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HR Management
in the Humanitarian Sector
a Practical Guide
Enhancing Quality
Handbook 2
Published by People In Aid www.peopleinaid.org info@peopleinaid.org Author James Henry Editors Jonathan Potter Ben Emmens Design Rachel Barbaresi Printer DS Print We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Humanitarian Aid Office of the European Union (ECHO) and funding from Development Cooperation Ireland (DCI).
Disclaimer People In Aid has taken considerable care in the production of this report and its contents. However, People In Aid is unable to provide any warranty concerning the accuracy, completeness or relevance to your organisation relating to any information contained herein. Copyright in this publication is protected under the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 (as amended from time to time) and is owned by People In Aid. Photocopying of any part of this document must be for personal use only and may not be distributed or transmitted to a third party. People In Aid 2004
Table of contents
Acknowledgements ............................................................................1 Foreword ..............................................................................................2 Executive summary ............................................................................3 Section 1 Introduction ......................................................................5 Section 2 Sectoral level issues ........................................................7
Challenges to the sector ..........................................................................................................7 Prioritising human resources ....................................................................................................7 An acceptable level of risk? ......................................................................................................8
Section 3 Recruitment and selection ..............................................9

Human resource planning ....................................................................................................................9 Accessing the necessary skills and competencies ..........................................................................11 Responding quickly to fluctuating needs ..............................................................................15 Enhancing quality in recruitment skills and competencies ..............................................16 Recruiting in a global marketplace ........................................................................................18 Senior managers a special case? ......................................................................................19 Seeking skills where do agencies look? ............................................................................20 Checks on staff before recruitment ......................................................................................21 Regional recruitment ..............................................................................................................22 International recruitment ......................................................................................................23 Resources, tools and links ................................................................................................................24
Section 4 Employment and management ....................................27

Remuneration and benefits ..............................................................................................................27 Competition and complementarity ........................................................................................27 The level of remuneration and benefits ................................................................................28 Equity ..................................................................................................................................................30 Taxation, social security and pensions ............................................................................................32 Income tax ..............................................................................................................................32 Social welfare benefits ..........................................................................................................33 Pensions State and voluntary ............................................................................................34 The process of performance management ..........................................................................34 Carrying out an appraisal ......................................................................................................37 Performance linked to pay ....................................................................................................39
People In Aid May 2004
Enhancing quality in HR management in the Humanitarian Sector
Support and welfare ..........................................................................................................................39 Briefing, debriefing and counselling ......................................................................................40 Stress, trauma and psychological welfare ............................................................................43 R & R rest and recuperation or rest and relaxation ........................................................45 Re-entry syndrome ..................................................................................................................46 Security, safety and the management of risk ..................................................................................49 Organisational HR-related aspects of security and safety ..................................................50 Security ....................................................................................................................................53 Practical HR-related aspects of security ..............................................................................54 Preparation of staff ................................................................................................................57 Safety ......................................................................................................................................59 Insurance ............................................................................................................................................61 Organisational and policy issues ........................................................................................62 Practical insurance issues ....................................................................................................64 Resources, tools and links ................................................................................................................67
Section 5 Retention and career development ..............................73

Career planning and development ..................................................................................................73 Retention of staff and managers ......................................................................................................77 Retrenchment ..........................................................................................................................80 Boosting staff retention ..........................................................................................................80 Learning, training and development ................................................................................................81 The training and development cycle ......................................................................................82 Strategic aspects of training ..................................................................................................83 Identifying the training and development needs ..................................................................84 Learning and training methodologies ....................................................................................85 The importance of learning styles ........................................................................................86 Resources, tools and links ................................................................................................................88
Section 6 Conclusion ......................................................................91

Endnotes ................................................................................................................................93 Glossary and abbreviations ..................................................................................................96 Appendices..............................................................................................................................99
Appendix 1 People In Aid HR survey 2003 ....................................................................................................99 Appendix 2 ECHO FPA agencies ..................................................................................................................102 Appendix 3 Project background ....................................................................................................................105 Appendix 4 People In Aid ..............................................................................................................................108
Table of figures
FIgure 1 Recruitment procedure ....................................................................................................................10 Figure 2 ITDG organisational objective model ..............................................................................................73 Figure 3 Staff training and development policies ........................................................................................77 Figure 4 Staff training and development budgets ........................................................................................77 Figure 5 How training budgets are determined ............................................................................................77 Figure 6 The training and development cycle ................................................................................................83 Figure 7 The learning cycle ............................................................................................................................86
Enhancing quality in HR management in the Humanitarian Sector ii People In Aid May 2004
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the following agencies for their co-operation and participation in this project. These organisations have either responded to the survey we sent out (see appendix 1), attended one of five seminars we held, or have conveyed relevant information to People In Aid in another form. Some agencies contributed in more than one way and we are particularly appreciative of their support. In addition we are grateful to the Humanitarian Aid Office of the European Union, (ECHO) for providing information on their partners for the purposes of this research, a list of FPA partners as at December 2003 can be found at appendix 2. ACF ACSUR Action Contre la Faim Action Medeor ActionAid ADRA Denmark Alisei Amnesty International BMS World Mission British Red Cross (BRCS) CAFOD Caritas France Caritas Germany Caritas Secours International CESVI Church of Sweden Comit dAide Mdicale Concern Universal Concern Worldwide CUAMM DanChurchAid Danish Peoples Aid Danish Red Cross Danish Refugee Council DFID Enfants Rfugis du Monde EPER/HEKS EU-CORD Everychild German Red Cross HQ GOAL Handicap International Healthnet International

Helpage International Humanitarian Dialogue Centre ICRC IFRC IMC UK International Aid Services International Childcare Trust International Organization for Migration International Rescue Committee-IRC Belgium Islamic Relief ITDG Latin Link Le Rucher Ministries MAF Europe Medair Mdecins du Monde Medico International Mercy Corps Scotland Merlin Mission East MPDL MSF - Belgium MSF - France MSF - Holland MSF - Germany Norwegian Church Aid Norwegian Refugee Council ora international ORC Worldwide Oxfam GB Oxfam Solidarit Belgium
Reach Out Project RedR/IHE Save the Children Denmark Save the Children UK Solidarites SPW Swedish Committee for Afghanistan Tearfund Terre des Hommes The Global Fund to Fight AIDS Tigers Club Project Toybox Charity UNEP/GEF Biosafety Unit UNHCR VOICE VSF VSF-DZG Belgium VSO Womankind Worldwide World Health Organisation World Vision Germany World Vision UK WSP International ZOA Refugee Care
Responded to survey Attended seminar

1 Enhancing quality in HR management in the Humanitarian Sector
Foreword
This is the second of two handbooks, funded by ECHO with co-funding provided by Development Cooperation Ireland (DCI) and People In Aid, for agencies working in relief. In handbook 1 we looked at factors, both internal and external to organisations, which influence human resources (HR) management. Thus we considered, among many other topics, the security of aid workers in the changing humanitarian environment, the varying definitions of the word volunteer and the structures some agencies are using to collaborate. We argued in the first handbook that without an understanding of the wider sector and the characteristics and activities of your peers, it is difficult to address your human resources challenges effectively. This handbook, handbook 2, responds directly to a survey of agencies which highlighted the current HR priorities being addressed by ECHO partners. It looks at recruitment and retention, management issues, training and development, safety and much more. It analyses the problems encountered by agencies in such areas, and by way of response, offers suggestions, tips and case studies. Here you will find how your peers have responded to problems generic to the sector such as consistency in global rewards programmes or performance management; you will find extracts from papers written by experts for this project on subjects ranging from analysing learning needs to debriefing; you will find references to websites where you can find out more about subjects as diverse as register agencies and insurance. Recognising that expatriates have traditionally received greater attention in human resources management terms we have endeavoured to give equal priority to nationally-recruited staff. No agency reading this will be unaware of the issues raised, but we hope that this handbook will find its way to anyone with responsibility for managing or advising on the management of people working in your organisation; Operations Director and senior relief staff Line managers Everyone in an HR function in Head, regional and country offices. Every new member of the HR team
For one of the key conclusions from the research we undertook for this project is that organisational commitment to HR is critical. This commitment is increasing but while we at People In Aid note and applaud the progress agencies have made in recognising the importance of good practice in HR management, it is true that since the sector gave birth to us in 1994, the same themes are regularly raised as problem issues. This handbook addresses all of them. You may not find the ideal solution in here - after all your mission, your values, your size, your funding will be different from others - but we hope you find sufficient material to encourage debate inside your organisation. These debates should not just touch on policy issues of course, but must include putting those policies into practice, by the training of managers to implement them, by communicating with staff and by monitoring them on an ongoing basis. People In Aids mission is to promote good practice in the management and support of aid personnel. We are very grateful to ECHO and DCI for their support of these handbooks which will certainly promote good practice. Finally, please do not hesitate to contact us on info@peopleinaid.org with your comments on the contents of these handbooks or with your own good practice which we can pass on to the wider sector.
Jonathan Potter Executive Director People In Aid

Enhancing quality in HR management in the Humanitarian Sector 2 People In Aid May 2004
Executive summary
Almost every programme evaluation in recent years mentions the quality of field personnel and human resource (HR) management as factors affecting effectiveness and efficiency. Yet very little is known about human resources within the humanitarian sector, and the factors and issues which affect it. People In Aid, with Humanitarian Aid Office of the European Union (ECHO) funding, and additional financial support from Development Cooperation Ireland (DCI), has carried out a substantial study whose purpose is to: Describe and analyse the way the humanitarian sector and agencies work and are structured, in terms of HR management - What they do and why they do it Analyse the wider contextual issues which affect international and nationally recruited staff and volunteers Identify, through agency responses to a survey, the issues which agencies themselves are concerned about Analyse and debate these issues, identifying where agencies have been able to respond, and where constraints still exist, with examples of good practice and links to sources and useful tools The outputs of the project comprise two handbooks and a series of seminars in five cities in Europe:
Handbook 1 - Understanding HR in the humanitarian sector

Describing the way HR is addressed in the humanitarian sector and the factors which affect efficiency and potential.
Handbook 2 - Enhancing quality in human resources management in the humanitarian sector

Analysing the issues which agencies identify as of concern, and providing access to resources, tools and good practice. Seminar series - providing a forum for agencies in Europe to meet and discuss the findings of the study; debating issues of concern, and promoting inter-agency collaboration. Many of the factors and constraints identified in handbook 1, and applying at the organisational and strategic levels, also apply at the technical level. The findings of handbook 1 are summarised below: Many agencies lack the funding necessary to invest in human resource development, and HR is not as high a priority for agencies as it should be Donors require improved levels of professionalism and management but are unwilling to fund HR management, or invest in its development Recruitment and retention of experienced staff is the most significant constraint, together with preparation of staff, and career planning and development - the same issues which have been recorded as priorities for the last ten years Insufficient management information exists about nationally recruited staff, restricting maximisation of their potential. Indeed, there is insufficient information generally about nationally recruited staff and the issues which affect them Basic levels of remuneration are not a controlling factor - the perceived effectiveness, ethos and professionalism of the employing agency are more important in maintaining loyalty
Volunteers are extremely important within humanitarian aid, but there is little standardisation in their treatment or remuneration, and the interpretation of the concept of volunteerism is uniquely complicated The wider context - the changing nature of politics, aid and the humanitarian system fundamentally affects human resources. The failure of the system to provide humanitarian space, and the failure of the agencies to state and defend their unique role have undermined the sector and put staff and volunteers at greater risk A great deal of work has been done to improve quality, and inter-agency collaboration is much more prevalent, but there is a great deal more that could be achieved through further pan-European co-operation In handbook 2 however, a number of further factors and constraints are identified, and these include: Initiatives in HR management and development depend on the strategic commitment of the organisation, together with buy-in of managers and staff Constraints to HR development may be more associated with the lack of priority given to HR and HR issues, than issues of available resources of time and funding While donors have made some progress in supporting HR development, further advocacy is required to ensure that the progress is extended, especially in regard to maximisation of the potential of national staff Recruitment and retention of experienced staff is a problem, but more could be achieved by maximising the potential and commitment of existing staff through development, training and better management practices Insurance is an issue post 9/11 and more could be achieved through collaborative action by agencies in negotiating, informing and debating with insurers Safety and security are critical issues, and the duty of care of the employer, especially for national staff exposed to greater risks, requires development of appropriate strategy, policy and practice in terms of prevention, preparation and response The projects findings suggest that there has been significant improvement in recent years, in the level of effectiveness of agencies in terms of human resource management, but subject to a number of constraints both externally through changes in the international and humanitarian systems, and internally through pressures on funding, resources, and institutional reluctance and lack of priority for HR. Experience of the more proactive agencies shows that there are ample opportunities, and even the necessity, for greater inter-agency collaboration, and for active engagement with the other stakeholders and actors in the humanitarian and political systems to press for prioritisation of HR issues, particularly where these affect the safety, security and well-being of staff and volunteers. National staff are filling more senior positions, and the opportunities available to them with the more proactive agencies for training and development have improved. However, to keep experienced staff and managers, it is necessary for agencies to make positive investment in their development, and in their care and welfare. While progress has been made, the status quo is not an option - there is continuing and growing pressure on agencies to be more and more professional in their management of people. If this is not achieved, the risks are real that financial and legal prices will be paid, as the obligations on employers to care for all staff are not negotiable. As stated in handbook 1, agencies would benefit from being: More proactive in developing HR management and information systems necessary for effective HR management, particularly relating to nationally recruited staff More collaborative on HR issues, both at the field and at HQ level, in order to reduce competition and duplication Engaged more coherently with the other actors involved in emergencies, through the definition of their unique role and their added value, in order to protect all staff and volunteers Engaged with donors, and with agency governance structures to prioritise people and HR management, and encourage the investment which is overdue and urgently needed.
Section 1
There is a link through the individual to the work of relief and development teams, to the impact and costs of humanitarian assistance programmes and to the credibility of international codes, charters and conventions.
There are legal and financial costs if we do not use those links to strengthen our institutions and our capacity to respond to the needs of those who have no choice about when they move out of emergency zones1.
There can be no doubt that humanitarian organisations have a fundamental obligation towards their staff and volunteers. As Sara Davidson put it succinctly in the quotation above, there is an inextricable link between staff, and the humanitarian assistance external framework. The imperative to continually improve the quality of our human resources management, and the costs associated with failing to do so, must be recognised throughout the sector.
Key
Practical examples of how agencies have dealt with human resources management issues through case studies, highlighting specific measures organisations have adopted by focussing on an aspect of practice Tips or guidance or resource
Aspects which require more detailed consideration by agencies
Material to provoke further thought or to act as a potential catalyst for action
Introduction
This handbook analyses the human resources management issues facing relief agencies identified in handbook 1, and offers a practical guide for agencies seeking to enhance the quality of their human resources management. It contains practical examples of how agencies have dealt with human resources management issues through case studies, and highlights specific measures organisations have adopted by focussing on an aspect of practice. Where appropriate, tips and guidance are identified and shared, and the aspects which require more detailed consideration by agencies, have been flagged. There is plenty of material to provoke further thought or to act as a catalyst for action, and these are identified. All of these are highlighted with icons, for ease of reference, a key to which is below. For ease, the handbook is divided into three key sections Recruitment and selection Employment and management Retention and career development Each section then considers the area in greater detail, drawing on good practice, and offering useful guidance.
Humanitarian organisations are also employers. As employers we cannot see employees and their individual rights to quality of life, management and support as separate from our agenda on human rights and global development.
Section 1
Section 1
Section 1
Section 2
Sectoral level issues
The sectoral level issues affecting human resources management were considered in detail in handbook 1 and are repeated here again for ease of reference. They provide the external context for the technical issues to be covered in handbook 2. The negotiation of humanitarian space has been compromised, and the risks to which agencies and their national and international staff have been exposed have increased. The situation is exacerbated by the failure of military and political actors to create the security and political framework in which NGOs and civil society organisations can work, and on which they depend. Internal challenges There are also a number of challenges internal to the humanitarian sector. For example, the donors have been moving away from supporting the northern NGOs to the same extent as previously, partially due to funding policy changes since 9/11 and partially because of the costs associated with Afghanistan and Iraq.
Why are they important?

The sectoral level issues set the context in which the technical matters reside. For example, the donors attitudes towards human resources fundamentally influence the potential for developing more professional HR systems and procedures, and especially dictate the potential for investing in people-related issues. Another example the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq and the way in which humanitarian negotiation and space have been undermined have increased the risks for staff and volunteers, and have also badly affected insurance premiums, If we are to deal with insurance companies, in addressing the problems of obtaining effective and cost-effective protection for staff, we have also to address the wider issues and create the protective political and military environment on which we depend.
Summary
The humanitarian sector has to continue to explore ways of collaborating, both with external actors, and also internally, on an inter-agency basis. Unless a greater coherence within the sector is achieved, there is a risk that the agencies will be further sidelined; they will not be consulted in decisions which will ultimately seriously and adversely affect their capacity to work, and further, the safety and security of their staff and volunteers will be jeopardised. The agencies also need to identify their added value, set rules and an implementation framework, represent it to the other actors, and defend it in negotiation and debate.
Challenges to the sector

External challenges The sector is under pressure from outside in that its unique role in provision of humanitarian assistance is being challenged by a number of other actors including the military, host governments, donors and also the commercial sector. Recent experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq have done little to alleviate this pressure, and indeed have brought about further challenges. The humanitarian sector risks becoming increasingly sidelined from the decision making processes which affect it, and where agencies are dependent on funding from belligerent governments, they can do little to challenge the behaviour of military and political groups.
Prioritising human resources

Within the agencies themselves, human resources and people-related issues are often seen as an administrative burden or overhead, and the level of strategic and managerial commitment to them is insufficient. Added to this is the common tension between the operational section and the field on one side, and HR section and organisational policies on the other. Operational and field managers may see the HR section as an irritant which at best is valuable
Section 2
Section 2
only for recruitment and staff administration, or at worst, the guardian or controller of policies and procedures which limit operational freedom.
As a result, the strategic organisational support which is essential for developing human resources may be lacking, as might be the managerial support (especially from the operational teams) which is critical to overall effectiveness in HR management. For donors, human resources are also often seen as an administrative cost, and as a result, frequently end up being given a low priority. HR costs are overheads and may be restricted to levels at which agencies find themselves unable to fund the management necessary to meet the quality requirements of programmes, or the quality requirements of the donors themselves.
dysfunctional in not providing the protection for UN staff in Iraq which might have prevented or ameliorated the loss of life and injury in the bombings of the UN and ICRC HQs in 2003.
The main conclusion... is that the current security management system is dysfunctional. It provides little guarantee of security to UN staff in Iraq or other high-risk environments and needs to be reformed.2
The implications for NGOs are not good, and we can only advocate that they are able to influence the process of reform of the UN security system when it takes place, and to represent the interests of the NGOs as independent actors, but within an overall framework which functions well, and for all.
What is an acceptable level of risk?

The problem for agencies in the field is that there is no clearly definable acceptable level of risk. Everyone knows that there are risks involved in working in countries under stress, in conflict, or in transition. The risks become unacceptable where there is evidence of poor practice by agencies associated with lack of strategy, inadequate information systems, lack of policy or procedures or ineffective management and administration.
Summary
Agencies have to address the issues of strategic and managerial commitment to effective people management. They must continue to persuade donors to support them in tackling HR related issues, especially regarding development of capacity and potential among national and international staff and volunteers.
An acceptable level of risk?

The level of risk to which staff are exposed has changed significantly in recent years. The risks themselves have also altered, though there remain many similarities. Many more relief and development workers are now working permanently in situations of great personal risk, the risk caused by the changes in conflict, and the fact that many poor countries are existing permanently in states of crisis and insecurity. In addition, because of the changes which have taken place in the international system and the nature of conflict, agencies and especially staff (and particularly nationally recruited staff) are being deliberately targeted by unofficial armed groups and militias as well as criminals. The aid agencies have become increasingly powerless to intervene with the military and political authorities, not least because the United Nations has acted as interlocutor in relation to security matters, even though there is no formal agreement to do so (by the NGOs). The UN security system itself has been shown to be
Section 2
Section 3
Recruitment and selection
The responses from agencies to the survey for this study, as detailed in handbook 1, clearly identified recruitment and retention of experienced managers as the most important factor affecting them. In the ranking exercise, no agency (which provided data) ranked the significance of the issue less than four out of five. This concurs with the findings of previous studies for example: In 1997, Francesca Taylors research3 for EPS 1 pointed out that the fundamental problem faced by those recruiting relief staff is the serious shortage of appropriately skilled and qualified personnel in particular competencies. There is a general consensus that the most difficult posts to fill are those at management level. Equally, the importance of these positions has escalated as emergencies have become more complex in nature. In preparatory research for EPS 3 in 2000, S. Lawry-White undertook a review of the HR issues affecting agencies and found that the key issues emerging from this survey can be neatly summed up by quoting from one of the responses "Getting them and keeping them. Recruitment and retention were the key issues raised4. While most of the respondents would have been HR staff who are inevitably responsible on a day-to-day basis for recruitment, the response from agencies certainly reflected the difficulty of recruiting the right people with the right skills at the right time.
The need for planning The elements of the recruitment process How to access the necessary skills and competencies Methods of recruitment Inter-agency collaboration
Human resource planning

Many of the programmes which are operated by agencies last for several years indeed there are probably few that last only one year. Therefore inevitably there will be a significant turnover of staff. For example, many international staff in emergency agencies will only be doing six months on average per assignment. Even if managers remain for longer periods, there is a significant turnover of staff. It is therefore absolutely essential for the replacement of these staff to be managed efficiently and effectively. For external recruitment, except in the first stages of an emergency when standby personnel might be used, it is unlikely that staff could arrive in the field within one month of the initial request for staff replacement, and usually it takes even longer. For long term assignments (over one year), and for more senior management positions,
Section 3
Invariably, the most pressing problem for any Human Resources department is recruitment and particularly the recruitment of experienced technical people at short notice. The basic issue How to get the right person with the right expertise to the right place at the right time!
This applies not only to the latest rapid onset emergency or crisis, but also to the on-going programmes where lack of planning or a problem in the field means that recruitment is so often urgent.
Recruitment of senior managers was generally reported to be a particular problem. On the other hand, replies also showed that many agencies are able to attract as many people as they need, and more, for a wide range of responsibilities. In particular, the volunteer agencies are able to attract very large numbers of candidates both the Volontaire de Solidarite Internationale (VSI) agencies (Mdecins Sans Frontires, Handicap International, Action contre la Faim, Vterinaires sans Frontires etc) and also agencies such as VSO. This section of the report covers a number of issues associated with recruitment and selection:
Section 3
the lead-in time can be around two months or more. The pressure is therefore on operational departments, field offices and human resource/ personnel departments to have sufficient information and management systems in place to maximise the potential for adequate planning, recruitment processes, preparation and handover in the field. For field offices, nationally recruited staff present the same challenges planning, recruiting and preparing staff takes a substantial period of time. There may also be a large number of applicants for each position, and selection processes take time, as do the search for references etc. If recruitment is undertaken externally through an agency or via advertisements in the press and media, the lead-in time can be even longer, for example three to six months.
A study was carried out in 1998 for IHE Sometimes Maybe, Sometimes Not5 which detailed agency practice concerning the recruitment, employment and retention of nationally recruited staff. Although the situation for nationally recruited staff has improved greatly overall in the last six years, many of the same issues apply. Policy guidance Developing national capacities for leadership A further relevant study was carried out by D. Salomons et al, entitled Building Regional and National Capacities for Leadership in Humanitarian Assistance which explored the issues associated with and potential for the systematic introduction of national and regional level staff into the leadership and management of humanitarian assistance efforts6. Every agency tends to have its own process for recruitment, and the following flow chart highlights the most common stages:
Section 3
Why is recruitment always urgent?

