Interim Report from Head of Human Resources (Minute 5)

Clerk to the Corporation’s Summary of Formal Unreserved Minutes of the Meeting of the Personnel, Appraisal and Remuneration Committee held on 14 October 2014

Interim Report from Head of Human Resources (Minute 5)

The Head of HR described her immediate priorities aimed at ensuring a commitment to high standards of professionalism in the Department including a review of key policies to ensure currency and legal compliance, training managers on how to apply the new policies and procedures and update their skills in other areas, a review of all current HR processes, especially payroll and recruitment administration, employment contracts and dealing with staffing requests, and building positive relationships with recognised trade unions through existing structures as well as developing new mechanisms for dialogue. The revision of payroll processes should also entail an examination of the service provided by the payroll agency. The location of payroll in the HR Department rather than in Finance should not for the present be disturbed. The role of HR consultants should be restricted to dealing with specific outstanding cases.

Schedule of HR Policies and Review Dates (Minute 6)

The most urgent policies for review are Age Equality, Anti-Bullying & Harassment, Capability, Disciplinary, Grievance, Teachers’ Pay, Recruitment, Redundancy, Sexual Harassment and Sickness. Policies relating to the fulfilment of statutory requirements or to activities with the potential to damage the College, including reputational damage, must be approved by the Committee on behalf of the Corporation. Policies require an explicit review date and identified reviewer. Policies and procedures, including revisions, should be clearly communicated to those affected by their operation at the earliest opportunity.

Staff Survey 2014 (Minute 7)

76% of staff participated in the survey, reflecting an upward 3-year trend. The level of staff dissatisfaction increased in all but 12 of the 91 question areas (particularly cross-college organisation, job security and satisfaction, strategic management and overall satisfaction). Dissatisfaction was also expressed over confidence in the College’s future, whether things are improving in the organisation, the provision of quality learning opportunities for learners, having the right equipment to meet role demands, and learners feeling supported. Improvements by comparison with the prior year related to staff feelings that they are contributing to their Programme Area and department’s Quality Improvement Plan, and to the usefulness of the Staff Dashboard. Focus groups of staff and managers will be formed to gain deeper insight into the findings. The College’s strategic vision should be emailed to every staff member and discussed at team meetings. Key messages should be shared with staff on how they have been listened to and what action has been taken following the survey outcomes. Managers should be clear concerning their roles and responsibilities, and be able to demonstrate strong leadership and to motivate their staff. The survey should be re-run in around six months’ time using a reduced bank of questions, with its results disseminated in full to all staff. The Committee will develop an action plan on how key issues revealed in the survey data can be rapidly addressed.

CORPORATION OF SIR GEORGE MONOUX COLLEGE

Unreserved Minutes of the Meeting of the Personnel, Appraisal and Remuneration Committee held on 14 October 2014

