EMPLOYMENT AND HUMAN RESOURCE POLICIES AND PERSONNEL ISSUES AT GLIDING CLUBS EMPLOYMENT & HR POLICIES and PERSONNEL ISSUES 1 COMMUNICATION ...................................................................................................2 2 POLICIES..................................................................................................................2 3 CONTRACTS OF EMPLOYMENT ............................................................................2 4 FUNDAMENTAL PERSONNEL ISSUES AT GLIDING CLUBS................................3 5 THINKING OF EMPLOYING STAFF FOR THE FIRST TIME?..................................3 6 USING YOUR POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ........................................................4 October 2010 Page 1 of 4 EMPLOYMENT & HR POLICIES and PERSONNEL ISSUES The subject of human resources is a potential minefield. Employment law is a constantly shifting area of legislation and any policies put in place will need to be reviewed at least annually to ensure that they have not been left behind. Most gliding clubs in this country are run by volunteers. No two clubs are the same and people are employed for a variety of reasons and to fulfil a variety of roles. 1 Communication Good communication is helpful. When a club decides to change staffing levels, the right amount of good quality information will need to be transmitted to the membership. It may also be entirely appropriate to consult the membership on the matter, in which case, the right amount of information needs to be transmitted from the membership to the Committee and used to help inform the decision making process. Good communication will also prove invaluable when setting and maintaining working relationships and creating an environment where a supportive culture can be enjoyed by all; ordinary club members, volunteer management or employees alike. 2 Policies The BGA is not a specialist in employment law and therefore has not and will not provide model policies for clubs to adopt in this area. Instead, given the constantly shifting legislative environment and the need to provide clubs with something that gives them a good steer in this area, a number of Good Employment Guide Fact sheets from The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) have been provided. The sheets can be found in the People, HR and Employment section of the NCVO website and by following the link: http://www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/good-guide-factsheets The sheets include organisations that offer free advice relating to each area. There website http://www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/advice-support/workforce-development should be checked to ensure that the Committee is working with the most up to date information available. This includes their HR Bank of policies donated by organisations to promote sharing of good practice. Other good sources of information include ACAS http://www.acas.org.uk ; the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills www.bis.gov.uk ; and Business Link http://www.businesslink.gov.uk As each HR policy is developed, written or updated, advice should be sought from an appropriately qualified professional. 3 Contracts of Employment The critical element is the contract that the gliding club has with each employee. Most benefits and entitlements that you may wish to develop a policy on should be covered within any contract of employment. The contract works hand in hand with the job description that should be used as part of the recruitment process. Often it contains the meat of the job’s responsibilities. Preparing this well sets and manages expectations for all in relation to the role and getting it right is almost as critical as getting the contract right. October 2010 Page 2 of 4 EMPLOYMENT & HR POLICIES and PERSONNEL ISSUES An overview guide to Employment Law, originally written by Emma Burns of Geldards LLP and updated on 1st April 2007, has been provided. The references to some of the legislation are now out of date, but the principles set out in the document still remain useful. You can contact Geldards direct on (029) 2023 8239 to get a more up to date version. It is worth having any draft contract checked by an appropriately qualified professional. The money spent could save the club thousands in the future. 4 Fundamental Personnel Issues at Gliding Clubs Having more than one boss is not funny. Someone who works at a gliding club has a lot to contend with. This includes the turnover of people on the Committee. Each Committee has its own dynamics and style of management and this has the potential for changing every year after the AGM, with the subsequent lag phase as people settle in to their new roles. Technically, of course, the Club members are the employer. The membership elects the management Committee to manage the affairs of the club including the appointment and management of any staff. Therefore, to form a sustainable working relationship, it is imperative that there is a clear reporting structure for any employees. This is a two-way street; it is for information to and from the Committee. Therefore, if you want to keep your staff, it is essential that club and committee members respect this and refrain from providing impromptu performance reviews for staff as they pass the office (or worse, whilst sitting in groups at the bar). When contemplating changes within the club, it is important that the committee involves any members of staff and give them the option of becoming actively involved, either as a volunteer or as part of their role. However, if this means a change of the terms of their contract, it needs to be a joint decision, following negotiation. Training should be offered where appropriate. Unilateral variation of a contract is likely to result in heartache, paperwork, extra costs and ultimately, a speedy recruitment exercise. These issues are often compounded by the fact that, due to the specialist nature of the work, club members may have become employees and will subsequently find themselves in awkward situations when their mates (or even syndicate partners!) have become their employer. If the temperature seems to be rising with staff, consider things from their perspective. Working with a bunch of volunteers, however hardworking and well-intentioned, can be extremely challenging, demanding and frustrating. However, strike the right balance and there is no better and rewarding setting in which to work than a happy volunteer-run organisation. 5 Thinking of Employing Staff for the First Time? A club that wants to employ staff for the first time, or that wants to move the staffing levels up a gear, for instance by taking on a professional instructor or club manager, needs to bear some points in mind. The most important of which is developing an understanding of the true cost of employing someone. This is not just salary, tax, national insurance, other benefits and pensions. It also includes:  Recruitment costs  Potential costs of covering illness or any reason they may require paid absence  Costs of finding and paying staff to cover absence October 2010 Page 3 of 4 EMPLOYMENT & HR POLICIES and PERSONNEL ISSUES  Redundancy costs – should the club need to scale down again in the future There are more subtle issues to consider. In a club with no employees, club members know they have to muck in and do things, or else they don’t get done. Having employees reduces the amount of volunteer activity – often because people don’t like to tread on other people’s toes, but more often because people get used to not having to do things themselves. 6 Using Your Policies and Procedures They should be practical so that both parties can consult them to work out how to react to a given situation, such as requesting a pay review. Creating a file full of papers that simply gathers dust on a shelf will not help anyone. During a challenging episode, such as the requirement to manage a member of staff through a performance related issue, or to discipline them, following the appropriate procedure should help to keep you out of the sort of situation where you may find yourself in front of an Industrial Tribunal, having been accused of unfair or constructive dismissal. Correctly following the appropriate procedures is vital. If you find that you are reaching for the file in order to start using some of the emergency policies to support some advanced management activity, please also reach for the telephone to get some outside advice. You can get this from ACAS, Business Link and so on. You can also contact your Development Officer who has access to HR support through the CCPR. Details of sources of free advice are included in the pack. Buying appropriate professional advice should not be ruled out. October 2010 Page 4 of 4