Human Resources Strategy
2014 - 16
“Excellent organisations value their people and create a
culture that allows the mutually beneficial achievement
of organisational and personal goals. They develop the
capabilities of their people and promote fairness and
equality. They care for, communicate, reward and
recognise, in a way that motivates people, builds
commitment and enables them to use their skills and
knowledge for the benefit of the organisation.”
- European Foundation for Quality Management
1. Introduction
Nugent Care has a strong reputation for its charitable work across
Merseyside and throughout the North West of England. Our wide range of services allows us to provide a highly individualised and tailored approach to all our service users. We work with children, adults and community groups through our homes, schools and community based projects, and we also provide a voice for the disadvantaged through our advocacy campaigns.
We employ around 780 staff and benefit from the work of around 250 volunteers. We spend approximately £20m per year in providing our services, with the majority of this representing salaries and staffing costs.
The organisation has a Strategic Plan for the period 2013-2016, which sets out a direction for the future development of our services.
This Plan is itself built upon our Mission Statement:
“Nugent Care, in progressing the inspiration of Father Nugent, a Catholic Priest and Founding Pioneer, will continue its history and culture of being at the forefront of responding to and representing people’s needs. We will provide quality services that ensure people’s rights, independence, inter-dependence, choice and inclusion are integrated into everything that we do.”
The three major functions of the organisation are to be:
la service provider la major employer lan advocate
The nature of our business means that the successful delivery of high quality services is dependent upon the efforts of our managers, staff and volunteers. In order to fulfil our mission and carry out our major functions, we must plan, recruit, engage, reward and develop our workforce, so that they continue to be the driving force behind our success.
The HR Strategy is therefore an enabling strategy, designed to support the achievement of the Strategic Plan, and to give direction and structure to the employment of our staff.
2. Strategic Plan 2013-2016
The Strategic Plan is based on our Principles, which are:
l ensuring our services will be of such a standard that we would
be happy to receive them if we ourselves stood in need of them
l the continuous development of a ‘service user first’ culture and
through this service users will attain influence and control over the service they receive
l the provision of services through which we will endeavour to
understand and respect traditions, religions, and cultures of all people. We will promote equality, value diversity and respect the dignity, human rights and intrinsic value of every individual.
l the delivery of high quality, cost effective, traditional and
innovative services to meet need
l being an ‘employer of choice’ by creating a work environment and
culture for staff and volunteers that encourages development and effective leadership
l campaigning on issues of social justice and fairness
l being prepared to take and support those risks necessary for
organisational and personal growth in the interests of those whom we serve or seek to serve
l working with others in social welfare, health or education, enabling
our combined skills, knowledge and experience to be utilised to the full potential
l utilising and stewarding our financial and other resources
efficiently, effectively, and economically.
These principles form the foundation of our work, and should also
underpin the behaviour and performance of our staff. The HR Strategy will seek to ensure that everyone keeps the principles at the forefront of their minds.
The aims of the current Strategic Plan are to:
l achieve business growth based on research and financial viability l undertake a series of advocacy campaigns
l develop and implement systems to measure our social impact
and service outcomes
l increase our use of social media in marketing and advocacy l increase the use of management information systems in
These aims will be deliverable only if we plan our workforce carefully, ensure they are fully involved in implementing change, provide a safe and motivating work environment, and provide them with the skills and knowledge they require to provide outstanding services to our clients. Therefore, the four themes of the HR Strategy will be:
lWorkforce planning & resourcing lStaff engagement & involvement lHealth & wellbeing
3. Workforce planning & resourcing
3.1 Workforce Plan
In support of our planned service developments, a comprehensive Workforce Plan will be established and maintained, which will specify the numbers and skills of staff required in the workforce, in order to deliver high quality services. The Plan will be revisited regularly at Service level, to ensure that we maintain an understanding of our current and future workforce requirements.
