Achieving professional excellence in any field is a labor-intensive, long-term process that requires careful strategic planning. Connecting your life with HR means acquiring a lot of options for realizing your talents and skills. Each of the main areas of development - be it selection, adaptation, assessment, training, motivation or development of personnel - implies both horizontal and vertical movement, capable of satisfying any ambitions. In the field of human resources, there is room for both generalist specialists and “careerists” to roam; Not only psychologists, but also philologists, economists, lawyers, marketers and PR specialists will be able to find their niche.
StructureHR-services
One of the main advantages of starting a career in HR not with an “external” recruiter, but in a company with a clearly structured HR structure, is the opportunity for growth and promotion in parallel with the development and expansion of functionality, gaining invaluable experience in combat conditions, bypassing the “recruiting” stage of work in recruitment agency.
The HR service is a set of specialized units that, within the framework of the chosen personnel policy, are designed to manage the company’s personnel.
According to Irina Tsypina, manager of the Kelly Services recruitment department, the structure of the HR service depends on the size of the company as a whole. So, for example, in a company with up to 300 employees, the HR department may look like this:
Assistant Performs administrative support functions for the manager and the department as a whole. Sometimes such a specialist can partially perform the duties of a personnel manager that do not require special qualifications.
It is necessary to clarify that the HR manager is simultaneously responsible for several HR areas:
selection and adaptation;
training, assessment and motivation of personnel;
personnel administration;
maintaining established reports.
If there is more than one unit in the staffing structure, then, as a rule, they are interchangeable. Thus, this organizational structure allows an employee to master several HR areas simultaneously in a short period of time (up to three years).
In a company with over 1,000 people, the structure of the HR service is usually more complex and, according to Irina Tsypina, may look something like this:
A company with over 1,500 employees may have an even more complex structure, such as this:
The last two schemes represent a complex hierarchical system, where an employee of the HR department has the opportunity to grow both horizontally and vertically (under certain conditions). Horizontal growth will allow us to gradually study all HR areas and gradually gain experience in the selection and adaptation of personnel, in planning their education and conducting trainings, in developing an organizational and staffing structure, in personnel administration, as well as (in some cases) in building a system of benefits and compensation. In addition, this structure makes it possible to choose the closest direction for subsequent vertical growth.
Who is preferable: an internal candidate or an external one?
Job seekers often wonder whether they will be able to find growth opportunities within their company or whether an outsider will cross their path.
It is read that in large organizations where work with the personnel reserve has been established, internal candidates will be considered first. Oksana Alekhina, Ph.D., associate professor of ExMBA and MBA programs of the IBDA RANH under the Government of the Russian Federation, says that “for actively developing companies that understand the value of human resources, an internal candidate will always be preferable. Moreover, examples of HR specialists from the best companies in the world (GE, Tesco) indicate that internal candidates who, before the HR field, worked in production, sales and any other departments of the organization are very effective. These people not only know the company’s business well, they also have a good understanding of the needs of the company’s departments for HR services.”
At the same time, Yulia Gubanova says that “the desire to grow your own staff or invite an “outside star” often depends on both the general policy of the company and the specific situation of a vacancy.”
Career scenarios in the HR field
It is impossible to prescribe one scenario for building a career, since everything depends not only on the company and growth opportunities within it, but also on the person himself, his professional and personal qualities. In this case, we can only talk about some conditional options.
For example, Svetlana Kataeva, managing director of the recruiting company AVRIO Group Consulting, gives the following examples of career development in the HR field:
“Recruitment specialist -> Head of selection and adaptation group (department) -> Deputy HR Director -> HR Director -> HR Partner.”
“HR Specialist - > Benefits and Compensation Specialist - > Head of Benefits and Compensation Department - > Deputy HR Director - > HR Director - > HR Partner.”
Yulia Gubanova, in turn, gives the following diagram:
“Assistant of the HR department -> Training specialist -> Head of department -> Head of department -> HR director.”
Next, we will consider in more detail each of the positions in terms of requirements for candidates in terms of the necessary experience, professional and personal qualities, and also describe the approximate range of job responsibilities that a specialist will have to face.
HR Department Assistant
The requirements for a candidate for the position of assistant are quite simple: incomplete higher or completed higher education, good computer knowledge. If we are talking about a foreign company, excellent knowledge of English will also be required. HR experience is usually not required.
Personal qualities include responsibility, developed communication skills and quick learning.
The main responsibilities of the assistant will be:
receiving and distributing telephone calls;
organizing meetings and business trips for employees;
Maintaining document flow and established reporting in the department.
According to Yulia Gubanova, “in about a year and a half, the assistant, with normal performance of assigned work tasks, can apply for the position of department specialist.” Then the requirements “are added to the desire for at least a year of experience in the personnel field, the presence of a completed higher education, preferably a specialized one. Requirements for professional competencies and personal qualities will largely depend on the area of activity.”
Among the requirements for an applicant for the position of a personnel selection specialist, according to Oksana Alyokhina, are: “the presence of additional education in the field of psychology, courses (or trainings) in selection, or experience in selection in a recruitment agency.”