An agency is working in-country for years, and yet whenever someone leaves, the recruitment of a replacement always seems to be done at the last minute? The reason is a combination of poor management systems and practice associated with a lack of strategic thinking, poor planning and lack of information systems feeding into planning and decision-making. Human resources are simply not treated with the priority they should, strategically leading to under-funding of HR departments, and insufficient resources and staff both at HQ and in the field Lack of management information systems for HR meaning that management information is just not available e.g. when contracts end/what future budgeted needs are, and relevant job descriptions, evaluations etc Forward planning is not a priority for operational departments and field staff and is often neglected After every major emergency there is a period of reflection and learning, but this comes when all the financial and personnel resources that were involved in the emergency are likely to be disbursed. Each period of reflection brings calls for greater investment in planning and preparedness, but the resources are rarely there in most agencies to take positive steps.
Recruitment procedure flow chart

FIgure 1 Recruitment procedure
Vacancy authorisation to recruit Review requirement Review job description Review person specification Agree terms and conditions Plan the recruitment and selection process Consider various methods of recruitment Advertise vacancy Shortlist applications Assess candidates screening, interviews, exercises Review information and identify most suitable person for post Offer post (maybe conditional) Plan induction
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Mission East helping managers recruit effectively Mission Easts Operations Manual contains detailed guidelines on recruitment. Included is a graphical representation of the briefing process, the associated stakeholders and their responsibilities. The guidelines also include checklists for use by each staff member. The handbook also covers the same process for debriefing at the end of contract. Do you provide your recruiting managers with guidelines or checklists to help them recruit more effectively?
maintained. There are five seats reserved for outsiders on the training course. This roster is now open to local staff Pool of senior managers. UNHCR has been criticized in the past for fielding too many junior people In addition, UNHCR deploys external resources. Again in order: From the standby agreements with the Norwegian and Danish Refugee Councils and United Nations Volunteers. Other agreements are being considered. Through the standby agreement, NRC and DRC maintain registers of available staff and are able to provide emergency response teams able to leave within 72 hours A new roster of former UNHCR staff is being created, also with NRC for those with five years experience or more who have left within last five years Commercial service contracts for support on the spot providing base camp catering, laundry etc There are now also a few contracts with governments7 UNHCRs approach shows that a large international organisation with worldwide presence can first call upon its local resources then supplement these with staff from headquarters or another country programme on a temporary basis, while recruitment takes place for longer term deployment. This requires the development of appropriate information and management systems, and is described in more detail in Internal Rosters below8. It can also call upon several external sources with which structural agreements have been made to maintain registers of available expertise (Norwegian and Danish Refugee Councils). NRC and DRC also benefit from the structural relationship, but other smaller agencies cannot of course expect to maintain such standby resources, and must start from scratch on each occasion. Norwegian Refugee Council Enhancing emergency response capacity NRC is able to supplement its own capacity by operating registers of experts (primarily for assignments with UNHCR and other UN agencies, but including other humanitarian organisations), for which it receives financial support from the Norwegian government.
Accessing the necessary skills and competencies

Getting the right people to the right place at the right time
For any agency, the challenge is managing to hire the right people in good time, and ensuring they become operational with the minimum delay. In the case of an emergency, this presents particular difficulties: A new emergency When a new emergency arises, agencies have a range of strategies for accessing the necessary people, but the range of responses depends on the size and scope of the agency. Profile UNHCR Emergency response capacity UNHCR with over 5,000 staff and offices in most countries: Activate the local UNHCR structures Activate the Emergency Preparedness and Response Section. This includes five EPR officers involved in operations, assessment and liaison, plus two administration/finance officers and senior administrator to organize administration and recruitment on the spot (on 72 hour standby) Roster of UNHCR staff. The roster has 30 names of volunteers, which stay on the roster for six months. They must be available within 72 hours and they will not be asked to serve for more than two months. Their supervisors must endorse their participation. In the last round, there were 120 volunteers from which 30 were chosen. They must attend a ten day intensive training, mostly based around simulations. A geographical and gender balance is
Section 3
Section 3
The NORSTAFF register comprises about 300 men and women from 25 professional categories. 100 are on assignment at any given time. The NORDEM register comprises 250 people and is specifically involved in assignments dealing with human rights and governance. The NORAFRIC register is a register of about 75 humanitarian managers with experience in Africa. In addition, NRC has 50-55 of its own international staff working in overseas programmes, working with 700 nationally recruited staff. Being involved in hosting and managing the registers undoubtedly assists NRC in meeting its own HR needs and providing extra resources for its HR department.
RedR/IHE Pre-s screening register candidates When RedR and International Health Exchange propose members of their registers they will have been interviewed, suitability and qualifications will have been checked, and their availability confirmed in advance, and the candidates will have arranged leave of absence already.
Shortlisting and selection interviews

These are normally carried out in an agencys office. This is often not possible for candidates based in other countries, and it may not be possible or financially viable to bring candidates to the home country of the agency. It may be possible, however, to use contacts in the country where the candidate is based perhaps another NGO or a contact in an institution such as a University or a hospital. To save costs, some agencies use telephone interviews to check candidates suitability for inclusion on a shortlist, or to reduce a shortlist further still, for example to two or three candidates that can be interviewed face to face. Telephone interviewing Do follow up a telephone interview with a face to face interview prior to appointment Do use telephone interviewing for ALL or NONE of the shortlisted candidates, even if some are local Do explain the purpose of the interview when arranging it with the individual and again when the phone conversation starts Do remember to introduce the interview panel before you start, and deal with the housekeeping, for example you will call the individual back if the line fails Do put the candidate at ease and encourage them to seek clarification if theyve not understood a question Do group interview panel questions together to avoid jumping around unnecessarily Do give the candidate a time to summarise their experience and answer short questions relating to the essential requirements of the post Do keep telephone interviews as short as possible, and no longer than 45 minutes
Registers and selection

Almost all agencies have a register of potential candidates for short term emergency positions which normally comprises exemployees who are interested in further assignments, and also by mutual consent, strong candidates who have applied to the agency and been shortlisted but not appointed. For most agencies these form the central pillar for recruitment during the early stages of an emergency, since the funds and time necessary for a traditional recruitment process are not always available. Agencies generally pre-select the candidates first, and in some cases the registers include trained people who are either specifically already available at short notice, or for whom leave of absence has been agreed in advance. British Red Cross Training register candidates British Red Cross, like most other contributing Red Cross Societies, will send a number of selected candidates for the register to attend a standardised Basic Training Course a one-week residential selection and training course. Medair Compulsory training for all potential staff Medair holds a ten day Relief/Rehabilitation Orientation Course (three times a year in English) which potential field workers must attend and is the basic selection and orientation mechanism for potential field workers. Candidates contribute #500 to the cost of the event.
Section 3
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Key skills for interviewers Listening and questioning Time management Planning Negotiation Evaluation Decision making Objectivity Adopting a listening approach Observe look at the candidate. Observe expressions and movements. Pick up key words Suspend judgement refrain from evaluating until you have fully understood Summarise reflect back what you have heard to ensure mutual understanding Give support encourage open expression and use nods and smiles when appropriate If adequate documentation is available concerning the skills and profile required, then all of these methods are useful, provided also that qualifications and references are checked to ensure authenticity. The IFRC International Recruitment Handbook provides useful guidance on interviewing overview, preparation, format, questionnaire and assessment, together with template forms9. For example, the guidance describes the interview process, and suggests key guidance for the interviewer including sample questions which might be asked. Selected examples of the guidance provided is given below: 1. Preparing for the interview: Plan who will be involved in the interview panel Hold no more than three interviews a day Prepare technical questions for the interview questionnaire Plan who will lead the interview and who will ask which questions Choose a room that is free from disturbances/distractions Allow adequate time for the interview and for the assessment Always take notes (with discretion) Confidentiality is important at all stages
2. Guidance for the interviewer: Prepare well in advance, study and compare candidates CV to relevant position description with solid factual knowledge about the dimensions to be assessed, professional competencies, motivation/realism, personal qualities The ability to establish good contact quickly with different kinds of people should be developed to allow for a beneficial exchange of information Separate the time for questions and the time for providing information Follow the order of questions in the questionnaire Ask one question at a time During the questioning, spend 80 per cent of the time listening and 20 per cent talking. Dont underestimate the power of silence Learn to develop excellent listening skills: to hear more than is said so that you can follow up with probing questions Be aware of ones own mindset with preferences and biases Be aware of ones own limitations in the frame of reference Verify intuition and gut-feeling by facts Avoid leading questions. Introduce questions with interrogative words, such as How? Where? What? Why? When? Be calm and emotionally neutral so as not to influence the candidate Interact with all candidates in a positive and respectful manner Record the assessment directly following the interview, making a note of any information that could not be ascertained Using standard job descriptions, the IFRC links the job description for the post with the interview and the assessment of the interview against the criteria in the job description, and provides proformas for each of the relevant documents for those who will undertake the interview. Internal rosters exist primarily in larger agencies, and comprise staff who are already employees, who might be reassigned or seconded in an emergency. The internal roster would include HQ staff with relevant skills and experience, international and nationally recruited field staff, and also staff who have previously returned from the field and might be available for further assignments.
Section 3
Section 3
The larger agencies, with global reach and a permanent presence in more than 20 countries have access to a significant number of international and nationally recruited staff, whose skills and competencies, provided the information systems exist, could be recorded centrally and made available to managers. In an emergency, such agencies can access staff very quickly, and are able to second them to the site of the emergency temporarily. Smaller agencies, however can also operate internal mobility systems, and, for example (through Active Staff deployment) will move staff from one project to another to respond to critical needs. The internal market is created when an agency (or agencies working together) have sufficient reach globally, and are of sufficient size and impact, that they are able to re-deploy people from one country to another on short or long term assignments and have sufficient resources and staff for this not to damage programme management in that country. However to achieve this requires the quality of commitment, management and information systems and procedures that can normally only be funded by large international agencies and networks. The advantages of such an internal market are immediate response times to crises are much quicker than would be possible through external recruitment, and they provide mechanisms for creating mobility among the staff, and especially for nationally recruited staff but they require systems to be in place, and significant time and financial input to maintain. Developing an internal roster key elements for success: Clearly defined goals and objectives Strong, professional capacity-building component Organisational buy-in and commitment, at all levels Monitoring and evaluation system Sufficient financial and human resources allocated for dedicated management, personnel and training systems Diverse composition of the roster members skills and competencies Support for country programmes contributing roster members
Pro-active deployment of roster members (about 1/3 of roster per year) Support systems to retain staff interest and motivation10 Unless there is investment in the development of HR information systems and also skills development among nationally recruited staff, it is unlikely that smaller agencies will be able to exploit their potential. In responses to this survey, most agencies had little or no information on their national staff, and a great deal of work remains to be done in agencies of all sizes before this potential is realised. Profile Oxfam GB Emergency roster Oxfam GB deploys emergency professionals, in a typical emergency, from a pool of 45 specialist staff (Humanitarian Support Personnel), sometimes supplemented by staff based in the eight regional offices. If additional staff are needed, Oxfam will use its emergency register, which comprises external professionals and an internal roster of Oxfam staff worldwide. Oxfam GB is now updating its emergency human resources systems, including its emergency register: It has established a dedicated human resources team in the humanitarian department It has invested in developing a new register database system through an adapted version of Abra software for launch in 2004 There is no dedicated training element provided for roster staff, as Oxfam considers the humanitarian training provided to all country programme staff at the regional level sufficient It is hoped that this new web-based roster system will provide a lighter, more flexible recruitment tool, with a wide pool of candidates Oxfam can call on quickly in an emergency which should also allow managers in regional and country offices to conduct recruitment searches themselves, thereby minimising the time and resources required to maintain the roster in the main offices in Oxford UK. Many agencies, including Oxfam, have found that the success of an emergency roster depends on internal management buy-in for the system and systematic monitoring of the rosters use in order to measure its actual impact as an emergency response tool.11
Section 3
14
External registers
In the UK, RedR and IHE have recently merged, but each still operates a substantial register. Programme managers, logistics and WATSAN RedRs register includes: Water, mechanical, construction, environmental, agronomy, transport and electrical engineering Accountancy/Finance Personnel management Admin/Office management Security Construction Training Information/PR Logistics Information technology Institutional development www.redr.org/agencies/findpersonnel.htm Health IHEs register includes medical personnel surgeons, doctors, nurses, paramedics and administrators. IHE also publishes a magazine, Health Exchange, which includes advertisements for personnel required by NGOs and other organisations. www.ihe.org.uk/reg.htm Finance Mango, an NGO which provides training, consultancy and advocacy services relating to financial management, also maintains a register of finance managers and staff. www.mango.org.uk/staff The costs of using these resources varies RedR would seek a voluntary donation towards costs (e.g. RedR Australia would expect a donation of Aus$ 1,000) whereas Mango bases its charges on a proportion of first years salary (10 or 15%) with a minimum charge of #1,500. The UN, via OCHA, also maintains a register of rosters of internationally available disaster management expertise, listing those registers within the UN system and international organisations and NGOs. www.reliefweb.int/ocha_ol/programs/response/ex pernet/index.html Other registers we know to have been used by NGOs and funders include the following: CINFO: www.cinfo.ch
AGEH: www.ageh.de CANADEM: www.canadem.ca OASIS: www.oasis.gov.ie Bioforce: www.bioforce.asso.fr Joint registers In the last two years, discussions have taken place concerning the establishment of a joint register (Humanitarian Personnel Register Network) between RedR, IHE, Bioforce and cinfo. But these have not led to a concrete proposal. Such an initiative makes very good sense in principle, especially for experienced aid workers, as different registers often duplicate names and effort is wasted chasing the same people. There is also scope for agencies involved in particular technical specialities to coordinate registers more closely for example, medical personnel or water/sanitation engineers. There is also potential for an outsourced register, perhaps managed commercially, and this might be financially advantageous for small and medium sized agencies, as they suffer substantial costs maintaining independent registers. However this would require a change of mindset if commercial level fees are to be paid.
Responding quickly to fluctuating needs

Agencies have a number of tools for accessing people in fast response, and can also manage the day-to-day recruitment needs of programmes, but over the long term there is a problem in responding to the needs to expand and contract staffing levels. Possible strategies for meeting surge in demand:12 Establish a telephone hot-line for people wanting to express interest or getting more information on whether they could be considered. British Red Cross have a telephone service as do VITA in the USA For specialists, target professional networks more carefully Set up Emergency Response Units (e.g. Red Cross network) Make better use of the Internet for posting vacancies and allowing people to register their interest Conduct learning reviews after each major emergency From the outset augment human resources capacity at HQ but especially in the field Rely on a succession of retirees/ex-staff who can be brought in at short notice for the short term
Section 3
Section 3
Emergency response/standby teams are maintained by a number of larger agencies, including Oxfam GBs Humanitarian Support Personnel of experienced relief specialists contracted to be available at short notice for assignment on a worldwide basis. World Vision (WVI) has a Global Response team of 27 staff, dispersed around the world, ready for deployment within 24-72 hours in a major emergency. The IFRC maintains Emergency Response Units formed from specially trained National Society staff, who are seconded to the IFRC either as a team or as individuals. They can be deployed at very short notice. Increasingly larger agencies are developing their own emergency response teams and SC UK, Tearfund, Caritas Europa have established such teams within the last few years. Caritas Europa (CE) has a two-step process in a major crisis (defined as affecting over 10,000 people). An ERST (Emergency Response and Support Team) is ready to go three to seven days after the news of an event reaches the CE office. Around 150 staff are on the register, drawn from Caritas member organisations. Each register member has an annual medical check, training in emergency response (minimum standards in project and financial management, as well as International Humanitarian Law and security) together with a skill in at least one other area of value to a team: trauma, technical sectors, working in conflict, team leadership, a language, etc). All members of an ERST must be salaried employees of Caritas member organisations. After about six weeks ERST is replaced by a STEP team (Support Team for Emergency Programmes) comprising people not on a Caritas member payroll but engaged for three to twelve months. These individuals respond to the activities identified by ERST and ultimately their activities are funded by donors. Throughout the process the Caritas member in the country affected has worked on planning and with the ERST. A percentage of funds raised for the crisis is spent on building the capacity of the local partner. But most agencies are small of the 142 NGOs with Framework Partnership Agreements recently audited by ECHO13 71 have less than 20 staff at HQ
37 have no dedicated HR department 26 have no HR policy They have less financial and personnel resources available to mobilise and organise a response, or to manage preparedness mechanisms like registers. However, many will have limited personnel registers. Generally, their response to a new emergency involves sending an assessment team that makes a survey and proposes a programme, which then requires funding. Very rarely is the funding available in advance and often the agency will depend on official funding which donors are sometimes slow to confirm, and slower to transfer. Meanwhile, the larger agencies have been able to respond using their own resources and their local contacts and offices and staff, and will already be recruiting staff locally using their contacts and local offices. The smaller agency, meanwhile, is very fortunate if it can become operational inside one month, whereas the large agency is already active within a week, and is more likely to make mistakes in recruitment, and to suffer the costs of inflation in salaries and house/office rents etc but is least able to afford them. Agencies with natural counterparts (the Churches, for example) have an advantage because they can establish contact with local representatives, and start work quickly through their local skills base and infrastructure, but are then dependent on the capacity of the local partner, and not necessarily able to influence policy or practice. There is considerable evidence of smaller international agencies working together operationally in emergency programmes, and even more experience of joint activity in development situations, but there is still a definite opportunity and need for agencies to collaborate much more closely on recruiting and mobilising both international and nationally recruited staff. For further information on inter-agency collaboration see Section 4 of handbook 1.
Section 3
Enhancing quality in recruitment skills and competencies

In recent years there has probably been too much reliance on the technical skills and experience of the humanitarian aid worker and manager, and not enough attention paid to a wider range of competencies which are essential in a good humanitarian manager. Now a wider range of competencies are identified. For example, IFRC
16
defines three areas of skills and competencies required in an aid worker below: ICRC key skills and competencies for aid workers14 1. Professional competencies 1.1 Technical qualifications and skills 1.2 Language skills 1.3 Administrative skills 1.4 Federation representation skills 1.5 Leadership skills 1.6 Training skills 1.7 Partnership skills
2 3 4 5 6
At least a minimum knowledge of International Humanitarian Law
Sensitivity to culture, (and issues of gender and religion) Understanding of Codes of practice, (and standards)
Knowledge of the organisation, its history, procedures etc. Professional competence
In advertisements for humanitarian workers, area number six is very visible, number five is sometimes visible numbers one to four are usually invisible. In addition, enthusiasm, solidarity, compassion and drive are very important.
3. Personal qualities 3.1 Ability to adjust 3.2 Initiative 3.3 Flexibility 3.4 Resilience 3.5 Diversity awareness 3.6 Communication skills 3.7 Teamwork 3.8 Independence In a presentation to EPN 5, D. Bryer identified a range of non-technical competencies:15 Knowledge of the guiding principles of the organisation. This is very important, for example how do you interpret neutrality and impartiality? When should you withdraw? What do you do when you witness a violation of human rights?
The underlying purpose of a competency-based system is to improve business performance through improving employee performance. If key skills, knowledge and personal attributes which make a master performer successful at a given job can be identified, and if these things can be grouped into appropriate clusters, a set of competencies can be established. When these competencies are linked to a set of behaviors that answer the question, How do we know it when we see it? and they can serve as a blueprint in hiring, training, development and compensation18. Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) Europe core competencies for all international staff MAF Europe also uses a competency based system, core competencies being firstly, for all international staff, a personal Christian conviction, but also the right attitudes, skills, experience, motivation and personality traits: Commitment to MAF Europe Understanding others Flexibility Team orientation Endurance Personal integrity Family orientation Self control Perception and self development19
Section 3
2. Motivation and realism 2.1 Expectations 2.2 Understanding the short-term nature of international missions 2.3 Motivation by the job 2.4 Involvement of family 2.5 Security/health awareness 2.6 Commitment to Red Cross and Red Crescent
Other required skills were identified by Hammock and Lautze: Todays aid workers need to be professionals. They must be trained to understand the complex social, economic and political conditions of the societies in which they intervene, as well as the broader international context.16
Much more specific detailing of the range of skills and qualities required by aid workers was provided by Hugo Slim in two papers published in the mid 90s17. World Vision International provide an interesting description of a competency based employment system in Competency Essentials. K. Stock:
Professional skills required to carry out the tasks of the job are important, but they should be a basic prerequisite for employment the other factors are just as important, but are often overlooked.
Section 3
What we expect of staff is always increasing. We demand so much more and we have still not learned to praise or say thank you.
In relation to the media and Iraq staff are being hunted 24 hours a day and we expect them to go live on TV and say the right thing just after they have been bombed. We need to prepare them.20
Recruiting in a global marketplace
Recruiting new staff Many agencies receive far more applications for overseas work than they can accept, and while many are inappropriate or do not have the requisite skills, a large number do. MSF Committed to first-t timers For every ten applicants to the register of MSF worldwide, only one person will attain an overseas assignment: In 2002, MSF received a total of 8,985 new applications, of which 1,857 were interviewed, of these 1,289 were selected for assignment, of which 912 were sent on first missions. MSF is not having problems attracting new volunteers but does however, when recruiting and retaining senior field managers (Coordinators). MSF has a very strong commitment to recruit people on their first assignment overseas, thereby bring in new blood and rejuvenating and stimulating the volunteer spirit and solidarity of the organisation. Across the MSF network an average of 35% of assignments were first missions in 2002. This is a very high proportion indeed and is undoubtedly a major contribution to the pool of international aid workers. ACF pointed out at EPN 5 that UK and US NGOs tend to be bigger, and could recruit first-timers but choose not to do so, preferring to insist on previous experience, and suggested that they should recruit and train first timers. The question in the survey included recruitment and retention as a single issue and some of the significance given to the issue will reflect the problems associated with retaining experienced staff. For further detail on retention see section 5.
Enhancing quality in HR management in the Humanitarian Sector 18
Section 3
While it is important that each agency defines its own requirements in terms of technical skills and competencies, care should be taken to avoid creating a super-human job specification or profile which may not be possible to meet!
Agencies comments reflected that they do not feel overall that recruitment is a major problem, but is for certain categories of staff reporting problems in recruiting people with specific skills and specific competencies. The agencies do not generally have difficulties recruiting for most positions. This reflects a professional approach to recruitment generally, but sometimes reflected a degree of complacency after all, why do we need to be more competitive, or collaborative or strategic, if we can get all the people we need now?. Language skills have always been difficult, and there is significant potential for inter-agency collaboration within Europe when such skills are required, but are not available. For example, if French is needed, why not ask MSF or MduM or ACF or VSF if they can suggest someone? The Red Cross has invested substantially in developing pools of potential expatriate staff in Latin America, Spain, Portugal and the Philippines to assist in addressing the need for staff with additional language skills. It has also, through the Regional Recruitment Programme, recruited and trained hundreds of potential delegates, many also with specialist local knowledge and language capabilities, as well as the necessary technical skills.
Attracting new talent