We will need to consider:
l the profile of the current workforce, including existing skill mix,
staffing levels, shift patterns and demographic information
l the priority areas for future investment in services identified in our
Business Plans
l the effect of local commissioning strategies on services
l potential effects of national policy and legislation on social care,
welfare and education
l developing joint planning with partner organisations.
3.2 Workforce Information
The development of iTrent as a comprehensive HR information system will improve our ability to provide workforce information to inform service planning and operational management. Annual Workforce Plans will be developed for each service to accompany and inform Annual Business Plans. These will include recruitment and training plans, and targets for key workforce measures such as absence, completed appraisals,
mandatory training, use of temporary staffing, staff turnover, disciplinaries, etc. The Plan will be reviewed regularly and progress reported to the Executive Management Team.
3.3 Resourcing strategies 3.3.1 Recruitment
The recruitment of new staff is one of the most important activities
managers carry out, in terms of the cost of recruitment, the consequences of recruiting unsuitable staff, and the time and resource required for selection, induction and training. The recruitment and selection process must therefore be as effective and efficient as possible. We will:
l review and improve attraction methods l streamline selection processes
l review and improve recruitment outcomes
l work in collaboration with 800 Group partners to promote
3.3.2 Retention
Many of our staff are long-serving, and have acquired in-depth knowledge and experience through working with our various client groups. We should be seeking to retain this knowledge and experience within the organisation, and ensuring that it is passed on to new staff. However, some turnover of staff is beneficial, to introduce new ideas, methods and insights into the organisation. Our retention challenges are:
l appointing/promoting internally where possible to create
development opportunities for staff
l providing flexible working and alternative working patterns to
recognise different stages in staffs’ personal lives
l encouraging relief staff to move into permanent positions if they
wish
l better use of exit information to monitor and address reasons for
leaving
l development of management skills
3.3.3 Staff deployment
In order to respond quickly and effectively to short-term changes in service demand and longer term changes in service provision, we must be able to deploy staff flexibly across the organisation as far as possible. This needs to be supported by contractual arrangements which incorporate
4. Staff engagement & involvement
Research(1)has shown that employee engagement with the aims, objectives and outcomes of an organisation impacts positively on
performance and productivity, on levels of absenteeism, and on retention, service improvement, client outcomes, and on staff advocacy of the organisation. We will therefore seek to measure and encourage the engagement of our workforce.
4.1 Principles & Values
Our principles and values are the cornerstone of what we do, defining the organisation, its work and what we stand for. They should be owned and enacted by everyone, and in order to encourage commitment to them, we will:
l use them as part of our recruitment and selection process l reinforce them as part of the Corporate and local induction
process
l assess commitment to them during the probationary period. l incorporate them into ongoing objective setting and appraisal
processes. 4.2 Communication
A fundamental part of engaging staff with the purpose and priorities of the organisation is two-way communication; listening as well as telling. Front line staff are best placed to say what is working and what isn’t in relation to our services, and their views should be actively sought and acted upon whenever possible.
Being a geographically-dispersed organisation, communication with staff is both more important and more difficult. Our existing communication channels will be reviewed to ensure that they are fit for purpose and allow staff to be heard by senior managers.
In addition, we will explore further developments in communication, including:
l surveying staff opinions
l increasing access to electronic communication l involvement of staff in planning and decision making l further developing communication with volunteers.
4.3 Partnership working 4.3.1 Trade Unions
We have a recognition agreement with Unison which confirms our wish to work with them as partners in developing our employment arrangements and managing change in the organisation. This function is carried out formally through the Joint Consultative and Negotiating Group, which oversees joint working on HR issues of common concern.
We also have good working relationships with the Trade Unions who represent our teaching staff.
Our HR Policies and Procedures will be developed in partnership with staff organisations, providing a framework for employee relations, and assisting managers to maintain and improve performance, manage change, reward and motivate staff and comply with employment law. The effectiveness of the Policies and Procedures and their contribution to the performance of the organisation will be monitored through the JCNG.