Such a specialist must be able to work with various search sources and know methods for selecting and evaluating personnel. Also, according to Oksana Alyokhina, he must “have the skills to conduct various types of interviews and use psychological tests, and in addition, be able to independently compose professional tests.”
As for the desired personal qualities, the recruiter must be active, responsible, attentive, purposeful, have a high degree of learning ability, good communication skills (including not only the ability to clearly express one’s thoughts, but also the ability to listen), and have the skills to conduct presentations, be hardworking and ready for a lot of work.
The main responsibilities of the recruiter will be:
tracking staffing needs;
working with various search sources;
conducting telephone interviews and interviews;
analysis of candidate profiles;
organizing interviews with department heads (in the case of a multi-level selection scheme).
A HR specialist must know labor legislation and the rules for maintaining personnel document flow, and be able to work in specialized programs (1C, Boss HR, etc.).
Among the desired qualities are perseverance, the ability to do monotonous work, accuracy and attention to detail.
The main responsibilities of a HR specialist will be:
registration of necessary personnel documents for admission, dismissal, transfer, etc.;
accounting and maintenance of work books;
maintaining a database of employees.
According to Yulia Gubanova, “it is desirable that a specialist in training and personnel development has the skills of budgeting and drawing up training plans, knows how to work with providers and knows the market for services in the field of training and personnel development, as well as the procedure for preparing training documents. A plus will also be “the ability to independently develop teaching aids, tests, conduct seminars and trainings.”
The main responsibilities of a training and personnel development specialist will be:
assessment of the company's needs for development and advanced training of personnel;
organization of individual and group trainings (with the involvement of external providers of educational services);
Conducting internal trainings on your own;
reporting on the effectiveness of training;
conducting personnel certifications;
Budgeting for an employee training program.
In this case, preference is given to applicants with higher education in economics, finance or mathematics. A competitive advantage will be having work experience (at least two years) in the field of personnel or compensation administration.
A compensation and benefits specialist must have theoretical knowledge of building material and non-material motivation, have experience in developing performance indicator systems, and be able to work in Excel. Key competencies include: good mathematical abilities, attention to detail, ability to work with numbers and formulas, ability to analyze, and handle large amounts of information.
The main responsibilities of such a specialist will be:
assessment of the situation on the labor market (monitoring wages);
study, diagnosis of remuneration and reward systems, salary policies (taking into account the company’s industry) in conjunction with the employee’s personal achievements;
development and implementation of remuneration schemes for all categories of workers;
development and maintenance of a system for recording wages, salary changes, bonus programs;
writing procedures and policies for material (non-material) compensation and incentive schemes.
When an HR specialist becomes a manager, the need for management competencies arises: leadership qualities, the ability to plan activities and organize the work of subordinates, the ability to manage people and contribute to their development.
The requirements for the position of department head will be as follows: higher education (preferably specialized), PC at the level of an experienced user, knowledge of the language (if the company is foreign), work experience on average 3-5 years. The presence of specialized seminars will be a competitive advantage.
The remaining requirements for the position of a manager, according to Yulia Gubanova, “will depend on the specifics of the department he heads.” For example, the position of head of the training and development department “will require good knowledge of the training program market, knowledge of personnel assessment technologies (psychological testing, 360 degree methodology, assessment center) and experience in their use. The ability to develop a training system from scratch will be a plus.
Svetlana Kataeva believes that “former recruiters can become successful heads of the selection and adaptation department: those who themselves have walked this path and have rich practical experience, those who have leadership potential and managerial inclinations.”
In addition, she explains that “for the head of the selection and adaptation group, it is important to have a systematic understanding of the process of attracting, hiring and retaining personnel, knowledge of mass selection technologies, selection of middle and senior managers, knowledge of direct search technologies and hunting of top personnel. The ability to convey your experience to employees will be equally important.”
As for the position of the head of the benefits and compensation department, then, according to Svetlana Kataeva, “such managers, as a rule, have a higher economic education and began their careers as a payroll specialist. Then their functionality expanded, and, if they had managerial potential, they developed further in the HR field: for example, to the position of a specialist in labor relations, benefits and compensation, and then to the position of a leading specialist or group leader. Another career development option is also possible: from generalist (general) functions in the HR field to specialization in the field of benefits and compensation (also with an economic education).”
Such a candidate must have strong analytical skills and a penchant for working with both numbers and people. In addition, for a specialist of this level it is important to be able to see the big picture, calculate and justify the economic efficiency of various models in the field of “Compensation and Benefits”.
The HR department in modern companies today already has a well-known set of possible employees: depending on the size and objectives of the company, the department can be composed of a HR director, a recruiting manager, a training specialist, as well as internal training managers. In a small business, the HR department is limited to one specialist; in a large business, it is already a serious structure with prescribed responsibilities and standardized functions. Growing medium-sized businesses today are the most interesting area from the point of view of the dynamics of understanding tasks and style of personnel management: here the formation and development of ideas about the human factor of business takes place.