Most agencies require international aid workers to have previous relevant overseas work experience, and are in the position of being able to treat it as a minimum condition for employment. There is therefore pressure on the sector to develop new aid workers on their first assignment. As mentioned above, the French volunteer agencies strongly support using volunteers on their first missions, and several are recruiting volunteers from a large number of countries (e.g. MSF France sent volunteers of 64 nationalities overseas in 2002). By doing so these agencies make a huge contribution to the global pool of aid workers from which other agencies also benefit. Merlin Pioneering internships In the UK, Merlin has moved away from encouraging first missions towards a policy of developing internships, where less experienced workers can be slotted into stable programmes and thereby both be able to contribute, and benefit from the training experience. Medair Committed to developing new staff Medair is committed to sending people overseas without prior field experience, and treats the first year as a training period. In 2002, 50% of their
international staff (40 out of approximately 80 in total) had less than 12 months experience and were within this category. Not every agency can provide this level of commitment to new staff or first timers although Mission East considers the lack of start-up positions in which to train those new to the field a problem, it is unable to provide the level of support or commitment required by such a policy. The dilemma is ensuring new and inexperienced recruits dont end up in a dangerous environment, yet somehow providing them with opportunities to learn and develop.21 RedR/IHE Field experience scheme RedR/IHE operate a Field Experience Scheme for qualified personnel who do not have previous humanitarian experience, and who will be screened and provided with training. They will be given placements with recognised agencies in appropriate programmes, for a period of six to twelve months22. Oxfam GB are looking outside the sector for managers, in a deliberate attempt to make a wider trawl of expertise and to bring new ideas and vitality. Similarly, Norwegian Refugee Council also seek managers from outside the sector, in recognition that they bring the same skills, but may more easily understand the ethos and attitudes of the agency than a manager who may have become set in his/her ways with a single agency or style of work. The role of volunteers should not be underestimated either, and Norwegian Church Aid is experimenting with an exchange programme for young professionals and students with Norwegian Fredskorpset (Peace Corps), seeing an important role for volunteerism in developing talent.
they are a rare commodity, and are widely sought after. Yet at the same time they are not encouraged to remain within the sector by the nature of the job, the personal circumstances of the manager and the stress under which they work: There is a large turnover of people within the sector, and people with more than five years experience are relatively rare, and managers may have moved to headquarters positions, or left the agency or even the sector Managers are forced to leave the agency or the humanitarian sector because suitable positions are not available Managers are of an age when family considerations, and the financial provision for a family become high priorities, and well-paid and secure jobs in the humanitarian sector are a rarity
There is substantial burnout, where experienced aid workers and managers have just had enough of what is often a frustrating, dangerous and troubling role, even if also hugely rewarding There is not a simple answer to the question as exemplified by agencies experiences regarding length of contract: One French volunteer agency has tried to introduce long term contracts for senior field managers but they did not want them, as they would lose the freedom of choice they had previously! A number of experienced relief managers specifically seek the short term contracts associated with new and current emergencies, and are less interested in the long term commitments associated with programmes more related to rehabilitation or development In most cases, however, experienced staff, and particularly those involved in senior management positions, are seeking the security which comes with a long term contractual commitment, and appropriate planning mechanisms Another group prefers to work part of the year, and to attend to other work or commitments during the remainder Agencies are also seeking longer term commitments from their managers, in order to maintain continuity and also to provide a platform
Recruiting experienced managers is a problem, especially for a sudden onset emergency. These people are not normally available at the right time, and few agencies have sufficient resources to keep them on standby.
In Afghanistan Recruiting experienced people is a serious obstacle to project implementation expatriate staff do not always arrive in the field with specific training for the job or with sufficient experience to replace training.23 There are also a number of other problems associated with recruiting staff within this group
Senior managers a special case?
Section 3
Another group feels the contrary and likes the ad hoc nature of assignments, and moves freely from agency to agency seeking the latest high profile emergency
Section 3
for investment in skills development and promotion within the organisation. The agency therefore should adapt a consultative and flexible approach recognising that the people are different, and their career priorities will not be the same. Within the limits of organisational needs, a range of contract and employment approaches will help attract and keep the best people.
Agencies lack the structures or contacts in place to access local personnel and resources quickly International solidarity is expressed through physical involvement in overseas assignments Ethnic or tribal tensions may mean the appointment of local managers to management positions is not feasible Evaluators tend to assume that international staff are somehow inappropriate, except in rare cases but this is not always a correct assumption. Of course excessive or inappropriate deployment of international staff is to be avoided, but they may be necessary for particular stages of an operation, or for particular technical inputs, for specialist skills and experience not available locally. In addition, they may be required immediately after a disaster as part of a standby, or emergency response team to establish operations quickly. Furthermore, an agency might send a staff member seconded from another programme, or from HQ, as part of career development programmes, and may also be responding to donor policy or pressure. The decision to send an expatriate is not a simple choice by an agency the agencies recognise there is additional cost, both financial and otherwise. Clearly, international staff that are sent should not set up parallel structures or duplicate local efforts, but neither should agencies poach local technical and managerial experts from local systems and pay them wages that are disproportionate to those they normally earn locally there has to be a balance in the use of international staff, and effective strategic thinking and planning will mean that balance is struck. In some emergencies, such as the genocide in Rwanda in 1994 when large numbers of refugees fled to Zaire (Democratic Republic of Congo), there may well be a disproportionate number of expatriates in the initial relief operation because local systems can in no way be expected to cope. But the onus is on incoming agencies and personnel to integrate what they do with the local services ensuring that the local services and local population are not discriminated against. On the other hand, when an earthquake occurs in a known earthquake zone, such as north west India, then mobilisation and organisation and coordination of local expertise and experience should be the priority, and far fewer expatriates should be involved and the ones who are should have a completely different skill profile.
Finding good programme managers

Registers internal and external
24
Current sources of programme managers include:
Reliefweb, Alertnet and other websites (e.g. Oneworld, Devjobs) Newspapers Existing staff Nationally recruited staff Opportunity chance encounter
Section 3
Through existing staff or consultants Possible new sources: Growing your own developing managers within the agency Offering longer contracts and investing in future managers Clearer routes into the sector, such as new graduates Greater use of nationally recruited staff Using more development staff in relief work Investing in preparedness
Seeking skills where do agencies look?

Most agencies start from the basic premise that, wherever possible, skills should be accessed locally, and that people should only be brought in from outside where the necessary skills are not available locally, or where, for specific reasons, an expatriate is required. However, if this principle were universally applied, the number of international staff would be a small fraction of what it is now. There are a number of reasons why there are many more international staff than would theoretically be needed, and why their numbers are likely to continue to remain high: Agencies lack the global reach to be able to react quickly to an emergency, and have to resort to flying in external expertise to establish a programme
Local recruitment
All agencies would first and foremost be seeking to utilise people in the country of operation, wherever the necessary skills and competencies are available it is quicker, more cost-effective, capitalises on local knowledge of situation and culture. Sources of staff would include: Newspaper advertisements NGO networks Commercial recruitment agencies And, taking care to avoid unfair discrimination, the word of mouth method recommendation by other staff members has been found to be successful. It is rare for HR specialists to be doing the recruitment at country level, and systems and procedures must be robust as there are risks associated with employment which should be taken into account. If the employment is being undertaken by a local partner organisation the risks are substantially reduced, but if the international agency is the employer, it is very important to obtain legally binding expert advice, and also to consult with other organisations. With the trend to regionalised management, it is even more important that agencies invest in HR management capacity at the field level, and especially if the HR function at HQ level is going to be reduced through the regionalisation process. References must always be taken up for every potential staff member, national or international.
In the UK further information on incorporating child protection measures in recruitment can be found at www.disclosure.gov.uk and an international framework for managing child protection can be downloaded from www.settingthestandard.info Third country nationals (TCN) are normally either expatriates living and resident in the country of operations (CoO) or nationals of other countries temporarily resident in the CoO. In both cases additional care must be taken because the authorities will consider both to be foreigners, and employing TCN may breach legislation or controls of NGO employment of expatriates. It is very important when employing TCN to ensure that they have the right to work, or that this can be obtained. It is risky to assume that because someone comes from the region their recruitment is always going to be better great care should be taken as cultural, religious and other issues do not comply with national boundaries. There may be ethnic, tribal and religious issues and conflicts which will be extremely complex, and any recruitment must be undertaken with a close understanding of the local circumstances. It is very important to take advice on these issues. Occasionally, specific issues relating to a particular area of operation can arise, for example in the case of Southern Sudan, where aid workers have been recruited in Kenya and posted to Sudan. In this case, the staff are normally given national contracts, and are then compensated through an expatriation package because they are working in another country. The problems which arise in a case such as this include: They are working illegally in Southern Sudan They would be considered foreigners in Sudan, the same as a European expatriate They need the expatriation package because they will have substantial additional costs over and above those which applied if they lived and worked in Kenya Substantial insurance and health care cover would be needed because of the difficulties associated with working away from home, in a conflict situation, with little or no facilities available in the field In most cases expatriates recruited as TCN are employed on national level contracts and terms paying them at international levels can cause serious problems with regard to equity between different staff categories. This would apply in the cases where, for example a European is recruited locally and might be given an international contract.
Checks on staff before recruitment

All staff should have a medical examination before employment, and before and after any long term assignment (>12 months). It may well be a requirement of the insurance company, but is always a sensible check to be made References should be obtained (at least two) from the candidates line manager in the most recent previous employer, and another employer or responsible person. The references should be obtained by the employer, and if provided by the employee should be checked Within the bounds of what is legally or culturally acceptable, confirmation should be obtained that no criminal convictions exist, and also all staff should be screened for child protection. (Employees will be dealing with substantial resources, and also with vulnerable people, including women and children, and it is very important that all possible measures are taken to prevent harm).
Section 3
Section 3
Developing the potential for recruiting at the national level IFRC has a Regional Delegate Recruitment programme, through which candidates are identified either in National Society staff or in IFRC delegation offices, and who, after a selection process, would be provided with standardised training at regional workshops. Between 1998 and 2000, training was provided to 350 candidates, many of whom have subsequently worked on international assignments. The programme has been very successful, although not without difficulties, for example, in funding the costs of the assignment where unrestricted funding was at a premium. IFRC has produced a recruitment handbook for the Regional Recruitment programme which provides very good guidance on recruitment and selection, including interview and basic training. It also includes templates and forms. It is published in hard copy and CD25.
language skills and it is more cost-effective than recruiting international staff. It is also more costeffective than sending international candidates for interview at HQ. However, difficulties which arise include the following: Governments suspicious of international agencies are equally suspicious of any nonnational, including people from within the region Cultural, religious, tribal and clan affiliations often apply across borders, and international agencies are not always aware of the conflicts that may result from ill-considered recruitment, making it all the more important that proper local and legal advice is taken Problems of maintaining equity between categories of staff are more difficult with another category, which is in effect part locally recruited and part international Non-nationals would be subject to the same quota restrictions that would apply to any expatriate, and would also be subject to regulations for work permits, residence permits etc which would apply to other foreigners. There is considerable potential though in further exploiting regional recruitment: Recruiting through local partner agencies at regional level Recruiting through other northern NGOs which are members of consortia, networks and alliances Using commercial recruitment agencies, at least for the first stages of advertising, screening and selecting candidates for interview Advertising on regional NGO networks Advertising on internet-based regional NGO resources In Sometimes Maybe, Sometimes Not26, it was proposed that an HR advice, information and recruitment facility might be established at regional level when a major international crisis occurs for example, this would surely have been appropriate in Nairobi over the last five years where major international emergencies in the surrounding countries occurred regularly and literally thousands of people have worked for emergency and development agencies. It is important to bear in mind that culture, and ethnic history do not follow borders and agencies must be sensitive to local conditions, pressures
22 People In Aid May 2004
Section 3
For a smaller agency to develop the potential for recruiting nationals in-country poses a challenge working in conjunction with agencies which are already present or which have specialist local knowledge is well worth considering, and in fact many smaller agencies end up working with local partner organisations. As the presence of international NGOs is extended in developing countries, there is created a cadre of nationally recruited managers who continue to work with international organisations, either incountry or internationally. Many have also worked with international organisations and the UN for a number of years. To recruit these people requires the same level of remuneration as would be applicable for an international position. For many NGOs, and particularly the smaller ones with limited funding, it is not possible to pay these levels of salary, and smaller agencies have to compromise on the level of skills they can access. One possible solution is to develop managers skills as the programme itself develops recruiting staff with management potential, and working with them to develop their skills and capacities.
Regional recruitment
Many of the larger international NGOs (for example, ActionAid, SC UK, Oxfam GB, among others) have decentralised management to regional level and have permanent regional offices worldwide. Recruitment therefore becomes possible at this level too. The advantages are that people can be recruited with similar cultural and
and potential conflicts in their recruitment. This is particularly true in areas of ethnic conflict, and is an important justification for the need for substantial prior analysis and understanding of local circumstances among managers.
inadequately insured, the potential costs for medical treatment, or for litigation could be enormous, and the organisation itself may be at risk. It may not be possible to employ technical specialists whose qualifications are not accepted in the agencys home country e.g. professional liability insurance may be based on a nurse or doctors right and qualification to work. Merlin Doing international recruitment locally Merlin has recruited a number of staff, for example, using its website (and others) for advertising positions, and has then arranged a telephone interview or face-to-face interview with a local representative, or another NGO. The solutions to these problems are not necessarily easy, but there are potentially thousands of skilled and experienced people who could be accessed if these obstacles were to be overcome. For technical specialists such as doctors and nurses, the question whether their qualifications are valid in other countries, remains, but there are opportunities, as has been shown by Merlins experience, where greater access can be gained to staff on an international basis.
International recruitment
The Internet and global communications have provided agencies with the opportunity to recruit on a worldwide basis, and this has both provided a further source for staff and also potential difficulties. In addition, there are a number of websites which list available vacancies within the humanitarian and development sector and which will attract large numbers of applicants on a worldwide basis. For example, Reliefweb, Alertnet and OneWorld27 all have comprehensive listings of available opportunities, and as already stated, many agencies individual websites also list their own vacancies. It may be cost-effective to develop your own vacancies page showing vacancies and describing recruitment process / role description etc as part of your agencys external Internet site. A number of agencies will not be able to manage international applications, and restrict their employment of international staff to nationals or residents of the home country of the organisation. Larger international networks are better placed, and can also employ staff through regional or country offices. Where staff are not normally resident in the agencys home country, then take care to allow sufficient time for processing visas / work permits on occasions where the staff member needs to be present at the head office. Beware that on occasion, staff members who are not normally resident in the agencys home country may have difficulties travelling for training, meetings etc, and for longer visits would require residence and work permits which might not easily be available. Insurance medical health care insurance for field staff may be based on the aid workers right to health care in the country where the agency HQ is based, making it prohibitively expensive to insure the worker, or difficult to arrange, if not a national of the country in which the HQ is based. In addition, there are specific difficulties associated with the recruitment of American or Canadian citizens, for whom insurance may be prohibitively expensive or cannot be arranged. If
Competition in recruitment
For most categories of staff, and on most occasions, agencies are not competing with each other when recruiting. However, in times of major international crisis, and for certain categories of staff, there certainly is competition. For example, at times of sudden need, agencies compete for available staff and volunteers, particularly where previous experience is required. For senior management positions agencies are competing regularly such posts are few, and vacancies arise infrequently.
Collaboration in recruitment
At the HQ level, some collaboration regarding recruitment already exists, for example sharing of job vacancy lists, but there is a great deal more that is possible without compromising the independence of each NGO. A central register of humanitarian aid workers would certainly help everybody, but is unlikely to arise if it is dependent on the agencies combining their existing lists. Internationally A closer collaboration between agencies in different countries would be beneficial too, e.g. in facilitating access to language skills,
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but also for proposing candidates for recruitment, secondments and exchanges. An international database of the external registers for aid workers, expanding the list above, would be a good starting point, listing all the registers which NGOs might be able to access. Other sources There is also potential to access staff through the large volunteer agencies such as VSO, which have large numbers of volunteers returning each year who might be interested in working in the humanitarian sectors, and would have two years valuable overseas working experience. There are agencies in many countries established to help returning volunteers, amongst them: www.unesco.org/ccivs A consortium of UN volunteer organisations www.comhlamh.org Comhlamh, Ireland
The review also strongly suggests the potential for inter-agency collaboration in recruitment in relation to technical matters such as registers of personnel and operationally in regard to planning for staff needs, and for collaboration in the field in recruitment.
Resources, tools and links

People management (general) Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Website with a large number of free articles on aspects of people management, free downloadable tools, a searchable database (requiring subscription) and a bookstore where relevant books and documents can be purchased. www.cipd.co.uk/default.cipd NGO Manager. A site containing a wide range of management tools and research for NGOs. Includes sections on performance management, developing human resources, organisational development, managing finances and communications and marketing. Includes NGO Manager Organisational Assessment Tool and WWF Organisational Assessment tool. www.ngomanager.org Free Management Library. Hosted by the Management Assistance Program a huge web-based resource of management guidance documents and links for NGOs. Covers every possible element of people management. The Impact Alliance Contains a section on Human Resource Management. www.impactalliance.org Aid Workers Network. A resource for all aid workers including documents and information, and also on-line discussion forums for debate and advice. www.aidworkers.net Room for Improvement. R. Macnair. 1995. ODI Relief and Rehabilitation Network Paper No.10. Available from ODI. www.odi.org.uk/publications/hpnpapers.html Building Regional and National Capacities for Leadership in Humanitarian Assistance. D. Salomons et al. Center on International Cooperation. New York University. www.nyu.edu/pages/cic/projects/humanassist/ Praxis.html Management Sciences for Health. A huge, very detailed and comprehensive site. The Health Managers toolkit and Managers Electronic
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retvolact@lineone.net (email) Returned Volunteer Action, UK Many of the very large agencies are competing less with each other, because they have sufficient systems and staff to operate emergency response or standby teams, and also have access to skilled people in other countries who can be transferred or seconded.
Conclusion
Recruitment support and advice might be considered a primary function of human resources staff, and it is not surprising that this is an area of critical importance to them in their responses to the survey for this study. This section of the report has analysed the various components of the recruitment process, and the different types of recruitment, and has described agencys practice in addressing them, and the difficulties that persist. It has also described the new methodologies which are available, and which may be of value to agencies, and also describes the way agencies address the recruitment problems associated with particular categories of staff, notably experienced managers. Evidence from agency responses, and also from the wider desk study strongly supports the need for planning both strategic and operational, and for the involvement of HR staff at an early stage in decision-taking where this is linked to HR needs.
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Resource Center have a wealth of information and documents about aspects of management, including a large selection on HR. The Health and Family Planning Managers Toolkit. The Managers Electronic Resource Center. Free download online. http://erc.msh.org/newpages/english/toolkit/ pmt.pdf Human Resource Development Assessment Instrument for NGOs and Public Sector Health Organizations. 1998. Management Sciences for Health. Available (free): http://erc.msh.org/mainpage.cfm?file=7.40.htm &module=Toolkit&language=English Recruitment28 IFRC International Recruitment Handbook. A handbook for Red Cross practitioners relating to recruitment of Red Cross aid workers. Contains detailed information about recruitment and selection, including proformas and form templates. Available in paper form or CD. IFRC. www.ifrc.org/publicat/catalog/index.asp People In Aid Information Note. "Emergency Response Rosters". Prepared by J. Barry as part of this project. Details advantages of, best practice for, and checklist for implementation of emergency rosters. 2004. Contact: info@peopleinaid.org Preparatory Research for an InterAgency Emergency Relief Personnel Seminar. 1997. F. Taylor. Available for free download: www.redr.org/epn/documents/eps1prep.doc Reliefweb. The vacancies section lists hundreds of vacancies (mostly for field for staff) in humanitarian agencies. A good place to advertise field positions. www.reliefweb.int Alertnet. The Jobs section lists hundreds of vacancies (mostly for field for staff) in humanitarian agencies. Searchable database. A good place to advertise field positions. www.alertnet.org/thepeople/jobs/?via=lnav OneWorld. Searchable database of jobs in relief and development agencies. A good place to advertise field positions. www.oneworld.net/job/list/professional BOND. A British development NGO network. Site contains a number of resources and documents available for download, and also a jobs section (See classifieds/jobs). www.bond.org.uk
The Guardian newspaper. On Wednesdays publishes public appointments hundreds of jobs in public sector and NGOs. Very useful site for advertising vacancies. http://jobs.guardian.co.uk Opportunities Abroad is the UKs specialist vacancy magazine (subscription required) which is published monthly and regularly updated on the web. Opportunities Abroad is designed for people who are looking for work overseas in development with aid, development or mission agencies. Many vacancies are with faith-based agencies. www.wse.org.uk/opportun.htm Expat_List. A free email alert mailing list for vacancies within UN and other organisations. www.expat-list.siteblast.com OreS. A Nairobi based commercial recruitment service for relief and development agencies in Africa. www.oresrecruitment.com Foreign Policy Association. Includes a jobs board on website and an email newsletter listing overseas jobs in international agencies. www.fpa.org/jobs_contact2423/jobs_contact.htm Hacesfalta. A Spanish site listing international volunteer and salaried vacancies overseas. www.hacesfalta.org/buscar_oportunidades.asp People In Aid has produced a list of sources for recruitment. Contact info@peopleinaid.org Registers and rosters RedR. Maintains a substantial register of humanitarian staff and managers, and also provides extensive training course, including courses tailored to agencies specific needs. www.redr.org/redr_london/index.htm International Health Exchange. Maintains a register of health and relief workers available for NGOs seeking staff, and also publishes a magazine (The Health Exchange), which includes NGO advertisements for workers. They provide training courses in humanitarian assistance, nutrition, health care programming etc. for agencies and staff. www.ihe.org.uk/about.htm Humanitarian Relief Register. Oxfam Community Aid Abroad (Australia) maintains a register of Australian and New Zealand humanitarian personnel for overseas assignments. www.caa.org.au/helping/work/relief/index.html
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Mango. Runs a register of carefully selected finance professionals who work with NGOs all round the world. www.mango.org.uk/staff APSO, now part of Development Cooperation Ireland, maintains several registers for overseas personnel emergency specialists, rapid response register, election monitors and also provides training courses in organisational skills, management skills, financial management, professional skills, emergency relief practice, communication skills and orientation skills. www.apso.ie UN Register of Rosters of Disaster Management Expertise lists the various registers of emergency specialists. www.reliefweb.int Skills and competencies Practical Application of Competencies in Aid Work. A handbook providing tools and practical instruction on the use of competencies to enhance people management practices. Available from People In Aid. www.peopleinaid.org Emergency Personnel Seminar No.3 Section 4 Competencies, qualifications and expertise. Research carried out for EPS 3 by A. Tligui and R. Downham. Available in report of EPS 3. http://redr.org/epn/index.htm Remuneration Free Compensation and Job Analyst Resources. Economic Research Institute: www.erieri.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=FreeAnal ystResources.Main Ereward. A large site containing news, opinion and analysis on issues of reward management. Subscription-based, but also has some free documents. www.e-rewarddata.co.uk/content/homepage.asp AGEH. The Association for Development Cooperation, Germany. Personnel agency of the German Catholics for International Cooperation. Recruits, registers, contracts, prepares, trains and counsels and provides management support for German volunteers working overseas. www.ageh.de
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Section 4
Employment and management
Most of the issues identified by the agencies and described in handbook 1 are technical issues of people management. The majority of them dealt with issues of employment and the management of employees (and volunteers). In this section of the handbook these issues are dealt with: Remuneration and benefits including taxation and social welfare Equity between different groups of staff Performance Support, welfare and insurance Security and safety The section describes the problems which the agencies face, and the different ways that different agencies are affected, and describes the ways in which the problems are addressed, and also how others might be addressed in the future.
Remuneration and benefits

Key messages: Competition does exist, but can be reduced by encouraging collaborative action and interaction between agencies Management systems can be improved by accessing and sharing information on policy and practice with other agencies
However, there are a number of over-riding themes which run through the text, and these are that whatever the subject, it will be critical for success that:
The organisation has a strategy which prioritises the subject, and which establishes organisational commitment to the principles The proper levels of resources are allocated to the appropriate levels including the appropriate level of funds and qualified personnel Policies are developed which reflect both organisational needs, and the needs and priorities of the staff themselves
This section of the report is intended to reflect on two of the key issues associated with remuneration and benefits the issue of competition and that of improving collaboration between agencies in sharing information on policies and practice.
Most of my time is spent trying to formulate policies regarding benefits and balancing equity issues with national staff.29
Competition and complementarity
The responses to this survey suggested that while there may be a limited amount of competition for certain categories of staff, there is much less competition than might be thought. At the HQ level, in the recruitment of international staff, there is certainly competition in the immediate aftermath of a serious emergency, especially for specialist technical skills and experienced managers, but for by far the majority of positions in the field, agencies are not competing with each other. Indeed, there are many more qualified applications for registers and for advertised positions than can actually receive assignments. Many people with previous experience will register with a number of agencies, and with external registers too. So there is some duplication of effort when agencies are chasing the same people at the same time.
That information systems are in place which both support the policy (through having basic data about staff available) and also provide for informing, updating and educating staff
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Do agencies compete, and if so, on what basis?

