Essence and basic concepts
In the personnel activities of enterprises of various forms of ownership, sets of methods and means are used that make it possible in one way or another to influence the organization of the production process. Successful application of the techniques in practice will lead to an improvement in the company’s working structure and the labor potential of employees.
The work of specialists in this direction is a whole strategy with sequential steps. The initial stage is to identify potential opportunities in managing subordinates, as well as the main goals of the company. For example, an enterprise’s personnel policy is formed under the influence of two groups of factors:
- external environment (these are phenomena that are fixed and regulated at the state level, they must be taken into account): the regulatory framework, scientific and technical achievements, the situation of the labor market as a whole and trends in the development of the country’s economy;
- internal environment (everything that happens directly within one LLC): implementation of personnel management methods, employee incentives, competent management strategy, etc.
The provisions on the organization's personnel policy are inextricably linked with both management and production activities. The formation of a personnel system takes place in the form of work with personnel, which includes planning and selection, arrangement and compilation of job responsibilities, as well as the organization of the actions of an individual employee and departments. An integral part of competent personnel planning is identifying the reserve, training personnel, stimulating them and creating real opportunities for professional growth.
Based on this, the main objects can be identified:
- planning the number of staff and required positions;
- ensuring a sufficient level of employment;
- organization of advanced training or training;
- stimulation;
- data exchange.
In accordance with Article 196 of the Labor Code, the owner of the enterprise has the right to determine the need for retraining based on production needs. He must also create optimal conditions for training subordinates, if the appropriate level of professionalism is necessary to perform certain job duties.
Different types of scale of personnel policy
Depending on the methods of influence, personnel policies are divided into several types.
Passive
Passive personnel policy operates in such business structures that make a minimum of efforts to manage personnel, letting the situation take its course, limiting itself only to punitive measures or leveling out the negative results of personnel actions.
In such companies, management does not have time to analyze personnel needs, predict the impact on personnel and plan any personnel activities, since they are forced to act in a permanent mode of “extinguishing” unexpectedly breaking “fires”, the causes of which are no longer possible to analyze. Tactics far exceed strategy. Naturally, such a policy is the least effective.
Reactive
Reactive personnel policy monitors the causes and consequences of negative aspects associated with personnel. Within this management method, management is concerned about possible problems such as:
- conflict situations among personnel;
- dissatisfaction with working conditions;
- lack of qualified personnel in conditions of need for them;
- decrease in employee motivation, etc.
Problems need to be solved - this is where management efforts are directed. As part of this policy, the organization seeks to develop programs aimed at analyzing situations in order to prevent their recurrence, as well as resolve existing conflicts to mutual benefit. The lack of effectiveness of this management method may become apparent during long-term planning.
Preventive
Preventive personnel policy , on the contrary, is aimed at future personnel potential. When choosing between “looking into the past” and predicting the future situation, personnel officers who adhere to this style choose the latter. Sometimes it is not possible to combine immediate impact on personnel situations with perspective-building activities in the same way.
The organization prefers to build development plans for a more or less long period, while also focusing on current situations with personnel. The problem with the effectiveness of such a policy is if it requires the development of a program to achieve a specific personnel goal.
Active
An active personnel policy provides not only forecasting, both medium- and long-term, but also means of directly influencing existing personnel situations. HR services of a company that adheres to this policy:
- carry out constant monitoring of personnel status;
- develop programs in case of crises;
- analyze external and internal factors affecting personnel;
- can make appropriate and timely adjustments to the developed activities;
- formulate tasks and methods for developing the quality potential of personnel.
Depending on how correctly management evaluates the grounds taken into account during analysis and programming, an active personnel policy can be carried out in two ways.
- Rational active personnel policy - the measures taken are based on conclusions drawn on the basis of conscious personnel mechanisms, as a result of a “diagnosis” and reasonable forecasting. A rational way of personnel management provides not only the ability to establish the necessary principles and rules for influencing personnel, but also to change them if necessary in an emergency response to a changed situation. With this approach, any area of activity will always be provided with the required number of performers whose qualifications best correspond to it. An employee can count on development and growth in the long term.
