Tag archives for Human Capital

Integration of reward and talent management programs

By Fawaz | Published December 10, 2011

“Only 36% of organizations with a competency model have linked it to their reward programs.”

According to the 2011/2012 Talent Management and Rewards Study, North America, by Total Rewards Association, and Towers Watson. Only 36 percent of those organizations that have competency model are actually linked to their reward programs. Somehow, this percentage is expected. In fact, it could be an optimistic view, and probably could not be used to estimate the population. It is known that only few organizations that actually have “competency model” in place, how about linking that model to its reward programs. Few here do not mean a few organizations in term of numbers. It means that a small percentage of the overall number of organizations out there. The human resources functions is not an isolated operation groups. All functions are dependent of each other. The output of one function is the input of another. In other words, the human resources framework must grant an orchestrated flow of the processes of all human resources functions. This is an essential success factor for a transformed human resources group or a “strategic partner”.

Having a framework that support a smooth stream of all business processes, is what gives the human resources group the ability to carry out its goals. A competency model is very important for many reasons. First, it helps the organization to define the set of competencies that are required for each position, therefore, the right hiring decisions. Second, it helps the organization to manage its performance management system objectively and understand what is needed to improve the overall organization performance. Third, it is important for building an effective training strategy, and measure the value of the investments. Last and not least, it helps the organization pay its employees fairly based on performance. These are few examples of what a competency model could help organizations achieve. However, those are not the only benefits of having a competency model in place, and having it linked to the other human resources centers. It is a single part of a complete sustainable human resources model.

Posted in Rewards, Talent | Tagged development, Human Capital, human resources, rewards, talent | Leave a comment

Workforce planning

By Fawaz | Published May 9, 2011

Workforce planning is the process of defining the number of resources required to meet the organizations’ goals. In other words, a workforce-planning manager is required to analyze the needs of an organization in term of human capital. Where s/he evaluates the current situation and forecasts the future requirements bearing in mind all business variables. This is considerably very important aspect of HR, as hiring manager should act according to the preset plan to allocate the skill set and schedule the start time for the hiring process. Otherwise, it will be difficult to bring the right resources at the right time to deliver the organizations’ goals. In order for this process to work efficiently it has to include four main elements.

Organization goals !

The organization goals must come at the TOP of all. It is very important for almost any workforce plane to succeed. Each organization will set goals for every year at the beginning of the year. These goals are like the roadmap ! It is what the senior managers drive their departments to reach. If you don’t know where to go, How you will know what do you need for the journey?

Understand the current situation

Evaluate what you have and what you don’t. There is no need to bring more than what you need and face the consequences of the inflation. You might have the numbers, but the skills! Work closely with the development experts to check what you can change.

Get engaged with the business

Be more of a business partner. Ask why, when, and what. Is there any new issues, expansions, or just regular requirements. Remember you are not an absolute service provider. You are a partner on the same ship! more load will make it sink and less load will make you arrive late or never.

Analyze the past

It is true you are planning for the future, but the past is important. Usually, the business lines will not plan very well to see who is going to be here tomorrow and who is not. Of course it is a shared responsibility, but the HR team is the sponsor. Analyzing old data will show turnover, retirements trends, and much more.

Posted in Human Capital, Planning | Tagged Analyze, departments, development, Evaluate, expansions, goals, hr, Human Capital, human resources, inflation, manager, organizations, requirements, Skills, trends, turnover, Workforce | Leave a comment

Why do we need job descriptions?

By Fawaz | Published February 27, 2011

Any HR group must have some basic documents to work properly. These documents could include the strategy, policies & procedures, performance system framework, and job descriptions. While these are the most important documents to have, it is not necessarily always. It may differ from one organization to another depending on many factors. Here I am going to talk about the job descriptions (JDs) and its importance to the organization. There are many benefits of having JDs in place. These benefits could yield on the employers and the employee at the same time.

On the employee level, a JD is considered as a good way to converge expectations. It is important to baseline a mutual understanding of the job between the employee and his/her supervisor. Without such road map, it could be difficult to join point of views on how the deliverables would look like. Yet, a JD should not be too descriptive in a way that limits the imagination of the employee nor condensed in a way that makes it vague.

On the other hand, a JD is very important for the employers for many reasons. Out of these reasons are finding the right candidates, minimizing overlaps between different jobs, and weighing each job. Once an employer efficiently weigh the job this yields to cutting pay inflation, help keep employees, and draw an effective organization structure.