The factors which attract experienced aid workers are varied, but are not the ones which might be expected in other sectors: The immediacy of the disaster it is the latest emergency and everything is new. The most difficult operations to recruit for are the long term chronic emergencies, such as those in West Africa, Somalia/Somaliland or Democratic Republic of Congo The job is an exciting or stimulating one, or a complex task requiring strategic or specialist technical inputs, rather than just slotting in to a job The agency is professional and has a good reputation for its operations and also its management The agency is a new, young vibrant committed group Rarely will the choice have anything to do with the level of remuneration, but the benefits associated with the package are of very considerable importance. Evidence from employee surveys would suggest that money is not the primary motivator rather, it is the culture and terms and conditions that particularly attract an individual.
For national staff the above holds true, although salaries play a more important role.30
Volunteers in particular, may be receiving levels of salary which are substantially less than the market rate for the job which they carry out, and the volunteers enter the agreement with the NGO in full understanding of the commitment which they are making. However, it is interesting to note that in some cases the overall package, which can include a subsistence allowance and also accommodation costs, might approach that of an equivalent employed aid worker. There is however, a huge variation in levels of remuneration within the sector and it is helpful to have a greater clarity about the rationale for payment and provision of salary, indemnity or benefits. Handbook 1 explores how and why some of the differences have arisen (See Section 2).
The benefits package

For staff who work for aid agencies in the long term, the benefits package is more important than the absolute level of salary payment. The provisions for health care and social welfare contributions are important, as is the provision of voluntary pension contributions and support for families and dependents. Examples of the range of benefits which may (or may not) be provided for staff and volunteers are included below: Financial benefits: Taxation benefits whether local or home tax liabilities are paid National insurance whether rights to State benefits are maintained at home (health care, unemployment, maternity allowances, old age pension, disability or work injury-related pensions etc) Voluntary pensions whether voluntary contributions are made by the employer to a pension fund for staff, and to what extent Allowances linked to the danger or risk involved with the job Loyalty bonuses paid on a yearly basis or at the end of the contract, (also the 13th month payments applicable in some countries) Reintegration allowances paid to staff on leaving employment to assist them in re-entering their home-base, seeking accommodation and also employment Other bonuses e.g. Christmas bonus
The level of remuneration and benefits

The vast majority of staff working in NGOs, whether at HQ level or in the field have made a conscious decision that the salary level is not the controlling factor for them, and in most cases, the same people could earn considerably higher levels of salary for jobs with similar levels of responsibility outside the sector.
Salary or indemnity
For recruiting and retaining good international staff, the level of remuneration does not seem to be the major factor, although a minimum level is necessary. More important factors seem to be the professionalism of the organisation and its staff, how well the organisation is fostering a sense of joint commitment, of being in this together and of valuing its staff.
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Section 4
Expatriation benefits: Travel costs to and from field and after 12 months, for home leave (including visits of family members) Allowances for baggage to be sent to/from the country of assignment Accommodation is provided on a subsidised basis or free for staff and volunteers Payment of costs of utilities (electricity and water) or for guards and cleaners, or for telephone Subsistence allowance whether an allowance is paid to cover the cost of food and other items, or food etc is provided, or neither Accompanied status whether family members are able to live with staff and volunteers, and the benefits provided for them (such as subsistence allowance, and other benefits available to the staff member) Insurance benefits: Note: The degree of cover, and levels of cover are both important aspects of insurance benefits, as well as the subjects covered. Also important are the exclusions which apply to the policies, and whether dependents are also included in the policy: Medical care, including for pre-existing conditions Accident and emergency cover Medical evacuation insurance and the provision of medical care, travel (for the patient and family members) to a neighbouring country or to the home country Life insurance payments (normally a calculation based on annual salary) payable if the person dies during the assignment Personal property insurance Liability insurance, both for professional activities of staff and personally Other benefits: Equipment allowance for purchasing items of equipment needed for the assignment Use of the organisations vehicles, either on a free or contributory basis Leave entitlements, including annual holiday, compassionate leave, unpaid study leave Rest and Relaxation (local leave)
Overtime payments, or time off in lieu (TOIL) Maternity benefits (and leave) and paternity leave Payment of professional fees (for doctors, nurses, engineers, accountants) where maintenance of registration to professional bodies is required When HR managers are calculating the costs of personnel, or benchmarking remuneration, it is very important to consider the package as a whole, as well as the individual elements There is certainly scope for further collaboration between agencies on ensuring that benefits packages are fair, and that staff are not missing benefits which they should be afforded. A set of minimum standards, while not compulsory would be useful for agencies in planning their own policies. Different remuneration systems In addition to the larger agencies policies regarding remuneration there are other agencies whose policies may be of interest in that different approaches are taken. For example: Equity in fixing indemnity for volunteers Oxfam Solidarit Salaries for cooperant volunteers are fixed on the basis only of work experience and family circumstances, and not on the job grade or the level of qualifications of the staff member. For national staff salaries Oxfam Solidarit follows the same principles as other agencies, looking first at: Salaries for the same job by partner organisations locally The average of what is paid by other similar NGOs The cost of living, based on NGO assessments The salary levels of staff at HQ in Belgium Medair System is based on support for fieldbased needs rather than a salary reflecting the level of responsibility or value of the work. The voluntary nature of the commitment that is being made is also an important element, and even if receiving some remuneration, the volunteer spirit is important for the organisation. Medair is committed to taking people with no prior field experience, and therefore the first year is considered a period of training, the remuneration
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level is low (approx. #80 per month). After the first year the allowance increases (approx. #800 per month) and as do the additional benefits, and the allowance increases each year to a maximum for five years. Almost every agency has a different system for salary or indemnity and each has found a system which suited the ethos, structure and resources of the agency itself. The range of difference can be confusing though, both for other agencies, but more significantly for potential staff.
those agencies which have no established policy the intention is to both prompt and assist. For those agencies which already have a policy, the document may encourage a re-think in one or two areas, or a complete revision. People In Aid have produced free policy guidelines on the following subjects: Codes of Conduct Critical Illness Rest and Relaxation Security Whistleblowing
Benchmarking
Carrying out comparisons between agencies of the levels of salary and benefits is a very important task in developing appropriate policies and procedures for both international and national staff, but it can be time consuming. HR officers are often asked for information in an uncoordinated way and are asked on numerous occasions for similar information, and have to repeat the same information for each enquiry. There are commercial benchmarking exercises as well, which have been relatively unsuccessful, in that they have not had the depth of knowledge of the sector and the individual agencies to compare data or make interpretations from it. The problem for agencies, and commercial organisations is the need for detailed understanding of the agencies and their structures policies and practice required to adequately interpret the information. There is enormous potential for the information of agencies policies and practice to be undertaken in a more coordinated way, if agencies would be prepared to provide the information to a central source, which would then make it available in a sensitive and confidential manner to other agencies. People In Aid has begun this task, and would encourage agencies to continue supporting its endeavours.
Equity
Key messages: Establishing equity between different groups of staff is a very complex issue indeed. The most important principle is to be fair, and to be transparent in policy and practice For staff, equity is more concerned with clear policies, transparently implemented than differences in salary or benefit levels In the established economies, the basic principle of remuneration is that of equal pay for equal work, i.e. people doing the same job should be paid the same irrespective of gender, race and so forth. This is quite obviously not the case in many agencies overseas activities, where nationally recruited staff are very rarely paid the same as international staff. Equity refers to the perceived unfairness of differences which exist in the level of remuneration and benefits which exists for one group of staff compared to another. The question is a very complex one, because there are a number of groups of staff between which the issue of equity arises, and there are a number of types of equity to be considered: Between nationally recruited staff and international staff and /or regionally recruited staff Between national staff in one country programme and those in another Between international staff from one country and those from another There may also be diversity issues where remuneration and benefits are dependent on gender
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Sharing policies and practice

There is also more potential for sharing information on policies and procedures, both at HQ level and in the field. People In Aid has made a valuable contribution to this by developing the Policy Pot concept which brings together the policies and practices of agencies, analyses them and disseminates them in a form which allows other agencies to develop their own approaches and strategies, but also to take into account the experience and practice of other agencies31. For
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At the technical level, is equity in benefits related to gross or net salary, and is it to be calculated in relation to purchasing power/cost of living in the staff members home country The first problem for agencies in considering equity is to decide between which groups equity is to be established. Equity cannot be established for every group of staff in every country. As, in the larger agencies, the number of expatriate positions is dropping, or is being restricted to certain nominated positions, the tendency is for there to be only two groups of staff those on a single international scale and those recruited and managed at country level, with remuneration set according to local costs and standards. In this case, the national staff working in different countries would not receive the same remuneration, but broadly equity would exist between them because remuneration was linked to local costs and standards. However, even in this case, calculation of the relative purchasing power would show disparities. The situation for most agencies, and especially those recruiting internationally from a number of countries is much more complicated, and it is very difficult to establish policies which meet the principle of fairness and equity to all groups. Equity between national staff in one country and another For many agencies, the remuneration levels in one country have no direct link with the remuneration levels in any other country, as the levels are set according to local standards. This means that the take-home pay in neighbouring countries for people doing the same job could be substantially different. In many cases this will not matter, but as national staff become more internationally mobile, it may become a more serious problem. Equity between international and national staff This is a serious issue for some agencies, but not of great concern to others. However it is increasingly an issue for the staff members themselves, who would consider the scale of the differences in levels of remuneration are unfair. Several factors have caused this issue to become more of a direct concern of staff: The traditional situation where agencies were only present for the emergency phase and national staff recruited on short term contracts
is over, and agencies are normally present for the long term Nationally recruited staff are holding more senior management positions, and this trend will continue and increase as efforts to build national staff capacity are extended There is greater job insecurity for national staff, if funds or programmes end, then often so does their employment The international market place for skilled national staff means that they can obtain international level salaries and benefits by moving to an international organisation or another NGO, or to another country Equity between international staff recruited from different countries for international networks, substantial differences can exist in the remuneration and benefits for international staff from different countries where remuneration is linked to the standards and conditions in each country, for example. IFRC Consistency in terms and conditions The IFRC recruits by far the majority of its international delegates through the National Societies in donor countries of which there are about 25/30. These delegates are recruited on terms and conditions linked to the systems in their home country and are then seconded to the IFRC for the period of their assignment. The IFRC then pays everyone a per diem, a subsistence allowance, in the field, which means that everyone in the field receives the same basic package, even if their salary at home is different. Guidance is given to the National Societies in order to try and standardise levels of salary and conditions, but these are not mandatory. Partial equity is therefore achieved between the international staff. This is a very important and successful approach, and one which should not be discarded without careful thought of the potential consequences. The ICRC, for international staff, currently operates a complex system whereby equity is established between international staff from National Societies and Swiss ICRC employees, through the indexing of the salary levels of staff to be the equivalent of what a Swiss person would be paid, and then a further indexing for cost of living in the persons home country. The significance of this system is that it establishes equity between international staff
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provided through other agencies on secondment and the staff employed on HQ contracts. By doing so, it also establishes comparability between the international staff from different countries. The disadvantages are that it is complex, and a salary has to be calculated for every employee. It is also not compatible with National Societies own bilateral programmes, or the IFRC system emphasising the point that establishing equity for all is probably not possible. Oxfam GB Consistency in global reward Oxfam GB previously had a very ambitious and complex system which endeavoured to establish equity for everyone, through a package part of which was based on a national salary set in every country and applicable for all staff, and part of which was indexed to the cost of living in the persons country of domicile. The national salary was payable in local currency. Now, Oxfam GB is instituting a system whereby all positions are nationally based, except for a small group of specialists who will be on long term global international contracts which are based on the principle of mobility and will involve assignments anywhere. When interviewed for another study, nationally recruited staff were far less concerned about the absolute differences between the levels of pay or benefits, but were very concerned about the lack of transparency, or clear policy, and a failure to communicate the reasons why there were differences.
Income tax
For a small agency that recruits international staff from only the home country, the issue of taxation is a relatively simple one in that only two sets of tax legislation are of concern that in the home country and the one in the host country. However for large multinational agencies and networks, and for agencies which recruit from different countries, the situation becomes extremely complex. Although there is a tendency for legislation within the European Union to harmonise income tax, major differences in the systems applied by different countries will exist for many years to come. In an organisation such as MSF, Handicap International or members of the Save the Children and Oxfam international networks, this causes inequities between expatriates recruited through the organisations counterpart in different countries. In many organisations this is not an issue, but in others can be a source of friction. However balancing the differences between countries and ensuring that staff all have the same net pay or purchasing power is extremely difficult. The rules for taxation of people who are out of the country for over 12 months also differ greatly between different countries. In most countries there may be a cessation of liability to income tax in the home country if there is a liability to tax in the country of assignment the double taxation agreement In other countries the liability to tax continues as long as the person is permanently resident in the home country, even if they are working overseas for some time, as is the case in Belgium for example In other countries, such as the UK, the worker will not normally be liable to tax if the contract overseas covers a full tax year and exceeds 12 months The basic premise on which taxation is made due, is that tax is due in the home base, unless it can be shown that tax is paid somewhere else. In this case, then tax will not be due at home. This is the case, for example in the Netherlands. (If, in another case, tax remains due at home, then a double taxation treaty should ensure that tax is not due a second time in the country of assignment). This means that everyone should normally be expecting to pay income tax once, somewhere
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Taxation, social security and pensions

Key messages: Taxation income tax is increasingly an issue for expatriated staff and volunteers in their home country, and also in the country of assignment Maintaining rights to benefits at home Pensions are important benefits for both international staff and nationally recruited staff, but additional support may also be needed, such as Provident funds, especially where HIV/AIDS is a serious issue There are substantial changes taking place concerning income tax liability, and social welfare systems, especially for expatriates. Some of the important changes are mentioned here, with agency responses, where relevant.
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but as everyone knows many humanitarian aid workers have for many years managed to avoid paying tax, for one reason or another. The situation is now rapidly changing and in effect this means that workers salaries are dropping. (It also means that agencies which have factored in the tax-free status of salaries into the setting of their salary levels, now have to reconsider the salaries paid, and face a substantial increase in personnel costs if they have to raise salary levels). There is also a moral question that agencies should accept their responsibilities to comply with local regulations and pay the required income and other taxes, and also, as a good employer should be ensuring that their staff do the same. The result of differences in the obligations on staff to pay taxes in different countries mean that there are significant variations in the take-home pay of staff from different countries when working for the same agency in different countries. For international staff, for example, a staff member working overseas in Kenya might be subject to 28% tax deduction, whereas the same person working in Uganda or elsewhere might receive a tax-free salary. The approach being taken by Oxfam GB and described below avoids this issue. One solution is now being implemented by Oxfam UK, and that is to pay expatriate staff on a net basis i.e. they would all receive the same salary for the same job and grade, and Oxfam would cover the liability for tax either in the country of assignment or the country of permanent residence (on submission of the relevant tax claim documents). This is a similar system, in many ways, to that operated by some companies in the commercial sector, where expatriates are subject to a hypothetical tax deduction, and the company covers the liability for taxation, whether locally in the home country. Norwegian Church Aid also operates a net salary system, whereby staff are guaranteed a net salary payment. For national staff, income tax is generally deductible at source by the agency, and local laws must be complied with. It should be remembered that income tax can represent a significant proportion of a staff members salary, and that unlike the expatriate, the proportion of the salary taken home may be relatively small. One issue which does arise, in countries in transition or conflict, is that normal administrative
systems may not be working and the tax system might not function in this case it is certainly important to make financial provision, perhaps by deducting a hypothetical tax, in order that payment can be made at the appropriate time. This could represent a significant liability for the agency over time, if no such provision is made, and retroactive legislation is enacted. Income tax for volunteer agencies Income tax is becoming liable for many more categories of aid workers, than has previously been the case. For example, in the past, VSI volunteers were not liable to income tax because the payment they received was not a salary. However, it is much more likely in the future that the indemnity payment would be perceived as taxable income by the tax authorities, whether the agency considered it so, or not. In the past, minimum wage legislation has not generally applied to volunteer indemnities, either because of special agreements with the authorities, or because the indemnity plus other benefits such as living allowances have together exceeded the minimum wage. It is possible that minimum wage legislation may be applied to volunteer indemnities in the future, not least because in the past agencies have not included the in-country subsistence allowance when negotiating tax free status! It cant be both. Local income tax Many agencies will have experienced the imposition of income tax (at 28%) in Kenya recently for all expatriate salaries. It is likely that more and more countries will require the payment of income tax on expatriate salaries. This will substantially raise costs, unless double taxation agreements can be applied, and if tax is already deducted at home.
Social welfare benefits

The reason that this is mentioned here is primarily to remind agencies how important it is to ensure that the rights to social welfare benefits are maintained for the staff member or volunteer while he/she is overseas. Social security provision in the UK and France: In the UK, after 12 months, National Insurance deductions are not required, but an employee may make voluntary contributions to maintain some, but not all, of the rights to social welfare benefits that would have applied.
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In France, in order to maintain full rights to social welfare benefits, it may be necessary for the employer or employee to make additional voluntary contributions. If not, then some rights will not be maintained. It may, in the short term, be advantageous, in terms of taxation for a staff member to register themselves as non-resident for tax purposes in their home country, but if considering doing so, very careful consideration should be given to the potential loss of social welfare benefits through change of status. For example in the UK, such a decision might mean loss of eligibility for state benefits such as medical care, old age pension, maternity pay, unemployment benefit, and others.
This can represent a very considerable benefit for national staff, and is especially relevant in circumstances where a pension fund is less valuable, for example where normal pension retiring age (of 60 or 65) may be inappropriate owing to reduced life expectancy. (Funds should be kept in a stable currency, and not be subject to high levels of inflation or falling exchange rates).
Performance and its management

At its simplest, performance management is about helping staff to contribute most to the organisation in their role, and to facilitate the personal and professional development of the staff member. However, the process involves a lot more:
Pensions State and voluntary

Where legally obligated to do so, employers make employers contribution to State pension schemes, and also deduct at source any obligations for the employee to contribute. In addition, however, many agencies make voluntary contributions to pension funds on behalf of employees, in some cases requiring the employee to contribute as well. Some points arise concerning the provision of pensions which might be of value to agencies in establishing policy: The contribution to a voluntary pension scheme is a very significant benefit for all staff national and international, and particularly those who are older with families, and is an important element of a retention policy For national staff, there may not be a State pension system or it may not function. In this case, an agency might consider making a voluntary contribution to a pension fund For national staff, in some cases, it may be appropriate to establish a Provident fund, rather than a pension fund, where benefits are available to the staff member/family in case of death, or termination of employment A Provident Fund is a fund into which are placed employers, and possibly employees, contributions, which are then invested on their behalf. On death, or termination of employment, or possibly in extreme family circumstances, the contributions to the fund are made available to the staff member or surviving family.
Step 1: Developing objectives and expectations

Why establish objectives? To link an individuals performance to the larger business goals To clarify job expectations To motivate employees by providing a challenge and an opportunity to grow in a desired direction To create a situation in which an individual can measure his/her own progress To provide a means for the manager to objectively measure an employees performance To support specified project objectives
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Step 2: Generate development plans

This step includes both a Skills Development Plan and a Career Development Plan. What is the difference? Skills development plan This is a plan to help the employee improve the knowledge, skills and abilities that he/she needs to accomplish the current job objectives and is based on: the results that the employee obtained on his/her previous cycles objectives the strengths and areas for improvement that the employee and you as his/her manager identified during the recently completed review
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additional skills that will be required to complete new objectives during the coming cycle The plan should include an action plan identifying training seminars and workshops, short-term assignments, company sponsored education, task force assignments, supervisor involvement etc. that will assist the employee in successfully achieving his/her objectives. Career development plan A Career Development Plan identifies the skills, knowledge and abilities that the employee would like to develop to progress to a different job or career. These will be shared with the line manager to facilitate a discussion about promotional desires and opportunities.
A simple model for talking over a performance issue with a member of staff is the GROW process, borrowed from coaching. G stands for GOAL: establish precisely what it is needs improvement R stands for REALITY: establish what issue is having to be dealt with and what has already been tried O stands for OPTIONS: making suggestions: would work?, have you tried..? W stands for WILL: identifying the single option which motivates the member of staff to go and try it out As with coaching, letting the member of staff do most of the talking is the key. Interim progress reviews At least once during the year, (and probably quarterly) a manager should meet the employee formally to discuss the changing environment and priorities. These Interim Progress Reviews also provide an excellent opportunity to review the employees current objectives and determine if there are changes that should be made such as: Adjustment to the number of objectives, activities etc. within the plan
Step 3: Provide feedback to employee

Coaching is one of the ways that a manager monitors and influences the actions, behaviours and results of employees work throughout the year. What is coaching? Coaching is: Observing and monitoring progress throughout the review cycle Providing regular, timely feedback, both positive and negative Documenting progress, both positive and negative The feedback you give to your employees can be either formal (given in a scheduled meeting) or informal (in conversation). Employees should also be encouraged to ask for feedback from you and others. If you are giving negative feedback, it should always: Be private and confidential Be immediate (the sooner the feedback, the more effective it is in influencing behaviour) Be specific as to what the employee should have done or has not done Include something positive Include the opportunity to improve performance Positive feedback is as important as negative, building the employees confidence, self-esteem, commitment and loyalty.
Changes in the employees ongoing responsibilities
Step 4: Document employees progress