- Adventurous active personnel policy . The desire to influence personnel exceeds reasonable and conscious information about the situation with them. Diagnostics of the state of personnel is not carried out or is not carried out objectively enough; there are no means for long-term forecasting in this area or they are not used. However, human resources development goals are set and programs for their implementation are developed. If they are based on a generally correct, albeit intuitive, understanding of the personnel situation, such a program can be used quite effectively. Failure is possible if unexpected factors intervene, which could not be predicted. The main weakness of this type of management is the lack of flexibility when unforeseen factors arise, for example, unexpected changes in the market situation, changes in technology, the emergence of competitive products, etc.
Directions and tasks
Since the main object of the company's policy is the staff as the main composition of employees, all its mechanisms are aimed at working with it. At some enterprises, freelance units may also be subject to the implementation of this policy, for example, personnel registered under a temporary employment contract or attracted through outstaffing and outsourcing.
The directions of the personnel strategy cannot but be coordinated with the directions of the HR department. For rational management of an enterprise, it is necessary to competently solve problems and tasks in the following areas:
- staff management is a primary job, which should be based on the principles of equal opportunities for everyone and on meeting the needs of employees and the company itself (sometimes you have to sacrifice some interests, but for benefit in the future, for example, give employees a bonus to the detriment of the company’s profit in the current month, in order stimulate an increase in labor productivity in the following);
- search, selection and proper distribution of personnel - an activity that allows you to eliminate gaps in the staff, fill all jobs, provide employed people with employment that matches their capabilities (an analysis of not only professional qualities is necessary, but also personal ones, including experience and practical skills);
- providing the company with a management team: the owner of the company must understand that in the event of the loss of valuable employees, a worthy replacement must be immediately found (the principle of competitive selection of the best specialists is appropriate here, as well as the principle of rotation and interchangeability of positions);
- decent wages and choice of motivation methods (the mechanism involves a rational calculation of the amount of material remuneration corresponding to the level of complexity of the work performed, and in addition, negative and positive methods of motivation in the form of incentives and disciplinary action).
No less important is the concept of developing specialists working at the enterprise. Both themselves and the leader should be interested in this.
Effective personnel work is aimed at increasing not only the professional level, but also the social status of personnel from the point of view of the regulatory framework, treating individual aspirations with understanding, and encouraging personal achievements.
The procedure for developing and improving personnel policies
In practice, senior management is responsible for developing personnel policies. The process is multi-stage and painstaking. It includes the following steps:
- visualization of the employer’s strategic goals, drawing up a company development plan;
- development of principles of personnel policy, its priorities, as well as identification of strengths and weaknesses, taking into account all factors;
- finding or releasing funds for the implementation of personnel policy (assessment of assets, funds allocated for the implementation of personnel policy for its final approval);
- approval of personnel policy, its documentation in local standards;
- communicating personnel policies to subordinates;
- prompt policy adjustments, formation of appropriate plans;
- implementation of operational plans and use of personnel policy methods;
- assessment and analysis.
As for improving the developed policy, it should be based on a comprehensive analysis and require certain time (often also material) costs.
Elements and classification
The development and implementation of personnel policy is impossible without a range of special tools. It is not always possible to use them all at once, but it is their complex use that makes it possible to achieve the stated goals. The most important tools include:
- administrative: this is the entire regulatory framework of the organization, recording of working hours and internal regulations, a book with the staffing table and regulations on wages and bonuses, on the basis of which the employer regulates the work of subordinates;
- social: used to form a corporate image in the foreign market and create an internal style of the company (a high degree of involvement of employees in solving organizational issues makes it possible to create an entire society with the help of which high efficiency in management can be achieved);
- psychological (methods of influence should contribute to a favorable microclimate in the team, but deliberately provoking conflicts sometimes turns out to be useful, allowing one to identify particularly valuable subordinates and those prone to destabilizing the situation).
