HUMAN RESOURCES AT LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY Rob Allan Director of Human Resources May 2013

Working at Loughborough Very friendly Good atmosphere Nice environment Long serving staff Quite bureaucratic/committee focussed Not used to organisational change Good “despite” not “because of” systems & processes

Staff Statistics 3200 staff (approx) Approx 50:50 split by gender 12% BME 78 nationalities (approx) 1.6% (declared) disabled 36% part time

What is HR/HRM? Replaced “Personnel” in 1980s Personnel viewed as being more administrative and reactive (transactional) HR viewed as being more strategic and proactive (transformational) Public sector a little behind private sector? Helping the organisation get the most from its staff. Helping managers manage. HRM is every manager’s job

Context for HRM at L’boro LU’s Strategy “Towards 2016” emphasises the need to develop the University’s approach to the management of its Human Resources Past HEFCE feedback (2007) on self-assessment of people management at LU – “There was an absence of a clear commitment to on-going continuous improvement in people management.”

Towards 2016 (HR) Culture / Working Environment Leadership Style and Management Development Simplicity Extend application of existing capabilities to include staff. Appoint HRD & HR restructuring

Areas for post-HR Director arrival Areas that required personal championing from new HR Director: Agreed priorities from staff survey (2008) Definition and implementation of revised HR structure Capability development of HR staff Performance & development review

Management at Loughborough No book of Loughborough Management Loughborough style? Continuous Improvement Role Models - Lead by example Common sense Accepting /Taking Responsibility Not working in isolation Corporate purpose

Common Organisational Challenges Building organisational capability Attracting & retaining talent Building Performance Building Commitment Building HR Effectiveness (not just HR Dept)

Challenges for HEIs Major funding challenges/uncertainty about the future Doing more with less Managing major change (restructures, redundancies) Cost of absenteeism (Sickness costs approx £700 per person pa, so £2,240,000 to Loughborough) Focus motivation and performance Employer profile and reputation Increased competition

Challenges Ahead

HRM Challenges Ahead In challenging economic times, it is more important than ever to ensure that staff remain motivated, engaged, healthy and able to perform HRM - far too important to be left to the HR Department!

Management Challenges Performance management (incl attendance; discipline; grievance; nb. bullying/harassment) Reward (incl JE) Managing change (supporting staff) Communication Staff involvement/consultation Workload/Bureaucracy Staff Development (including career dev) Develop our strengths as well as weaknesses

Getting the balance right

Absence Management Back to Work meetings Improve data recording and review Be aware (of all your staff) Take action Avoid absence culture Communication Leadership Deal with poor performers

Reward National Pay Bargaining Local Pay Elements - Equality? - Consistency? - Supporting organisational objectives? - Transparency? Subsidiary companies

Reward Systems University Rewards (Financial & non-financial) Inconsistency Setting the bar too low Consolidated v Non-consolidated? Inappropriate promises Perverse rewards Passive Job Evaluation

Job Evaluation Defence for Equal Pay claims Upward Grade Drift Over graded jobs Still cases of personal reward Ops Comm process – wrong way round?

“We talk about it for 20 minutes and then we decide I was right." Grievance Interviews “We talk about it for 20 minutes and then we decide I was right."

Recruitment Quality control Efficiencies Centralise Move to E Recruitment Temporary staff – best value? Fixed term contracts

Staff Development Management & Leadership - Action Learning sets - Mentoring & Coaching - Secondments - People Management skills Succession Planning/ Talent Pool Career Development PDR Organisational Development Equalities & Diversity Induction

Employee Relations Good relationships with Trade Unions (UCU; Unison; Unite) Communication Consultation & Negotiation (J.N.C.C.) Policies & Procedures (nb Simplicity) (n.b. performance; conduct; sickness;)

Redeployment & Redundancy Organisation as employer Internal adverts FTCs Tensions re Redeployment Security of Employment (6 months) Protection Failure to consult Avoidance of our own procedures

Staff Support Occupational Health Staff Counselling Confide (Bullying & Harassment) Career Guidance ‘Buddying’ & Mentoring Staff Support Groups SUPPORTING MANAGERS TOO

Equality & Diversity consult & support staff across all diversity issues. implement Single Equality Scheme refresh the E & D training incl induction ensure diversity issues are ‘main-streamed’ Ensure organisations meets its statutory duties (Equality Act 2010) Treat individuals fairly & with respect

How are we doing? Quarterly reports to HR Committee (HR scorecard/ KPIs) Staff Surveys Benchmarking Accreditation Publicise internally What should be included?

Staff Survey (Org Culture) Established where we were (2008) Excellent results – response rate and scores Some issues requiring attention Interesting Benchmark data – for comparison with 2012 survey

Staff Survey 2012 64% response rate 92% (95%) felt it a good place to work 92% generally enjoy their work 80% understand core values 76% communication is effective 87% would recommend to a friend

Areas for Attention Communication Managing change (supporting staff) Staff involvement Workload/Bureaucracy Efficiency Training & Development (including career dev) Performance management Develop our strengths as well as weaknesses

? Questions