Human Resource Practice

Malcolm Martin, Fiona Whiting

• Publisher: CIPD - Kogan Page
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9781843984481
• Edition: 7
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Human Resource Management
• Index: Business

Human Resource Practice provides a practical and accessible guide for students and anyone looking to gain a thorough understanding of HR, and is the definitive text for the CIPD's Level 3 Foundation Certificate in HR Practice. International case studies, examples and activities enable the reader to engage with the key areas of practical HR management, including the legal background to employment, learning and development, change in organizations and employee relations. This fully updated 7th edition of Human Resource Practice explores the application of models within the practice of HR, including the Ulrich model, timely discussion on employee engagement and well-being in the workplace, and further information on the practical elements of HR, including law, recruitment and selection, performance management and reward. From two renowned experts in HR practice, this clear and in-depth text will provide you with all the skills and information that you need for a successful career in HR. Online resources offered are useful and relevant for both students and tutors, including instructor's guides, lecture slides and annotated web links.

CHAPTER 1

Introduction and Overview

1.1 OUR PURPOSE

Our purpose is to set out a practical approach to HR practices. We hope that anyone wanting a good working understanding of HR practices will find that this book meets their needs. Students on a variety of HND, undergraduate and certificate programmes should find it valuable as an introduction and as a supporting text that provides a practical perspective to the issues that they are studying. The structure of the book follows the rationale set down in the CIPD Professional Standards for the Certificate in HR Practice (CHRP). This programme is self-standing but also provides an access route to the Professional Development Scheme (PDS). CHRP students, enrolled at a CIPD-approved centre, will find that this book provides essential background reading to reinforce their learning.

The central purpose of the CHRP is to develop competence in a range of core HR and development skills together with the acquisition of underpinning knowledge and understanding. Many line managers also need these skills, knowledge and understanding. This book has been written to provide a variety of readers with a grounding in the basics of HR activities. It therefore considers the breadth of knowledge and range of skills necessary for the effective performance of HR work, while taking into account the organisational culture and environment. Whether you are a line manager with responsibility for HR or an HR practitioner, you will be concerned with the many different aspects of employing and managing people in your organisation. You will be interested in not only ensuring compliance with the law but also in good practice; in the quality of relationships at work; in how to improve people’s engagement with their work and the organisation; and in how to ensure both employer and employee get a good deal. We also consider ethics at work throughout the book, including, amongst other things, behaviours, fairness, justice, values and culture. We see high-profile cases of lapses in ethics making the news on a regular basis – for example, insider trading, sexual harassment, fraud, conflicts of interest, whistleblowing, pay and matters of work–life balance. We have tried to address relevant ethical issues throughout the book – you’ll see references to good practice and see ethical dimensions in case studies. We would encourage you all to think about the ethical dimension of what you do – to think about the impact and consequences of your actions and to seek support and advice from colleagues and managers if you find yourself in a situation where you feel compromised or concerned.

A summary of the book’s structure and an overview of its contents follow. But first we consider the type of reader most likely to benefit from the book and the learning sources you should use.

1.1.1 YOU, THE READER

This book’s focus on the core skills required in managing and working effectively with people makes it suitable for a large range of potential readers. The CHRP programme is widely regarded as an ideal course for all newcomers to the profession, but we expect that readers will belong to one or more of the following groups:

• HR officers and managers who are newly appointed to the role and who lack previous generalist experience (you may be the sole HR practitioner within your organisation, or your post may be a newly established one)
• HR assistants, administrators and PAs who support more senior HR staff
• students on the Certificate in HR Practice programme
• students on any of a variety of management, business and supervisory programmes with an HR unit or module
• employees working for new but rapidly expanding organisations who acquire responsibility for establishing and formalising HR policies, procedures and practices
• staff who work in HR-related areas – for example, a personal assistant to a managing director or a payroll supervisor
• staff who work in specialist areas of HR practice, such as training, employee relations or job evaluation, who wish to progress into or have more knowledge of generalist roles
• line managers or supervisors who have responsibility for HR activities
• owners or managers of small businesses who have overall responsibility for the ‘people element’ within them.

