Auditing Competencies of the HRD Staff

HR competencies are the competencies required by the firm’s stakeholders that hold the key for making HR work. HR competencies include the learning attitudes of line managers, development and empowering styles of top management, and supportive role played by workmen or filed staff, including their representatives.

Dimensions of Audit of HR competencies are:

• Competencies of the HRD Staff
• Learning Attitude of Line Managers
• Top Management Styles
• Learning Orientation of Non-supervisory Staff
• Credibility of HR Department

HR staff are the main facilitator of HR in an organization. They need to be capable of facilitating the HR function; they should have five critical qualities to make HR succeed and have an impact. The qualities are listed below.

Business Knowledge

• Knowledge of business (products, customers, technology, competitors, developments, R&D).
• Knowledge of all functions (Sales and marketing, production and operations, finance, systems, MIS, logistics, services, etc.).
• Knowledge of business capital (intellectual) and its constituents and methods of building business capital.
• All HR staff has thorough knowledge about these matters, and are constantly updating themselves with the changing scenario and information.

Strategic Thinking

• Analytical ability.
• Cost and quality sensitivity.
• Ability to spot opportunities.
• Anticipate and find alternate ways of solving problems.
• Participation of HR staff in making HR policies.

Functional Excellence

• Highly trained and professional HR staff in the field.
• Their familiarity with various HR practices and systems relating to manpower planning, recruitment, training, appraisal, etc.
• Cultural sensitivity with overseas operations.
• Interpersonal sensitivity and empathy in resolving conflicts and problems.
• Coaching and facilitation skill.

Vision of the Functions and Entrepreneurship

• Vision- driven HR department.
• Vision sharing and feeling of proud and passion among HR staff about their functions.
• Sense of priority among HR staff for doing right things at right time.
• Creative, innovative, risk-taking ability of HR staff.

Leadership and Change Management

• Written and oral communication skills of HR staff.
• Negotiation and presentation capability.
• Presence of required skills to manage and introduce the change.
• Participation of HR staff in change management.

Technology- Savvy

• Technology-Savvy ability of HR staff.
• Learning of technical matters by HR staff and use of HRIS for employee benefits.
• Use of IT for recruitment, placement, performance appraisal, feedback, communication, studies and surveys, etc.

Personnel Management and Administrative Skills

• Presence of trained and proficient executives for personnel management.
• Knowledge of labour laws, industrial relations, health and safety environment, salary and compensation management.
• Capacity to handle administrative matters.
• Satisfaction among employees about the level, speed, quality and competency with which services are provided by the HR staff.

Execution Skills

• Presence of planning and monitoring skills, Cultural sensitivity, Persuasive skills, behavior
• modification techniques and group dynamics, ability to craft interventions for implementation,
• and cost and quality sensitivity.
• Participation of HR staff in change management and operationalisation of systems.

Learning Attitude and Self Management

• Presence of commitment for self learning and professional development.
• HR staff having membership of professional associations and bodies, and their participation in

conferences and seminars.

• Spending at least a week a year for self-renewal and professional development through

seminars, field trips, courses, etc.

• Subscription to professional journals and magazines by HR staff.
• Periodic research to diagnose the state of people and their mental health, knowledge,

motivation, problems, etc. and suggesting solutions to enhance the same by HR staff.

Personal Credibility

• Ability of HR staff to honour promises.
• Trust and respect for HR staff among employees.
• Credibility and trust about HR statements.
• Transparency and honesty of HR staff.
• Time devotion of line manager for HR staff.

METHODS OF ASSESSMENT

Interviews of HR staff

• Awareness about business.
• Awareness about strategies.
• Ways of viewing ROI and HR interventions.
• Skills and experience in change management.
• Familiarity with IT and use of HRIS.
• Methods of learning and self renewal.
• Professional preparation to plan and manage the system.

360 degree feedback

• Feedback from internal customers on above systems.

Assessment Centers

• Specially designed exercises to assess strategic thinking ability, simulation exercises, in-basket

method and creativity through case studies, presentations, psychometric tests.