3CO04 Essentials of people practice

This unit assignment introduces the fundamentals of people practice, ranging from the employee lifecycle to policies, regulation and law. It further explores a diverse array of specialist subjects such as recruitment, talent management, reward and learning and development essential to a career in people practice. Importantly, this unit enables practitioners to apply their knowledge and skills, building their confidence and ability to practice progressively. Assess each stage of the employee lifecycle and your current role within it.

CIPD’s insight

Recruitment – an introduction

Good recruitment is vital for every organisation - finding the right people for the right roles at the right time. It ensures that the workforce has the relevant skills and abilities for the organisation`s current and future needs. Effective resourcing is not just about filling an immediate vacancy but about having an impact on the long-term success of the business, using workforce planning data to understand what skills are needed for organisational performance.

This factsheet looks at what recruitment and resourcing involves and outlines the UK law affecting recruitment activities. It describes the stages of the recruitment process: defining the role, including job analysis and job description; attracting the applicants using both internal and external methods; managing the selection process; and, finally, making the appointment and employment offer.

https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/fundamentals/people/recruitment/factsheet

Performance Management – an introduction

If people are the greatest creators of value in organisations, then good performance management is critical for an organisation’s success. Employees need to understand what’s expected of them, and to achieve those goals they must be managed so that they’re motivated, have the necessary skills, resources and support, and are accountable. Performance management aims to monitor, maintain and improve employee performance in line with an organisation`s objectives. It’s a not a single activity, but rather a group of practices that should be approached holistically.

This factsheet explores critical aspects to get right in performance management, as well as recent changes in thinking. It summarises some of the main tools used in performance management, including objective setting, performance ratings, performance appraisals and feedback, learning and development, and performance-related pay. Assess each stage of the employee lifecycle and your current role within it.

https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/fundamentals/people/performance/factsheet#gref                                                                                                                                                                              

Case study

You have recently been appointed as a member of a People Practice outplacement company. One of your first assignments is to support a client called Technow, a rapidly growing technology company started four years ago by a brother and sister partnership.

In your first meeting with the partners, they inform you that they are planning to recruit a new management team which will consist of 5 section heads and 10-line managers, many of whom will be new to the company. The partners main concern is that as the company evolves, they can no longer have personal control over people matters. They request that you take responsibility for raising awareness of people practices to the new management team such as recruitment, work/life balance and engagement, key legislation, diversity, performance management, reward and learning and development. The intention is that the values and practices that the partners hold dear will not be lost in the expansion. An assessment of each of the different stages of the employee lifecycle, illustrated where appropriate by your role as an outsourced people practice professional within the lifecycle

Preparation for the Tasks:

• Spend time planning your answer. You should attend the Assessment Q&A session if you have any questions about the assessment tasks.
• Refer to the indicative content in the unit to guide and support your evidence.
• Pay attention to how your evidence is presented, remember you are working in the PeoplePractice Team.
• Make sure that the evidence generated for this assessment remains your ownwork.

You will also benefit from:

• Reflecting on your own experiences of learning opportunities and continuing professionaldevelopment.
• Reading the CIPD Insight, Fact Sheets and related online material on these topics.

Don’t forget to:

• Complete the front cover sheet and place at the front of your assessment.
• Use the bullet points below each task as headings and sub-headings so your marker can see where your answer begins

Task One – Standard Operations Guide for Technow Recruitment.

In preparation for recruitment of Technow’s new management team you are required to produce a standard operations guide to provide the partners and their organisation with a step-by-step, easy to understand set of instructions so they can achieve formalisation of the recruitment practice. It must include and consider:

• An assessment of each of the different stages of the employee lifecycle, illustrated where appropriate by your role as an outsourced people practice professional within the lifecycle. (AC 1.1)
• An explanation of the stages and different methods available within the recruitment process and when it is appropriate to use each of them. (AC 1.2)
• An explanation of the different methods and techniques that can be used to prepare and provide information for the various parts of the recruitment process for specific roles. (AC1.3)
• An assessment of the different materials and methods that can be used to attract talented individuals internally and externally for a range of roles. (AC 1.4)

Task Two – Interview Preparation Pack.

In readying Technow for interviews, create an interview preparation pack to advise on different types of selection methods that can be used and when it is appropriate to use each of these.

The pack must:

• Compare and contrast different selection methods that are used to assess the suitability of candidates and when it is most appropriate to use each method (AC 2.1)
• Discuss the records that need to be retained following a selection process (contributes to AC 2.4).

Task Three – Simulated Interview with Peers

The owners of Technow have asked that you are part of the interview panel to select the first of the line managers.

It is essential that you actively take part in devising the criteria, shortlisting, interviews, decision-making, and follow-up processes for the role and that your contributions are clearly and uniquely identified through comments from your assessor on the Assessor Observation Feedback Form. A CIPD STARR Model Interview Questions – Appendix A has been included for reference.

You will need to demonstrate:

• Devising selection criterion from the personal specification for the appointment of a line manager. (contributes to AC 2.2)
• Shortlisting applications against the selection criteria to determine candidates to be interviewed. (contributes to AC 2.2)
• Contributing to a face-to-face, telephone or web conferencing interview as part of a panel using an appropriate interview structure. (AC 2.3)
• Using interviewing skills and techniques effectively, making justified selection decisions
• Writing a letter of appointment, and a letter of non-appointment to candidates (AC 2.3) (Contributes to AC 2.4) 

Task four – Narrative - Legislation and Organisational Practices

Produce a narrative which can, if you wish, include illustrations, images, diagrams and flow charts, in order to provide the managers at Technow with a fundamental understanding of employment legislation and organisational practices.