Evolution of the HR department in medium-sized businesses
In medium-sized companies with a workforce of 100-150 to 1000-2000 people, the HR department is on average limited to 2-3 HR, accounting and personnel selection specialists. As a rule, there are no independent training managers there - their functions are partly assigned to external partners, and partly performed by the company’s HR specialists themselves. The evolution of the HR department as the company grows and develops usually looks like this:
A. HR, involved in the selection of ordinary personnel in a company located at the lower end of the size of a medium-sized business (about 100 people) and characterized by high staff turnover (retail trade, insurance). The main task of such a specialist is to conduct a large number (up to 15-20) interviews per day. This is the initial form of development of the HR department, showing that the company is transforming from a family business into a serious organizational structure and will require the first HR function - competent personnel selection.
B. HR-“all in one”, responsible for selection, office work, certification and, if necessary, training, may be in demand by companies of 100-200 people. Sometimes he is allowed to find external trainers for training, sometimes minimal staff training is included in his functions. Such a vacancy is created if there is a sense of growth of the company as an organizational structure, but mechanisms for assessing the profitability of the HR service have not been introduced, and they save on it because they do not understand how to evaluate its effectiveness and how much one can count on its real investment in the business.
S. HR Director in combination with a recruiting, personnel records and/or training manager, found in companies with 200 to 500 employees. The head of such an HR department has consulting functions and is responsible for optimizing the organizational structure, preparing job descriptions, and developing an incentive system. In case of high turnover or in case of active quantitative growth of the company, the department is strengthened by a selection manager. The process of formalizing personnel records in a more stable company sometimes leads to the emergence of a separate specialist in office work, personnel records, and document flow. A training and development manager arises when a company is numerically stable and management decides to invest in the development of human resources and corporate culture. The numerical growth of a company beyond 500-600 people, with the desire of management to preserve and develop corporate standards, can give rise to all three positions simultaneously in wealthy companies - one for selection, another for training, and a third for personnel records.
D. Developed HR structure, including the HR director, his deputy (who takes on some of the expanded functions of the HR director), a recruiting manager, an office management specialist, and even training managers if the company, for example, has a large sales staff. This structure of the HR service corresponds to the level of “large medium-sized” domestic and Western companies, when they grow in the range of 1000-2000 or more people. This scale of tasks is already on the border of HR technology for medium-sized businesses and requires updating HR standards, forming a new serious HR policy, attracting external consultants and trainers for complex tasks, and developing corporate culture as a whole.
Today, HR departments of medium-sized businesses are mostly approaching Category C, so in this article we will try to explore the features and tasks of just such a structure of the HR department. My experts in this task will be Oleg Kozlov, Head of the Personnel Service and Management Organization of the Investment Bank "TRUST", and Evgenia Shurukht, HR manager at AKRUS-real estate.
Structure of the personnel department of medium-sized businesses
Despite the narrow range of opportunities within category C, traditional for modern medium-sized businesses, HR departments of different companies have different structures and goals: this depends on the market sector, the current state of the company and its corporate culture. Depending on the tasks and style of working with personnel in a company, various professional and personal requirements are imposed on employees of its HR department.
For example, in the TRUST Investment Bank, which employs about 500 people, the Personnel and Management Organization Service consists of three employees - the chief, his deputy and a leading specialist. The competence of the head of the service includes issues of remuneration, corporate culture, information exchange in the company, management procedures and other issues. His deputy is responsible for personnel and other types of accounting, as well as for personnel document flow. The leading specialist is in charge of social programs and benefits, personnel selection and training.
According to Oleg Kozlov, head of the HR service and management organization of the bank, “one more person could well strengthen the work in the field of training and internal PR. With a relatively small number of staff, our Bank is the leading investment Bank in the country and, in terms of size, is among the ten largest private banks in Russia. We earn the most profit per employee in the Russian banking sector, being the best bank in Russia and the third in the world in terms of efficiency, and management places quite stringent requirements on employees: they must have strong professional motivation, be able to independently solve professional problems, have high adaptive qualities."
The HR department of the AKRUS-real estate company includes 2 people - the head of the HR service and the HR manager. In total, the company has about 200 employees. Today, the head of the personnel service of the AKRUS-real estate company is engaged in the following: plans personnel - together with the heads of departments and the general director; conducts personnel certification (develops tasks, evaluation criteria, conducts certification procedures, conducts analytics) and conducts training with employees; plans personnel advertising; Conducts active selection and interview procedures with applicants; takes calls; conducts research and works on reports.
The responsibilities of the HR manager include: organizing employee classes and drawing up a “schedule”; conducting some seminars and trainings; recruiting (calls, interviews, coordinating meeting times with candidates with department heads, personnel distribution); conducting personnel research, preparing analytical materials; regular diagnostics of adaptation of trainees and planning of training of high-level specialists. Evgenia Shurukht, who holds the position of HR manager, says: “Currently, each representative of our HR department performs a fairly large number of diverse and complex functions. Due to the specifics of the market, employees of our HR service must have a fairly high degree of activity (result-oriented), the ability to quickly switch attention, sociability, flexibility in communication, initiative, and of course, a professional position: knowledge, abilities, skills, reflection, in some way - scientific thinking."