Each textbook provides the concept of personnel policy along with its classification. The decision to apply a particular strategy is made in accordance with the goals and production objectives of the company.
A passive policy means that there is no structured work with staff at the enterprise as such. At the same time, the owner is not required to attract resources, and the specifics of the activity do not imply the formation of an effective personnel reserve (for example, an organization for cleaning apartments and offices).
When choosing a reactive scheme for working with staff, the manager must be able to make emergency decisions in the event of emergency situations, without lengthy planning. This method is suitable for managing a small staff and is not expensive.
Preventive personnel policy, on the contrary, involves the preliminary drawing up of an action plan to achieve goals. It is considered quite effective, but not in those industries where it is difficult to make an accurate forecast.
The main feature of the active type strategy is high costs, but it allows you to effectively manage and regulate the activities of employees at all stages, from selection to advanced training.
Principles of classification of personnel policy
- The degree to which the organization, represented by its management, understands the ways of influencing personnel and using them for direct influence determines 4 types of personnel policies according to its focus and scale:
- passive;
- reactive;
- preventive;
- active (you can distinguish between rational and adventurous).
- The degree of desire to isolate oneself from external personnel influences, focus on one’s own human resources or external potential allows one to divide personnel policy into:
- open;
- closed.
How can an employer implement personnel policy and personnel selection ?
Degree of openness in staff formation
In large corporations, for example, BMW or MTS, employees are usually not recruited “from the street”. The personnel policy of such market giants is to attract people to higher positions not from outside, but from lower vacancies. This is how a closed strategy for working with staff is characterized. In contrast, an open policy implies the recruitment and acceptance of workers from the external market for any positions. In both cases, the owner is interested in optimizing the costs of personnel development.
The characteristics of an open type system are as follows:
- due to the wide variety of specialists on staff, it is possible to use various ways of adapting to new working conditions and teams;
- training takes place only in external organizations, and practical skills and knowledge are tested during employment;
- there is usually no prospect of career growth, since specialists are looked for on the labor market, and not from the available number of employees;
- there is no increase in loyalty to the company.
In addition, staff turnover is one of the criteria. In closed mechanisms, this problem is practically absent, and a permanent, cohesive single team with established traditions, rules and corporate ethics is formed from the collective.
In closed systems, much attention is paid to mentoring - an internal mechanism of the enterprise that allows the team to unite as much as possible. Unlike an open policy, motivation involves not only material rewards, but also intangible benefits and all kinds of benefits provided within the company. Incentives to achieve high results in work in terms of promotions play an important role. Almost everyone has the same chance of occupying a high position and rising from the bottom.
Modern organizations rarely use one specific business strategy. Managers, together with HR departments, prefer to combine the principles of both closed and open strategies.
Goals of HR policy
The key goal of an organization’s personnel policy is to form a team that works effectively for the benefit of the entire enterprise and where each individual employee feels comfortable. To achieve this goal, you need to simultaneously move in two directions:
- Select, train and distribute people so that they bring maximum economic benefit.
- To develop each employee so that he realizes himself in the best possible way and is motivated both morally and financially.
That is, the basis of the CPP is the combination of the personal interests of employees with the collective goals of the organization. Also, the goals of personnel policy are divided into two categories:
- Economic . They are installed in order to increase the profits of the enterprise.
- Social . They are needed to build team spirit and increase employee motivation.
Remember also about such an important goal of the checkpoint as creating conditions guaranteed by the state for workers. No personnel management system can violate the rights and obligations of workers established by law. If the organization’s personnel policy runs counter to current legislation, this is a reason to contact the State Tax Inspectorate. |
5 principles of the organization's personnel policy
The effectiveness of an organization's personnel policy largely depends on whether the basic principles of working with personnel are observed. These are the principles:
- Efficiency . This principle can also be called payback, since it is based on the fact that all investments in the development and implementation of checkpoints must be covered by income from economic activity.
- Complexity . This means that the HR policy must cover all categories of workers and all areas of their activities. From senior managers to support staff.
