HR Team not performing - what to do - General - HR in Schools and Academies

7 HR Team not performing - what to do

7 Mar, 2017 08:52

Hi all

Me again! I'm after a safe place to vent, gather my thoughts and hopefully get some good advice as I'm finding myself too caught up in this...

I've inherited a HR team of ex-office managers/business managers/bursars. They all have between 15-35 years experience in schools and upon going to a multi-academy trust, the powers that be tried to do the nice thing and, upon diminishing the office support roles in schools, created high level HR roles/job descriptions for them to retain their overly generous salaries (3 of the 4 are paid more than me and I'm HOD!). This was about 18 months ago.

Now, I've been here 5 months and have been tasked with stepping up the HR service to our schools, and the biggest issue is the HR team cannot fulfill their roles. I know initially this is no fault of their own per se as the previous manager it appears was happy to let them plod (I don't use that term lightly) along with payroll and some basic recruitment and she picked up everything else.

HR do not have the best reputation with the schools and I have constantly talked with the team about stepping up their service delivery, the need to broaden their knowledge/skills, to do more 'HR' etc. So as part of this I recently put to the team that I would like them to start the CIPD level 3 at the local college, one evening a week in September, fully funded by the trust - now the problems have started...

3 of the team are in their early-mid sixties, 2 of which always talk about retirement. As a result, they are resisting any formal training. One staff member has also thrown in the mix that she picks up her granddaughter on the evening the course runs so cannot even consider attending. And lastly, they are not willing to study in their own time.

I'm really trying to play nice with this, but, they are not fulfilling their roles, the HR service is severely suffering as a result, and I'm having to oversee large parts of their work which is now impacting my own work.

The current structure isn't working, but I don't know for sure if this is down to the team's lack of knowledge, so I have been putting a proposal together for a restructure, however, a part of me is thinking should I at some point say enough is enough and start formal capability procedures if they are unwilling to cooperate with bringing them up to standard/doing the jobs they were moved into?

I find myself more and more frustrated with this so any words of wisdom or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Rant over :)

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Keith | 0 Posts

7 Mar, 2017 10:09

What are senior management willing to do? Are they willing for you to performance manage these people to the point of dismissal?

The individuals probably should have been made redundant at the point the MAT was formed...but that would have been very expensive.

Chances are if you start performance managing them against reasonable expectations for their grade/salary they will start to retire.

I think the Level 3 course is both a very poor investment for the Trust and a bit of a red herring - it allows the focus against your legitimate changes to be on something they can reasonably resist rather than something they would struggle to resist.
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Kimberly | 0 Posts

7 Mar, 2017 11:17

In reply to Keith:
Thanks Keith.

I think the MAT realise they should have gone down the redundancy route but wanted to do the "right" thing for the staff at the time. Management are happy for me to deal with as I see fit, although, any redundancy costs would need signing off, but, I wouldn't want to have to do that if the real issue is performance and that can be managed through policy.

I already hold training sessions with my team, have weekly team meetings, monthly 1-2-1s and have tried getting them to sign up to online qualifications (but again they won't complete any of the course in their own time). They just can't do the jobs they're employed to do and won't help themselves to learn how.

Am I being unreasonable to expect them to attend training/courses in their own time (the JD states they are to commit to their CPD and to attend training and events)? And, as a sense check, if I was to start capability, would the team have an argument that we as the employer knew they couldn't do the job when they were moved, and this is a sham to avoid redundancy costs?

I'm trying to think what I would advise another manager in this position but it all goes out the window when it's you and your team!
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Keith | 0 Posts

7 Mar, 2017 11:35

In reply to Kimberly:
You can not make someone attend a training course in their own time (generally) and expecting a 60 something year old to go on a formal training course they don't want to (and you wont get the benefit of) seems a waste of time and money to me.

You could make them redundant now - just come up with a new structure and a new role profile that they cant meet. Its probably the easiest and nicest way out but expensive.

You could agree settlement agreements with them based around redundancy costs reflecting they cant actually do the job they get paid for.

But as I said I wouldn't focus on the course - in reality if these are "high" paid HR BPs (well that job title anyway) is a CIPD Level 3 really the make or break for the role?
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David Perry | 0 Posts

7 Mar, 2017 11:45

Do they have, or could they be given, relatively simple - or more complex targets/actions/ etc., etc., whatever you want to call them to achieve.? At the end of the day if they start the old, Thats not what we do", you can always use your stick!
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Kimberly | 0 Posts

7 Mar, 2017 11:47

In reply to Keith:
Makes sense - thanks again Keith :)
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David | 0 Posts

7 Mar, 2017 11:48

In reply to Kimberly:
You have my sympathy, Kimberley - staff you have confidence in and can delegate - to and rely - upon are a great asset but if you can't an absolute nightmare - and it's ultimately *you* who gets the blame when they (inevitably) mess-up big-time.

One (expensive) option might be to change the jobs to professional 'HR Business Partner' or similar ones taking great pains to ensure they're demonstrably very different - eg require a high level HR training and qualification or equivalent etc etc You might even be able to do without say one of the four posts and thus save - what? - say £35000 pa including employment costs or more which may cover or go a long way towards funding redundancy costs.

Obviously, you fairly consider any that want to stay rather than take redundancy (with any luck none will?) but you don't have to find them suitable.

Some establishments enhance statutory redundancy payments but only under a settlement agreement - if available, this may provide a lot of extra protection.

You could go the performance - management / ultimate dismissal route but I think they might legitimately counter this with a redundancy claim and how long would that all take and you'll have to pay them for all that time and for their notice too when you dismiss - meantime they're still throwing big spanners in the works
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Ray | 0 Posts

7 Mar, 2017 12:04

In reply to Keith:
Hi Kimberly - I sympathise with your obvious frustration
What comes across in your post is that you see a massive missmatch between your needs and your ressources, and very limited probability to succeed in reskilling.
To lay a firm foundation for the future you need to formaally redefine your needs which almost certainly amounts to redundancies. I would bite the bullet - not easy, but if you don't, things will not improve
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