CIPD Advanced Level Qualification Leading, Managing and Developing People

Reducing staff absence and alleviating work pressure

Staff absence can be addressed through work-life balance, adequate rewards, scheduling work, providing a supportive environment on stress management, and hiring other employees. Alleviating work pressure can be addressed through hiring more individuals, proper scheduling of the tasks, and balancing the current workforce. These solutions are based on the sources of absence and work pressure. As noted in the case study the absence is influenced by stress, employees being burdened, and working for long hours. A work-life balance approach would be essential in ensuring that the employees attend to their personal and social activities, while still meeting the required roles and responsibilities. Scheduling the available work would mean allocating the tasks equally as they present. An important aspect in this regard is to ensure that none of the individuals is overburdened yet there are those that free within the surgeries. CSV should also focus on providing a stress management and awareness program. These insights will be important in assisting the individuals to manage their stressors as the organisation explores long-term strategies. In the short and long-term, it is imperative for CSV to hire more individuals despite the process being challenging. This will alleviate the pressure and overburden of the current employees.

Recruiting new team members

The recruitment of new team members should follow the current policies and requirements. Primarily, it is essential for CSV to ensure that the recruited individuals have the right skills and competencies and values which are aligned with those of the organisation. It is also essential for CSV to hire competitive employees, whose skills and knowledge align with the current expectations. In both the short and long-term recruitment process, it is essential for CSV to ensure that the organisational laws are adhered to. Drawing from Stephen Taylor’s book on resource and talent management, an effective recruitment and selection process is required. This should be followed by induction process. Presently, there are several hindrance factors to the effective recruitment process. These include the requirements by the Royal College of Vetinary Surgeons (RCVs) that only registers individuals in the UK and those with high English standards. Also, hiring is affected by the shortage in this occupation. The advice when recruiting is for the organisation to offer sufficient packages and rewards to attract the potential individuals, especially in the UK. The company can also explore the use of agents to recruit the team members, especially outside the UK. A recruitment agency will save the company the costs and time of recruitment.

Reducing staff turnover

Staff turnover can be addressed through adequate rewards, a supportive working environment, work-life balance, reducing overburden through recruitment of new employees, and learning and development opportunities. The company culture can also be enhanced, including leadership and communication. According to CIPD factsheet on strategic rewards, it is important to ensure sufficient compensation to the employees through a combination of the monetary and non-financial aspects. The total rewards concept is important in promoting the employees’ intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Employee motivation and satisfaction are the foundation of retention and reduced turnover. Besides the basic pay, CSV should use recognition, holidays, and numerous benefits. Staff turnover can also be addressed through effective recruitment of the employees and providing a supportive environment through learning programs. The recruitment and selection process as described in the CIPD factsheet plays an important role in ensuring that the organisation has the right individuals to assist the company meet its needs. CSV can also work on leadership and management development. As outlined in the CIPD factsheet on management development, there are several potential approaches, including the formal and informal ones. The formal learning and development approaches include courses on leadership while informal approaches include mentoring and coaching. Presently, there is sufficient time for continuing professional development and training due to the workload. In the long-term, once the company has hired more employees, there will be sufficient time to implement the learning and development programs. This ensures that the employees are equipped with sufficient skills, which enhances their satisfaction, motivation, and retention.

Improving CSV’s record in the field of gender and inclusion

CSV should show adherence to the diversity and inclusion laws and protocols. As presently constituted, the management team has five men. This should be changed and other gender included. Also women comprise of 85% of the employed staff. Such figures should be reviewed and during the recruitment process, it is essential to ensure gender balance across all levels, including the top leadership and the supportive team. Primarily, diversity and inclusivity involve increasing the female gender in the management and the more men in the staff. Inclusivity record is also essential in the decision-making process, where all the genders should be invited in making the decisions. All organisational activities should reflect on inclusivity and gender diversity. Across all the activities in the employee’s lifecycle, it is essential for CSV to document and store how it has maintained inclusivity and diversity based on gender.  In the long-term, it is essential for CSV to show a sufficient record of strategies it has taken to enhance inclusivity and diversity. For instance, the organisational policies and protocols should demonstrate the company’s reservation of positions for the gender that appears to be oppressed. An example is having two slots in the directors’ positions.

i.

The proposition that people management strategies should, mainly, focus on enhancing the payment levels, communication, and quality of management which people experience at the organisation can be demonstrated in an international company that develops diverse products and services for various markets. An example of BMW can be applied in this regard. In such a company, the people, who are mainly the employees are central in achieving its needs and preferences. People management can also be described in the people professional context. According to the CIPD profession map, the people are central in all the organisational activities. Throughout the employees’ stay at the organisation from the recruitment and selection to departure through layoff, retirement, or redundancy, the central focus is to ensure that the person’s needs have been met. In people management process, some of the key objectives are enhanced performance, motivation, and satisfaction. People management is fundamental in ensuring an enhanced employee performance, motivation, and satisfaction, which are related to high retention rate.

The focus on the payment levels in people management is to ensure that the employees feel valued for their input. In people management, the payment approach and levels focus on diverse areas, including the monetary and non-financial aspects. The monetary elements include the basic pay, bonuses, and commission. The non-financial elements include the recognition, growth and development, and benefits, including paid holidays. Adequate payment levels are important in enhancing the employees’ performance, commitment, satisfaction, and motivation. Organisations compensating the employees according to the value that they bring to the company are characterised by high performance and retention rate.

Communication in people management is characterised by enhanced interaction between various stakeholders. Communication in people management is the foundation of all interactions. In contemporary organisations, such as the automotive, communication is important in all people management activities. From the reward management and organisational development to performance management and recruitment and selection process, communication is important in assisting the leadership and management to understand the employees’ needs and how they can be addressed. Another important application of communication in people management is strategic planning and implementing competitive strategies. Such approaches are influenced by the evidence and insights from research and interaction with other stakeholders. Communication is important in sharing about these areas and enhancing the change management process.

The quality of management is based on demonstrating skills and competence in various areas, including communication, critical thinking, decision-making, interpersonal, and ethics. Quality management for instance, is based on how the leaders approach the employees to discuss the issues affecting the company and how they can be addressed. Quality management is also centred on making informed decisions in the organisation and critical thinking to deliver people-oriented solutions. How the people needs are attended to is the foundation of their satisfaction and retention. Therefore, people management should be people-based and ensure that each individual’s needs are met.

ii

My magic wand in my company’s context would be how the change management process is conducted. Presently, I am not convinced that the change management approach is best in the industry. From wide reading, including the CIPD factsheet, specifically in change management, it is essential for the change management process to be informed by adequate research about the area. In my organisation, the change management process is slow and does not apply all the concepts as reflected in research and professional practice. Today, organisations are facing stiff competition from new entrants and the existing companies. Therefore, the organisational leadership and management should be swift in identifying the areas that need change and implement the new approaches. These attributes are not reflected in my company. I would like my organisation to demonstrate effective change management strategies, including the use of renown theories. Also, an effective change management process would be effective in addressing issues such as resistance.