Bagan HRM planning process for events

  Event Strategy: Human Resources

Management & Event Bagan HRM planning process for events

  

Human Resources Strategy and Objectives

Strategy : supporting human resource management

  objectives and activities:

• cost containment – improved staff/volunteer productivity, reduced absenteeism and decreased staff numbers. improved quality – better recruitment and selection,
• expanded employee and volunteer training, increased staff and volunteer numbers, and improved financial

  Human Resources Strategy and Objectives improved organizational effectiveness – better job

• design, changes to organizational structure and improved relations with employees and volunteers. enhanced performance regarding social and legal
• responsibilities – improved compliance with relevant legislation, such as that relating to occupational health and safety at work, anti-discrimination and equal opportunities.

  Human Resources Strategy and Objectives

  Staffing

Getz (2005, p. 222) suggests one way of undertaking this task in the context of events, involving a three- stage process: Identify all tasks associated with event creation,

delivery and shutdown. Site- related tasks, for

example, might include site design and layout, setting up fencing, erecting tents and stages, stafng Determine how many people are needed to complete the

range of tasks associated with the conduct of the event. Do

all the tasks have to be done in order, by the same work crew, or all at once by a larger crew? What level of

supervision will be required? What tasks can be outsourced

and what must be done by the event team? Will more staff

than normal be required to perform tasks (such as security)

as a result of some specific circumstance (such as a visit by

a celebrity to the event)? List the numbers of staff/volunteers and supervisors and

stafng

  List the numbers of staff/volunteers and supervisors and the skills/experience/ qualifications needed to form the ‘ideal’ workforce for the event.

Job Analysis

  According to Stone (2002), questions answered by this process include:

. What tasks should be grouped together to create a job or position?

. What should be looked for in individuals applying for identified jobs? . What should an organizational structure look like and what interrelationships

Job Analysis

  . What tasks should form the basis of performance appraisal for an individual in a specific job? . What training and development programs are required to ensure staff/ volunteers possess the needed skills/knowledge?

Job Descriptions

  Job descriptions commonly include the following information: Job title and commitment required Salary/rewards/incentives associated with position – for paid positions, a salary, wage or hourly rate needs to be stated, along with any other rewards such as bonuses

Job Descriptions

  Job summary – this brief statement describes the primary purpose of the job Duties and responsibilities – this information lists major tasks and responsibilities associated with the job

Job Descriptions

  Relationships with other positions within and outside the event organization – what positions report to the job? Know-how/skills/knowledge/experience/ qualifications/personal attributes required by the position – in some instances, particularly with basic jobs, training may quickly overcome most deficiencies in these areas Sample job description

Job Specifcation

  A job specification is derived from the job description and seeks to identify the experience, formal qualifications, skills, abilities, knowledge, motivation and personal characteristics needed to perform a given job

  Sample Job

Specifcation

Human Resources Policies & Procedures According to Thompson with Martin (2005, p

  758), ‘Policies are designed to guide the behaviour of managers in relation to the pursuit and achievement of strategies and objectives’. He notes that they:

  .  guide thoughts and actions – for example, an event manager who declines to consider an application from a brother

of an existing employee may point to a

  Human Resources Policies & Procedures

• example, seniority will be the determining factor in requests by volunteers to fll job vacancies establish how certain tasks should be carried out

  

establish a routine and consistent approach – for

• and place constraints on management decision making – for example, rather than a manager having to think about the process of terminating the

  employment of a staf member or volunteer, they

  can simply follow the process already prescribed.

  Human Resources Policies & Procedures Human resource practices and procedures for events are often conditioned or determined by those public or private sector organizations with ultimate authority for them.

  A local council responsible for conducting an annual festival, for example, would probably already have in place a range of policies and procedures regarding the use of volunteers. These policies and procedures

  Human Resources Policies & Procedures a range of laws influence the degree of freedom that the management of an event has in the human resource area. Laws regarding occupational health and safety, holiday and long service leave, maternity and paternity, working hours, minimum wages, discrimination, dismissal and compensation all need to become integrated into the practices and policies that an event adopts. Recruitment, selection and induction

  Diagram Recruitment process

Recruitment

  using stakeholders (for example, local councils, community groups, sponsors and event suppliers) to communicate the event’s staffing needs (volunteer and paid) to their respective networks. writing sponsorship agreements in a way that requires the sponsor, as part of their agreement with the event, to provide temporary workers with particular skills, such as marketing staff.

Recruitment

  identifying and liaising with potential sources of volunteers/casual staff, including universities and colleges (projects and work placements/internships may be specially created for these groups, particularly if they are studying festival, exhibition and events management or a related area such as film),

Recruitment

  religious groups, service clubs (such as Lions and Rotary), community service programs, senior citizen centers and retirement homes, chambers of commerce, and community centers. The International Festival and Events Association maintains an internship ‘bank’ on its website (www.ifea.com/education/intern.asp).

Recruitment

  targeting specific individuals within a community who have specialist skills to sit on boards or undertake specific tasks, such as those tasks associated with the legal and accounting aspects of conducting an event. registering with a volunteer program.