Modern tasks and features of the HR department of medium-sized businesses
All companies go through stages of formation, intensive development, stabilization and crisis. Depending on the phase of development of the company, the HR department performs various personnel development tasks related to the commercial objectives of the business. In addition, the stage of development of the company influences the desired style of recruited employees: in times of crisis, loyalty is important, in times of breakthrough - activity and pressure, in periods of stabilization - balance, in periods of formation - significant closeness of views down to private life. Medium-sized businesses, as a rule, have a certain stable part and developing divisions: in this sense, AKRUS Real Estate and TRUST Bank are illustrative examples.
This is a time of active development at TRUST, but different divisions are going through different phases. The most active dynamics occur in the investment part of the business and related divisions. The standard banking business and ancillary divisions are much more stable, although to varying degrees. Due to the combination of various stages of development within the bank, Oleg Kozlov identifies the following main tasks of working with personnel at TRUST:
1. Provide conditions for attracting, working and retaining members of the emerging team;
2. Ensure the effectiveness of interaction between departments and employees in the company;
3. Ensure that employee qualifications match changing work conditions.
In addition, today TRUST pays great attention to the selection of managers responsible for the creation or development of certain areas of business or work. At the current stage, the bank has to invest heavily in forming a team of people who have successful experience in working in Western financial markets, but also understand the specifics of working in Russia.
The AKRUS-real estate company as a whole is in a stage of stabilization - it is now important for it to maintain the achieved level and prepare breakthroughs in new services that will develop intensively. In this regard, the personnel department plans and trains personnel for the priority goals of sustainable development, and this is, first of all, maintaining the most effective technologies. Evgenia Shurukht says: “We are actively integrating new employees into existing schemes. When it comes to new services, we regularly engage in innovative procedures - we conduct seminars, trainings, business games, and research to discover the potential of these services and understand which direction to go. Let me give you an example: there is regular rental housing - one of the most traditional services in the real estate market. We currently provide standard training, such as training our agents on standard service contracts. If changes are made to the contracts, a consultation session will be held with the involvement of the legal service. There is another form of renting - housing trust management, which involves working with the owner. This service is relatively young, it is under intensive development, and regularly undergoes changes, so as soon as the need arises, the head of the department (possibly also with a lawyer) conducts a seminar with employees on the specifics of implementing these changes.”
AKRUS-real estate tries to recruit good people into all departments: therefore, the selection and selection in the company is quite strict. In some areas, agents are making very serious breakthroughs, so the company is recruiting not only agents, but also managers. Evgenia Shurukht notes: “Currently, commercial real estate is one of the strategically important areas for us, so we rely on both experienced people and young professionals without experience in real estate. We are interested in training a person “from scratch” and then observing their mastery and successful implementation in virtually a new profession that requires a lot of knowledge from law, marketing, advertising, information technology, and actively helping in this.”
As stated at the beginning of this article, the basic functions of the HR service are similar in all companies - selection, management, accounting, training, etc. The highlight of working with HR in medium-sized companies today is the possibility of a creative approach to business: in small businesses for there is still no reason for this, because the HR service is in its infancy, and managing a large business involves a high level of standardization, which does not leave HR managers much opportunity for creativity.
In medium-sized companies, most often certain HR technologies have already been established, but have not yet become mechanisms, so there is an opportunity to try, change, and adjust something. This attracts lively, interesting people to the HR department who, with their work and personal qualities, have a positive impact on the development of the entire company’s personnel.
The work of an HR team can play a key role in a company that is either preparing to make a qualitative leap in its development, or, in a stagnant market, is seeking to improve the use of labor resources. In order for the newly created HR service to truly contribute to the achievement of business goals, it is necessary to properly organize its work, observing certain “rules of the game” in interaction with the top manager.
We fail more often not because we are unable to decide
problem, but because we are trying to solve the wrong problem.
Russell Ackoff
Whoever comes up with such initiatives will face the hostility of those
those who benefit from the old order, and the coldness of those who benefit from the new.
N. Machiavelli. "Sovereign"
Partnership with a leader
The effectiveness of the head of a new HR structure depends, first of all, on how successfully communication and interaction will be built between him and the “customer” (to use a term adopted in project management) - the person who has the last word when making decisions. The customer for HR is the general director or owner who personally manages the company. For brevity, I will call it “First Person”. From my own experience, I can say: if the order of the director of the company can be canceled or changed by the owner/major shareholder (in fact, the director is not the “First Person”), you need to discuss your proposals with the one whose word is decisive.
The most threatening situation for the implementation of an HR project is when:
- the initiator of the emergence of an HR service is a hired manager, and the “First Person” himself does not understand very well why the enterprise needs a new division (and new costs);
- The owner proposes to create an HR service, but the hired director does not see the need for this.
