Personal Development Plan Argumentative

Further to the recent proposal to reduce the size of the HR operation, we would like you to review the following points and take them into consideration when making your decision as to whether you believe this function should be reduced or potentially closed. Firstly, we would like to bring to your attention that the HR function is a very busy operation and is the first point of contact for associates and managers throughout the business to seek advice and clarity on day to day issues or more long term queries they may have. The HR department provide support with the recruitment process. We ensure all of the relevant documents are used in line with the company policies and procedures. We also ensure that these documents are updated and kept in line with employment law and legislation. We work alongside the managers advertise for any current vacancies, review the applications and reply to candidates where applicable. We also maintain candidate’s records in line with data protection and ensure they are disposed of within the legal time frames. We also provide support with regards to investigation, disciplinary and grievance hearings.

Managers and associates can contact us with any queries regarding a case they are looking into, or a meeting they have been invited to and ask for support or advice. We are able to talk them through the process, provide support with regards to invite / outcome letters etc and general advice on next steps throughout the process. We are also able to be present in the meeting to capture accurate notes on what was discussed, ensure the questions remain within legislation and that we are considering all of the information provided to us to make an informed decision based on these facts. We also support managers in learning and development of their staff. We provide support in identifying key associates who have the potential to grow within the business. As one of the organisations main goals is to identify and develop talent at the earliest opportunity, we believe it is key to work closely with the management team to ensure this is carried out effectively. We help complete Personal Development Plan’s (PDP’s) and we make sure that the goals and objectives set are clear, SMART objectives that are viable and tangible to measure.

We can also ensure the associate and the line managers are aware of training courses, documents and support they have within the business to help them complete their PDP. We also provide accurate HR letters as per individual’s requests in line with our Service Level Agreements. If we receive a request with all the relevant information prior to 12.00 noon on any working day then the letter is completed and sent out the same day. All requests received after 12.00 noon are complete and sent the next working day. We can support with letters such as AWOL letters, Maternity and Paternity to disciplinaries or grievances to bespoke letters. All of our letters are sent recorded and first class post to ensure these are received and a copy is emailed to the line manager for their records and to be placed in the personnel files. We review our letter templates on a daily basis to update them where applicable to ensure they are in line with the employment law legislation. It is common knowledge that one of the main factors that motivate employees is pay.

Therefore it is one of our main tasks each month to update associate records, process payroll information, authorise certain payments such as overtime, additional payments, absence or sickness paid and unpaid etc. Once this has been done we then liaise directly with the payroll department to ensure the relevant information we have provided is paid correctly and on time. We are the first port of call for all associates that may have a payroll query. We will look into this for them, investigate where appropriate, resolve and communicate our findings back to the associate. We also look after and provide information to our associates relating to benefits. Depending on their grade within the business they are eligible for different benefits. Examples of some of these are: pension, medical, discount cards and medical cover etc. Our HR department is there to provide further information with regards to the benefits and whether they are eligible to enrol and how this will affect them.

We also enrol them via Oracle onto the benefit when we process the monthly payroll. Once they have been enrolled we can provide them with the relevant information they need to use that benefit and what they need to do. In summary, as you can see from my above examples the HR function is a very busy operation that can provide many different services. The above is only a small sample of what we can offer our customers but gives you an over view in terms of some of the tasks we complete. The day to day running of our department supports the business to ensure that we keep within employment law legislation, we support our associates effectively and we provide an excellent service to all of our customers.

My recommendations to the board would be to review some of the above tasks and consider if the business would be as effective without our department. We strive on supporting and helping our external and internal customers and reduce issues as and where applicable. We would also like you to look at the effectiveness of our advice and the output we provide. You will also see a reduce in the number of grievances we have received and tribunal cases that we need to manage since our department was founded. We ask you to please take into consideration all of the above points prior to making any decision and consulting with the board regarding the retainment of the HR organisation. Should you require any additional information please don’t hesitate to contact a member of the HR department.