During the initial meeting, the owners wanted an emphasis to be placed on clear explanation that highlights the importance of work-life balance, engagement, diversity and inclusion and how these are influenced by legislation. In addition, they wanted you to identify the main points relating to employee discrimination, fair and unfair dismissal law, since fairness was explained to be critical in driving Technow’s business values.

The narrative must include an:

• explanation on the importance of achieving work-life balance within the employment relationship with an overview of the regulations relevant to work-life balance. (AC 3.1)
• explanation of what is meant by, and the importance of, wellbeing in the workplace (AC 3.2)
• assessment of how the positive and negative aspects of employee engagement can impact the way people feel at work, and the likely results. (AC 3.3)
• summary of the main points of discrimination legislation and the impact that discrimination can have throughout the employment relationship (AC.3.4)
• explanation of what diversity and inclusion means, how it differs from equal opportunities, and the importance for business and for social justice (AC 3.5)
• explanation of the difference between fair and unfair dismissal as defined in legislation, and as perceived by those involved and not involved. (AC 3.6)

Task Five – Performance Management and Reward

Prepare a presentation, to include slide deck and supportive notes, aimed at providing Technow’s new management team with essential knowledge and understanding of performance management and reward. You need to ensure that you explain:

• the purpose of performance management, and the factors, information and components that influence and affect performance management systems. (AC 4.1)
• the main factors that need to be considered when managing the performance of teams and individuals. (AC 4.2)
• the key types of appraisal and how they are used in performance management. Include reference to the key skills needed by those holding the appraisal. (AC 4.3)

With regard to employee reward, your presentation must clarify the importance of different approaches to reward that can be used for attracting, motivating and retaining individuals. An assessment of each of the different stages of the employee lifecycle, illustrated where appropriate by your role as an outsourced people practice professional within the lifecycle

Be sure to provide an:

• explanation of the key components (financial and non-financial) that are required to achieve an effective total reward system. (AC 5.1)
• exploration of the relationship between reward and performance, and the links to motivation. (AC 5.2)
• explanation of at least two reasons for treating employees fairly in relation to pay. (AC 5.3)

Task Six – Supporting Skills and Knowledge Developments in the Workplace

Currently employee development at Technow is non-existent. This is an area of people practice that the two owners of Technow are keen to address. To this end they have asked you to develop a factsheet to guide the new managers as they start to support others to develop the skills and knowledge to meet both individual and organisational objectives.

Your factsheet should include:

• examples of different learning needs that might arise for individuals and organisations, explaining how they might arise. (AC 6.1)
• a summary that briefly explains different approaches learning, which must include at least: facilitation, consulting, training, coaching, and mentoring. (AC 6.2)
• an explanation of how, in the design and delivery of learning and development initiatives, individual requirements and preferences must be accommodated. (AC 6.3)
• examples of at least two methods of evaluating learning and development and its impact, and how evaluation benefits both individuals and organisations, (AC 6.4).

Assessment Criteria Evidence Checklist

Use the following as checklists to make sure that you have included the required evidence to meet each task. 

3CO04 Essentials in People Practice 

Assessment Grading

The grid below shows the range of results you could achieve based on total number of marks awarded across all assessment criteria.

To pass the unit assessment you must achieve a 2 (Low Pass) or above for each of the assessment criteria.

The overall result achieved will dictate the outcome you receive for the unit, provided

NONE of the assessment criteria have been failed or referred.

Please note that learners will receive a Pass or Fail result from the CIPD at unit level. Referral grades can be used internally by the centre.

Marking Grid

Appendix A – STARR Model Interview Questions

The model looks at:

Situation – what was the situation faced by the candidate?

Task – what specifically did the candidate need to do, what was their part?

Action – what did they actually do?

Result – what was the outcome, was it what they intended it to be?

Reflect – what was learned from the experience?

The model can be used in different ways:

• By candidates when answering questions to ensure they cover all the relevant information.
• By the interviewer to probe and ask candidates further questions based on their responses.
• By the interviewer to bring a talkative candidate back to the question in hand.

Using one of the three open questions below, try to give examples of probing questions you could ask a candidate to get more information.

• Tell me about a time when you have managed a project.
• Talk me through a time when you have delivered outstanding customer service.
• Tell me about a time when you have worked as part of a team.

Turning competencies into questions using the STARR approach

Below is an example of how you might turn one set of competencies into a short structured interview (1-1.5 hour)

Situation

Ask for an example of a situation in which the candidate was required to demonstrate the competence under review.

Task

Clarify what was the task that the candidate had to undertake in the specific situation identified.

Action

Find out very specifically what the candidate did.

Result

Find out the outcome or result and what happened.

Reflect

Find out what the candidate learned from the experience and/or what they would do differently when in the same or similar situation again.

Below are some suggested questions for STARR

Assess each stage of the employee lifecycle and your current role within it.

Situation

• Tell me about a time where…
• Explain a time when…
• Describe an occasion when you…
• Give me an example of when you…
  • Can you think of a time when you…
  • Talk me through an experience when you…

Task

• What was the task?
• What was expected from you?
• What was your role?
• What were your responsibilities?
  • What was your approach?
  • Who else was involved?
  • How did you begin?
  • What exactly did you do?
  • What timescales were you working to?
  • How did you go about…?
  • What happened next?
    • What did you consider?
    • How did you monitor what you did?
    • What obstacles did you have to overcome?