Present / Riddhi Bhalla (Chair), Saima Arif, Martin Hone, Alan Wells.
Clerking Services / Robert Smith (Clerk to the Corporation), except for agenda 12 and 13.
Observers / Paolo Ramella (Principal - except for agenda 11-13), Louis Strover (Associate Vice-Principal: Quality/Data – Student Experience – agenda 1-7 only), Elaine Brown (Head of HR – agenda 1-7 only).
1 / Apologies for Absence and Quoracy
All members were present.
2 / Declarations of Interest
None.
3 / Minutes of the Previous Meeting (20 June 2014)
The minutes were approved as a correct record of the business transacted and prima facie evidence of the proceedings to which they relate.
4 / Matters Arising from the Minutes
Minute 8: it was reported that the Vice Principal (Corporate Services) is to take the necessary steps to give effect to the decision recorded.
5 / Interim Report from Head of Human Resources (Paper PAR 14-15-01)
A paper prepared by the Head of HR, setting out key priorities, was received and considered.
It was particularly noted that the following matters would receive attention:
. / recruitment and induction of a permanent HR staff team;
. / clarification of professional standards for the department, and of the resultant service level agreement;
. / definition of roles and responsibilities of HR and of managers within HR processes;
. / review of key policies to ensure currency and legal compliance (including conduct and disciplinary, capability, managing sickness, grievance, redundancy, and teachers’ pay), and specification of a programme for the review and of other policies;
. / training managers on how to apply the new policies and procedures, and update their skills in other areas;
. / review and, if required, amend all current HR processes, especially payroll and recruitment administration, employment contracts (and their variation), and dealing with staffing requests;
. / review the staff induction process at both organisational and departmental level;
. / review college recruitment and selection processes in the interests of improved efficiency;
. / build positive relationships with recognised trades unions through existing structures as well as developing new mechanisms for dialogue.
Members requested that the Head of HR provide an update at the next meeting on the formation of her team.
It was agreed that the revision of payroll processes should also entail an examination of the service provided by the payroll agency. It was also agreed that the location of payroll in the HR Department rather than in Finance, although an unusual arrangement, should not for the present be disturbed.
It was additionally agreed that the role of HR consultants should be restricted to dealing with specific outstanding cases.
6 / Schedule of HR Policies and Review Dates (Paper PAR 14-15-02)
A schedule prepared by the Head of HR was received and considered.
It was noted that review dates range from December 2014 to April 2015, according to the perceived degree of urgency, with the most urgent being Age Equality, Anti-Bullying & Harassment, Capability, Disciplinary, Grievance, Teachers’ Pay, Recruitment, Redundancy, Sexual Harassment and Sickness.
It was agreed that policies relating to the fulfilment of statutory requirements or to activities with the potential to damage the College, including reputational damage, must be approved by the Committee on behalf of the Corporation (with approval reported to the Corporation).
Members also commented that:
. / policies require an explicit review date and identified reviewer;
. / policies should be examined to determine whether or not they might usefully be merged;
. / in relation to the grievance procedure:
. / the term “grievance” should be defined;
. / the informal stage of the process should be described such that formal stages would be understood as exceptional, with settlements at the informal stage being implicitly encouraged; and
. / the policy, and its attendant procedures, should appear sufficiently differentiated from the College disciplinary policy and procedures.
. / policies and procedures, including revisions, should be clearly communicated to those affected by their operation at the earliest opportunity.
Members approved on behalf of the Corporation the July 2013 capability, disciplinary and grievance procedures.
It was agreed that revisions of the most important policies and procedures would be considered and, if thought fit, approved at the next meeting of the Committee.
7 / Staff Survey 2014 (Paper PAR 14-15-03)
A paper, together with an executive summary of the survey and the survey proper, prepared by the Head of HR was received and considered.
It was noted that:
. / 76% of staff had participated in the survey, reflecting an upward 3-year trend;
. / the level of staff dissatisfaction had increased in all but 12 of the 91 question areas (particularly cross-college organisation, job security and satisfaction, strategic management and overall satisfaction);
. / dissatisfaction had also been expressed in relation to confidence in the College’s future, whether things are improving in the organisation, the provision of quality learning opportunities for learners, having the right equipment to meet role demands, and learners feeling supported; and
. / areas of improvement by comparison with the prior year had related to staff feelings that they are contributing to their Programme Area and department’s Quality Improvement Plan, and to the usefulness of the Staff Dashboard.
The following recommendations set out in the paper were also noted:
. / introduction of representative focus groups of staff and managers to gain deeper insight into the survey’s findings;
. / encouragement of staff by managers to attend weekly staff briefings, utilised to keep staff informed about the College’s activities, which should be supplemented by half-termly updates by the Principal and weekly updates to staff to reinforce key messages;
. / the College’s strategic vision be emailed to every staff member and discussed at team meetings (as well as at staff briefings);
. / key messages be shared with staff on how they have been listened to and what action has been taken following the survey outcomes; and
. / management capability be strengthened by ensuring that managers are clear concerning their roles and responsibilities and are able to demonstrate strong leadership and to motivate their staff, including further training for course leaders and services managers.
Members commented that:
. / results from the survey reveal increasing levels of participation over time, but also increasing dissatisfaction with aspects of College life;
. / it is important to keep trends under active review and, for this reason, the survey should be re-run in around six months’ time using a reduced bank of questions;
. / survey results should be disseminated transparently and in full to staff;
. / data should be triangulated against that obtained by other feedback methods; and
. / the Committee needs to develop an action plan on how key issues revealed in the survey data can be rapidly addressed.
It was agreed to give further consideration to this issue at the next meeting, including the format of a survey to be administered in early 2015.
8 / Minute reserved.
9 / Minute reserved.
10 / Dates and Times of the Remaining Meetings of the Personnel, Appraisal and Remuneration Committee in the 2014-15 Year
The following dates and times for meetings of the Committee were appointed:
Tuesday 2 December 2014: 6.30pm
Tuesday 27 January 2015: 6.30pm
Tuesday 5 May 2015: 6.30pm
It was agreed that, if additional meetings are required, they will be fixed as and when necessary.
11 / Minute reserved.
12 / Minute reserved.
13 / Minute reserved.
14 / Any Other Competent Business
None.