4.3.2 800 Group
The Chief Executives of the 800 Group of Charities meet regularly to address issues of common interest and concern, and to develop joint approaches to business development. The Group’s HR Managers also meet to work collaboratively in relation to policy development, training provision, recruitment and ad hoc support on a range of HR issues. We will continue to participate fully in 800 Group initiatives, to enhance our own and the Group’s influence in the Merseyside social care sector.
4.4 Equality & diversity
Nugent Care respects and values the diversity of our service users, staff and volunteers. We are committed to providing services which are appropriate, accessible, fair and culturally sensitive. We recognise that unlawful discrimination is an obstacle to the mission and principles of the organisation, and we ensure that equality and diversity are incorporated into all aspects of our work. To achieve this, we will ensure that:
l all our staff are trained in the areas of equality, diversity and
non-discriminatory behaviour, and operate a zero-tolerance of discrimination, including bullying and harassment.
l we meet all of our legal and contractual duties in relation to
equality and diversity
l we maintain data to identify priorities and measure the
4.5 Managing change
The Strategic Plan envisages the growth of the organisation through innovation, sound investment and grasping of new opportunities. The Social Care Bill, expected to be enacted in July 2014, may change the way in which we provide existing services, and could lead to the
establishment of different services. This will require organisational change, and it is recognised that staff should be involved in the planning and implementation of this change.
We will introduce an Organisational Change Policy, which sets out how we will consult with and inform staff about planned changes, and how we will implement change in a fair and consistent way, in accordance with staffs’ contracts and good employment practice.
4.6 Employer branding
Nugent Care has a well-established reputation in Merseyside and the North West for the quality and diversity of its services. However, the public’s positive perception of our services needs to be matched by their perception of us as an employer. If unemployment falls over the next few years as predicted by economic forecasts, we will face greater competition for new recruits from both within and outside the care sector. We should therefore take steps to reinforce our employer brand, to achieve our aim of becoming an employer of choice.
We will:
l continue to maintain our Investors in People accreditation, and
seek to upgrade the level of award within the next 3 years
l pursue additional organisational quality accreditations, which will
demonstrate to the public that all of our systems and processes are aligned to our aims, values and principles
l continue to invest in the training and development of our staff, to
ensure that they have the skills necessary to provide high quality services and to enhance our reputation as an employer
l utilise our internet presence to promote our employment and
5. Health & wellbeing
When care organisations prioritise staff health and wellbeing, they experience not only reduced absence levels, but also increases in staff morale, productivity and quality of care (2). Many of our services present day-to-day mental and physical challenges for staff, and it is essential that we help them to develop the resilience to work in this environment.
5.1 Emotional & physical wellbeing We will:
l seek to improve access to counselling and other types of
psychological therapy
l work continually to maintain and improve a healthy working
environment
l provide access to physical rehabilitation services
l continue to work with our Occupational Health provider to
further develop support for staff health and advice for managers
l as mentioned above, operate a zero tolerance of bullying in the
workplace. 5.2 Healthy lifestyles
We will encourage staff to participate in health promotion initiatives such as healthy eating, smoking cessation, taking physical exercise, and
stress management techniques. We will, as far as possible, accommodate requests for changes in working patterns which may benefit staff in
various stages of their lives, and also promote the organising of staff social activities.
5.3 Reward management
A major factor affecting staff wellbeing and motivation is their perception of the reward received for their efforts. We will develop a Reward Strategy with the intention of providing both pay and non-pay benefits and
rewards, that will be regarded by staff as fair and appropriate.
5.3.1 Pay
Our ability to increase pay is limited by the contracting environment that we work in, but we will review our current pay and grading systems, and seek to remain competitive on pay within the care sector.
Many social care organisations have committed to paying the Living Wage, which is a non-statutory pay rate deemed to represent the minimum required to avoid poverty. We will assess the implications of moving towards the Living Wage, and draw up proposals in conjunction with Unison.