In both cases, there is a conflict of interests of the top officials. I believe that communications need to be structured in such a way that the HR director’s proposals are approved by the person who has the final word. Otherwise, this company will not be able to achieve tangible results. Of course, moderating communications between a hired top manager and the owner is a very difficult task. Without experience of such communication with the director and owner, it is better not to agree to take responsibility, because any project is doomed to failure if top managers do not understand the goals and objectives of the newly created HR service.
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Tips for difficult situations
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Let’s assume that the “First Person” and the hired top manager have come to a common opinion on key issues. What needs to be done to organize the work of the HR department from scratch? I'll tell you based on my experience.
First of all, I make every effort to build transparent communication with the “First Person”. Having formulated a vision of the HR department’s place in the company, its goals, current and future tasks (as well as a system for assessing their implementation), I enlist its support. Having received complete information, the “First Person” joins the discussion, expresses his point of view - this creates a feeling of his involvement in the changes (which is psychologically very important for many managers, especially business owners). As a result, I have the opportunity not only to prepare a work plan for the HR service for the near future, but also to build a platform for mutual understanding in the future. And the main thing is to receive public support from the “First Person” (at a meeting or in the presence of significant company leaders). Without such support, it is unlikely that it will be possible to exert the necessary influence on employees, without which it will not be possible to reorganize the old system.
HR audit and work plan
Next, it is necessary to conduct an audit of HR processes in the company. To get information about the real state of affairs, I do it as part of getting to know the company, without focusing on inspection and evaluation. If employees are not aware of the actual HR audit being conducted, they will not be able to hide negative information. And under no circumstances make comments about the previous procedures in the company. “Veterans” perceive this as criticism of themselves: “Before, everyone worked poorly!”
During the audit, I try to find out whether the company has a personnel policy - formalized, or at least “virtual” - as the logic of the actions of the “First Person”. A manager's understanding of the importance of people management policies is a good sign. This step helps clarify the First Person's expectations and, by comparing them with my assumptions about the strategy, determine my position.
The key issue of personnel policy is to provide the business with workers of the required qualifications who will be able to perform the assigned tasks. So I constantly ask myself and other managers the question: “What kind of employees do we need?” (Table 1).
Table 1. What kind of employees work/should work in our company?
Of course, determining the characteristics of the required employees depends not only on the opinion of the “First Person” and the HR Director, but also on many objective parameters:
- on the company’s strategy (cost savings, quality leadership, etc.);
- stages of its development;
- business specifics;
- scale (numbers, complexity of organizational structure, presence of branches, etc.);
- labor market situations;
- complexity of types of work (qualifications, time to “enter” a position, etc.);
- recruiter qualifications, etc.
For example, in an enterprise with a long history and well-established processes, most likely, work in management positions is paid above the market median, the salary of middle managers is at the median level or slightly lower (by 5–8%), ordinary workers are paid below the median (by 10–15%). But small salaries for employees can be compensated by an expanded social package (medical insurance, allocation of a limit for mobile communications, etc.), training opportunities, career prospects, flexible work schedules, use of vacation, etc.
Analysis of the data obtained allows us to predict:
- the level of difficulty in finding employees on the labor market;
- training model (including the required level of detail);
- preferred employee motivation systems;
- level of control detail;
- necessary behavioral models (goal/task/action);
- guidelines for the development of corporate culture, etc.
At the next stage, I assess the management styles of key managers, for which I use the “Management Grid” by American researchers R. R. Blake and J. S. Mouton. Any activity of managers is assessed in two “dimensions” - “attention to production” and “attention to people” (Fig. 1).
Rice. 1. Blake-Mouton “Management Grid”
Analysis of the dominant management styles of managers helps to classify an organization as a specific type: “fast” or “slow” (Table 2).
Table 2. Type of organization according to
At the same time, I analyze the wishes of managers, identify possible difficulties, and the presence of a desire to change something. Based on the results of the preliminary “reconnaissance”, I build a “tree of loyalty to changes” (Fig. 2).
Rice. 2. “Tree of Loyalty”
It is better to build a whole “forest” - a separate “tree” for each of the planned HR projects (for example, “Creating a training system for employees of a certain category/group”, “Creating a personnel incentive system”, etc.). This information is very important, because the tactics for implementing the project should be developed depending on people’s attitude towards it - indifference, loyalty or aggressive resistance...
Practice shows:
- departments/employees who benefit from the changes will either be loyal to the changes or be indifferent to them;
- employees and the head of the department in which the changes are being made are initially strongly opposed.
The “Loyalty Tree” is a useful tool that helps to understand: who can support me at a general meeting or tell me about the nuances of certain processes, with whom I need to discuss changes in advance, from whom to expect resistance (including at the level of the “First Person”)...
Next, I analyze the main HR processes. You can evaluate them using a checklist (Table 3). The level of detail in the list of basic HR processes depends on the characteristics of the company’s business. The assessment is dichotomous - “yes/no”.
