A)

A medium sized company of around 75 employees consulted EMDS and its colleagues to design and implement a compensation program from scratch. They didn’t know how they were positioned in the job market in terms of paying their employees, and most people who joined the company were paid on the basis of their salary history and negotiating skills.

Incorporating employee input, we began the consulting engagement by writing job descriptions that described what each staff member did in their jobs every day, and addressing all relevant legal and compliance issues. We followed up by conducting a salary survey of jobs in the same industry, matching Occupations to the market based upon job content, not just title.

Using market data, we developed salary structures that allowed us to level jobs across the organisation. We then slotted the jobs into the new structures. We reviewed each person’s pay against the salary survey results to determine appropriate pays levels for all employees.

To ease employees' anxiety about the process, managers met individually with their employees to clarify how they were impacted by the project.

Most employees received a copy of their updated job description and had no change in their pay. Some employees received increases to bring them in line with market rates, and others who were already high in their salary range placement continued to enjoy the benefit of receiving above market pay until others could catch up with them over time.

As a result of this compensation consulting engagement, the company clearly understood their pay position in relation to the market. They knew which jobs to keep at current pay levels, and which jobs they should adjust to retain employees. Most importantly, the company was able to better control its salary and merit pay budgets, normally the largest expense for any company.

Is your compensation plan appropriate for your company? Do you lose candidates and employees to competitors? Are your jobs market priced? Too many HR professionals can't answer those basic questions.

Contact Elizabeth at EMDS today, and we will gladly work with you to solve these issues ***

B)

A Non-Profit Organisation  - Once it had grown to 35 employees, a non-profit sales and marketing association realised that many necessary HR processes and functions were simply non-existent. The organisation had essentially outgrown itself.

The organisation hired EMDS to conduct an audit of current staff, functions and processes to determine exactly what it would have to do to establish a professional HR Department. EMDS HR then conducted a search to recruit a new Human Resources Manager for the firm. Audit results were to be used to develop a first-year business plan for the newly established HR Department.

During the first phase of the consulting engagement, we spent time on-site talking with staff and reviewing processes and files to determine the current status of all aspects of Human Resources Management. We examined everything HR-related: from recruiting processes, to their benefits package, to internal employee communications. (One of our quick wins: posting frequently used forms on the company intranet, giving employees instant access.)

No stone was left unturned in this comprehensive review. Then, in a meeting with the CEO, EMDS delivered the audit results and helped him in clarifying his short-term priorities for the HR function.

Simultaneously, we began the recruiting process for the new HR Manager. We talked with senior management about the technical competencies they sought in this position, and explored what personal attributes in a candidate would result in a “good fit” with the association. We consulted closely with management until we sincerely understood what qualities they wanted in an ideal candidate.

We then wrote a job description and created a position profile. EMDS advertised the job, received and reviewed numerous resumes, and interviewed the most technically qualified candidates. The CEO and additional staff then interviewed the final three candidates, using questions we developed for them.

All three final candidates was so highly qualified that the management team had a difficult time determining which applicant to hire. So EMDS brought the final candidate back in for a third interview with a cross-section of the staff, just to make sure she was a good fit with the people who already worked there.

The organisation's preferred candidate accepted the offer. Once she was in place in her new position, EMDS supported her in developing the business plan for the HR department, identifying and mapping out deliverable projects for the next year.

Is your company relying on "improvisational" human resources to muddle through? Are you 100% sure you're in legal compliance? Do you have a qualified, professional HR staff in place?

Contact Elizabeth at EMDS Today..

C)

Another non-profit organisation called in EMDS for a consultation to determine how to better support its front-line managers in the delivery of services to clients. Other management objectives were to increase efficiencies across the organisation by identifying redundancies and streamlining processes, without reducing staff. The client also wanted to position their organisation for growth.

To assess these concerns and identify patterns, we designed a questionnaire for key employees to complete. After evaluating the returned questionnaires, we held week-long focus groups and individual interviews to review and confirm questionnaire content. We asked questions, and we listened. EMDS extensively reviewed and assessed the data to identify problem areas in organisational structure, processes, and procedures. Lastly, based on principles of human resource excellence, we developed a comprehensive report, capturing the areas of concern in each division.

In the final analysis, we discovered that the Human Resources division was operating from a “policeman” mentality within the organisation. They thought their role was to act as a gatekeeper rather than providing managers with alternatives to help them accomplish their goals and objectives. Because their department's role had been to minimise legal exposure for the organisation, Human Resources employees failed to understand how they could effectively operate as internal consultants.

Since they were currently a barrier rather than a benefit to achieving business objectives, EMDS recommended a restructuring of the Human Resources department.

EMDS drafted job descriptions and organisational charts reflecting the new roles and delivered them to the company’s senior management team for their consideration. We determined that the current staff in HR did not possess the skills necessary to carry out the newly defined roles, and recommended the replacement of existing HR staff with a more progressive team.

When the HR consultation began, no one foresaw the need for a complete reorganisation of the company’s HR department. But our analysis revealed an HR team with systemic personnel and procedural problems…an old-fashioned HR department that did not support its employees or management team, but was purely administrative in nature.

Senior management adopted and implemented the organisational structure suggested by EMDS. With the changes and new HR staff in place, the senior management team expected a significant reduction in the stress level and workload of the Program Managers — leading to a sharp decline in employee turnover. This in turn was expected to improve service delivery to clients. The organisation also expected to reduce costs and increase efficiency as the Program Managers' paperwork burden was reduced.

Are your HR processes and people an asset or a liability to your organisation? Does your HR team support your company's bottom line?

Contact Elizabeth for a comprehensive audit of your organisation's HR capabilities…