5.3.2 Benefits and rewards
We will seek to enhance our employment package by providing a range of non-pay benefits and rewards including salary-sacrifice schemes, based on packages available commercially. These are intended to reflect staffs’ priorities at various stages of their lives, and will establish our brand as an innovative employer.
5.4 Attendance management
Levels of sickness absence across the organisation vary between
establishments, but averaged 5.68% over the last 12 months for the whole organisation. This compares with 3.8% for the not-for-profit sector, 3.9% for the private sector, and 4.0% for the public sector (3). The actions set out above are intended to facilitate a reduction in sickness absence, but nevertheless we will continue to set targets for absence reduction, and support managers in taking appropriate action in accordance with our Procedures.
6. Training & development
This part of the overall HR Strategy sets out how we will develop the skills and talents of our workforce, supporting individuals and teams to deliver our objectives.
6.1 Training Strategy Group
This Group is chaired by the Director of Operations, and is responsible for developing a Training Strategy to support the organisation’s 3-year
Strategic Plan. Within this Strategy, the Group will draw up, implement and monitor an annual plan for the training and development of Nugent Care staff which will:
l support both current and planned service strategies l comply with statutory and regulatory requirements
l take advantage of available funding opportunities
l create measurable improvements in the quality of service delivery l promote opportunities for personal and professional development.
The Group is accountable to the Executive Management Team. 6.2 Staff Development
We will continue to invest in the growth of our staff so that they are able to fulfil their potential, and provide the highest level of service to our clients.
It is therefore crucial to be able to assess accurately the training needs of staff at all levels of the organisation, so that our investment in training and development is targeted to meet those needs. The Staff Appraisal Procedure sets out how we will achieve this on an annual basis for all staff. In addition to providing staff with feedback on their performance, appraisals will create Individual Personal Development Plans, which will be aggregated to form Training Plans for each service, which in turn will form the organisation’s Training Plan.
6.3 Leadership & management development
One of our Principles is to encourage development and effective
leadership. We will put in place development programmes for existing and aspiring managers, to give them the skills, competence and confidence to manage people, services and resources effectively. This will be linked to the Institute of Leadership & Management Level 5 Award for Managers. Leadership development for more senior managers will be available at ILM Level 7.
6.4 Mandatory training
Training which is regarded as mandatory relates to skills and knowledge which are either required by regulation, or deemed to be essential for the safe and effective performance of individual roles, and to safeguard the health and wellbeing of service users and staff.
Person specifications for each type of role within the organisation will specify the mandatory training which must be completed within a set timescale. Failure to complete this training within the timescale will result in a review of whether or not the individual is able to continue working in that role.
(2)King’s College National Nursing Research Unit 2013 (3)CIPD Annual Absence Survey 2013
6.5 Vocational learning, including QCF/ NVQ awards and Apprenticeships We will continue to ensure that our staff are occupationally competent for their roles by requiring completion of relevant awards at the Levels specified by regulation. Support for this will be provided by the Training Department’s accredited Assessment Centre.
Implicit in this is availability of internal Assessors to help staff to complete their awards. We will ensure that sufficient Assessor resource is identified, and time made available for them to carry out these duties.
We will consider the creation of Apprenticeship schemes where appropriate, and where sufficient support is available. In addition to providing an alternative workforce supply, this will also fulfil our role as a charitable organisation by providing a route into work for young people.
6.6 Prioritising training needs
We will use information from a variety of sources to plan and prioritise training activities on an annual basis, eg.
l statutory and regulatory requirements, including feedback
from inspection visits
l outcomes of individual performance appraisals, aggregated into
service training plans
l service developments discussed at quarterly meetings with Heads
of Services
l outcomes of Safeguarding and governance reviews carried out by
the Safeguarding Board.
Following discussions with Heads of Service, a draft Annual Training Plan will be presented to the Training Strategy Group for approval and
recommendation to the EMT.
The Framework for prioritising training is shown in Appendix 3
Any proposed changes to training plans across the organisation during the year will be considered by the Training Strategy Group with reference to the Framework.