Finally, many may ask what is the different between the formats that are scattered on the web. Which one my organization should use? If your organization is not looking beyond the JD itself, then it would not really matter. However, if your organization is looking after the JD which is the most cases. The document used must reflect the evaluation method that they are intending to apply. It could be clear enough for any HR practitioner that the JDs are the foundation of any HR framework. The foundation have to come first and then the rest although, it is not always the cases. I have seen it comes later on, but always remember that late arrival better than no-show.

Posted in Human Capital | Tagged HR documents, Human Capital, Human Resource, Job Description | Leave a comment

TNA evaluation matrix

By Fawaz | Published August 13, 2010

In a previous post Competency based TNA (the top-down approach) I have mentioned that to make use of Competency based TNA you should have three documents:

Competency Dictionary.
Competency Level Matrix.
Competency Evaluation Matrix.

The evaluation matrix helps evaluating the employee level of a certain competency. This helps assessing the gap which you will design your program to close.

This file (Competency Based TNA Show case) explains more in this regards.

Posted in Competency | Tagged adequate tools, evaluation matrix, Human Capital, Human Resource | 2 Comments

Competency based TNA (the top-down approach)

By Fawaz | Published June 3, 2010

Competency based Training Needs Assessment (TNA) or I might call it the top-down approach for efficient training implementation. Is something might be known long time ago, but I was trying to carry out this approach and I couldn’t find an exact implementation methodology until recently I have figured out that I should start designing this framework if I may call it “framework”, starting from the top to down. I have developed the Competency Dictionary, Competency Level Matrix and the Competency Evaluation Matrix. The Competency Dictionary will work as the base for this framework, where all required leadership/technical competencies that we wants to have in this dept. are there!. The Competency Level Matrix is a simple matrix that shows the required level of knowledge for each competency for each job. The last one is the Evaluation Matrix which is there to be used on an annual basis to rate and measure the real level of the competency that the job incumbent indicates.

By doing this all parts of the puzzle is brought together to be a tool for efficient training. How training! as I said the top-down approach! now we know exactly what kind of competencies we would like to have, also the level of competency for each job and how much of it each employee shows. The next step is to close the gaps using the competency mapping method and raise the current level provided by employees using the right training program.

Posted in Competency | Tagged Competency Mapping, Human Capital, training, Training Value | 1 Comment

Personal Capabilities

By Fawaz | Published January 20, 2010

Have you ever asked yourself what my capabilities are? I was wondering what my capabilities are for years. This question is not easy to answer although it seems to be an easy one. I always thought a senior role than mine is easy to do. I look at my manager’s position reckon… why I’m not in his place yet. After a while I was given a bigger role which its goals were not clear enough. By then I have started to do things as I see it is the right thing to do. Later on I realized the successful professional should work out the added value. Holding senior job isn’t about performing the tasks as mentioned in the job descriptions. In fact there is no job description explains exactly what should you do and shouldn’t. It only gives you some hints about what is your job profile. At the end you are responsible of performing this job and if you do it this way (reactive) you will be good for some time and keep the area out of troubles but you will not be creative and won’t grow. The key is by being proactive performing things before someone triggers it. Continue reading »

Posted in Human Capital | Tagged Human Capital, Human Resource, Self Improvement | Leave a comment

From Personnel to Human Capital (HC)

By Fawaz | Published September 2, 2009

When I look into the development stages of human resource management I find it developing rapidly and in stream with organizations size and profit. Of course the new communication style and globalization has its own effects too. What came to my mind after attending couple of seminar in this regards which was conducted in Saudi Arabia is the rapid changes happening in this field ! and what is the real engine behind it? I have asked myself many questions but I couldn’t reach a fair answer.

Checkout this quotes:

From the Introduction to Human Resource Management by Ashly Pinnington & Tony Edwards

UK Personnel Management / HRM Timeline

1800s

Some paternalist employers such as the Rowntree and Leverhulme families strongly concerned about the welfare of the workforce; health and education, for example, were seen as part of their responsibility. But employees’ welfare primarily the concern of outside institutions and individuals, particularly the church, charities, and welfare workers.

1900-38

Formation and consolidation of personnel management as a professional body. Introduction of more systematic record keeping and management of the human resource. Role of ‘looking after’ workers, previously the domain of women, develops respectability at the higher levels of responsibility as ‘man’s work’. Continue reading »

Posted in Human Capital | Tagged Human Capital, Human Resource | Leave a comment