Table 3. Checklist for assessing existing/required HR processes
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No. |
HR process |
Availability of process |
Formalization of the process |
Process evaluation |
Availability of HR metrics |
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Personnel and payroll planning |
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The procedure for approving/changing the staffing table |
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Personnel supply system |
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Personnel selection system |
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Personnel adaptation or initial training system |
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System for deciding on the end of the probationary period of a new employee |
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Personnel bonus system |
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Development of qualification requirements for key positions (what an employee should know and be able to do) |
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When filling out the checklist, consider the following:
- Column "Presence of process". “No” is given if the process is implemented partially, inconsistently, or irrationally. For example, personnel selection in an organization is carried out - there is a function, but it is performed by line managers and the personnel department. Or - the search application is submitted untimely, there is no application form, a profile is not developed for vacant positions, responsibilities and working conditions are not described, etc. All this suggests that there is no built-in HR process in the company.
- Column “Formalization of the process”. “Yes” is given if the standards and procedures recorded in the documents are actually followed.
- Column “Process assessment”. The “Yes” mark is made if the company has a system for assessing the quality of execution of this process and, based on its results, the actions of the performers are adjusted, and these actions have an impact on the efficiency of the process and the company as a whole.
For example, the focus of recruiters on achieving the “percentage of vacancies filled on time” leads to the fact that they strive to select new employees quickly, to the detriment of the quality of candidates. Of course, managers often “help” with this, because they always need it “urgently”! In cases where it is impossible to select a quantitative indicator, it is better to describe the sequence of actions that employees must perform (as a rule, the algorithm is easy to check), and also install strict filters at the stage of initial assessment and selection. At the same time, the search speed can be increased by managing the search priority or attracting additional resources.
- Column “Availability of HR metrics”. “Yes” is given if the company has developed a system of indicators that allows you to evaluate the effectiveness of HR processes in comparison with industry benchmarks. For example: sales volume per sales manager/full-time employee, ratio of service and production personnel, staff turnover rate.
The correct choice of indicators will help change processes: if a company needs leaders, and the selection criterion is the ability to quickly complete the tasks of a leader, it is necessary to adjust the selection criteria; if the average tenure of a manager in a company is one and a half years (he leaves at the peak of his effectiveness and the skills acquired from us will be used by a competitor) - we need to develop programs for retaining key specialists, etc. Good HR metrics help in implementing business development plans.
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As a rule, a basic HR audit can be easily carried out by a new person in the company, even if he is not yet very trusted. When conducting a survey, I mainly use “qualitative” questions, for example:
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In fact, the audit results are the basis for preparing a work plan for the HR department for the near future. All that remains is to set priorities. To do this, I study the company’s financial indicators and quality indicators of the main business processes (sales statistics, production volumes, marketing expenses, etc.), and also find out the expectations of the “First Person” regarding the priority of this or that issue (Fig. 3). As a result, I decide on the sequence/priority of my work tasks.
Rice. 3. Model of company priorities
At first, the actions of the new HR director will naturally attract the close attention of the entire team. The smartest thing to do at this stage is to solve, perhaps not the most important task for the company, but a realistically feasible task. After all, not the most effective solution is much better than the absence of the most effective one!
In addition, for successful work, the HR director needs a certain “power resource”. It is provided by:
- public support of HR projects “First Person”;
- obtaining authority in decision-making (hiring, personnel evaluation, development of motivation systems, influence on approval of processes);
- the effectiveness of actions to actually implement or change HR processes.
The main thing is not to forget that power is not a goal, but a tool for achieving what is planned!
When creating an HR service from scratch, it is better to start with the development and implementation of a personnel supply system. I use my own model, which I have already tested in many companies, adapting it to new conditions. First I describe the main stages:
- application process to fill vacancies;
- selection system;
- decision-making mechanism;
- decision making process.
If necessary, I also include a personnel planning system and approval of the staffing table.
After the staffing system is operational, I begin to develop a financial incentive system. An effective system must meet a number of criteria:
- Must be consistent with the company's strategic goals. (You cannot, for example, demand quality of service from people and evaluate it by sales volume/number of products produced).
- Take employee suggestions into account when establishing an evaluation system and evaluation criteria: practice shows that people often offer very important additions and suggest what nuances should be paid attention to.
- Be flexible. The motivation system should allow for prompt adjustments to take into account changes in the labor market or within the company. In addition, it is good that it allows you to “retarget” it without changing the bonus mechanism.
- Be effective. The increase in profits from increased employee performance due to the introduction of a motivation system should exceed the costs of its implementation and administration.
- Be balanced- ensure an optimal balance between the company’s competitiveness and internal fairness.
- To be a worker. The incentive system must be used accurately and systematically.
- Motivate. Increases in employee benefits should be linked to the company's revenue growth.
- Be clear. Employees must be able to independently understand the mechanism for calculating the bonus and be able to calculate it in relation to themselves. Otherwise it won't work.
My experience shows that it takes at least two months to develop a new model - from the start of the project to the launch of the system. Noticeable changes in employee behavior in most cases appear in the second month after the introduction of new rules. That is, from the moment the decision is made to switch to the new system, at least four months, or even more, will pass until the first results. It is important to remember this, because opponents will accuse you of the weakness of the proposed model within a month.
