Policy & Procedure

[belinda]

I was hoping someone would be able to assist me with a the introduction of a procedure for booking training. At the moment, the company I would work has not structure around their HR practices, and I would like to start putting together new procedures, as well as introduce training into the organisation.

What I would like to do is put together a procedure on what to do if you would like to organise training as well as introduce an internal application form. Any help would be much appreciated.

Belinda

[HeidiC]

Hi Belinda,

I suggest that you tread very carefully unless you have complete buy-in from the HR team. I work in a small company that had no formal HR practices in place (I am the first qualifited HR practitioner that has held the HR position) and I can tell you, I stepped on toes before I realised that they felt I was 'coming on too strong'. Change is a tricky subject and getting buy-in is even harder unless they can see a need for the change (and accept you as the change agent). Get buy-in and it will be easier to get their feedback and their acceptance of the new process. If not - you can train, remind and reiterate as much as you like but the process will fall apart. Not everyone likes to change, even when they know they have too.

I hope this helps a little bit.

Heidi

[belinda]

Thanks Heidi.

Before I implement anything I gain buy in from our Directors. However as they have not HR before they are pretty much letting me run the show and put the systems in place.

As such there are certain procedures where I can not remember what I have done in the past and require assistance in starting to put together processes that I can implement.

[michaelakassar]

Hi Belinda,

I agree with with Heidi's advice here, as I also work in a small organisation with few formal HR processes in place, and change is indeed a tricky subject.

As I do not know about your organisation I can only give you very basic advice. There are many factors that will need to be considered before you start implementing any changes.

The first thing I would do (assuming your CEO etc will support the idea of changes) is to look at your organisation's Stragegic and Business Plans so you know where the company is going and what the objectives are. You should then work with relevant parties to develop an HR Strategy and Business Plan to achieve the objectives for the organisation. When undertaking any chang activities it is also important to consider the current organisational structure as well as looking at the effectiveness of processes you already have in place. You should also have a good understanding of your organisation's culture, and make sure you build credability with staff at all levels. Additionally, the costs of any proposed changes need to be investigated, along with risks.

Your HR strategy should include all areas such as Recruitment, Attraction & Retention, Training, OH&S, Worker's Comp, Staff Recognition etc. Additionally, you will need to review policies, practices and procedures to ensure they all line up with your HR strategy.

The process is more involved than what I've outlined here as I do not have enough info about your organisation. If you would like further assistance you can contact me by email at michaelakassar@iinet.net.au and I'd be happy to discuss this further.

Hope this is enough to get you started.



Cheers
Michaela