6.7 Securing learning resources
Training activities are funded by an internal budget, allocated to
establishments, but managed centrally by the Training Manager. Changes in training priorities during the year result in funding being vired between budgets. As regulatory requirements increase, the volume of training required also increases, and the securing of additional external funding is becoming more important.
We will continue to investigate opportunities to acquire funding from a range of sources, both statutory and non-statutory. Collaboration with 800 Group partners may also provide training resources, and we will investigate the potential for offering QCF Awards on a commercial basis, as a means of generating additional resources.
6.8 Evaluating training
Our investment in training and development must be evaluated to ensure that it is contributing to improved performance. This will be carried out at individual, service, and organisational levels. We will also continue to monitor methods of training delivery, to ensure that it is provided in the most cost-effective way.
External assessment of training is carried out by QCF External Verifiers, and by our 3-yearly Investors in People review.
7. Putting the HR Strategy into operation
The HR Strategy will be delivered through the management of each Service and Head Office function, with the support of the HR and Training Departments. Specific actions to implement the Strategy will be included in Services’ Annual Business Plans and Annual Workforce Plan. Managers should also have HR or Team management objectives included in their personal Action Plans, linked to their Service HR plans.The HR and Training Departments’ Annual Plans will set out how we will support Services to achieve their objectives.
7. Putting the HR Strategy into operation
The HR Strategy will be delivered through the management of each service and Head Office function, with the support of the HR and Training Departments. Specific actions to implement the strategy will be included in Services’ Annual Business Plans and Annual Workforce Plan. Managers should also have HR or team management objectives included in their personal action plans, linked to their service HR plans.The HR and Training Departments’ Annual Plans will set out how we will support services to achieve their objectives.
8. Performance measurement
The intention of this Strategy is to create a pathway towards improved organisational performance through better planning and management of our human resources. The success of the Strategy will be measured over time through a range of HR metrics, which will be capable of
linking people management practices with service outcomes. The current Balanced Scorecard approach will be reviewed to ensure that it supports this aim.
We will be implementing new modules of the iTrent HR and Payroll system in 2014, covering HR Records, Recruitment and Learning Events. This will give managers greater access to a range of information which will enable them to monitor and measure the effectiveness their staff management. External benchmarking will also be undertaken to give a broader
perspective to the measurement of our HR performance.
9. Reviewing strategy
The Strategy wilI be reviewed regularly to ensure that it remains aligned with and supportive of the overall Strategic Plan for the organisation. APPENDICES
1. Summary of the four themes 2. Workforce profile
Workforce planning &
resourcing
How we will plan our future workforce and skill requirements, and approach the recruitment and retention of staff to ensure the delivery of strategic
objectives.
• Service Workforce Plans • Workforce information to
support planning • Skills planning • Recruitment Strategy • Retention Strategy
Summary of the four themes
Health & wellbeing
How we will ensure maximum effectiveness in our organisation at every level, and create a positive and healthy working environment. • Attendance Management • Emotional wellbeing • Physical wellbeing • Healthy lifestyles • Health support/ rehabilitation • Reward managementStaff engagement &
involvement
How we will improve the effectiveness of our communication with, and involvement of staff in the development and delivery of our service plans.
• Values and behaviour • Communication processes • Partnership working • Equality & diversity • Managing change • Employer branding
Training & development
How we will develop the skills and talents of our workforce, supporting individuals and teams to deliver our objectives.• Staff Development
• Leadership & management development • Mandatory training • Vocational learning, including NVQs and apprenticeships • Planning training • Securing learning resources • Evaluating training Appendix 1.
Workforce profile
Appendix 2. 2317 65 99 60 379 88 116 72 0 100 200 300 400 F T E C o u n t
FTE Staff by Category + Headcount
FTE Staff Headcount (Exc. Relief)
1. Staffing
As at 1st April 2014, we employed a total of 655 staff (541 fte), excluding relief staff.