- Systematicity . That is, the interconnectedness of all human resource management processes, as well as taking into account all results (material and social, including negative) and the influence of various factors on this result.
- Methodical . It involves a thorough analysis of the selected methods and solutions in order to increase efficiency and avoid mutually exclusive tools.
- Innovation . It involves the use of all available modern tools that help achieve your goals with maximum efficiency. A common name for the principle is scientificity.
Personnel policy of the enterprise: what factors influence
Personnel management systems are influenced by both the external environment and the internal situation at the enterprise.
Among the external factors of influence:
- General economic situation . During periods of economic growth in society, employers have ample opportunities to expand their staff, increase their professional level, and provide various incentives. During periods of crisis, policies are reversed.
- The situation on the labor market . If it is oversaturated with the necessary highly qualified personnel, the approach to selection is one, and completely different if there is a personnel shortage in the market.
- Scientific and technical progress . Changes in technical equipment have a direct impact on personnel management policy: the need for some workers disappears, while for others it grows; The principle of distribution of human resources is changing.
- The legislative framework . Conditions, payment and other aspects of labor organization directly depend on legislation. The law and local regulations are the main subjects of the organization’s personnel policy.
Internal influencing factors include:
Enterprise goals . Initially, the formation of an enterprise’s personnel policy occurs precisely with a focus on the company’s economic goals. If these goals change in the course of activity, the policy also undergoes changes.
The structure of the company . Most modern businesses have a flexible structure to meet market demands. Personnel management methods may change when the structure is modified.
Personnel potential . This is a clear example of how an organization's HR policy is like a two-way street. On the one hand, it determines methods of working with personnel. On the other hand, the personal and professional characteristics of employees largely determine the checkpoint.
Requirements and evaluation criteria
Implementation of personnel policy in an organization (a sample document is always available on the Internet or in specialized literature) is a whole complex of activities, the implementation of which can affect not only the microclimate, but also financial results. Therefore, certain principles and rules must be followed depending on the chosen direction of development and type of policy.
Firstly, the content of the personnel strategy must be inextricably linked with the overall concept of the company and correspond to its goals and scope of activity. Secondly, it is necessary to choose an optimal and flexible policy that allows you to quickly and effectively eliminate shortcomings and problems.
Thirdly, there is no competent management and achievement of set goals without a preliminary economic assessment, analysis and justification. First of all, the costs of personnel management must correspond to the financial capabilities of the company and not cause damage.
Finally, the activities of HR specialists should be aimed not only at regulating general mechanisms, but also at developing an individual approach to each employee. This is the only way to fully realize the potential of each employee.
It is important to understand that any attempts to change or improve anything in state management cannot lead to instant results. Even the most promising strategy at first glance requires an adaptation period and competent analysis of the results.
In turn, the assessment includes the study of such parameters as staff turnover, the qualitative and quantitative composition of employees, as well as the degree of respect for the personal interests of subordinates and the company as a whole.
Objectives of personnel policy
Not just conscious, but well-planned tactics and strategy for personnel management at an enterprise are designed to solve a number of purely practical problems:
- balance between maintaining and updating the composition of hired personnel;
- the optimal ratio of “fresh” and experienced personnel, their composition in terms of numbers and qualifications;
- increasing the efficiency of personnel depending on the needs of the market and the requirements of the company;
- monitoring and forecasting personnel impacts;
- implementation of targeted influence on the potential of hired personnel.
Consideration of personnel policy from the standpoint of a systematic approach requires “movement” in at least two directions. The first direction is to determine the elements that form the “personnel policy” system, the second direction reveals the target orientation of such a system. View more details
What are the HR policy tools?
To implement a competent personnel policy, management should analyze the following points in working with staff (tools):
- Organization and planning of personnel work;
- Analysis of the current work of employees;
- Determination of management (governance) effectiveness;
- Availability of activities to improve staff qualifications;
- The degree of remuneration or monetary incentives from management;
- Participation in solving social problems of the state.