By documenting throughout the year, a manager can rely on a written reference when completing the employees review, rather than on memory and allows the manager to: Offer a more objective and complete review by minimising the bias toward recent events Save time during the review having a written reference Support the feedback process by providing specific examples of performance Meet accreditation and legal requirements The above is taken from the People In Aid Performance Review Process Managers Guide which is a useful tool in describing the stages of performance management, and includes definitions of terms and descriptions of behaviours32.
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Adjustment to the development activities planned
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The Performance Management and Appraisal Help Center website includes a number of documents, guidelines and forums for discussion which may be of use to agencies33. Historically, the sector has been very poor at monitoring and recording performance, and there are numerous cases where lack of evaluation documentation has prevented managers establishing how a previous assignment or contract went, what strengths and weaknesses there were, and therefore to decide what remedial and developmental action is appropriate. Managers in the field have been reticent to make criticisms of staff, or to discuss issues face to face with the staff member, and so have often ignored the need for formal review and appraisal. The situation has improved and many agencies have an appraisal and review system although the methodologies differ greatly between agencies. Key messages: All agencies should have at least a basic performance process for all staff involving job descriptions, regular monitoring meetings, and annual appraisals, and preferably a more systematic approach to developing performance and capacity in staff All staff should benefit from the system
Increased personal and professional effectiveness and therefore job satisfaction Increased commitment of staff to the organisation Increased capacity of the organisation to fulfil its purpose Why does MAF Europe have a training and development system? To equip staff with the skills and knowledge necessary to do jobs fully and well To enable staff to make changes which are necessary for the growth of the organisation To support continuing personal and organisational health The important points about the policy and the guide are focused on the staff member. The organisation will benefit too from improved performance, but this approach builds the confidence of the staff member. It is not helpful in building confidence if the organisations needs are the starting point. In summary the system can be described as follows: The starting point for the policy is the Job Profile, which is an extended job description used to: Define jobs Communicate expectations clarifying what is expected Recruit new staff Induction guiding new recruits Manage performance Train and develop The process is managed through reviews, in MAF Europes case an Annual Review (but other agencies might have formal reviews more often) The Annual Review comprises four stages: Preparation completing the review documentation and thinking and preparing for the review meeting Meeting with the line manager responsible for the staff member Confirmation a brief period of review by staff member and manager to ensure that all subjects were covered Storage record of review is agreed and filed Managers are provided with additional support from the Training Coordinator, and also through
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As an example of agency practice, and one which covers the salient points of performance management, a case study is presented of the policies and practice of one of the agencies responding to the survey for this report. MAF Europe links a performance and appraisal system to the development of training plans for staff, described in its Training and Development guide for staff34. The document is very readable, and importantly is aimed at the staff member not the manager, addressing the document directly to the staff member. It is also very clear, avoiding the jargon so often associated with performance management. Profile MAF Europe MAF Europes training and development policy (in summary): MAF Europes vision for training and development Our vision is that training and development in MAF-Europe will achieve at least three positive results:
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written Managers Notes and templates for all relevant documents are held on the agencys intranet site. The manager, training coordinator and the staff member should agree on additional training and development support if needed and appropriate, either for the staff member to fulfil current tasks, or as part of career development. Profile Save the Children UK global staff development policy SC UK has a staff development policy applying to all staff in the UK, overseas and nationally recruited staff, which comprises four elements: Induction which introduces staff to the organisation and their role in it On-going briefing and guidance on new policies and procedures Supervision which enables staff and their line managers to jointly plan, problem solve, monitor, review and evaluate work; to identify needs for resources and support; to continuously learn and develop Staff review at least once a year to review performance and progress, update job descriptions, agree objectives and plans for the next period and discuss career development More recently these elements have been more structurally combined in a Performance Management system, which also includes the formulation after the review of (1) an individual work plan and (2) a learning and development plan for each person. Responsibilities are clearly defined and remove ambiguity to the extent that objective setting and performance management are clearly assigned to their respective post holders. The risk in many performance management systems is that they become too scientific and full of jargon which is intimidating for staff and leads to resentment. Above all, the staff member should be clearly aware that the first priority of the system is to help them contribute fully and to learn and develop not to allow the agency to reach its targets. CORDs review policy includes: An initial review which provides an opportunity to asses the staff members life and work after two months in the field
Regular work reviews which take place every three or four months Annual review which is a form which provides the framework (agenda points) for an open review meeting with the Country Director
Carrying out an appraisal

Step 1: Preparation for review meeting
It is important to assemble all the feedback available on the employee: Feedback requested from other managers/customers/clients Line managers observations of employee performance over the period Interim reviews that have been carried out Preparing the meeting: There is a limit to how much feedback people can handle at one time. Look for similarities and patterns in the feedback assembled, and prioritise the really key issues for each key responsibility and goal Feedback needs to be balanced. Make sure that feedback for each key responsibility and goal includes both positive and critical feedback Feedback needs to be constructive Setting up the meeting: Identify a private and quiet place to conduct the appraisal discussion where you and your employee will not be interrupted or distracted Minimise distraction: Do not answer the phone. Use a do not disturb sign on the door Make the discussions a priority appointment do not rearrange or postpone them Give the employee reasonable notice of the meeting date Plan on at least one hour per appraisal and leave enough time for the employee to talk at least half the time allotted Think about how many appraisal meetings can be done in a day Think, plan and prepare BEFORE the discussion Do your homework: know your employees history before the meeting Write notes before the discussion but prepare formal documentation after the meeting
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Step 2: Participating in the review meeting

The progress review meeting is an opportunity for open, two-way communication, setting the stage for mutual agreement, problem solving and goal setting. The way feedback is communicated to the employee will have a big impact on how he/she receives it. Here are some tips on how to handle feedback for each key responsibility and goal... First, encourage the employee to appraise him/herself. Listen carefully and summarise this verbally. Explain how you are going to cover your feedback e.g. Im going to cover the positive feedback first and explain why these things are good, then Ill cover some issues which I think you could improve on and well discuss how you could do this State concisely the employees behaviour that your feedback relates to, give examples as appropriate, and explain why you have raised the issue Allow the employee to explain his/her side of things. There is always a reason why people do things the way they do and in cases of critical feedback, it is vital that this is explored In cases of critical feedback, explain the need for the employee to change and invite him/her to suggest how this can be done Each individual has a different reaction to being evaluated. Some people have had positive experiences, some negative. Each person brings that baggage into the meeting. Understand and respect that There should be not surprises in the meeting, especially if you have met regularly with your employee It may be helpful to role play (in advance) what may be a difficult meeting or to ask for advice on how to handle the meeting 360 degree appraisal is a form of appraisal carried out not only between a staff member and line manager, but also including several of his/her peers (chosen by the staff member). The advantages are that a wider perspective is gained on the performance of the individual, and it is less about individual personalities, and that the decisions about development training etc have a more consensual nature and yet are more powerful as they reflect the wider view. For more information about 360 degree appraisal see Performance Management and Appraisal Help Center website. http://performance-appraisals.org
Steps in the review 360 process: 1 Preparation of a questionnaire 2 Develop the list of interviewees to complete the questionnaire 3 Collect the data, and remove identification 4 Discuss with the staff member 5 Develop agreed plan for future changes in approach and style, and for training, development and support There are potential disadvantages of the system, where, for example senior management and managers do not support the process, or where peers of the staff member may be uncomfortable being quizzed about their strengths and weaknesses. The following are factors in making the system work35: Consider at the outset how the process is to be developed. What do you want to accomplish? Get key stakeholders to buy in to the process. If they help you develop the programme they will be part of it Train everyone on the process from top managers to subordinates Hold managers accountable for listening, responding, changing. Build in follow up steps for managers Monitor and review how the programme is going The Chartered Management Institute describes the system and also the pros and cons of using it36: Problems: Can be administratively burdensome Results can be difficult to interpret Feedback can be damaging Can generate environment of suspicion Benefits: A combination of inputs may approximate an accurate view Comments expressed by peers tend to carry weight Some skills are best judged by peers Feedback can be motivating Can engender a more honest organisational culture
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RedR operates a 360 degree appraisal system37. and the form asks for comment on a range of work-related activities and behaviours for colleagues to say what aspects of the item should the person continue, modify or stop. Other agencies forms, for similar categories, might ask questions differently. For example: During my work with this individual, I have found that he or she:38 Gives me recognition for my contribution and efforts: Often Occasionally Seldom This will provide a more graded response which may be more useful in balancing the significance of colleagues comments. What is the most appropriate system or model for your agency is there experience of other agencies which will be of use? Rarely Not Applicable
Because they are inevitably selective, such a system requires: Transparency. The system should be transparent, as should the basis for payment, and to whom the payments have been made Appraisal systems to be effective and constructive, so that employees are clearly aware of what is expected of them, and what is required in future That the system is implemented for the right reasons, and not as a result of cost cutting, which is likely to lead to resentment Problems will also be expected if there are changes to an existing system, whereby for example, there is an expectation of an annual increase for length of service or annually for inflation, but these increments are made conditional on meeting performance targets. Linking pay to performance can be advantageous as an additional incentive, but will inevitably create resentment if it is replacing what were previously seen as standard benefits/increments or increases for all. Implementing such a programme requires careful planning, considerable consultation and a sensitive approach from management.
Performance linked to pay

Perhaps the most intimidating performance related system for staff is when pay is linked to performance. To put it bluntly, if a staff member is (or feels) overworked, stressed and underpaid, the last thing they want to hear is that they will only receive full salary benefits if they excel. The tension is heightened in situations where the reasons for an inability to perform specific tasks fully might be due to inadequacies or failures in the organisations own management. K. Stock, in the World Vision International paper Competency Essentials shows how competency analysis can be used as a mechanism for defining the levels of inputs needed from an employee, which when taken together with the definition of expected outputs (performance) can be used to define salary levels. Mercy Corps Scotland are currently implementing performance management linked to pay, where salary increases are linked to the annual appraisal. However, for most agencies, linking performance to pay normally entails only the payment of bonuses or increments which are only paid for exceptional performance.
The purpose of this section is not to provide detailed information on the processes, but to stress the importance of briefing, debriefing and stress and counselling, and to point to agencies experiences and to highlight some resources which they use. While the figures below show that almost 90% of surveyed agencies provide briefing and debriefing for staff, this almost certainly applies to international staff, and the figure for nationally recruited staff is probably much less. Of the 147 FPA partner agencies audited in 2003 by ECHO: 13% do not have briefing sessions before departure 10% have no formal debriefing of staff returning from the field 38% have no counselling support available for staff
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Support and welfare
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Briefing, debriefing and counselling

Key messages: Briefing is an essential part of preparation and should always take place, no matter how experienced the staff member is. Sufficient time and expertise must be available to have maximum benefit The number of agencies providing briefing and debriefing has increased but ideally it should ultimately be available in all agencies Managing stress, and the provision of specialist counselling are a central part of the HR management for all staff who have been in difficult or insecure situations Briefing, debriefing and counselling This subject was the second most significant issue for agencies reporting in response to the survey for this study. This may well reflect the fact that HR officers are completing the survey, and it is one of the issues (with recruitment) that takes up most of their time! However it is also an important strategic and operational issue because it includes the elements of preparation of staff, and feedback from staff which are so important in institutional learning and also is the main point of interaction directly with the staff member. For many agencies, the cost of external specialist involvement in briefing and debriefing may be prohibitive, but there are plenty of sources of information about elements of briefing for subjects such as stress management, some of which are referenced in this handbook. The important issue is that stress and its management, and the importance of monitoring personal feelings and behaviour, and the provisions which are made for support if a critical incident occurs are passed on to staff members and that they are updated, during their assignments, of any changes or improvement in the systems. Debriefing is arguably even more important than briefing in that it is the most significant opportunity for HR managers to recognise the problems which the staff member may have encountered, and to recognise any symptoms of suffering on their part, and to offer specialist service to help in dealing with them. For the staff member, it is probably the most important, but also the last, opportunity to get across their concerns, and be heard, and is much more
important than just tying up the loose ends of an assignment. Counselling is relatively new in the humanitarian sector, and is not yet universally offered. (38% of ECHO FPA agencies audited in 2003 did not provide counselling for returning staff). While it may be understandable that there is no in-house professional capacity in smaller agencies, there is no excuse at all that an external source of counselling is not offered. Offering a counselling service For example, Norwegian Church Aid, in addition to providing briefings, and debriefings for both returning staff and their spouses, organises weekend retreats for staff and spouses at a counselling institute. SC UK provides, at briefing and debriefing, information about access to external specialist counselling with staff members, and counselling is available at any time during or shortly after assignments. Briefing and debriefing form an important part of the preparation for an international member of staff and most agencies provide some briefing and debriefing for staff. However, it is just as important for nationally recruited staff and should be applied universally for all staff members. It may be useful to separate induction from briefing whereby induction refers to the basic information a new staff member will receive on joining the organisation, and briefing is subjectspecific training and education.
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Induction
Subjects which should be covered in an induction would include: Introduction to the organisations mission, vision and values How and where the organisation works What the organisation does and how Profile CORD UK Induction The main topics are listed below but the course will be adjusted depending on the person, job and timeframe. CORD general: History of CORD Present and future directions
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Mission Statement and ethos The work of CORD elsewhere Cultural awareness and adapting to change: Living and working in a new culture Adapting to change The pattern of transition Recognising symptoms of culture shock Strategies for real integration Projects in context: The logical framework: Project Proposals Records and reports Funding and money matters Core management competencies Living and working in a team: Understanding and working within lines of management Making the most of reviews Recognising, managing and responding positively to conflict situations The foundation: the spiritual life of the team Discipline and grievance procedures Living in the country: Up to date impressions and practical information from a recent returnee from the country Security issues Travel arrangements to the country Recent history of the country and, if appropriate, why there are refugees in the area The job: Specifics relating to your project and your job Induction time table Computer skills: Learning about CORDs systems and how to make them work for you Getting to grips with the CORD accounts Health awareness: Learning about AIDS in your context Stress management Common illnesses and how to deal with them
Cord, your church and you: Resources available from CORD for your church Your part as a fundraiser Security: General awareness and information
Briefing
Briefing is the process by which specific information is passed to staff concerning subjects of importance, particularly relating to their role. It is also an opportunity for staff members to feed back their concerns and to provide input from their own experiences. Briefing normally takes place in two stages a briefing on the overall aspects which takes place at HQ prior to departure, and a specific briefing which takes place on arrival. Note It is important to bear in mind that new staff will remember a lot of what is discussed if they need to, but that much of it will be forgotten, as they are under stress due to the new unfamiliar circumstances, and they should receive further briefings at a later stage to top-up what information may have been missed. Subjects which should be covered in briefings might include: Overall: Administrative procedures Basic operational information Financial procedures Contractual and legal matters Information and public relations Initial security briefing Personal health and stress Welfare and personal behaviour In-c country: To include all subjects above, where there is additional pertinent information, guidance or instruction relating to the country and the programme. An in-depth briefing about the socio-political situation Cultural, religious and diversity issues
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In-depth security briefing Detailed briefing about the programme Job-related briefing and handover (if applicable) Personal behaviour Office-specific rules and procedures VSO uses the Internet to provide volunteers with access to briefing materials which are made available to volunteers for private study prior to departure through access to the resources on the VSO website. Briefing is a very substantial process, and should be an on-going one, with updates and information being passed on a regular basis to update, and reinforce information and procedures.
A formal record should be taken of the proceedings, preferably signed by both the staff member and the HR manager as a record of the meeting.
Save the Children UK Debriefing:

SC UK have developed Debriefing Guidelines which describe the principles behind their process and include a template for recording the debriefing. People In Aid have prepared an Information Note for this study, which details the principles behind, the issues to consider, and the steps within debriefing for humanitarian workers40. What is meant by debriefing? Operational debriefing Asking for information about the work performed and what was achieved. Personal debriefing Asking how the experience was for the individual (high points/low points/ readjustment). Aims to help them integrate experience into their life as a whole, perceive the experience more meaningfully and bring a sense of closure. Critical Incident Debriefing (CID) Highly structured form of personal debriefing usually taking place after a traumatic experience (e.g. natural disaster, violent incident, an accident). Exit interview Often refers to a combination of operational and personal debriefing occurring at the end of the employment contract. Specific issues to consider regarding personal debriefings: Timing One to three weeks after an individual has returned home is optimal Venue A comfortable room where there will be no interruptions Confidentiality Everything should be dealt with in confidence. However, a manager may be legally or morally obliged to take further action if there is evidence that personal harm has been caused Cross cultural issues Debriefing should take into account cultural sensitivities, and to ensure gender, age and ethnicity of the debriefer are appropriate. For example, for some cultures disclosing any intimate detail
British Red Cross briefing policy:

In British Red Cross all delegates are briefed and debriefed in London. This includes access to a psychological debrief and full medical. Delegates may also receive a briefing/debriefing with the relevant Red Cross body in Geneva. This may also include a psychological debrief. Delegates can then access up to five counselling sessions and we also have an external confidential employee assistance programme which delegates can access during and after mission (for up to six months) which offers counselling and general advice. BRCS also runs two seminars a year that focus on home coming and the difficulties involved in adjusting39.
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Debriefing
Debriefing is both a formal and informal opportunity for a returning (or leaving) member of staff to provide feedback to managers about their feelings about the assignment they have completed, issues of concern which arise, and for a general exchange at the conclusion of the employment period. It also provides the opportunity for HQ to receive an up-to-date view on the situation in the field. It is also, however, an important means by which a staff member can raise concerns (and even to get things off their chest), and which should be signed off and recorded, and staff should be able to expect them to be taken seriously.
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outside of a family setting may be taboo, or at least considered a sign of weakness Translation The challenge of working through a translator must not be underestimated and the selection of a sensitive translator is a priority. Additional time must be allowed for translation Partners/dependants (including children) Can also benefit from debriefing. A group or family session might be appropriate Who debriefs? The debriefer may be internal, or may be external. Care should be given to cross cultural considerations and matters of gender, age and ethnicity. Potential role conflicts should be avoided Care for the debriefer Support available for those responsible for leading the debriefing process, as this can sometimes be a traumatic experience Should personal debriefing be compulsory? Increasingly, organisations may be considered negligent if they do not properly debrief staff; however, forcing staff to attend debriefing may be counter-productive. One agencys approach is to expect all of their staff to attend a personal debriefing after trips overseas and to include this in their contact, but to permit staff to opt out provided they sign a disclaimer. In reality very few staff indeed forgo the opportunity to receive a thorough debriefing. Ten steps of routine personal debriefing: 1 Introductions Who you are; purpose of debriefing; confidentiality; duration (usually around two hours) 2 General information and overview How was it? 3 Identifying what was most troubling Identifying the three or four issues / events which were most stressful, upsetting or troubling Dont rush. Take each issue or event (identified in step two) in turn Any other concerns of the employee 5 Were there any symptoms? Were any stress related symptoms experienced while overseas? And now? E.g. fatigue, insomnia, guilt, anger, tearfulness etc
6 Dealing with symptoms Symptoms are normal. Stress reduction methods. Support available now. 7 What was positive? Good or meaningful aspects 8 What may happen on return home Re-entry syndrome and adjustment 9 The future ongoing help and support 10 Closing
Stress, trauma and psychological welfare

Relief workers have always been exposed to stress through the nature of the work, the environment in which it is carried out and the intensity with which it is implemented. The difference today is that a great deal more is known about the effects that this work has on staff, and tools and resources are available to help deal with it in both preparation and response. Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) have developed a comprehensive training workbook called Stress Management in Disasters which is available on the Reliefweb website41.
4 What happened facts, thoughts and feelings
The presentation includes this quote by J. Shay (1994):
The Prevention of Intractable Stress and Trauma Conditions Lies In Your Hands In the Hands of Managers, not in the Hands of Health Professionals.
In this section of the handbook reference is made to some factors associated with stress which might be missed by agencies, and which have significant effects on staff, and to point to sites and tools identified through agencies responses to the study and desk research, and which might be useful. The section applies to international staff and to nationally recruited staff, and should also be applied to HQ operational and HR staff, many of whom will suffer from exactly the same levels of
World Vision uses a PowerPoint presentation entitled Stress and Trauma Management in Emergency Relief Environment, which gives a clear and concise view of the subject, its effects, and how World Vision manages it42.
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stress and trauma, not least from what they encounter on visits to the field. UNHCR report, for example, that43:
Staff and volunteers working in sexual and gender-based violence programmes, particularly those working as counsellors and advocates for victims/survivors, must be aware of two risks to their own well-being: a lack of security and the potentially harmful effects of "secondary trauma" and burnout. Experience around the world has shown that some perpetrators do assault and inflict harm on those who assist victims/survivors. This is especially true in cases of domestic violence, when a counsellor or other staff/volunteer advocates with the police on behalf of the victim/survivor. In most of these cases, the perpetrator has been the husband or intimate partner of the victim/survivor. In many countries, armed police have been injured or killed when responding to reports of domestic violence.
A major change in recent years has been the recognition that stress and trauma management is a science and is an issue for which an appropriate policy response is absolutely essential both for international and national staff. It is noticeable that in two substantial countrylevel personnel manuals (for national staff) submitted to this project, the word stress is not mentioned. The basic elements of stress and trauma management are probably the same as for any other subject, but are usefully stated in Guidelines for Staff Care44, which lists nine principles of good practice. In summary, these are: 1 The agency has a written strategic plan that accepts overall organizational responsibility for reducing the sources of stress, acting to prevent or mitigate the effects of stress, and responding to the unavoidable effects of stress 2 The agency screens staff members before hiring and assignment 3 The agency ensures that all employees have appropriate pre-employment briefings and training 4 The agency monitors the response to stress of its field staff on an ongoing basis 5 The agency provides support, on an ongoing basis, to help its staff deal with the expectable stresses of humanitarian aid work 6 The agency provides staff with specific support, (evaluation and psychological first aid) in the wake of critical incidents and other unusual and unexpected sources of stress 7 The agency provides all staff members with both a personal stress debriefing and an operational debriefing at the end of an assignment 8 The agency provides both practical and emotional support for staff who are returning home or accepting a new assignment at the end of an assignment 9 The agency has clear written policies with respect to the ongoing support they will provide to staff members who have been adversely impacted by exposure to stress and trauma through their work Does your agency follow these principles of good practice? The causes of stress the general causes of stress are well-known and are only repeated here in summary to show how numerous and varied
Managers and supervisors must monitor staff security and take prompt action to protect staff in the event of threats or acts of violence. Any such incidents or threats to refugee staff should be reported to UNHCR protection officers immediately and appropriate protective measures taken. Organisations must establish policies and practices aimed at reducing staff/volunteer risk and maximising safety and security.
Stress and trauma management

The importance of stress and trauma management Key messages:
Importance of stress and trauma management and the development of policy and procedures for prevention, mitigation and response Having, and using, access to specialist advice and services Ten or twenty years ago, there was little or no stress management, and relief workers were just expected to get on with it, and many of them were possibly permanently damaged as a result. The only means of dealing with it was through talking with ones peers, and this is one reason why such a close bond exists among relief workers. This was, and still is, an important mechanism for sharing and reducing stress, but it is not enough. Neither are unskilled briefing and debriefing enough in recognising the symptoms of damage in a relief worker.
they are adapted from Caring For Others, Caring for Yourself45: Repeated exposure to gruesome experiences (e.g. recovering bodies, dealing with people who have been maimed) Tasks may be physically difficult, exhausting, or dangerous, and the demands of your tasks may lead to lack of sleep and chronic fatigue Role-related stresses, including a perceived inability to ever do "enough" even though the limits of what you can do are imposed by reality or by organizational or bureaucratic constraints beyond their control (e.g. lack of supplies, lack of manpower) Moral or ethical dilemmas, such as having to negotiate with warlords or with perpetrators of human rights abuses Guilt over access to food and shelter that the primary victims do not have. Identifying with the survivors Guilt over the need to "triage" your own efforts (i.e., to decide which of several survivors is in "more need" of services) Exposure to the anger and apparent lack of gratitude of some survivors To this should be added at least two other causes of stress the stress due to poor operational management practice or support, and secondly poor HR management in terms of remuneration, welfare and support. It is also important to remember that stress is not only caused by work-related issues. The personal lives of aid workers can have a very serious impact on effectiveness through creating stress. It is very important that this is recognised as a serious issue, and procedures put in place to deal with it effectively. Increasingly the concept of work-life balance is coming to the fore as individuals and organisations alike begin to realise that something needs to be done about the often excessive hours staff are required to work. Ways of achieving an acceptable work-life balance and of managing stress are diverse, and for those seeking guidance on introducing policy in this area People In Aid and InterHealth have produced some useful material.46 For Christian organisations the book Doing Member Care Well, Perspectives and practice from around the world (ed Kelly ODonnell 2002) has much useful material. See: www.lerucher.org/member_care/doing_member_c are_well.htm
For example Mercy Corps uses the specialist services of Expat EAP which provides qualified counsellors and a telephone counselling service for expatriate staff and their immediate families. (National staff policies are set locally). Counselling covers: Cultural transition issues Personal and emotional difficulties Marital/family relationships Isolation and loneliness Workplace issues Substance abuse The counselling service continues to be available for one full month after the return of the staff member. Other specialist services are available in dealing with stress. A few of these are mentioned here, and in more detail at the end of this section. Examples include the Centre for Humanitarian Psychology, Antares Foundation, UK Trauma Group, Edinburgh International Health Centre, Headington Institute etc. Does your agency have access to expert counselling and advice services? Latent stress Another form of stress occurs in situations not of overt violence where the stress is obvious, but in situations where something might happen, but usually doesnt. This particularly affects people who have been in the situation a long time, and have got used to it but nevertheless the stress is there, and it is up to the managers and colleagues to recognise it and do something about it. Often the person affected will not know.
R & R rest and recuperation or rest and relaxation