2. Staff Turnover 2013-14 2
Staff Type Av. Count ’13 -‘14
Starters Leavers Turnover
Substantive/Temp 637 82 69 11%
Relief 137 58 37 27%
3. Workforce characteristics
Only 1% of our staff declared whether or not they had a disability. 2 1% 99% Disabililty
Disablility Declared Undeclared
Our workforce is predominantly of white ethnic origin.
7% 1% 1% 1% 1% 89% Ethnicity
28% of our staff are aged 55 or over, and 13% are aged 60 or over. They are likely to retire over the next 5 – 10 years.
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 Under 20 20-29 30-39 40-45 46-50 51-54 55-59 60-65 Over 65 2 45 121 98 102 86 99 65 16 Age Group Co un t o f A ge G ro up
Employee Age Profile - April 2014
4. Sickness absence
The overall organisational target of 3% absence was not met in 2013-14, although many establishments met the target on an individual basis. The majority of sickness was long term.
1.92 1.53 1.16 1.41 1.47 2.15 1.20 1.75 1.32 2.11 1.82 1.24 3.90 3.95 4.11 4.74 4.40 3.67 4.79 4.74 3.77 4.19 4.07 4.18 £ 7 5 ,1 8 2 .7 2 £ 6 6 ,1 7 3 .6 1 £ 6 0 ,7 1 9 .5 0 £ 7 5 ,6 4 3 .2 8 £ 7 1 ,1 0 2 .6 9 £ 6 9 ,7 7 6 .8 4 £ 7 4 ,1 7 1 .3 7 £ 8 3 ,0 4 2 .8 4 £ 6 2 ,4 3 6 .9 5 £ 7 5 ,9 0 3 .4 5 £ 7 3 ,5 9 4 .6 9 £ 6 4 ,6 7 9 .2 8 5.82 5.48 5.27 6.15 5.86 5.82 5.99 6.49 5.09 6.30 5.89 5.42 0 20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000 100,000 0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00 6.00 7.00 F in a n ci a l C o st P e rc e n ta g e Sickness Absence 2013 - 2014
Decreasing level of
Resource Professional Increasing Level of
Self-Development Priority
Advanced Job-related
(higher level skill for existing service)
Service Development
(new skills for new services)
Minimum Job-related
(must acquire these skills for current job)
Statutory/Mandatory
(cannot perform job without these skills/knowledge) S T A T
Framework for prioritising training needs
Appendix 3.Statutory/mandatory training is the highest priority, and will be resourced first. Achievement of the minimum job related qualifications (eg. Level 2 Care) are the next priority. Decisions on resourcing other types of training will be taken based on an assessment of risk.
Training specification for individual roles
An analysis of training requirements will be used to create a training specification, which will be attached to individual types of role within iTrent. This will enable the production of person specifications for recruitment, and appraisal documentation.
Recruitment
The person specification will set out which types and level of training are essential or desirable. This will help managers to make shortlisting decisions, and indicate the level of training the new recruit may need. A training plan can then be drawn up which will provide the new recruit with the minimum skill set within a defined timeframe.
Appraisal and individual training plans
The appraisal process will result in an individual training plan based on an assessment of progress against the role-based training
specification, followed by requirements of service developments, and then self-development. This process is illustrated below.
1. Role-Based Training Specification
Appraisal 2. Service Development Individual Training Plan
3. Self- Development Monitor progress (
Protocol for training plans
i) statutory/mandatory training must be up to date before funding or time off is allowed for other training.
(ii) minimum job-related training must be completed within a set timescale (as appropriate to type of award/course and available training resources).
(iii) advanced job-related training will be provided where
necessary to enable improvements in the quality of services, and to provide development opportunities for individuals. (iv) development of new skills required to provide services
differently may take precedence over advanced job-related training, depending on the timescale for the provision of the new service.
(v) requests for training and development which is not directly job-related will be considered, but may not be funded, or have time off allowed.
Funding for training
Managers will need to allocate their training budgets to meet the most urgent individual training needs. This will require an overview from Heads of Services, to ensure appropriate prioritisation.