We’ve sought to achieve an easy and informal personal writing style that we hope will encourage readers to engage in the subject.

The text includes case studies, activities and reference material, updated for this edition.

Please note: We use the title ‘HR practitioners’ throughout this book as a generic term to cover all the above types of job and all levels of HR work, including those for whom the activities may be only part of wider responsibilities.

If you are tutoring, we trust that the text will offer useful material for you. We hope you will find many opportunities that will encourage discussion and provide course work.

1.1.2 LEARNING SOURCES

This book has been written by two authors, both experienced in the field of HR but with very different experiences, styles and, sometimes, perspectives. In order to understand each of the issues tackled within your own organisational circumstances, you will need to draw upon your own experience and perspective. Much of what we offer is considered good practice. We also provide coverage of relevant legal issues.

Further components are the culture and the commercial or political reality of your organisation that you will confront on a regular basis. Cultures and commercial and political realities vary in their effect enormously from organisation to organisation. While we touch on these where we can, you will need to use your experience of working in your organisation to fully understand the culture and the commercial and political reality.

Striking a balance between good practice, the law, the organisational culture and commercial/political realities will be important if you are to be effective.

To gain the maximum benefit from the book you will find it valuable to discuss the issues raised with appropriate people, particularly if you are relatively inexperienced in the areas under consideration.

These people, or ‘learning sources’, may include:

• senior colleagues, such as HR specialists and line managers, peers and subordinates who have knowledge and experience of the organisation and how it operates
• HR managers and officers from sister/parent companies and outside organisations
• specialists within your organisation such as company solicitors, health and safety officers, computer programmers/analysts, medical personnel and occupational health advisers
• members of your local CIPD branch and other networking bodies
• college tutors and fellow students
• other contacts that you have made through networking activities
• appropriate contacts that you might make through social networking
• employees of advisory bodies such as the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas; see Chapter 3), the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), and representatives of employers’ organisations and trade union bodies.

You should establish contacts with these learning sources and make use of them to facilitate your learning experience. We shall be making periodic reference to your ‘learning sources’ throughout this book, so – bearing in mind the above list – choose those sources that are going to be of most benefit to you in terms of their knowledge, availability and willingness to help.

In addition to these ‘people resources’ there is also a range of publications available that provide general guidance and practical help. If you are a member of the CIPD you should already have information on the following:

• the CIPD Professional Standards
• the CIPD Profession Map
• continuing professional development (CPD)
• the CIPD Code of Professional Conduct
• any relevant CIPD resources – for example, survey reports.

We also make reference to CIPD factsheets, which are an invaluable source of further detail on the topics we cover.

You will find all this information, and much more, on the CIPD website: cipd.co.uk

Acas has also produced a series of advisory booklets that provide invaluable assistance in a wide range of people management activities. We recommend that you acquire, or download, copies of these booklets either for your personal use or for the whole of the HR department.

It is also worthwhile becoming familiar with a number of useful websites, such as Acas, GOV.UK, and various government departments, such as the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). If you add the most useful sites to your favourites list, you will be able to discover up-to-date information on almost any topic of interest. There are also bookmarking services such as Delicious.com that you might use. Other suggestions are made in Chapter 10.

In order to keep up to date with changes in the world of HR management, employment legislation and case law, you might also want to encourage your organisation to subscribe to a reputable information service such as those provided by the CIPD (for example, HR-inform), Croner or XpertHR. Subscriptions provide online reference material which is kept regularly up to date.

1.2 THE STRUCTURE

We have designed this book to make it easy for you to dip in to chapters and sections that are of particular interest. It is divided into 12 Chapters (including this one). The subject areas represent the major activities associated with HR work, and...