The importance of providing breaks away from the field environment cannot be underestimated, and many agencies provide the opportunity (over and above leave entitlements) for staff to leave the field to the capital, or even to another neighbouring country, for a few days, in order for the staff members to recharge their batteries. Such a benefit (i.e. going to a neighbouring country) may not be possible for nationally recruited staff, but their need to get away should also be recognised and facilitated wherever possible.
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The allowance for R & R will vary between agencies and depend on local conditions, but generally an allowance is given according to the amount of time in the field, and the nature of the external and internal working environment. R & R breaks can be short (for example a long weekend away in every four) or longer (for example a week or ten days off every eight to ten weeks) and so forth. The allowance should be in addition to any leave entitlement in the contract. People In Aid have guidelines in their Policy Pot entitled Rest and Relaxation which provides agencies with an example of an appropriate policy and also an action plan for developing and managing the policy.47 Mission East also provide for R & R leave for HQ staff who visit the field (outside Western Europe) who are provided with two days leave per trip. This is a very valuable benefit for HQ staff who are often forgotten in relation to stress and yet are exposed to the same threats, risks and issues as staff in the field full time.
Excessive alcohol use, caffeine consumption and smoking UNHCR in Sexual and Gender-Based Violence against Refugees49, advocates that prevention is the best way to address staff burnout. Strategies that should be employed in all programmes include: Discussions and debriefings after particularly serious or disturbing cases Opportunities to relieve stress, such as physical exercise, team building activities, informal sharing about the joys and frustrations of the work Training workshops to improve skills, build confidence and encourage professional boundaries Regularly scheduled supervision to monitor the workers performance, provide support, and assess her/his emotional state Taking a vacation/break from work Peer stress counselling
Burnout
Burnout is generally used to describe the symptoms encountered after a long time involvement with difficult circumstances, and is cited as one reason for experienced staff leaving the sector. Burnout may well be something more serious and represent the cumulative effects of stress, and perhaps is important to seek specialist advice for the problem often being that the experienced staff member often thinks that they dont need any external help but if the experience of many other workers is to go by, then they certainly would benefit from specialist help. Caring for Others, Caring for Yourself48 offers the symptoms of burnout, and also proposes measures by which staff members (and organisations) might be able to protect themselves from stress and burnout: Symptoms of burnout: Excessive tiredness and loss of spirit Inability to concentrate and sleep difficulties Somatic symptoms headaches etc. Grandiose beliefs acting recklessly, neglecting own safety etc. Cynicism Inefficiency Mistrust of co-workers or supervisors
Re-e entry syndrome

Every aid worker returning home has encountered a culture shock, and this psychological response is described by M. McCreesh in an aide memoire on Aid Workers Network website50. Clearly there is a mutual responsibility for mitigating the impact of re-entry syndrome employers can provide support in the form of staff or ex-staff associations, or useful information, either directly or via third parties, and staff themselves can prepare themselves for dealing with the challenges it presents. McCreeshs paper describes the syndrome and suggests ways through which aid workers might reduce its effects: ReEntry Syndrome (RES) or Reverse Culture Shock is a psychological response experienced by many people returning home from field work in a different culture. RES does not only impact on the sufferer, it also affects the returning workers family and friends. As well as being experienced by aid workers, it has been recognised in people who have been released from jail or soldiers returning to civilian life.
What are the symptoms of Re-E Entry Syndrome? After an initial couple of days of euphoria, many returned aid workers experience feelings grouped around a number of major themes. These are mainly feelings of loss, bereavement and
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isolation. You can feel that no one really understands what you have been through and, whats more, most people arent that interested. You may feel frustrated that you just cant seem to communicate the magnitude of the experience you have undergone or the sense of loss that you now have. Working in a different culture can also affect your view of your home culture, and you can become critical of the values of the people around you. You may also find that you miss the friends you left behind, or miss other aspects of the place you left. Strong bonds are developed between people working in stressful environments, and you may experience feelings of guilt for leaving colleagues behind. In addition, you may feel disconnected from your home situations will have changed in your absence and you may feel you no longer belong. The lack of an immediate goal may also affect you, leaving you bored by the absence of purpose. This will compare poorly with your time away overseas aid work is often totally engaging and the urgency and adrenaline can be addictive. Combinations of the above experiences can lead to feelings of frustration, disorientation and depression. Everyones experience of Re-Entry Syndrome is different, and may involve combinations of the above themes to varying extents. Why is RES a problem? RES is a problem because it is associated with a number of negative consequences. Some people will turn to drugs or alcohol to cope with the feelings of frustration and isolation and some will indulge in risk taking behaviour that may affect their health, career and family. It is worth stressing that the returned aid worker is not usually the only one suffering you can be a very difficult person to live with during this time and your friends and family may be affected. Coping with Re-E Entry Syndrome Every one is different, with different levels of engagement with their host culture and with their own. It follows that there is no prescriptive set of coping methods to fit everyone. Some tactics you might find useful are listed below: Awareness Dont think it wont happen to you! A study of returned British aid workers revealed that 60 per cent reported feeling predominantly negative emotions on their return home. The most common experiences reported are feelings of disorientation, confusion, devastation and
bereavement. Prior knowledge of RES can be very helpful in preparing for how you may feel when you return. Before you go Prepare yourself by learning more about RES. You should also ensure that your loved ones are aware of the condition and how it may affect you upon your return. This may help them to be more understanding of how you are feeling and to be able to offer support. While you are away Keep up to date with events and in touch with loved ones at home whilst you are away. Before you go home Reflect on how you have changed and how this may affect your homecoming. If there is an offer of any kind of farewell, take it. Any sort of farewell can only help you move on and, importantly, it also helps those who are left behind. End of assignment Finish off all the loose ends of post assignment reports, handing in of equipment and ID cards, etc. If the organisation you have been working for offers any form of debriefing, take it. Some organizations give you the opportunity to do a presentation about your experience. This can be therapeutic and you may find it is one of the few times you will talk to a group who are genuinely interested. When you return home Take a couple of days off when you get home you deserve to relax, so indulge yourself, in moderation. Describing your experience Finding a form of words to describe your experience can help you to work through it emotionally. Local papers are keen to have an interesting article about one of their community members experience overseas. This may be a good opportunity for you to think through your experience and what it has meant to you. Also, look for groups of returned workers similar to yourself. You may find people who can understand what you are going through and who are genuinely interested in your experience. Re engaging with your own community Catching up on what has happened whilst you are away is important, Browse old newspapers or chat with friends over a cup of coffee and catch up. I am often asked to do presentations on my experience for groups like the local Chapter of the Red Cross or the Rotary Club. I always accept these invitations because they give me the opportunity to advocate for the people and the causes I have recently been working with.
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What next? Maybe you already have a job to return to or have prospects of getting one. Dont jump into a new job too quickly if you can avoid it you need to recognise that you probably are going through a cultural transition and in many cases you may also need time to physically recuperate and recover. If you dont take this time now, you put yourself at risk of negative consequences later on. Where can I find out more about the causes of RES? For those who would like to read about the cultural transitional cycle causing RES, Nan M. Sussman has authored a good article available on the website of the Centre for Cross Cultural Research, Western Washington University: www.ac.wwu.edu/~culture/sussman.htm. Sussman also provides a list of references and links to related web pages. Comhlmh, Development Workers in Global Solidarity, is an Irish agency supporting workers returning to Ireland. Apart from their activities, which can be viewed on www.comhlmh.ie, they have issued a booklet called The Coming Home Book, with chapters ranging from reverse culture shock to job hunting. Dealing with trauma In 1996, six members of an ICRC medical team in Chechnya were murdered in their sleep by a group of masked men, using weapons fitted with silencers. In describing the response to the tragedy, Dr B. Bierens de Haan stressed several points51: A rescue team should immediately be sent to the site, in the ICRCs case including the senior manager responsible for the region, together with a specialist whose task was to assist with the survivors emotions and grief. The rescuers should be sufficiently removed from the incident, but should also have experience of similar situations The Emotional Debriefing (Critical Incident Stress Debriefing) is carried out within two to
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Avoid Avoid going overboard in self indulgence alcohol, drugs, food all these things feel good for a short time, but the consequences are rarely worth it. Also avoid rush decisions you might feel so low that you immediately accept another assignment without taking your home life or emotional state into account.
three days of the incident. A group session was preferred, and rules set that anyone is free to say what they wish, and all will remain confidential. The purpose of the meeting is to allow everyone to give his/her own version of the incident and to share his or her feelings with the group. Then there is a summary of the incident together with discussion about likely emotional reactions and symptoms that will be encountered, and the support which will be provided
A funeral ceremony in the presence of the coffins is essential to enable survivors to start the grieving process and bring the group closer together Rapid removal of the survivors home, and to enable follow up at HQ level The important lessons from any such experience are that there should be advance planning, proactive decision concerning the appropriate focus for responsibility for managing the response, and immediate sending of a team from outside, to include a specialist to deal with the trauma reaction of all staff, including national staff. Profile MSF Belgium Critical incident debriefing MSF Belgium has a multi-disciplinary in-house team Groupe 422 of MSF workers, who work in Brussels, who are responsible for emotional debriefing (critical incident debriefing). All team members will have undertaken a three-day training course, provided by an expert from the Centre for Crisis Psychology in Brussels (some 25 people have undertaken the course). In support of the team, MSF Belgium uses the services of a network of professional counsellors52. MSF Belgium advises staff53:
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What to do if you are affected directly? Accept your reactions, even if they are frightening to you Try to talk about what happened, how you feel Dont feel you have to deal with the experience alone Inform your Field Coordinator, or contact your Head of Mission What to do as a colleague? Get the person out of physical danger as soon as possible
Inform your Field Coordinator, or contact your Capital Coordination Stay together, keep the group together for a few days Respond to basic material needs (offer coffee, prepare a meal, provide clothing, offer the possibility to take a shower, to sleep) Respect the reactions of the person affected regardless of whether he/she is aggressive, emotional or withdrawn, be patient Just be there you dont need to talk. Listen and do not judge, even if you think the person has made a mistake Remember the three Ts: Time, Talk, Tears
Almost three out of four deaths (72%) resulted from acts of violence and the remainder were traffic accidents (28%) Almost half (45%) of the violent deaths were due to attacks on vehicles or convoys More than half (59%) of the workers killed worked for NGOs, and 41% for the United Nations
The risks from violence that aid workers face are not simply about death. Kidnapping has become more common e.g. Arjan Erkel55 of MSF was kidnapped for 20 months after being taken in Dagestan on August 12th 2002, before being released in April 2004.
Security, safety and the management of risk

Key messages
People-related aspects need to be represented, and advocated for, prioritised and included in strategic and operational planning and decisions regarding security, safety and risk management HR management and information systems must be continuously evolving and improving to meet employers obligation to national and international staff, and also good practice National staff safety and security should be given the same priority as international staff, and the levels of security management, and policies for support and protection significantly improved Preparation, training, information and behaviour management are all critical factors in security management for all staff Handbook 1 detailed the changes that have taken place in the international system and the humanitarian sector that have greatly increased the level of risk for international, and especially nationally recruited staff. However, a few examples indicate the scale of the problem:
The horrific attack on the UN HQ in Baghdad in August 2003 caused 24 deaths of UN staff and visitors and over 150 people were injured. It led to a wholesale review of the presence of organisations in Iraq, and the UN agency staff left, as did many of the NGOs. The review of the incident severely criticised the UN security system, which it described as dysfunctional. The attack on the ICRC offices in October 2003 caused 12 deaths and a large number of injuries, and as a consequence of both incidents, the UN agencies and many NGOs left Iraq, as their safety could not be guaranteed.
The figures above also show that 28% of deaths occurred in vehicle accidents a large proportion of which could have been averted through robust policies to ensure vehicles were in good working order and that drivers and passengers were appropriately briefed and trained. Agencies working with partner organisations based in the South should be aware that they are even less able to afford the costs of guidelines/training on security and safety issues, and are dependent on funding for such important initiatives from their Northern partner agencies. It is very important for this support to be provided funding assistance in building capacity and resources/skills, and it is not acceptable for agencies to pass the responsibility to their local partners. People In Aid has produced a report analysing the nature of partnerships with NGOs in the South, and the role and influence of HR in capacity building.56
For example, in 2001, D. King undertook an analysis of statistics about safety and security incidents involving aid workers54. He found the following: Of 249 civilian humanitarian aid workers killed between 1997 and 2001, 74% (184) were nationally recruited staff, and 26% international staff (65)
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In consequence, the international humanitarian organisations and NGOs, with a few exceptions have simply not been present in Iraq, because the safety of staff and resources could not be guaranteed.
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Concepts
In a very important report on organisations practice and factors which affect and inhibit organisational development in safety and security57, K. van Brabant separates the definition of safety from that of security: Safety referring to accidents and illness Security referring to acts of violence While the two concepts are closely inter-linked, the separation ensures that it is clear that preparedness and response to the two are not the same, and are not interchangeable, and the risks associated with violence add additional complexity. This section of the report is not intended as a comprehensive review of security and safety, but is intended to reflect the concerns of the agencies that participated in this project and to take examples of people-related issues associated with security and safety which are relevant to human resource management. Although security and safety were not identified as key HR issues in the actual survey responses, participants at the seminars unequivocally stated that security and safety were having a major impact on HR management. Disturbingly, the evidence also suggests that security and safety, in staff terms perhaps the most serious issue, may not be prioritised, or that insufficient time is available to reflect on it. Save the Children UK has recently revised its Security Management policy and has provided details in response to the survey of the extensive security management system which is now in place. This includes: Security Management Policy Security Management Guidelines Crisis Management Guidelines Monitoring Mechanism Training Package Implementation Plan In addition, SC UK also provides additional Action Points for Regional Directors, and Notes on Security Incident Reporting. The Security Management Guidelines cover Context Analysis, Understanding Risks, Security Strategies, Developing Security Guidelines, and Incident Reporting and Analysis.
SC UK also publishes a field security handbook, entitled Safety First written by S. Bickley which is a detailed and comprehensive handbook on security for NGOs and their staff58. CESVI (Italy) has produced a pocket sized (A5) Security and Safety Handbook in Italian and English, which can conveniently be carried by staff in the field. Available from CESVI. www.cesvi.org
Organisational HR-r related aspects of security and safety

Prioritising HR and involvement in planning and management As highlighted in handbook 1, in the analysis of agencies, most agencies are small, and one in four does not have an HR department at all59, but even in larger agencies with HR departments, the priority given to human resources management is inadequate. Human resources staff are often burdened with the detail of recruitment, and the minutiae of resolving personnel issues, but are rarely given the resources, time or space to consider the theoretical, strategic or contextual issues associated with HR management. There is also a tension in many agencies between the needs of the operational departments to make things happen and the requirements of the human resources department in maintaining equity, probity and adherence to procedures. In terms of security and safety, one of the cornerstones of establishing a policy is to have senior management buy-in to the process, and to involve the stakeholders at the appropriate levels. It is therefore very important that HR is represented at a senior level in the strategic and operational planning, before an operation is started, and not contacted to find the necessary people after the operational, funding and logistical decisions have been made. A small task force of two or three senior managers is perfectly manageable. For example, WVI usually includes an HR manager in the first wave of staff arriving in a new emergency.60 This level of involvement of HR management should not only be accessed in relation to starting a new operation but should also be involved in any major decision with implications for the safety or
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security of staff and especially if discussions are being held concerning the continuing presence in the field, or evacuation. Most importantly, the HR representative in such discussions, as well as representing the organisations HR interests, should also be representing the staff themselves. If the HR does not represent the interests of the staff, then somebody else should.
little that agencies have been able to achieve and yet they have maintained a presence, for whatever reason. Serious questions arise for those agencies adhering to a policy which puts international and national staff at unnecessary risk for minimal gain. This places an enormous burden on senior managers to decide when conditions have become unacceptable, and in most cases the manager will continue long past the point which, with the benefit of hindsight, would have been considered acceptable. The balancing of risk to staff, resources and infrastructure against the needs of the victims is extremely difficult. The question managers should be asking is: Does the benefit and impact which we are achieving (for the victims) justify the risk (or the increased risk) that we are placing the organisation and its staff in? UNHCR Inspector General, Dennis McNamara, asked the following key questions, in a recent (October 2003) presentation to a UNHCR preExcom meeting62: When do we say No and on what basis? When and how do we withdraw or reengage? What is the proper balance between action that saves or sustains lives and unreasonable risks to our staff, both national and international? How do we resist giving in to the bombers without sacrificing more humanitarian workers unnecessarily?
Taking responsibility
It is essential before a crisis, or immediately one occurs, for the locus of responsibility to be clearly defined Who (or what group of people) is responsible for taking decisions in regard to this issue, and who (an individual) carries the ultimate responsibility for decisions. With agencies becoming more complex, and more responsibility delegated, it is essential that clear lines of management authority are established and communicated. It is important for the people making the decisions to know their authority and accountability
It is important for junior staff to be protected from decisions which they should not be asked to make
It is important for staff to know who is responsible for the decisions which affect them, and to whom they should turn for help
There is a general presumption among operational humanitarian agencies that the agency should respond to the needs of the victims (of a complex emergency or natural disaster) wherever possible, and that cessation of activities or closedown is effectively an admission of defeat, and should only be considered in extremis. We must stay to meet the need of victims, until the situation becomes unacceptable or unbearable.
This is reflected in the findings of a recent RedR seminar61:
From the evidence of the seminar, it seems many agencies are involved in programmes which are not of an emergency life-saving nature but more concerned with rehabilitation and reconstruction. Therefore, there are major questions over whether the risks that staff run are worth the programme gains. In some instances it seems there has been
Minimum conditions for presence
In Iraq, these questions have been particularly apposite, where questions have been raised about the presence of NGOs where the emergency needs after the conflict were primarily about infrastructure and systems, rather than aid, and needs now are for rehabilitation of infrastructure and systems, for which most NGOs (but not all) are ill-equipped. The RedR seminar urged that issues of concern about security should be raised with CEOs and Directors of agencies, and with Boards and this report would endorse that view. After all it is the CEO and the directors which are responsible for the organisations policies, and for their proper implementation. The HR managers should be ensuring, on behalf of the staff, that the question of continuing presence is addressed and regularly reviewed, and they should be representing the staffs interests in the discussion which takes place.
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There is always the potential when talking of acceptable risks that criticism can be levelled, especially by the old hands who have become familiar with high-risk situations. However humanitarian aid workers: Place their lives in your hands, as an organisation and as their managers Have the right to expect that the employer will not place them at unnecessary risk, or have inadequate management and support systems For this they are prepared to place themselves in the agencys care, and to be in dangerous environments doing difficult jobs, often for limited financial or other reward, except the commitment to solidarity, to support someone in trouble, or to work for a cause. Management should be accountable for acts and omissions in relation to decisions, and organisations are increasingly being exposed to the legal and financial consequences of mistakes. Continuing working in a place for limited gain in excessive risk would not fall within the normal interpretation of an employers duty of care to staff, and neither would inappropriate actions which take place in the field such as the keeping or transporting of large amounts of cash in violent environments.
It is also very important to follow the InterAction Essential Steps above, regarding the involvement of national staff and the issues which affect them.
What are the vulnerabilities associated with risk to staff?63

