Employment within this section is only open to Environmental Health Officers (EHO) or Technical Officers (TO) who possess an environmental health degree or diploma respectively and can demonstrate ‘competency’ in their field of work. Vacancies are only advertised through the Environmental Health News magazine produced by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) with whom all prospective officers are registered. It is therefore open to a very select group of people approached through a very narrow recruitment band.
Equal Opportunities
The Council has a clear policy on Equal Opportunities (see below and appendix 1), including the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) which requires service providers to make goods, facilities and services more accessible to disabled people.
CDC is fully committed to equal opportunities in employment and opposes any form of unfair discrimination on grounds of gender, marital status, race, colour, nationality, ethnic origin, disability, criminal record, age, sexuality, religious or political belief, membership or non-membership of a trade union, or HIV status.
The Council positively welcomes applicants for jobs from all sections of the community.
CDC Statement of Policy on Equal Opportunities in Employment 2003
The policy clearly provides equal opportunities to all irrespective of sex, race, creed, disability etc. For the policy to be effective managers must bear in mind the key steps as set out in the Institute of Personnel and Development’s code of conduct (see below) (cited in Armstrong, 1996).
The recruitment process
- Have accurate up to date job descriptions, which are not sex based
- Avoid over inflated job criteria in person specifications
- Check that job requirements are really necessary to the job and are not a reflection of traditional biased practices
- Guard against sex/race stereotyping in advertisements and recruitment literature
The interview – to reduce interview bias
- Provide training to all who conduct selection interviews
- Ensure that only trained interviewers conduct preliminary interviews
- Avoid discriminatory questions
Training
- Check that women and men have equal opportunities to participate in training and development programmes
- Ensure that selection criteria for training do not discriminate against women
- Consider using positive training provisions for women and ethnic minorities
Promotion
- Improve performance review procedures to minimise bias
- Avoid perpetuating the effects of past discriminatory practices in selection for promotion
- Do not presume that women or minorities do not want promotion
Key steps in ensuring Equal Opportunity (Institute of Personnel and Development’s code of conduct)
Learning and Development
The aim of developing staff is to ensure the organisation has the quality of people it needs to carry out its functions effectively and efficiently. Employee development should be linked to the success of the organisation. Morgan (cited in Beardwell and Holden, 1994) suggests that managers will have to find ways of developing and mobilising the intelligence, knowledge and creative potential of their employees at every level of the organisation. It is important to strike a balance between managing HRM at a strategic level, and recognising the need to manage people as individuals with individual needs and aspirations.
- Provide opportunities for every employee to develop the skills, knowledge and competences to contribute effectively to the Council’s objectives
- Ensure all employees have equal access to training and development opportunities in accordance with the Policy on Equal Opportunities
- Ensure the balance between individual aspirations and the operational needs of the Council receive appropriate attention
- Provide resources to ensure the continuing training and development of employees
- Evaluate the effectiveness of training and development and implement actions arising from the evaluation
CDC Corporate Training and Development Policy 2002/2003.
CDC has a well established policy on training and development (see above) and aims to ensure everyone within the organisation reaches a level of competence required to carryout their work effectively, improve on their performance continuously and develop in a manner to maximise their full potential for growth and promotion.
Investors in People (IiP)
The Council holds an IiP award, which reflects the Council’s commitment to the training and development of its staff and recognises that its employees are the most important assets in delivering quality services. The commitment to IiP also ensures that training is adequately resourced unlike other areas such as staffing which is seriously under resourced. Everyone is therefore entitled if not obliged to apply for training if it will aid service delivery.
Under IiP every employee produces a Personal Development Plan (PDP). These highlight the development need in the context of the service needs. In other words this is a key means by which the needs of the individual are linked to the needs of the organisation. The Council provides training only if there is a clear organisation goal or requirement that can be met through this.
The PDP objectives have to be SMART ensuring that development needs are in the form of targets which are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time constrained. The role of the managers is to develop PDPs with the employees, mutually agree what areas need developing and how and when this might be achieved. It is for both the managers and the employees to ensure that the targets for training are realistic and achievable.
Performance Related Pay (PRP)
PDP’s are developed and assessed in conjunction with PRP appraisals. Individual PDPs are drawn up annually between managers and their staff detailing work/project to be undertaken as part of everyone’s PRP scheme. Any training requirements identified particularly in the areas of competency are then provided in-house or through outside bodies. For example, the ESD regularly communicates with Local Authorities Co-ordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS), Local Government Agency (LGA) and the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) to ensure staff are kept informed of any necessary training and updates on the latest changes in legislation.
All staff are provided with training in how the appraisal system works, including the PDP elements. The appraisal training course however is very much about the mechanics of the scheme - how the scoring works and how to complete the forms, with some information on how to provide effective feedback. The training does not explore identifying service and individual needs.
The PDP is also an ‘add on’ to the appraisal system, which includes assessing the performance of the individual and providing a PRP award. The development part of the appraisal tends to be left to the end of the interview and is dealt with rather superficially. There are even reports of appraisal interviews missing out the PDP element because it’s seen by some managers as less important than the awarding of PRP.
After the initial training the only reminder or encouragement for staff to continue to use the appraisal system properly is an annual inspection by the IiP accreditors, who pick a handful of staff to talk to find out how the system works. Managers are not required to submit or keep records of their staff’s training, and in many cases these are not completed.
Plath (cited in Cornelius, 1999) states that there are two commercial arguments underlying the need for employee development: strategy and profitability. The strategy argument boils down to the proposition that employee development is necessary for organisations to implement their strategies and to achieve long term goals. CDC is attempting to move towards a more modern HRM strategy by incorporating individual development to organisational needs/development. Profitability is not of importance to the Council, but the ability to plan for future challenges is.
