Strategies for managing people are designed to promote equality of opportunity in the development of the organisation's people
Evidence 1. Top managers can describe strategies they have in place to create an environment where everyone is encouraged to contribute ideas to improve their own and other people's performance. 2. Top managers recognise the different needs of people and can describe strategies they have in place to make sure everyone has appropriate and fair access to the support they need and there is equality of opportunity for people to learn and develop which will improve their performance. 3. Managers recognise the different needs of people and can describe how they make sure everyone has appropriate and fair access to the support they need and there is equality of opportunity for people to learn and develop which will improve their performance. 4. People believe managers are genuinely committed to making sure everyone has appropriate and fair access to the support they need and there is equality of opportunity for them to learn and develop which will improve their performance. 5. People can give examples of how they have been encouraged to contribute ideas to improve their own and other people's performance. |
What this means in practice Having a culture that encourages people to recognise how they can improve their own performance in the job, as well as that of their colleagues, is paramount to an organisation's continuous improvement. Recognising the diversity of your people when developing appropriate learning and development activities is vital in ensuring all people have fair access to the development they need. For example, whether they are full time, part time, volunteers or located in different parts of the organisation, people will feel that they are involved in continuous improvement activities, and they will recognise the support their managers provide in offering learning and development opportunities for all. Everyone in your organisation will have the opportunity to learn and develop in order to improve their own performance. They will feel able to contribute to the organisation achieving its objectives and will see that their efforts are an important part of this process. For teams and individuals, people will be discussing how performance can be improved and what they can do to contribute. People will be able to describe the different kinds of support they receive from their managers to help them and their colleagues improve. People will feel that their managers are supportive and be able to give examples of the kind of support, advice and guidance they have received. Support could be formal, in the shape of a specific learning and development activity or programme, or more likely informal, in the form of advice, guidance or shadowing discussed at a one-to-one meeting or team meeting. People will be able to outline how they have been encouraged to come up with ideas for improving their own performance and enhancing the performance of
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Typical Questions:
Strategic
- Is there a commitment at the top of the organisation to ensuring the workforce reflects the diversity of its customers and/or society as a whole?
- Are there policies in place which will promote equality of opportunity when:
- Recruiting and selecting employees
- Promoting and rewarding employees
- Developing employees
- Managing under-performance, misconduct, sickness absence and bullying and harassment?
- Does the organisation monitor its workforce and key people management systems and processes to ensure appropriate diversity and equitable treatment of employees?
Management
- Are differing individual needs and abilities taken into account when planning and assigning work, and when planning for learning and development?
- Is internal communication planned and managed so that it meets the diverse needs of the workforce?
- Are managers equipped to recognise and value diversity, and to deal proactively with disharmony which may arise from internal differences?
Development
- Are development opportunities widely discussed and promoted?
- Is a range of learning and development options provided, such as training, on-job coaching and on-line learning?
- Are there any categories of employee disadvantaged by comparison with the mainstream, for instance part-time workers, shift workers, support staff, employees located away from the centre, people with disabilities, non-UK nationals?
Examples of good practice:
- A positive and clear statement of the organisation’s commitment to learning and development of all its people
- A clear and comprehensive equal opportunities statement
- Having personal development plans for all employees, including for instance part-time workers, casual and temporary employees, or those on career breaks.
- Using performance review or skills audit processes to ensure development plans are linked to individual need
- Monitoring learning and development activity and comparing it with the workforce profile
- Creation of Diversity Champions, and delivery of Equality and Diversity training for managers and staff
- Targetting groups with the potential to suffer disadvantage or discrimination
- Scheduling training to ensure potential participants have more than one opportunity to attend
- Providing opportunities for distance learning and on-line learning to improve flexibility
- Arranging with training providers to accommodate the specific needs of delegates, for instance providing transcripts for the hard of hearing; large print for the visually impaired.
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