Employer Engagement a strategic human resource management perspective

1
Employer Engagementa strategic human resource
management perspective

• Richard Pettinger

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Purpose, aims and objectives

• Presentation of a body of experience
• Addressing some perceptions and pre-conceptions
• Many of which are very influential and affect the
  creation and implementation of HR strategy
• Proposing a possible way forward that places SHRM
  at the core of effective engagement

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A note on methodology

• A synthesis
• Not fully evidenced
• The plural of anecdotes is not evidence
• However
• Enough of substance and resonance to
• provide a basis for discussion
• suggest possible ways forward

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The foundations of an SHRM approach to employer
engagement

• Define the nature of SHRM as the starting point
  for evaluation of kind of approaches needed to
  and with particular organisations
• Define the stakeholders
• Specific roles and functions for NGOs, schools,
  colleges and universities
• Define the cohort(s) to be targeted
• Cohort differentiation
• Specific interests for different education levels
• Define the investment and returns demanded

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The components of engagement

• Organisational attitudes and priorities
• Actual, not stated
• Employability of cohorts targeted
• The nature of investment in employee and
  organisation development
• The attitudes and approaches of other
  stakeholders
• schools, colleges, universities, NGOs

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Strategic HRM and employer engagement

• SHRM at the hub
• Fully institutionalised and integrated
• Strong focus/priority on employee and
  organisation development
• Identity and empathy with the cohorts of young
  people
• A focus and hub for managing and developing
  engagement

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A note on the cohort(s)

• Young people
• Of all ages bottom of range may be getting
  younger and top of range is getting older
• Many different qualification ranges and types
• From PhD to nothing
• Many different experiences along the way for all
  parts of the cohort
• Which part or parts of the cohort are in
  question?

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Levels of engagement

• Skunk working
• Present, though not actively engaged
• Some lip service
• Some engagement
• In some activities
• For some types and kinds of staff and expertise
• Fully and actively engaged and participative

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Levels of SHR influence

• Fully integrated with organisation strategy and
  priorities and business drives
• Partly integrated
• Problem solving
• Parallel
• Policies in place but ignored
• Not influential

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Foundations of effective engagement (1)

• Identify the SHR approach at the organisations in
  question
• Relate approaches and proposals from other
  stakeholders to the SHR approach
• Know the desired outcomes
• Know and understand what is likely and possible
  from the SHR organisational approach

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Foundations of effective engagement (2)

• Identify the level of engagement that the
  organisation presently has
• Identify and structure the response accordingly
• Identify levers for change for those that are
  either skunk working, passively or partly engaged
  only

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Foundations of effective engagement (3)

• The need for engagement to be adopted and
  internalised by the organisations in question
• Without this, all takes place around them
• Stakeholders are continually frustrated
• The need for empathy on the part of other
  stakeholders in relation to the organisations in
  question

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Foundations for ways forward some conclusions

• The critical position of SHRM in employer
  engagement
• The attitudes of employers to engagement
• The critical nature of relationships
• The management of these relationships
• The nature of the involvement of all parties
• A collective shift of attitude on the part of all
  stakeholders

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Critical factors

• Availability of potential employees
• Approach of NGOs
• Intended outcomes on the part of all involved

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Carrots and sticks

• What works and does not work
• Targets
• Grant and levy systems
• Everyone must want to be involved and see the
  value of being involved
• Value of carrots and sticks is therefore limited