Age/previous work experience Younger people tend to take more risks, and especially young men Older, more experienced staff tend to be able to weigh the risks better, but also tend to become complacent about risk Nationally recruited staff young national staff tend to be much more at risk, from attack by armed groups, or by perception of association with opposition groups, and also because of a tendency to take risks A more experienced person will have a better knowledge of the risks and their potential consequences, but statistics show that more significant is the amount of time the person has spent in that specific assignment Gender Female staff members are more likely to be the victim of sexual assaults, but are less likely to be taken hostage than men. Women international staff are often not subject to the same cultural norms and rules as nationally recruited women staff, and therefore may benefit from a certain degree of freedom in negotiation and debate, which is not available to other staff Nationality Staff coming from a country involved in a conflict may not be perceived as neutral. Both current and historical national interactions should be taken into account when recruiting staff, as should the availability of support from the appropriate embassy. The nationality of donors, and expatriate staff is also a significant factor in risk assessment Ethnicity Especially for nationally recruited staff, ethnicity is a critically important factor, and the ethnic mix of staff teams should be carefully managed. Both the social bonds between people from the same area or group are significant positive and negative factors, as are the potential differences between people from different areas or groups
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Managing risk
By briefly reiterating the risk assessment process, the purpose is to stress that risk assessment should be done, that the findings should be recorded, and should be part of an on-going process, and be subject to regular review. Risk assessment, in this context refers to those issues of organisational activity and behaviour which have implications for the safety and security of staff, and also the external influences which affect the agency, its resources, and also the staff. Risk assessments are normally carried out from an operational perspective but should always include substantial elements relating specifically to personnel and HR issues, and it may be appropriate for specific risk assessments to be carried out separately by those responsible for HR in relation to people. In any event, HR managers and staff should be closely involved and consulted in the process, and on an on-going basis.
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Race There are potential problems associated with the race of staff members in being accepted by the local population for example an African staff member in an Arab country or in the Balkans may find difficulties in being accepted Religion A staff member with strong religious affiliations should not be sent to a country where religion is a serious source of tension, and the display of religious symbols should not be public. The mission, vision and values of the organisation play an important part in peoples perception of its neutrality, as does its choice of local partners Status/position The job title can be a factor in risk e.g. human rights monitor, or security manager may influence other people or groups. In addition, the more senior that the job title implies, the more readily accepted the person may be at potential flash-points such as road blocks Language and communication skills Ability to communicate in the international language in a country is a serious risk factor, adding substantially to the risk of an incident being misinterpreted or the level of danger increased through lack of understanding. For nationally recruited staff, the more local languages that are spoken the better will be the level of understanding of interlocutors in meetings, at roadblocks etc. The risk assessment process is intended to identify the threats, and to provide the information necessary to decide which threats are significant, and whether by identifying appropriate precautions, the risk can be reduced. The risk assessment should involve the following steps64: 1 Identification of Threats What are the threats? From where do they come? What about accidents? What about behaviour? What are the threats at each locus office, vehicles, personal, at home in public places? What are the threats at each level activities in the community, compounds and offices, at HQ level?
People In Aid has produced a handbook entitled Health and Safety in Aid Agencies, which covers two areas in health and safety risk assessment and the principles of managing a health and safety policy.65 2 Analysis of their likelihood and impact How often might each threat arise, and what is its likely impact on the individual, on infrastructure and resources, on the agency? The measures which would be taken to protect against a threat which may occur often, but with less serious impact, might be very different from one that is very rare but might have catastrophic consequences. 3 Vulnerability analysis An analysis of the factors which make the staff, organisation, office, vehicles and buildings vulnerable to the threat, and those which might reduce vulnerability. This process is intended to be carried out with all relevant stakeholders, and at all relevant levels. So it is no use carrying out a risk analysis which does not include the perspectives of national staff, or of HQ managers. Indeed, it may be appropriate for assessments to be carried out by each major stakeholder group.
Security
Securing human personnel is normally the task of host governments or in the case of the present situation in Iraq, the occupying authority.66 The problem is that in many countries where NGOs are operating, the host Government is unable or unwilling to fulfil its responsibilities. Responsibility for security for NGOs that are subcontracting partners with UN agencies rests with the UN security system, yet the report of the August 2003 bombing incident in Baghdad found the system had failed and was dysfunctional. In handbook 1, the failure of the international system to provide the overall framework of protection for humanitarian intervention was discussed in detail (see section 3, handbook 1). There is little legal protection either:67 These mechanisms, such as the Trust Fund for the Security of UN personnel and special staff security programmes in the annual UN Consolidated Appeals are seriously under funded
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The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court makes the murder of humanitarian personnel a war-crime, but is not yet in force and very few cases have been prosecuted at the national level The 1999 enacted Convention on the Safety of UN and Associated Personnel is not applicable to humanitarian NGOs that do not have contractual/partnership agreements with the UN; nor does it apply to locally recruited personnel In many countries, therefore, the security of most NGOs expatriate and nationally recruited personnel will depend on their own internal policies and procedures, even if there is ad hoc coordination with the UN structures. At the sectoral level, the concept of Minimum Humanitarian Standards was proposed in 1988, involving a series of minimum rules which should be applied in internal conflict situations68. Such standards would not only require belligerents to meet certain standards of behaviour in conflict, but would also state the obligations of all belligerents and humanitarian agencies alike in providing access for assistance. The debate was not pursued, but should now be revisited. ECHO itself has recently commissioned a study of security standards and related topics which will be available later in 2004. How does this affect me in HR? The legal obligations of due care on an employer are evolving, and international aid agencies are acknowledging their responsibility for the safety and security of staff69. However, the limits due to available funding and prioritisation, particularly among small agencies, to fund management and information systems will clearly affect the potential for developing comprehensive systems.
The responsibility for security often rests with operational departments, and HR department involvement in strategic and operational planning, development of security and safety policies and procedures etc. may be very limited The responsibility for dealing with the consequences of a crisis will rest with the HR department, yet the HR department often does not have the capacity to influence the operational policies which may have contributed to the crisis in the first place Medair reflected the views of a number of agencies responding to this survey and reported too few resources of funding and manpower to address sufficiently quickly the need for improvements in training, internal policies and contingency planning. Medair also stated that development of internal policies, tools and systems, and also a strategy to organise the HR department and clarify roles and levels of authority between HR and operational departments were concerns. What is best practice?70 Mandatory security training of all staff, including HQ staff
Clear security policy and plan, regularly updated
Comprehensive pre-briefing and debriefing Clarity on roles and responsibilities, for individuals and agencies, and for family members
Adherence to policy should be checked and enforced
The cost of protecting staff is potentially very significant indeed insurance, equipment (such as radios, satellite communications etc), as is the costs of preparation and welfare (such as security training, context briefings and counselling). However, as van Brabant states It is doubtful that making staff sign a statement that they will not hold any claims against the organisation in case of incident or accident is morally and legally defensible. (Ibid.) The problems for HR managers are compounded by several other factors:
Practical HR-r related aspects of security

This section details a number of observations from the experience provided in agencies responses to the survey, and also from other sources, regarding personnel-related issues associated with security.
National staff
Dennis Kings study of fatalities among aid workers71 reported that three out of four deaths were among nationally recruited staff, and it is undoubtedly the case that the level of risk to
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Security officer in the field. If this is not possible, a designated person responsible for security
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which national staff is exposed is higher than that for international staff. (Of course there are exceptions, where foreigners are deliberately targeted, but these are very much less significant in numbers than the risks to which the bulk of nationally recruited staff are exposed on an on-going basis). In recent emergencies such as those in Liberia, Afghanistan or Iraq, nationally recruited staff have often found themselves running programmes following the evacuation of expatriates, placing them at considerable risk. If the risks for national staff are higher, are the preparation, training, management, information, support and welfare systems adequate? This is a question that every NGO active in insecure environments should be continually asking itself. Among the risks they share with expatriate staff, nationally recruited staff come under additional risks: They may be considered to be collaborating with international agencies interfering in local affairs, or with external political interests They may be considered to be representing opposing religious, political or cultural groups They may be wealthy by comparison with poorer community members They may be considered less risky targets than expatriates, but have the same resources vehicles, computers, food supplies etc.
The agency formally states its commitment to the security of all staff without differentiation, and backs up its commitment with measurable resources National staff fully participate in security management procedures, and in some cases even lead them, from the design of security plans to training, to decision-making on the main issues concerning the security of all staff Attention to national staff security is a key element for evaluating the performance of managers and supervisors Evacuation should not be the cardinal issue of national staff security: it is not necessarily the best solution in times of crisis, and is often not expected by national staff The agency is transparent in its security and personnel procedures, and is clear on its expectations of national staff; this is critical to promoting the security of all staff Agency-wide policies lay out the agencys general security and personnel philosophy, but consistently defer to field-based practices that integrate local realities. The security of national staff: essential steps 200275 This document identifies four critical steps that agencies can take to improve the security for national staff: 1 Increase the involvement of national staff in the formulation, review and implementation of security policies and plans 2 Identify threats to national staff, then reduce their vulnerability to these threats 3 Establish clarity on security procedures and benefits, especially with regard to evacuation and relocation options 4 Integrate national staff security into preparedness, training, and human resource management procedures
The security of nationally recruited staff

In 2001, InterAction72 undertook a substantial research project on practices and policies regarding the security of national staff among InterAction member agencies. Several very useful documents have been produced as a result: National staff security should not be seen as just another headache we have to deal with. Instead they are the prime resource in developing appropriate and effective security strategies for all staff.73 The security of national staff: towards good practices74 The research presented in this report concludes that the following steps are critical for aid agencies to enhance the security of their national staff:
Security planning
It is critically important for agencies to have both an overall agency-wide strategic and operational plan regarding security and also individual country-level plans. InterAction Security Planning Guidelines produced with OFDA, provide concise guidance on developing security plans, including the components of a security plan. The document is repeated in its entirety here76:
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Importance of security plans

Each agency operating in an area should develop and implement a security plan. A security plan is a single document containing information, standard operating procedures and contingency plans relating to the security of NGO staff and property. The purpose of a plan is to enable staff to act effectively to prevent and mitigate the effects of security problems in a manner appropriate to the agency.
Intended users of the plan (which staff, locations, etc. are covered) Location of master plan and distribution list II. Background: Articulation of agency mission, mandate (if applicable), principles and policies related to security Summary of the situation (political, economic, historical, military, etc.) Threat assessment (indicating likely types of threats NGOs will face) III. Standard Operating Procedures: Outline procedures for daily operations and routines as well as individual responses to incidents. For all procedures include: 1 What to do/what not to do 2 How to do it, as appropriate 3 Who does it/with whom 4 When it is to be done; frequency and sequence 5 Where it is to be done Subjects to be covered: Site selection and management (offices, residences, etc.) Movement and transport (vehicles, convoys, etc.) Telecommunications (regular use and during emergencies) Post-incident actions (reporting, analysis, etc.) IV. Contingency plans: Outline procedures for incidents requiring complex, multi-personnel responses. Include the same information as for standard operating procedures. Include also lines of communication and of authority. Articulate alternative options. Evacuation Medical evacuation Death of staff Other high risk, foreseeable events V. Supporting information: Warden system with contact information and instructions to locations Cooperating agencies, contact persons and information (phone numbers, radio frequencies, etc.)
Need for individualized security plans

A security plan is based upon an individual agencys security strategy which reflects its overall approach to security. Each agency is likely to take a different approach based upon the agency mission, mandate (if applicable), principles, policies and programs, as well as on their understanding of the context.
Planning process
The process of developing, implementing and updating a plan is as important as the plan itself. An individual should be designated responsibility for leading the development of the plan as well as for the periodic review and updating of the plan. Staff expected to implement the plan should be involved in its development. This helps to foster consistent implementation through ensuring that: 1 The plan is realistic in its assumption about the situation, threats, and staff willingness and ability to implement it 2 The staff understands all aspects of the plan, and 3 The staff feels ownership of the plan, thereby promoting adherence to the plan All new staff members should be given a briefing on the situation and threats, a copy of the plan, and any training required to implement the plan. The plan should be tested and updated at regular intervals and whenever there is a change in the situation or threats faced by the NGO.
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Components of a security plan

I. Introduction: Purpose of the plan Identification of the person(s) responsible for security and for leading the development, review and updating of the plan
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Contact information for government officials, airport, hospital, etc. Maps with assembly points, routes, borders Emergency supply inventory Incident reporting forms
briefing from the LWF or ACT country director responsible for the programme, which will include all local security rules and regulations, briefing concerning communications equipment. In addition, staff are also required to become accustomed with the political, social and cultural situation of the country.
Preparation of staff
Of the 147 FPA partner agencies audited in 2003 by ECHO: 13% do not have briefing sessions before departure 60% provide no formal security training for all staff prior to departure 10% do not provide extensive insurance cover In some instances there may be good reason for agencies not to have these facilities, in that security training might be provided elsewhere, perhaps in the field. However, it is perhaps more likely that agencies are relying on briefings for security, either at HQ or in the field. Security experts maintain that it should be a precondition of employment (or funding by institutional donors) for aid workers to have some form of formal security training, which should be updated on a regular basis. The minimum required should at least be a formal security component of a structured briefing/training/induction process. (This should apply both for countries in conflict and those not affected by conflict, for which appropriate security policies and procedures are just as important). A recent RedR seminar reported that despite agencies calls for greater access to security training for staff, recent training courses were not full, suggesting that inadequate resources were available to fund attendance. Many of the agencies surveyed in this report are part of larger international networks, to which the staff are seconded and are therefore not directly responsible for security management, but they are still responsible for basic staff preparation and training, and are ultimately responsible as the employer. For example, with DanChurchAid, an international staff member will receive an initial security briefing in Denmark prior to departure, which may be supplemented with additional information from the Danish Refugee Council or the Danish Red Cross. On arrival in the field, the staff member will receive a thorough country-specific security
Management systems and information

A cornerstone of any security policy will be the maintenance of detailed and current information regarding all staff international and nationally recruited. While the information may be available for international staff at HQ level, it is often not kept together, may not be easily accessible, and often is not held at field level. For national staff, it is likely that the basic information is often missing from files even at field level, and is almost certainly not available at all at HQ level. For both categories of staff, as a minimum the following should be recorded and be available at different management levels to the relevant authorised managers: the personal details including contacts next of kin employment details and contracts relevant medical information contact details overseas and details of family members On numerous occasions in the experience of HR managers, simple basic information about staff and their families and dependents has not been available when it is most needed. Where agencies are parts of larger networks, it is imperative that the information for international staff is accessible both in their home agency and also at the Headquarters of the main operating partner, and also the field offices. Where agencies have regionalised management, a further level is created in the hierarchy of the organisation and the information should also be accessible at this level. Information management software can be very expensive, but there must be experience among the agencies which could be shared in developing such systems, perhaps using open source software packages which are free and becoming more common. In addition, the Internet provides unlimited examples of the potential for having information
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accessible on a worldwide basis through intranets, web-based databases, and information placed on secure websites accessible only by authorised users etc.
An example of an evacuation policy is given here, quoted from Safety First. A field security handbook for NGO staff by SC UK77: In the event of a significant deterioration in security, SC UK will relocate all UK-appointed staff and accompanying dependents. SC UK will only relocate national staff who are appointed elsewhere within the country and sent by SC UK to work in that location. They and their immediate family will be moved to a place of safety within the country, if they wish to do so. SC UK will endeavour to assist in the relocation of any national staff and their immediate family who are at risk directly as a consequence of their work with SC UK, or because of their ethnic origin, or if they are subjected to a particularly serious or targeted threat. However, SC UK cannot guarantee this assistance and managers must inform staff of their own and SC UKs responsibilities in advance. If locally appointed staff are internally displaced or become refugees in a neighbouring country as a result of a crisis, SC UK will do its utmost to remain in direct contact with them, and provide them and their families with immediate material assistance. In the event of an emergency evacuation, SC UKs aim is to withdraw UK-appointed staff and their accompanying dependents to a place of safety in a neighbouring country, to their country of origin, or to the UK. SC UK will not evacuate national staff or their families. The evacuation plan different stages: Alert an impending emergency. Movements are restricted, staff should remain at their base and begin preparations for a possible evacuation or relocation. Consolidation staff should carefully move to a pre-arranged assembly point and make final preparations for withdrawal. Evacuation/relocation the decision to withdraw is taken and staff leave as a group to a safe location. Hibernation no evacuation or relocation is possible, and so staff should remain in a secure location until the opportunity to withdraw arises, or the danger subsides. Checklists: Staff details: lists of passport details, including numbers/expiry dates and preferably photocopies of the documents. Details of
Evacuation
Where agencies are working in situations of violence or conflict, one of the issues which causes considerable concern and frustration is the apparent difference in policies relating to the evacuation of staff should the security situation become unacceptable or unmanageable the question which nationally recruited staff might ask is why they are not normally evacuated if there is a serious problem whereas the international staff are evacuated from the country. The basic principle behind evacuation is to remove staff from an immediate danger either to another safer part of the country or area of operations, for example to the capital city, or to a neighbouring country, or as a last resort to the country where the HQ is based, or the staff member resides. In terms of internal evacuation, the same principles should apply to international and national staff, but nationally recruited staff are not normally evacuated outside the country of their permanent residence. International staff are guests in the country, and if an agency cannot guarantee their safety to an acceptable degree, it is obliged to remove them either to a part of the country which is safer, or from the country altogether if the situation is bad everywhere. For national staff, the obligation on the employing agency should also be to remove them from the immediate danger to another part of the country which is more safe. However, it is almost impossible, practically and politically for an agency to evacuate national staff from the country altogether, unless prior agreement can be obtained from the country to which they go that temporary access is permitted. This is not often granted. Large agencies can temporarily reassign a few members of staff to another country operation, but this is not an overall solution, and would not address the question as a whole. The problem is not a simple one, and the important issue is that agency managers have a clear policy, discuss it with staff and implement it fairly and transparently.
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locations of important papers, details of staff members with special medical needs and details of blood groups Complete information on assembly points: who should go where and when, means of transportation, maps. Also details and whereabouts of staff housing, embassies, other agencies offices, key facilities and travel routes Contact information: list of other agencies, local government offices, useful individuals (including names, addresses, telephone numbers, radio locations and frequencies) List of food, water and emergency supplies to be kept in staff residences, assembly sites and safe havens List of essential items to be included in an emergency evacuation pack
organisation should consider when reviewing or creating such a policy, and the key aspects include: Personal integrity and organisational values Professional ethics, neutrality and impartiality Corruption and the abuse of power Relationship to local culture, religion and traditions Involvement with local community activities Security of organisational assets Media relationships and press statements Behaviour outside of work Alcohol and drugs Sexual behaviour Use of weapons Other provisions Enforcement of the Code A Code of Conduct clarifies the expectation on all sides, and will go a considerable way in eliminating behaviour that jeopardises the organisational reputation and standing.
Safety
Safety includes those threats and risks not associated with violence and include: Illness Accidents at work Vehicle accidents Stress and burn-out HIV/AIDS Personal behaviour The important point is that issues of safety, and appropriate management and practical responses to them are included in risk assessments and safety and security planning. In some cases, the response and procedures associated with an issue of safety will be the same as those applying for security, but in other cases they will not. In order to ensure that these very serious issues are addressed, it is important that they are addressed separately. Two of the above elements of safety personal behaviour and HIV/AIDS are dealt with in some detail below as they are particularly important and may be overlooked, when priority is given to practical issues like vehicle safety or illness. Why is personal behaviour included as a threat? Recognising the potential for staff misconduct to severely damage or even destroy an agencys reputation, People In Aid has produced some policy guidance in this area78. The Codes of Conduct policy pot outlines the issues an
Personal behaviour
While vehicle accidents can be addressed by a combination of preparation (including first aid kits, or ensuring drivers qualifications, for example) it is the personal behaviour of staff which is the most significant factor in mitigating the effects of issues associated with safety. If a driver is drunk, or the passenger does not apply the seat belt, then they have made a significant contribution to the effects of an accident. This is just as true in relation to illness, where proper taking of precautions and prophylaxis is critically important. Just as important is the avoidance of excess whether through drink or other stimulants. Briefing and information make a significant contribution to the process of educating and informing staff, but the process must continue in the field as well, and HR managers in the field must continue to disseminate the importance of appropriate protection. However, equally important is the role of management in giving an example on behaviour, and where behaviour is inappropriate, this should be addressed quickly to prevent any inappropriate attitudes becoming entrenched.
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HIV/AIDS
Of all the health risks to which staff are exposed, HIV/AIDS is perhaps the most significant, and the consequences of infection most serious. It is therefore surprising that no agency mentioned that HIV/AIDS was a serious issue of concern. The following is based largely on information contained in a People In Aid document produced in collaboration with InterHealth entitled Preventing HIV/AIDS79. Why is it so important for agencies to draw up an HIV/AIDS policy? HIV is a serious illness and usually fatal if unrecognised and untreated. It is present worldwide and is a potential risk for all aid workers. More specifically:
Sub-Saharan Africa remains by far the region worst affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In 2003, an estimated 26.6 million people in this region were living with HIV, including the 3.2 million who became infected in 2003. AIDS killed an estimated 2.3 million people in the same year80.
1 HIV is largely preventable and an HIV policy that is effectively managed can help to reduce the risk of infection 2 HIV is an ever-present risk and reality to a high proportion of nationally recruited staff especially in sub-Saharan Africa 3 HIV/AIDS creates its own concerns and anxieties for a variety of medical, psychological and social reasons Any policy on HIV/AIDS in the relief and development sector has to be mainstreamed into the organisation and the issue of HIV/AIDS considered across all areas of policy and planning. For the expatriate, the risk is that through unprotected sexual activities, the staff member becomes HIV positive, and it is very important that the risks, and precautions are made very clear to staff, and that they are repeatedly reminded of them. Critically important for the agency is to ensure that adequate welfare and insurance protection has been afforded the staff member should he/she become infected, either by accident or by engaging in risk-taking behaviours. This is a very serious issue, and the potential costs and liabilities on an employer, if adequate provision has not been made, are enormous. If it can be shown that the employer has been negligent, the potential liability would bankrupt most agencies, if a court case was lost and liability proven. For the nationally recruited member of staff, education and dissemination of information is very important in prioritising the risk in staff members minds.
HIV/AIDS has a particularly devastating effect when those younger adults, and those who are educated and in work, among whom it is most prevalent, become infected. When they become ill, the extended families which depend on their income lose their main source of livelihood. Then there are the costs of treatment, which may be very substantial indeed, and for those who do not survive, there are additional costs for the family. Agencies employing national staff should pay great heed to the potential for HIV/AIDS infection among staff, and make provision through the development of appropriate policies for support and welfare to the staff member, and perhaps also for dependent family members. This has particular relevance, for example, when considering the possible provision of pension arrangements for staff.
Developing an agency HIV/AIDS policy Each agency will need to draw up its own policy to fit with its resources and ethos and be relevant to its areas of operation. Policies should be based on the best factual information possible, be earthed in reality, and be fair and equitable to all members of staff. Members of the HR team will usually be responsible for drawing up guidelines, but they will need help from health professionals. Make sure that staff are consulted at different stages of the process so that their dilemmas and fears are clearly understood and so that they have ownership of the finalised policy. Try and include as many staff as possible in this process especially those working abroad and also desk officers and line managers. When formulating policies consider your different workforce categories which will usually comprise: International staff: those recruited in one country or region and serving in another
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However, much more serious is the fact that, in many countries in which agencies work, there is already a very serious problem of infection, and a significant proportion of the local population will be HIV positive or have full-blown AIDS.
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National staff: those recruited in-country, some of whom will have senior posts, many of whom will be in support roles Volunteers Consultants Students visiting on electives or for research Some policies will apply equally to all the above categories, others will need to be applied in ways that are both equitable and appropriate for the specific location or type of work being carried out. Include the following areas in your policy: Duty of all staff members: to minimise their personal health risk and those for whom they are responsible in the field. Duty of care of the organisation: to create, implement and monitor an effective policy. Central to this will be ways of informing staff of risks and how they can be minimised. If local staff are employed they will need to be given simple information provided in the regional language. The use of video can be an effective way of helping to explain key issues on prevention. Recruitment procedures: the agency needs to be transparent about its policy of recruiting those with asymptomatic HIV infection, and to detail any special circumstances where infection with HIV would preclude appointment (e.g. for certain tasks such as surgery and in certain countries where there are visa restrictions). Non-discrimination: make sure an attitude and policy of non-discrimination runs through all relevant HR and managerial areas including recruitment, transfer, termination of service, occupational benefits, training, and career progression. Confidentiality: ensure this is safe-guarded at all times. A sensitive issue with couples is where there is a likelihood that one is HIV positive, the other HIV negative. Mechanisms of discussing personal HIV issues: when devising your policy make sure you include a clear and transparent way for employees to discuss confidential issues. Protection against victimisation: this means introducing a culture within an organisation where aid workers feel confident they will not be excluded or victimised if it is known they are HIV positive, or if they wish to be open about this with their colleagues.
Continuity of employment: unless someone with HIV/AIDS is declared medically unfit to work or is debarred from certain occupations, e.g. surgery and midwifery, the policy needs to guarantee that continuity of employment would not be affected by being HIV positive. Insurance: insurers only rarely offer cover for preexisting conditions. However some are increasingly open to covering the risks of occupationally acquired HIV disease. They may require evidence that this was contracted during employment with the agency, which is one legitimate reason for carrying out pre-employment HIV testing. Policy on post exposure prophylaxis: (refer to publication Preventing HIV/AIDS). Employer and employee rights: as guided by current legislation, with grievance procedures in place that include HIV-related issues. Your policy may need to be adapted in your country offices to take account of local legal requirements. Frequency of policy review: in such a fast changing environment this should probably be done every three years. The International HIV/Aids Alliance offers toolkits on their website: www.aidsalliance.org
Insurance
Key messages: HR managers should be closely involved in the discussions about principles, levels of cover and costs of insurance cover Information is critical to effective insurance management Inter-agency collaboration is potentially a mechanism to obtain cost-effective insurance cover The principles of insurance for national staff should be the same as for international staff, even if the levels of cover are different In summary, the problems which agencies have regarding insurance are the following: It is difficult to get insurance for some countries and for some categories of staff For smaller agencies, it is not possible to get competitive rates for insurance, and policies can be prohibitively expensive, and even unaffordable
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There is no coordination between agencies, which might enable them to achieve more appropriate and more cost effective insurance through joint negotiations
To this should be added that insurance cover for nationally recruited staff is normally organised locally in-country, and therefore depends on the quality of insurance and companies available, and on the provision of appropriate management and guidance provided for those who arrange it.
The problem for analysis is that there is not a lot of information available from the responses to the survey for this study. Perhaps this is a reflection of the lack of direct involvement in insurance matters of the respondents to the survey, but there is good reason in ensuring HR staff are directly involved in the planning and management of insurance for staff. Informal discussions with agencies at the project seminars suggested insurance was also an important area of concern for participants.

