improve the quaity of their work throughout the induction period. New workers in an organisation shoud receive induction where they meet other workers and are abe to identify any skis they need to deveop or earn to do a good job. Staff may be encouraged to attend courses or other aternative forms of earning. Training takes pace in the foowing ways: 1. On the job - earning skis through experience at work 2. Off the job - earning through attending courses 3. Aternative forms of earning, for exampe, coaching, mentoring or job shadowing. See aso Section 5: Approaches to deveoping your staff. The tabe on the next page ists ways of finding out about staff training needs. Inevitaby there wi be some overap between the ists. By identifying this, the organisation can be more purposefu in identifying training needs and responding to these in a timey manner. Section 2: Find, train and deveop your staff 33

36 Individua training needs New and existing staff Recruitment (interview question) Induction References Job description/person spec Existing staff Supervision Fie Review Appraisa Informa chats Day to day work (IT needs, negotiation skis) The individuas training needs wi contribute to the overa organisationa training needs. A ist of ways these can be identified is beow: Business or strategic pan Changes to service agreed in annua service review Training needs anaysis Team meetings A staff days/away days Compaints User feedback See aso Section 1: Creating a earning organisation, which wi aso give more information on training needs anaysis. Here are some usefu toos to hep you deveop your training poicy and staff training pans. 1. Training and deveopment poicy 2. Staff Training Pan Too 1 - A sampe Training and Deveopment Poicy Training and Deveopment This procedure appies to a staff. The procedure describes how the training and deveopment needs of workers wi be met. Forms to be used with this procedure: Training and deveopment pan Section 2: Find, train and deveop your staff 34

37 Other reevant procedures: Supervision Appraisa Who does this procedure cover? This procedure appies to the training and deveopment needs of a staff in the organisation that provide advice to cients. Athough administrative staff provide basic information to cients at reception, they are not formay covered by this poicy. The vounteer administration team wi be updated on reevant issues at staff meetings and informa sessions, via memos, and are expected to use appropriate reference materias such as the Community Lega Services Directory when signposting cients. This procedure aims to ensure that: a staff receive training which enabes them to maintain and enhance their professiona competence a staff take active steps to identify their own deveopment needs advisers are up to date with current ega issues and tactica approaches identification of training needs is integrated into the day-today work of the service. (The organisation) is committed to ensuring that a staff receive timey and appropriate training and that the skis and knowedge individuas gain is cascaded through the organisation. Access to training is vita both for the professiona deveopment of individua workers and as a means of safeguarding the accuracy and quaity of the service provided to our cients. Identification of training needs Training needs wi be identified by the foowing means: Initia training needs of new staff wi be assessed at induction, and an individua training pan wi be competed for each new worker. After any agreed post-induction training, specific further training needs wi be discussed at supervision meetings and if identified as urgent wi be deat with immediatey. Discussion of onger-term training needs wi be incuded in annua appraisas. Changes to service agreed in the annua service review wi be assessed to identify what further training staff wi need to carry these out. Advisers are responsibe for identifying reevant changes in egisation and for cascading this knowedge to other advice staff. A staff shoud identify gaps in their knowedge and skis as these become apparent in their daiy work, and raise these at supervision meetings. Section 2: Find, train and deveop your staff 35