Cornelius (1999) suggests that employees need to focus on three time horizons - short, medium and long term. In the short term, individuals will want to explore their ability to function appropriately in their current jobs. In the medium/long term, they will ask themselves where do they want their career to move to in the coming years? PDPs however are based very much on a short term basis (annual programmes). This therefore restricts long term planning of human resources.
If employees do not see the organisation as showing interest in their individual medium and long term aims, they can hardly be expected to align themselves with organisational goals. The Council is certainly lacking in the medium/long term view to employee development.
Although the development of staff is tied in very closely with IiP, PDP and PRP, the Council does not appear to have a comprehensive and cohesive Human Resources Management Strategy, instead it appears to have concentrated on meeting the requirements of IiP as a sign of looking after its staff.
The model below (figure 1) developed by Mabey (1992) as cited in Cornelius (1999) shows the interaction between the organisations ‘business’ strategy, HRM strategy and employee development. CDC attempts to do this but there is an apparent lack of co-ordination between the development and appraisal elements of HRM and the longer term issues of career development and recruitment and selection.
Figure 1. A system for employee development, based on Mabey, (1992) cited in Cornelius (1999).
Career progression and personal development are important factors for successful employee development. Some of the key benefits of training and development for both the employee and the organisation include:
- Increased confidence, motivation and commitment of staff
- Provide recognition, enhanced responsibility, and the possibility of increased pay and promotion
- Give a feeling of personal satisfaction and achievement, and broaden opportunities for career progression and
- Help to improve the availability and quality of staff.
Cornelius (1999) states that effective performance management can make a major contribution towards the achievement of business objectives while maximising the contribution of employees. Staff performance will therefore reflect on how well the organisation performs as a whole.
The Council operates a 12% PRP scheme. Employees have to earn their PRP each year on top of their basic salary which does not increase following an award of PRP.
Motivation and Reward
People’s behaviour
Motivation in simple terms can be considered as the amount of effort an individual is willing to put into their work. It is therefore important to ensure that individuals within the team are highly motivated as a lack of motivation can have a negative effect, reducing the team’s effectiveness and possibly leading to de-motivation of others. Given the fact that different people are motivated in different ways the team leader is faced with the problem of maintaining an environment in which each individual fulfils their potential.
Maslow’s theory on motivation suggests that individuals need to satisfy needs on a hierarchical way moving from physiological needs to self-actualisation. They progress from one motivational need to the next and once a need has been satisfied it is no longer motivational because an individual is driven by needs that remain unsatisfied (Figure 3).
Motivation Level Title Main components
Highest level Self-actualisation Challenge, opportunity, achievement
Esteem Recognition, responsibility, importance
Social Friendly colleagues
Safety Safety at work, job security
Lowest level Physiological Physical comfort, working conditions
Figure 3. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (in Rosenfield, R and Wilson, D (1999)
It can be said that the basic physiological and safety needs of the commercial team members are currently met however some of the higher needs are not. The drive for recognition, responsibility and challenging opportunities for all members keep them motivated which is reflected in their PRP awards.
De-motivating factors within the team vary and include such things as requests for jobs from higher management without any reasonable explanations, poor training budget and a lack of career progression as the current staff are and have been stable for a number of years. However the team culture is as that of the organisation which is to deliver the goods in return for a fair award and working conditions.
There are times however when members of the team disagree with certain issues ranging from minor differences in opinion to fundamental differences in ideology. The team leader therefore must be able to handle such disagreements constructively; ensuring the team remains focused on achieving its goals. Conflict management therefore has an important role to play in keeping the team motivated. During these times the team leader ensures that each member feels they are contributing to the team and working with the best people and to feel proud to be part of the team. This also instills a high level of team morale which results in a more productive team that achieves a lot more than they otherwise would.
6.0 Recommendations
Cherwell District Council is committed to:
- ensuring that all employees have the knowledge, skills and competence to do their jobs effectively and
- providing training and development opportunities for employees to develop their abilities and potential.
Employees have individual training and development plans which are reviewed on a regular basis and the Council aims to provide at least two days of training and development activities each year for each employee.
The Council offers a varied programme of training and development:
- Comprehensive induction and essential training for every new employee
- A corporate training programme run in-house, covering areas such as Management and Supervisory Development, Information Technology, Health and Safety, Equal Opportunities and Interpersonal Skills
- Attendance at appropriate courses, seminars or workshops
- Training to meet Continuing Professional Development requirements
- Assistance, where possible, for employees to obtain qualifications relevant to their work and future development.
The Council’s commitment to planning, communication, training and development is also recognised by its continuing achievement of the national Investors in People Standard.
The Council will:
Bibliography
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Armstrong, A (1996). Personnel Management Practice (6th ed.). Kogan Page.
- Beardwell, I and Holden, L (2001). Human Resources Management: A contemporary Approach. Harlow. Financial Times. Prentice Hall.
- Bramham, J (1989). Human Resource Planning. Institute of Personnel Management.
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Cornelius, N (ed.) (2001). HRM: A Managerial Perspective (2nd ed.). Thompson.
- Cornelius, N (1999). Human Resource Management, Thompson Business Press. London.
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Graham, T and Bennet, R (1992). Human Resources Management (7th ed.). The M&E Handbook Series.
- Hagemann, G (1992). The motivational Manual, Gower.
- Holloway et. al. (1995). Performance measurement and evaluation, London, Sage.
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Megginson et. al. (1999). Human Resource Development (2nd ed.). Kogan Page.
- Mullins, L J (1999). Management and Organisational Behaviour, Financial Times. Pitman Publishing. London.
- Thomson, R and Mabey, C (1994). Developing Human Resources. Butterworth Heinmann.
- Torrington, D and Hall, L (1998). Human Resource Management. Prentice Hall.