At the stage of changing the assessment and remuneration systems, the biggest difficulty may be the need to revise the criteria, and indeed the entire system for assessing the performance of departments in the company. This is serious work that will require the involvement of the entire organization. In each specific case, the decision on whether to initiate such a project must be made taking into account the needs of the business and only with the unconditional support of the “First Person”.
Experience shows: for each process, changing/implementing a new one takes 1.5–2.5 months. At this time, you need to focus on monitoring the implementation of the new process and constantly provide assistance to employees in working in a new way.
To reduce resistance to change, I developed a certain algorithm of actions:
- First, I enlist the support of the “First Person” - I justify the need for a new HR process, supporting my position with economic calculations. I make sure that the manager understands that it will not be possible to deviate from the accepted rules. I warn you that this may cause resistance among many people, even very authoritative ones.
- I develop and sign the corresponding regulations (regulations, procedures, etc.).
- I discuss the need and desirability of such an HR process with “loyal” and “indifferent” people, and enlist their support.
- I initiate a meeting of managers, where I present a new HR process, and also receive public support from the “First Person” and approval from other participants.
- Only after this do I inform everyone about the decision made and briefly introduce everyone to the regulations, which describe the basic rules.
- After implementing a new HR process, I periodically remind all key persons (usually electronically) of the basic requirements.
Only after the successful implementation of the first two HR projects, I begin to develop the “Regulations on the HR Service” - now I have the authority to approve the necessary powers. My further actions depend on the needs of a particular company.
Advice for colleagues
Building an HR service from scratch is not easy. When taking on such a project, HR must soberly assess their strengths. From my own experience, I can say: I felt myself to be a fairly competent manager when I already had three successfully completed projects under my belt (and in different conditions). Deep professional knowledge and understanding of the mechanisms for developing and implementing basic HR processes is an immutable requirement. It is impossible to establish processes that you do not understand...
What will help to successfully launch an HR service from scratch?
- Learn to firmly defend your interests - without this it is impossible to implement a single project. Remember, you will need to influence the behavior of an entire company.
- Develop the competencies of a diplomat (or “integrator”, using the language of Yitzhak Adizis) - learn to gather people around you and unobtrusively unite them, as well as distribute tasks between them.
- Direct all your actions towards increasing labor productivity. You can become a significant employee for the First Person only by proving your profitability - in numbers! His support is your resources.
- Learn to delegate authority. Don’t try to do everything at once - you will be overwhelmed with work. Remember, you are the ideal object onto whom you can blame all unsolved problems. Always “keep” the goal - you must create a system, not be a performer!
- Cure yourself from perfectionism: “a bad process is better than no process.”
- Get the support of the “First Person” - without it, success cannot be achieved.
- Never say that “it used to be terrible!” Humiliation does not add respect, insult does not add loyalty.
- Make the most of what you already have. Don't change what works unless absolutely necessary.
- Don't try to be cunning and be “strong”. Simplicity, openness and strength captivate.
- If you are under pressure, fight back immediately, and then offer cooperation. This is the most effective type of relationship.
- Try to do everything as transparently and publicly as possible. Discuss your ideas with colleagues.
And most importantly, learn to present the results of the HR service in the “language of numbers.” An HR director is a business partner of the head of a company, and any economic success is measured in money. If you can't do this, then you need to work on yourself.
Malichevsky Vladimir - expert of the HR Manager magazine
Introduction
By caring for you, we protect nature
Time and living space... The most valuable resources, but there are fewer and fewer places on the world map where time and space have preserved the originality of Divine Creation, places where majestic spaces and pristine power shock with their naturalness, where the movement of time slows down, biological age decreases , self-realization accelerates...
Why EcoZone? Did you know that the amount of resources used for 150 hotel rooms per week is equivalent to the resources used for 100 families per year? In ordinary hotels, huge amounts of electricity are consumed in rooms with 24-hour lighting. Bed linens are changed and washed daily using electricity, water, human effort and chemical detergents that pollute the environment. The rooms are provided with disposable toiletries, which results in additional waste.
Land, water and energy are resources that we should all protect. Therefore, the concept of an eco-hotel designed to reduce the impact on the environment arose.
EcoZone is a network of three modern eco-hotels located in picturesque corners of Ukraine: the mountain slopes of the Carpathians, the sunny coast of Crimea and in the alluring forests of central Ukraine, not far from Kyiv.
Eco-Hotel "EcoZone" is a great place both for a family holiday and for lovers of a secluded, quiet and romantic time in the lap of nature.
In our work, we strive to combine comfort and care for our guests at the highest level and respect for the environment.
Currently, the Company employs about 150 people in the hotels and the main office.
The main office of the Company, its financial, administrative and management center, is located in Kyiv.
HR strategy
The mission of the HR department is to be a business partner of top management, ensuring the achievement of the Company’s business goals through the formation and development of a team of professionals committed to the Company’s values.
Confidence in personnel is one of the basic criteria for the success of our business.
