Point 6.2 of the ISO 9001-2008 standard deals with the human resource of an organization. In order for it to satisfy its customers with quality products, it must also have quality staff. Human resources are considered quality:
- when you are competent based on four aspects: education, training, skills and experience, when you are aware of the importance of your activities in relation to quality, and when you are satisfied.
Competent staff
By competence I mean a "set of observable behaviors that are causally related to good or excellent performance in a specific job and in a specific organization" (Pereda, Berrocal & Saenz, 2003, p. 15)
The ISO 9001-2008 standard considers that a person is competent when he meets the education, training, skills and experience requirements that the organization determines for each job.
- Education is the minimum studies that a person must have for a certain position. Specific training for that position is all the additional knowledge that is necessary to carry out the activities of a position. It may be, for example, specialization in certain computer tools, or a food handling card, or courses in specific analytical techniques, or courses on the handling of certain tools or special machinery. Special practical skills such as good perception eye or smell, or the skill that a salesperson must have. These skills, specific to each position, facilitate the performance of the same. The minimum experience that the worker must have in the position or similar positions and that includes a minimum internship period in the company.
These competencies are of the threshold type, that is, the minimum that a person must have to carry out their work successfully, but they will not differentiate workers with excellent performance from those with normal performance.
Competencies are determined by the organization for each position through an analysis and job description. This analysis allows defining what each competence consists of, establishing what the behavioral indicators are and setting performance levels. In accordance with this job description, the profile of minimum requirements that a person must meet in order to carry out the duties corresponding to the job efficiently is prepared. When an employee's profile matches the profile of the position, that employee is said to be fit for the position and therefore competent.
For this, the HR department needs to prepare a comparative profile of each employee, by means of which the characteristics offered by the employee's profile can be compared with the requirements demanded by the position, expressed through the profile of the position.
The comparative of profiles is a matrix in which each aspect of the job profile is given weight according to the relevance that aspect has. A weighting table is prepared that will indicate to what extent the employee's profile conforms to the required one.
The use of job profiles and profile comparison tables are especially useful in the selection process. The best candidate for a position will be one who can demonstrate, by passing certain tests, that he meets the requirements established in the profile of the position.
With this, the company ensures that it is hiring competent personnel and that, therefore, after a basic orientation and induction to the position, the performance of that employee will be totally acceptable and in less time. This also reduces training costs.
At the same time, the comparative profiles of each employee who is already working in the company, constitute a source of information to detect possible training needs that may be more or less urgent according to the number of aspects in which both profiles already differ. the relevance of the aspect in which it differs for the execution of the activities of said position.
Another important point that the organization must take into account to have a competent staff and in which the ISO Standard places great emphasis is the training of the employee. Knowing how to detect an employee's training and education needs on time is beneficial for both the individual and the organization as it helps to reduce costs due to errors or non-compliance, serves to reduce waste and increases performance. It is also an issue in which the organization should not be neglected due to the speed with which changes occur and the danger of professional obsolescence.
Training and education needs can be detected through the comparison of profiles, asking the employee himself in what aspects he needs to be trained, asking the immediate superior about what aspects he considers that his subordinates should be trained, through the results of the evaluations performance and through the use of techniques such as the nominal group.
Once all the training needs have been identified, the organization must provide training or carry out actions to provide adequate training to each worker according to a plan, which is usually annual, which is called a training plan.
The content of each of the programs included in the training plan may be intended to meet different objectives but must always meet the needs of the individual and the organization. Each program must clearly specify the objectives for which it is carried out, the methodology to be used and the necessary resources.
Every time the company runs a training or education program, it makes an investment in its human capital. For this reason, each program must be accompanied by a cost-benefit analysis that shows that the value of the advantages obtained from said training is greater than the payments that will be made for it.
The training plan will be effective when it manages to achieve the proposed objectives, which may be an increase in the employee's knowledge, a development in specific skills or a change in attitudes. This can be verified by passing tests or exams taken after training, by increasing performance (increasing the quantity produced or decreasing the time spent without affecting the quality of the product), or by verifying that they decrease. errors or defects. The reduction of accidents or risk situations and the reduction of conflicts can also be an indicator of effectiveness.
Although the ISO Standard does not indicate that the evaluation should be measurable, it should be attempted, as far as possible, that the effectiveness of the training can be expressed quantitatively in monetary terms. However, in some cases this is very difficult, so it is sufficient with the comments of the person involved or his immediate superior and the maintenance of the qualification.
In cases where the training plan does not produce the expected results, the causes must be determined and the necessary corrections must be made. But what you can never stop doing is evaluating that plan.
The person in charge of coordinating all these activities is the HR department, which should also be concerned with maintaining the appropriate records of education, training, skills and experience of each employee in order to demonstrate the competence of the staff.
These records must contain:
- The competence required for the job position The fulfillment of the competence required by the personnel who carry out the activity The training needs detected The record of the training provided The record of the effectiveness of the training provided (reports)
Conscious staff
According to point 6.2.2.d of ISO 9001-2008, the organization must ensure that its personnel are aware of the relevance and importance of their activities and how they contribute to the achievement of quality objectives.