Please note: the presence and level of development of each of these points affects the effectiveness of the team and improves the personnel structure. The absence of one point can lead to a drop in motivation and productivity on the part of staff.
What are the characteristics of preventive personnel policy?
A feature of preventive personnel policy is that management (management structure) has its own forecasts regarding the vector of development of the company’s work and the work of its personnel in the absence of excess financial resources.
The personnel department of such organizations is able to influence the staffing situation by diagnosing and analyzing the level of motivation and qualifications. The preventive system necessarily includes a compiled analytical forecast of the situation in the state for the short and medium term. The forecast describes the directions of development of each department or employee, ways to improve the level of qualifications, data on the quality and quantity of personnel (including future indicators). However, experts often cite the creation of a targeted personnel development program (not including local methods of increasing motivation or qualifications) as problematic issues.
Main directions of personnel policy: principles and characteristics
If we talk about different enterprises, then each has a certain direction. A more visual and common view is the following:
- Personnel management of an organization - has the same management principle for both general and individual ideas. In this case, you have to look for constant compromises between employees and senior management.
- Selection and placement of personnel consists of several principles - professional competence, individuality, compliance, practical achievements. It is characterized by the fact that each employee meets his qualifications and occupies his position. He must be experienced and have professional skills, and have his own management style.
- Formation and preparation of a reserve for promotion to leadership positions - this area includes several principles: rotation, suitability for the position, manifestation in work, assessment of the individual qualities of the employee. It is characterized by the fact that promotion is carried out on the basis of a competition or tender. Active training is carried out for the employee who must assume a leadership position. The candidate is determined based on his experience.
- Personnel assessment and certification is determined using the principles of indicator selection, quality of task performance and qualification assessment. Using this direction, you can determine the main indicators that should be adhered to in your work and which still need to be developed. In this way, it is possible to assess the potential of employees and ways to achieve profit maximization.
- Personnel development is based on the principles of advanced training, opportunities for self-development, and ways of self-expression. This direction is very necessary, as it will help to prepare qualified personnel as much as possible.
- Motivation and stimulation of personnel, remuneration is an important point, which is determined on the basis of the principles of equal combination and incentives. In this case, tasks and deadlines for their completion should be set. There must be incentive factors, on the basis of which a person will use all his best qualities.
The impact of choosing the type of personnel policy on the company's work
Choosing and maintaining the principles of personnel management entails not only the general mood in the team, but also the prospects for the development of the company’s brand.
The following features of the influence of the personnel situation on work efficiency are identified:
- Motivation on the part of managers is the basis for the effective implementation of assigned tasks - it is expressed in the employee’s prospect of receiving a monetary reward (in some cases it can be expressed in the employee’s chance of receiving a promotion);
- Strengthening the company brand by future employees in the labor market;
- Improving personnel policy brings the team closer together and increases the speed in achieving the task.
The key role in this case is played not by the business owner, but by recruiters or administrators who process vacancies to select new employees and manage the activities of each team member.
Open and closed policy
Policy is distinguished by the degree of interaction with the environment; it can be open or closed.
Open
When conducting it, the organization practically does not pay attention to where the new employee came from. Only qualifications play a decisive role. That is, such a person does not need to work in this organization for many years to take a position, for example, a senior manager; management has enough knowledge and experience to immediately introduce him to the management team to solve certain problems. This is not very pleasant for the company’s employees, who often wait for a position for years, and they hire someone from outside to fill it.
Closed
In an organization that professes such a policy, it is difficult for an employee, even with high qualifications and extensive experience, to get on staff. In order to take a place at the top of the career ladder, you need to work your way up from the very bottom. That is, it is simply impossible to get into the senior management team from the outside. This policy is typical for enterprises trying to create a certain corporate culture. In such organizations you can plan your career and be sure that the coveted place will not be taken by a competitor from the street.
Personnel issues are a priority for companies trying to achieve a sustainable economic position. Correctly chosen personnel policy helps to solve it.