  Recruitment

  conducting social functions at which, for example, existing volunteers or staff might be encouraged to bring potential candidates, or to which particular groups/ targeted individuals are invited. determining the make-up (for example, age, sex, occupations) and motivations of existing volunteers, and using this information as the basis of further targeted

Recruitment

  .  gaining the assistance of local and specialist media (for example, radio, television, newspapers, specialist magazines) in communicating the event’s human resource needs. This process is greatly assisted if one or more media organizations are in some way (such as through sponsorship) associated with the event.

Selection

  When selecting among applicants, Robertson and Makin (1986) (cited in Beardwell and Holden, 2001) suggest taking into account the following factors: Past behavior (Biographical data) Present behavior ( test, interview, assessment center, portfolios)

  Interview

Employment Rights Act

  A statement of job title and duties The date continuous employment commenced Rate of pay, allowances, overtime, timing of payment Hours of work including breaks Holiday arrangement/entitlement Sickness procedure (sick pay, notification of illness) Length of notice due to and from the employee Disciplinary procedures

Employment Rights Act

  Work rules Arrangements for terminating employment Arrangements for union membership (if applicable) Special terms relating to confidentially, right to patents and design, exclusivity of service and restrictions on trade after termination of employment (e.g. cannot work for a direct competitor within 6 months) Employer’s right to vary terms and conditions to

Induction

  Getz (2005, p. 227) suggests a range of actions be taken as part of an effective induction program: . Provide basic information about the event (mission, objectives, stakeholders, budget, locations, program details). . Conduct tours of venues, suppliers, offices and any other relevant locations.

Induction

  .  Make introductions to other staf and volunteers.

  .  Give an introduction to the organizational culture, history and working arrangements.

  .  Overview training programs

  

Induction

he induction process can also be facilitated

T

  by the development of an induction kit for distribution to each new staff member or volunteer. Such a kit might contain: . an annual report . a message from the organizing committee chairperson/chief executive officer

Induction

  welcoming staff and volunteers

. a statement of event mission/vision, goals and objectives

. an organizational chart . a name badge . a staff list (including contact details

Induction

  . a uniform (whether a T-shirt or something more formal) . a list of sponsors . a list of stakeholders

Training and professional development

  A formal approach to training needs assessment serves to determine whether training taking place is adequate and whether any training needs are not being met provided by the event. These suggestions might include how to improve training:  sending, or requesting

• stakeholder/government support to send, staf/volunteers on training programs dealing

  Training and professional development training needs (for example, risk management, event marketing and sponsorship) identifying individuals associated with the event who would be willing to volunteer to conduct training sessions commissioning consultants/external bodies to undertake specifc training

  Training and professional development  encouraging staf/volunteers to undertake

• event-specifc training programs, now provided by some public and private colleges, universities and event industry associations – in return for certain benefts (for example, higher salaries, appointment to positions of greater responsibility/satisfaction).

  Training and professional development

  When trying to identify what training is

required to facilitate the efective delivery of an event, the central consideration is to determine the gap between the current performance of staf and volunteers and their desired performance. This can be achieved by: performance appraisals of existing

staf/volunteers (what training do staf analysis of job requirements (what skills are identifed in the job description)  survey of personnel (what skills staf

• state they need).

Supervision and Evaluation

  One of the key tasks of supervisors and managers is that of performance appraisal.

  This task involves evaluating performance, communicating that evaluation and establishing a plan for improvement. The ultimate outcomes of this process are a better event and more competent staf and volunteers.

Supervision and Evaluation

  Integral to the appraisal system are rewards that paid staf receive in the form of salaries, bonuses, proft sharing,

promotion to other jobs or other events and benefts such as

cars and equipment use (for example, laptop computers). Options also exist to reward volunteers for their eforts. These include: . training in new skills . free merchandise (for example, clothing, badges, event posters) . hospitality in the form of opening and closing parties, free meals/drinks . certifcates of appreciation . opportunities to meet with celebrities, sporting stars and

Supervision and Evaluation

  . promotion to more interesting volunteer positions . public acknowledgement through the media and at the event . free tickets to the event.

Termination, outplacement and re-enlistment

  Termination action may be necessary in instances where an employee breaches the employment contract (for example, repeatedly arriving at the workplace intoxicated) or continually exhibits unsatisfactory performance.

  Outplacement is the process of assisting terminated employees (or indeed

Termination, outplacement and re-enlistment

  With recurring events, such as annual festivals, opportunities often exist to re- enlist for paid or voluntary positions. Many staf from the Sydney Olympic Games, for example, took up positions within the organization responsible for the Athens Olympics. contact by telephone between events.

  Termination, outplacement and re-enlistment To maintain contact with potential volunteers and past staf between events, a variety of approaches can be employed, including newsletters (see, for example, the Manchester Event Volunteers website, www.mev.org.uk), social events, the ofer of benefts for re-enlistment, and personal contact by telephone between events.

Evaluation of process and outcomes

  to determine how well, or otherwise, the process is working, it is necessary to obtain feedback from relevant supervisory/management staff, organizing committee members, and paid and voluntary staff.

  The California Traditional Music Society, for example, uses a questionnaire to obtain feedback from volunteers (Figure 6.10, p. 167).

Legal obligations

  Employment law regulates how employers deal with their employees in terms of pay and conditions, and prevents discrimination in relation to race, sex or disability. This legislation generally sets out minimum rates of pay, and conditions such as annual leave and working hours.