Based on the principles of staff participation and process orientation, having a conscious staff is a task of training and creating an organizational culture. This aspect is also connected with point 5.5.1 of the ISO Standard that tells us that the Senior Management of the organization must ensure that the responsibilities and authorities are defined and communicated within the organization.
Each of the employees must understand that the activities they carry out in their work are not isolated activities but belong to a moment in a process. Within a process, all the activities are so intimately interconnected that if one of them fails in any way, it will affect the entire process, which will not achieve the expected result.
Achieving this awareness is sometimes hard work, which is achieved through constant internal communication through billboards, bulletins, talks, etc.
In order for employees to be aware of how they contribute to achieving quality objectives with their work, it is essential that they know what these objectives are, and how they are achieved as they carry out their activity. Although it seems obvious, nevertheless many managers of traditional companies or family companies are not so willing to provide this information to subordinates.
Satisfied staff
Satisfied staff are those motivated staff who feel that their personal needs are met, who feel comfortable with the work they do and believe that they have stability in it. He is calm enough to devote all his physical, mental and intellectual efforts to carrying out his work without being distracted by tensions or worries unrelated to the activities of the job.
This does not mean that the workplace has to be relaxed. The normal difficulties that arise on a daily basis, as well as the effort to do things well and on time and the pressure of competitiveness constitute a challenge and a motivation that results in the satisfaction of a job well done.
The HR department plays an important role in keeping satisfied employees. Proper compensation management helps maintain employee satisfaction with their work and with the organization. An inadequate compensation policy can reduce the level of satisfaction and affect the work environment and productivity in general.
According to Pérez Gorostegui (2004), a balance must be sought between the satisfaction that compensation must provide and the guarantee of the competitiveness of the company and its products. Well-managed compensation motivates and encourages employees who do their jobs well, those who are willing to take on new responsibilities, and those who are loyal. Furthermore, these behaviors are reinforced and serve as an example to other employees. They also reinforce the image of the organization towards its employees.
As part of a good salary administration policy, another element that contributes to the achievement of satisfied employees are incentives and profit sharing. With them it is about stimulating concrete achievements since they directly relate compensation to performance. Incentives need not always be economic. Commemorative plaques, certificates, or other types of non-monetary incentives are also often delivered that likewise bring satisfaction to the recipient.
Another important element for staff satisfaction is indirect compensation, also called extra-salary benefits that the employee receives for the mere fact of belonging to the organization. These indirect compensations make it possible for the individual to become more and better integrated into the organization by perceiving that it cares about its problems, and they allow satisfying needs that are not strictly economic, such as security, status, belonging or self-esteem.
The main indirect compensations are usually: pension plans, medical, life or accident insurance, days off or for own affairs, cafeteria and dining room services, the granting of loans and advances, membership in social clubs or sports, educational aids or scholarships for children or childcare services for employees with young children. But this relation of benefits is partial because it is always possible to find an additional benefit or service in some company. In this sense, what is decisive is the imagination and creativity of the HR department and proper administration of these benefits and services.
Another element that contributes to good productivity and employee satisfaction is the maintenance of the work area in comfortable and healthy conditions. In point 6.4 of ISO 9001-2008, it is defined that the work environment is related to those conditions in which the work is carried out, including physical, environmental or any other factors. At this point, the standard states that the organization must determine and manage the work environment necessary to achieve compliance with product requirements. In this sense, the study of ergonomic and safety and hygiene aspects in the work area is important. There is no doubt that elements such as heat or cold, noise, odors, cleanliness, order or danger, risk or difficulty that certain jobs entail,they have a decisive influence on the performance of a person. Hence, organizations must try to control them and create the most comfortable and safe conditions possible so that the worker can be efficient without being affected by these elements. Carrying out work in uncomfortable or unsafe conditions creates a feeling of discontent in the worker, as it makes him think that the company does not care about how it does its work.Carrying out work in uncomfortable or unsafe conditions creates a feeling of discontent in the worker, as it makes him think that the company does not care about how it does its work.Carrying out work in uncomfortable or unsafe conditions creates a feeling of discontent in the worker, as it makes him think that the company does not care about how it does its work.
Finally, human relationships between colleagues and with superiors can also contribute to creating a satisfactory work environment. There is nothing worse for the performance of a department or a work group than a hostile environment or a bad relationship with the superior. For this reason, the HR department regularly conducts courses or activities on integration, motivation and interpersonal relationships. Some companies organize recreational or sports activities for employees and their families. With this, it is possible to release tensions, foster friendship and camaraderie, and increase the feeling of belonging to the organization.There are also psychology and counseling services in some companies that try to detect interpersonal conflicts before they occur and solve them through counseling sessions and psychological therapies, which can be individual or group depending on the case.
To determine the situation or level of employee satisfaction, organizations make periodic evaluations. This evaluation of the work environment is done through surveys or interviews. In the first, the aspects to be measured are determined and a list of questions is made that the group to whom the survey is directed must answer. Then they are tabulated according to previously set tables and from there the results on the working environment are obtained. In the interviews, the interviewer asks a selected group about those most determining aspects of the work environment. The advantages of surveys are that they require less time, are more extensive, and are usually cheaper. However, interviews can determine more precisely the key factors that affect the work environment
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