Tasks of the HR department:
· Administration of HR processes (maintenance of personnel records and necessary statistics);
· Search and selection of personnel (ensuring that vacancies are filled with the most suitable candidates);
· Adaptation of employees (helping a new employee understand his duties and responsibilities, “joining” the team);
· Personnel assessment (monitoring qualified employees, their suitability for the position);
· Training and development (ensuring improved quality of work performed, retention through career planning and expanding areas of responsibility);
· Motivation (implementation of a remuneration system (MBO), compensation and benefits at a competitive level);
· Formation of corporate culture (ensuring employees understand the values and goals of the Company, commitment to them);
· HR branding (popularization of the employer brand, increasing employee loyalty to the Company);
Organizational structure of the HR department
The Company's HR department employs 6 people. The organizational structure of the Department is as follows (see Appendix 1):
1. Head of the HR department.
Area of responsibility: defining HR strategy. Participation in making strategic decisions on corporate and commercial issues in terms of personnel. Organizing and monitoring the activities of employees of the assigned department, ensuring its uninterrupted operation.
The workplace is located at the Company's head office.
2. Specialist in training and personnel development.
Reports directly to the head of the HR department.
Area of responsibility: analysis of training needs, development and implementation (together with the head of the department) of a training system and assessment system. Development and implementation of trainings, seminars and other educational events in hotels of this chain.
The workplace is located at the Company's head office. Frequent business trips to conduct trainings.
Seven valuable HR functions whose results are hard to measure but directly impact revenue and grow the business.
I’ll start with the so-called “black box phenomenon” or “cause-effect uncertainty phenomenon.” The figure shows three criteria on the basis of which we can evaluate the effectiveness of the HR service: the actions of HR specialists we observe – the results of HR work – the measured results of the organization.
What is the essence of the phenomenon? We see what the HR department is doing and know the indicators that reflect the efficiency of the entire company - for example, sales growth and profitability. However, what is the contribution of HR to these results? Swedish management expert Mats Elvesson commented: “Research does not go beyond attempting to find an empirical link between HR practices and organizational performance. The phenomena are in a black box, only HR actions and organizational performance are recorded. But what happens between them remains dark.”
Thus, the impact of HR on business performance cannot be measured! Only the actions of the HR service and the results of the entire business are measured. However, this does not reduce the value of HR functions to the business, which directly impact the organization's performance and therefore generate revenue.
1. Recruitment
It is the process of attracting, selecting and selecting qualified specialists. Organizing a proper recruitment process is one of the most basic HR functions. But it's not just about finding the right person in the right position, at the right time, with the right competence, for the right price. This also includes ensuring the organization of the workplace and hiring in accordance with the law, organizing the process of orientation and adaptation of the employee in the company. This includes organizing a mentoring process, if necessary, and evaluating the employee after the probationary period.
There are known cases when, during employment, workers do not have a workplace, or there is no job description, and the orientation process is not organized. Often, an employee who fails to prove himself during the probationary period is automatically fired, since the company does not have criteria for assessing the success of newcomers and the assessment procedure itself. But all this directly affects work efficiency and costs money, dear managers!
2. Training and development
Many organizations either miss or undervalue this HR function. But many competent employees leave the company precisely because they do not see the opportunity to learn and develop. In most cases, a drop in sales is associated with poor customer service, due to the lack of necessary competencies among employees who provide services. You will say: after all, inviting coaches is expensive. What about internal trainings? Many managers will be happy to share their experience there. Trainings are motivation for both the students and the trainer. We just need to develop a culture of learning. Teach and learn yourself - this should be a certain philosophy of the company, part of its corporate brand. And this result can be obtained almost free of charge.
3. Organization of performance assessment and rewards
One of the most important processes in an organization. Consists of three parts:
1. Setting goals (most often at the beginning of the year).
2. Review goals mid-year.
3. Performance evaluation at the end of the year.
All three parts are planned in advance by the manager, who presents them to the employee during a personal conversation.
Ideally, according to Jack Welch, it is necessary to divide employees into excellent, average and weak in the proportion of 20/70/10, respectively. Myself Jack Welch fired 10% of weak employees every year, as a result, after five years only the best remained in his organization! Companies now prefer to develop employees rather than fire them. Through the process of personnel development, people become aware of their weaknesses and can improve their shortcomings in a targeted manner. Performance assessment becomes the basis for material rewards for employees, planning their career growth and succession.
4. Employee engagement
There is a big difference between an employee who is satisfied with his job and an employee who is engaged in his work. They have different levels of motivation. The point is that a satisfied employee simply does his job correctly and is happy about it. An engaged employee is trying to improve his work, become more efficient, and innovative. An engaged employee is what you need to grow your business! Employee engagement is measured using a questionnaire, one-on-one conversations, and observations. You can also study exit interviews of employees who have left, find out the reasons for their disengagement and work on them accordingly. By working on employee engagement, you work on business performance!
5. Organizational development
Yes, exactly! Organizational development is one of the main priorities of the HR department. Therefore, it is useful to implement HR practices in strategic business management. If, for example, a chain of restaurants is expanding, who else but the HR people will be involved in personnel planning? Their task is