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For many agencies, obtaining cost-effective insurance cover is a problem. For example:
Insurance for specific areas of work has become an area of increasing attention, both in terms of securing insurance and its cost. Insurance cover is under review currently and as part of this we have been in contact with other similar organisations to find out how they are responding to the situation.81 Medair reflect the problems which several agencies reported:
After 9/11 very few [insurance companies] are ready to provide affordable health cover Previously our insurance was more travel insurance than health cover with limitations in war countries. So we stopped it Our health insurance now covers people in the field or in their home country so long as they are under a Medair contract We are also assessing the possibility of creating a Medair foundation to insure our staff People In Aid has recently published an update of its paper on insurance, called Under Cover 2, that researches insurance cover among aid agencies.
On an annual basis, review the items which are covered to ensure that the right range of cover is included in the policies
For specialist insurance, seek specialist advice. Do not rely on opinion which cannot be guaranteed Make sure on a regular basis that the premiums have been paid. If the premium has not been paid, there is no insurance!
Action points for international NGOs: Improve risk management Develop negotiating power
Establish on-going dialogue with insurers
Promote accreditation to quality standards
Make sure that copies of all relevant official insurance documents are kept (in at least two copies) both in the relevant department or field office, and also centrally at HQ, in the human resources department Make a record of all communications with insurance companies or brokers, in writing and in the relevant files in case it needs to be referred to in future
In this section of the report these action points are developed.
Involving HR in planning and decision-t taking Insurance is often handled as an administrative matter, and handled by administrators perhaps in the administration department or support services, either at field level or HQ. But it is primarily a Human Resource issue almost all policies are quite specifically to do with people management. It is very important that HR managers are closely consulted in the debate and decisions about the
General rules regarding insurance: On an annual basis, review the levels of cover that is the maximum amount which will be paid for each item of insurance cover. Make sure it is appropriate and sufficient
The UK government recently carried out research into insurance within the voluntary sector, and while mostly concerned with UK-based agencies, a number of action points have specific relevance to NGOs working internationally:82
There are exclusions in the policies, notably concerning war-risk, but also regarding medical conditions that make the proper level of support for staff impossible
Organisational and policy issues
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insurance cover provided both for international staff, and also for field offices and nationally recruited staff. Improving risk management A critical part of risk management is the reduction of risk by taking out appropriate insurance, and so an essential element of risk assessment is the consideration of threats in the context of what risks might/might not be mitigated through insurance. It is therefore critically important for expertise in risk assessment and management to be available within the context of managing insurance. And that organisational and operational risk assessments include a significant component related to insurance. This will provide the basis for strategic and operational planning for insurance cover and also actions to prevent the occurrence of incidents and accidents, preparation for those which are reasonably likely to occur, and for procedures to mitigate their effects. Basic information Basic information is the starting point for management, and yet, regarding insurance, most agencies are on their own, and have little knowledge of their peer agencies policies or practice regarding insurance. Partly this is due to the general lack of interaction between agencies, but it is also more systemic, in that the information is often not known within agencies, let alone between them. Even for this study, agencies reported that they had been instructed by insurance companies not to release any information concerning policies. There would appear to be a lack of awareness among aid workers regarding levels of cover and exclusion, and anecdotal evidence suggests that even some key staff within a head office environment are unaware. The basic information should be part of the relevant staff members basic induction/briefing and training and all staff members should both receive copies of relevant briefing notes, and a briefing on insurance. The information may be very complicated, and in some cases the insurance may include a number of policies providing different elements of the package. Collaboration on insurance rates and cover There is no reason that all agencies should have exactly the same levels of insurance cover, but there should be a trend towards harmonisation
between agencies, at least in any given country. There is considerable variation in the level of cover available to staff, and even differences in the level of cover between different categories of staff in the same organisation (as for example, between HQ staff going on short missions, and staff and volunteers recruited from outside). Setting minimum good practice standards for the level of insurance cover for international staff, volunteers and nationally recruited staff would be a start. An obvious route for collaboration would be for different countries to cooperate, but this is a very complex issue as the systems applicable can vary significantly. Harmonisation might be achievable in regard to setting quality standards but, at the principle level, harmonisation would not at present be feasible between countries, because in several European countries the insurance provided is closely linked to the home country social welfare system, which provides cover for staff working temporarily overseas for health, and illness or injury at work which is then supplemented with additional cover through private insurance policies by the agency. Examples would include France and Belgium. In other countries the social welfare system does not apply to the same degree while the person is overseas, and insurance cover arranged through private insurance companies plays a more significant part, as is the case for example in Scandinavian countries, the UK and Switzerland. Develop negotiating power In addition to the setting of standards for insurance cover, there is considerable potential in collaborative action in negotiating insurance with insurance companies. For national staff and field office insurances in particular, there is difficulty in arranging insurance from the HQ which would obviously be far more efficient, in terms of coordinating activities between countries, and would be more costeffective as insurance could be negotiated for worldwide activities. However agencies normally have to arrange insurance for field offices and staff locally, which means that there are additional risks associated with the levels and quality of insurance cover, and also ensuring quality across the organisation. If agencies entered discussions with insurers in a coordinated fashion it might be possible to negotiate appropriate levels of cover coordinated from HQ. This is a sensible approach not least
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because many of the insurance companies providing country-level policies will be placing those risks on worldwide insurance markets such as Lloyds in London anyway! A substantial number of the agencies reporting for this survey receive insurance from the same insurance companies do the agencies know that? There are also many agencies which have relationships with smaller local companies. If the agencies grouped together, it is almost certain that the insurance companies would respond positively to requests for more effective cover and at more realistic centrally negotiated rates. If the agencies in each country negotiated together with the companies it is certainly possible to foresee financial benefits in achieving cheaper cover. Indeed, agencies in different countries could collaborate in negotiating insurance with the international companies which provide cover for the humanitarian agencies in different countries in this survey.
The problem with standards is that there are probably too many and as was stated in a response to this study: The critical issue is to integrate quality standards under one organisational quality system, so that we dont build up parallel systems, too heavy to manage and contradictory or uncoordinated84.
Practical insurance issues

This section is not a comprehensive coverage of practical insurance issues, but reflects some of the lessons and warnings which arise from the experience of many HR managers, and from the replies to the survey.
Field offices and national staff

As stated above, insurances for field offices and nationally recruited staff are normally arranged in-country, and according to local norms. However, there is insufficient evidence that the process is being managed properly if agencies, at HQ level, do not have ready access to the details. For medical and travel insurance for local staff are expected to make local arrangements for cover in these areas, in accordance with local laws and regulations and reflecting local circumstances and practices85.
Tearfund has discovered that the People In Aid Code of Good Practice assisted them in negotiating insurance cover, as the agency was able to provide evidence to its insurers that it was managing its risks properly because it was implementing procedures through People In Aid:
At the least, agencies should be advising field offices of minimum standards of insurance cover for national staff, and for vehicles and infrastructure.
The People In Aid Code has helped us to get a far more cost-effective insurance cover for our overseas personnel, at a time when insurers are concerned about vulnerability and exposure and are attempting to bump the premiums up.83 Insurers will respond, as with evidence of effective risk assessment, to agencies association and involvement with quality standards the important issues are that the insurers must be informed of them through dialogue, and a negotiation must take place concerning cover and price. A practical understanding by insurers of the way that humanitarian agencies work might also help as WVI asked at EPN 5, Could agencies reduce premiums by persuading insurers that their security training and contingency plans reduce risk? Why not?
NCA sets minimum standards for the insurance policies covering field offices and national staff, and may opt for self-insurance if the cost of cover is too high. (In addition, medical treatment for HIV/AIDS and other chronic/fatal illnesses may be covered by NCAs Global Medical Treatment Fund).
NRC is able to provide insurance from Norway covering life and accident for all national staff, but the policy does not include health insurance. Other insurances are managed in field offices. Oxfam Solidarit provides insurance cover in, e.g. Vietnam, for nationally recruited staff through an insurance policy arranged locally, which covers costs (for hospitalisation and surgical allowance, accident and life cover) over and above the services provided free by the Vietnamese government health system. For specific costs which are not covered by either, Oxfam Solidarit will cover them.
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Promote the adoption of quality standards there are a large number of quality standards with which agencies are associated, not least the members of People In Aid and the People In Aid Code of Good Practice in the management and support of aid personnel, but also others. (See section 4 of handbook 1.)
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Despite the numerous examples of good practice which exist, the same principles that are applied in insuring international staff are not universally applied to nationally recruited staff. There are cases where they have been under-insured or do not have insurance cover at all even for accident, injury or illness directly associated with their work or travel. In addition, and particularly important is the provision of cover for health costs for staff members (and their immediate dependents). Often locally available health cover is very limited, and staff must pay for private treatment. This can be very expensive in relation to the salary level of the staff member, and provision of insurance cover by an employer is an important benefit for staff, and is an important element in maintaining staff loyalty. The levels of cover (the amounts of money which will be paid) are generally linked to the local costs of obtaining effective treatment whereas the levels of cover for international staff are based on costs which would apply in the home country. There is therefore no reason why the levels of cover should be the same for both categories of staff but the principles of the cover should be the same, and staff should be properly informed and consulted in decisions about the levels of cover.
to describe what is travel/accident insurance is inappropriate. Travel/accident insurance, in many cases: Excludes all pre-existing illnesses and conditions May have exclusions relating to pregnancy and birth-associated costs May apply only to nationals of the home country May exclude specifically certain nationalities, because the costs of medical treatment may be prohibitive e.g. USA and Canada Usually excludes preventative or prophylactic measures Includes evacuation insurance to bring the person home where treatment locally is insufficient May exclude certain conditions, including HIV/AIDS Taking these factors into account, it is very important for staff to understand clearly what is being provided, and for the agency to understand too. It is also very important to remember that travel policies are based on the person having rights to health and welfare cover in the home country. If the person does not have rights to cover in the home country, and a claim is made against the agency, the potential costs for an agency could be sufficient to bankrupt most NGOs. It is therefore critically important that the provision of insurance is linked with assurance that the person retains rights to social welfare cover at home. For people overseas for a number of years, there is no guarantee that such rights are retained the UK being an example. Note In France and Belgium, the costs of health treatment for VSI are covered by the French social welfare system (via the CFE in most cases), which reimburses the costs of health care. However this is also very complicated, in that payment is originally made by the volunteer and CFE will ultimately provide for partial reimbursement of the costs (of the order of 70%), according to a scale set according to the standard costs for treatment in France, or Belgium. The actual costs are not reimbursed and the agency may, or may not assist, in covering part or all of the balance.
Travel insurance vs. full health care cover

Many agencies reporting their insurance details for this study have health cover for international staff based on travel insurance linked with personal accident cover and there are certain implications of this of which all agencies and staff should be aware. Although this report is intended for guidance only in this regard, agencies should check policies and talk with their insurers if they are concerned. Travel insurance is based on a person being temporarily away from home, with the assumption being that cover is provided for accident, illness or other accidental loss occurring while the person is away. If something happens, the consequences should either be dealt with on the spot or (if this is not possible) the person should be returned to the home country as soon as possible in which case they should benefit from the rights that they have there to health and social welfare cover, and the insurance will normally cease. This is a very different thing altogether from private health insurance. The terminology used is very important, and the use of health insurance
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HIV/AIDS and chronic illness

As mentioned above, HIV/AIDS and other chronic illnesses may be excluded from policies based on travel. It is therefore very important that agencies develop a policy in regard to HIV/AIDS both for international and nationally recruited staff. For example, Oxfam Solidarit has a detailed policy on HIV/AIDS, based on the principle that it will not discriminate at the point of recruitment or subsequently against applicants or employees who are HIV+. The policy applies to all staff. Self-insurance is a way to reduce the cost of insurance, in that the agency covers the first part of the costs and the insurance company will cover the additional costs over an agreed level.
insurance. The risks are enormous. For example, the costs of evacuating an injured member of staff can easily exceed #150,000 and the cost of medical treatment #1 million in extreme cases. If insurance, and more importantly the management associated with it, is inadequate it will be the agency that pays.
Evacuation insurance
This is an issue which causes a considerable amount of concern and dissatisfaction among staff, and needs clarification. Evacuation insurance applies to a situation where an international staff member is injured or sick, and it is decided by doctors and the insurance company that local available care is insufficient for the persons treatment. In this case, it is agreed that the person can be evacuated to the nearest suitable country, or to his/her home country. It is not an additional benefit for international staff, but a benefit associated specifically with the nature of the insurance cover which is based on travel and accident and therefore seeks to return the person home (repatriation), if something happens which cannot be dealt with adequately locally. Having said this, there is every reason for agencies to consider taking out medical evacuation insurance for nationally recruited staff who might become ill or have an accident, providing travel and medical care in the nearest suitable place (just as is the principle behind the international staff policy).
War-risk
Insurance is normally subject to a war-risk exclusion clause, and this directly affects agencies working in situations of conflict. The travel/accident insurance which many agencies use may provide for cover on a worldwide basis but there are certain points which it is imperative that managers take into account: War-risk exclusion may apply to your policy. It is often only possible to have the cover extended to countries in conflict by agreeing with insurers and extension of the policy and paying an additional premium Policies may exclude acts of violence and many other type of risk associated with conflict. The policies must be checked regularly to ensure that they meet current needs Full insurance cover for working in a conflict zone is very expensive Finally two general points about insurance which may be obvious, but nevertheless should be stated wherever possible: Insurance is a gamble for the agency and for the insurance company which will be very unlikely to pay out if it can be proved that inadequate or incorrect information was provided, and if the company is not updated of any relevant changes If the insurance paid by an agency seems inexpensive, it may well be the wrong policy! In such cases it is worth investigating whether the level of cover is insufficient It is critically important that sufficient expert attention is paid to issues concerning personnel
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Conclusion
In this, the largest section of the report, the subjects covered have included most of the elements of employment, and are those which, in general, were the priorities for respondents to the study survey. In relation to every subject, the issues have been analysed and agencies methods of addressing them have been identified, particularly where the experience gained might be of value to other agencies. In addition, suggestions have been made where there might be useful experience to be tapped elsewhere. Whether discussing remuneration, performance, safety or any other topic the key issues for the agencies are that:
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An organisational level strategy is very important, as is management support and buyin, both in supporting strategy and policy and in resourcing them. Policy statements are essential, both at central HQ level, and also at field level, where they can be linked to local conditions. HR staff and managers and also the staff who will be affected by the policies (and both international and nationally recruited staff) should be consulted, involved and informed as early as possible, and throughout development and implementation. Policy is not enough if the management and information systems are not in place and effective, and so development of appropriate management and information systems is a crucial element of the overall system. There are, once again, important possibilities for inter-agency collaboration in developing common systems, in sharing experience and good practice, and also in advocating externally (to donors and to insurance companies for example).
Performance Management and Appraisal Help Center. www.performance-appraisals.org Stress and trauma management UK Trauma Group. Website contains links to sources of information on dealing with stress and trauma, including sources of expert advice in the UK. www.uktrauma.org.uk Edinburgh International Health Centre. Provides medical services for volunteers and missionaries, and also: Assessment for psychological fitness Personal review time (debrief) Assessment, counselling or onward referral E-mail and telephone support for distance clients www.eihc.org Headington Institute. A US based institute providing counselling, consultancy, preventive education and training for relief organisations. Website includes an extensive Learning Centre containing a number of useful documents and resources. www.headington-institute.org/learning/index.htm National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. US-based website containing information and documents (downloadable free) on PTSD, including Coping with Traumatic Stress, Motor vehicle accident survivors and PTSD, and hundreds of others. www.ncptsd.org/documents/index.html The Sidran Institute, NGO specialising in traumatic stress education and advocacy. Offer a number of training courses, and also have extensive documents available for free download on trauma and PTSD. www.sidran.org/trauma.html David Baldwins website. Contains a large number of freely downloadable documents and guidelines concerning trauma and PTSD. www.trauma-pages.com International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. Source of Journal of Traumatic Stress and useful for sources on traumatic stress. www.istss.org International Review of the Red Cross. No.318 p.311-323. May 1997. Providing support for Red Cross volunteers and other humanitarian workers following a security incident or a disaster. Available for free download: www.icrc.org/Web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/re view?OpenDocument

HR Management Volresource is a site designed for voluntary organisations in the UK, but is also a useful resource for accessing information on people management and training. There are large numbers of links to relevant documents, and also links to external sites where tools and resources are available. www.volresource.org.uk/index.htm INTRAC The International NGO Training and Research Centre works to improve civil society performance by exploring policy issues, and by strengthening management and organisational effectiveness. For details on organisational development, and training visit www.intrac.org Performance management and appraisal Baker Tilly, a large accountancy company, provides includes free online directors briefings on personal development, performance appraisals, time management, stress management, motivation etc. www.bakertilly.co.uk/articlepdfs/Risk-mgt.pdf People In Aid Information Note Performance Review Process Managers Guide. Available from People In Aid. www.peopleinaid.org
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Health Workers without Borders. NGO set up to share knowledge and information about psychosocial assistance for natural and man-made disasters. Publish several manuals: Guide for Humanitarian, Health Care, and Human Rights Workers: Caring for Others Caring for Yourself (a comprehensive manual). Coping with Disaster: A Guidebook to Psychosocial Intervention. J. H. Ehrenreich. 2001. Old Westbury NY, Center for Psychology and Society. Available online at: www.mhwwb.org/disasters.htm www.mhwwb.org Mental Health Services in Disasters: Manual for Humanitarian Workers. R. E. Cohen. PAHO. www.paho.org www.helid.desastres.net Stress Management in Disasters. PAHO. A training course in stress management based on the SMID process developed by PAHO in the Caribbean. The SMID Program is based on principles of crisis intervention and critical incident stress management and seeks to provide the knowledge and skills to better understand, recognize and manage their emotional responses to traumatic situations. www.reliefweb.int/w/rwt.nsf Global Development Group. Pre-departure briefing and trauma counselling group set up by Care Canada. Has worldwide group of counsellors available for counselling in all aspects of trauma, and also available for critical incident response. www.globaldev.org Re-Entry Syndrome. M McCreesh. Antares Foundation on Aid Workers Net aide memoire about re-entry syndrome and how to cope with it. http://forum.aidworkers.net/messages/258/1 0930.html People In Aid Information Note: Effective debriefing. 2004. Prepared for this study and available free. A more detailed handbook, entitled Effective Debriefing by Dr. D. Lovell-Hawker, is available for purchase from People In Aid. Antares Foundation. An NGO specialising in psychosocial support through advice, training and support in designing systems, coaching and training, research and documentation and conferencing. Publishes the Guidelines for Staff Care. A set of nine principles of good practice in regard to employers stress management policies for staff. Includes indicators for monitoring the process. www.antaresfoundation.org
Managing the Stress of Humanitarian Emergencies. UNHCR. 2001. Stress management guide for UNHCR staff, including tools. Available for free download. www.the-ecentre.net/resources/e_library/doc/ managingStress.pdf Managing Stress in Humanitarian, Health Care and Human Rights Workers. Bibliography. J. H. Ehrenreich. www.mhwwb.org/disasters.htm Psychological Support to humanitarian workers in European humanitarian organisations. Centre for Humanitarian Psychology. 1999. A survey of European NGOs to evaluate the degree of awareness of the need for psychological support and to evaluate the specific needs of workers. Available online for free download. www.humanitarian-psy.org/pages/nos_produits. asp?sub=29 Church World Service, has on its website a number of documents and checklists relating to stress and trauma management useful for both managers and staff. See Staff Self-Care Learning Center. www.churchworldservice.org/hr/self-care/ stress-trauma/links.html Centre for Humanitarian Psychology. Provides training in stress and critical Incident management, selection of personnel and training in debriefing, and also provides training materials including a multimedia training course, a stress management manual, information sheets and CDs and posters. www.humanitarian-psy.org ExpatEAP. Part of a larger group (FGI), ExpatEAP provides counselling and information services for expatriates. 24 hour access to telephone counsellors, and to internet-based information is available as part of the service, as is access to crisis response intervention. www.fgiworld.com/english/serv_grs_expateap.htm Personal Health Personal Health and also HIV/AIDS The Travellers Good Health Guide, published by InterHealth. Dr. T. Lankester. Available from www.interhealth.org.uk Workplace HIV/AIDS Programs. An Action Guide for Managers. Family Health International. Database of over 3,000 documents. Available for free download on website: Search at www.fhi.org/en/HIVAIDS/Publications
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Critical Illness. Policy Pot produced by People In Aid. Provides guidelines on the issues involved, and also on developing appropriate policies. Available from People In Aid. www.peopleinaid.org/pubs/freepubs.php Medical protection for employees working outside their home countries An employer guide June 1998. www.mercer.com (filename: Medical Protection for Employees Working Abroad.pdf). HPN Network Paper 38. 2002. ODI. HIV/AIDS and emergencies: Analysis and Recommendations for Practice. Available free online: www.odihpn.org/pdfbin/networkpaper038.pdf Family Health International has a number of documents available online dealing with HIV/AIDS in the workplace. www.fhi.org/en/HIVAIDS/Publications/index.htm The International Labour Organization Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS. The Code contains fundamental principles for policy development and practical guidelines. www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/trav/aids /code/manualen/index.htm Interhealth. Health screening, psychological and medical checks for overseas staff. Supplies and information on health. www.interhealth.org.uk UK Government Ministry of Health. Health advice for travellers. Online and hardcopy documents describing health precautions and health information for travellers. www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/HealthAdvic eToTravellers/fs/en The psychosocial health of relief workers: Some practical suggestions. RRN Newsletter No.15.ODI. www.odi.org.uk/hpn/newslet/acrobat/nl15e.pdf Safety and security RedR provides standardised and tailor-made training courses on security (and other subjects). www.redr.org/training/programme/index.htm Learning materials are also available on RedR website see Index of Modules on NGO Security Management. E.g. Threat Assessment and Landmine Security. www.redr.org/training/trainers_resources.htm
Reliefweb is a UN sponsored information source for all aspects of humanitarian affairs. Extensive documentation library including documents on security for example. Developing capacity for conflict analysis and early response: A Training Manual available free online for download. (FEWER). www.fewer.org/res/202.pdf Also contains very extensive searchable training database includes information on many training courses. www.reliefweb.int Cinfo, runs preparatory seminars for people going to work overseas, and also training courses, including Personal Security and Stress in the Field and Staying overseas and your health. www.cinfo.ch/francais/pagesnav/BI.htm Groupe URD offer training on a range of subjects including Security of Humanitarian Personnel and Crisis Management. www.urd.org/formatio/training/training.htm Union of International Associations website on security and safety of NGO personnel. Includes reports of the UIA survey, a bibliography and list of organisations and initiatives involved in security. www.uia.org/security/home.php
Bioforce provides training courses for NGOs on subjects including security and negotiation, crisis management and preparation for insecure situations in countries in crisis. www.bioforce.asso.fr/alacarte/alacarte.htm Mainstreaming the Organisational Management of Safety and Security. HPG Report No.9. 2001. ODI. A very comprehensive review of safety and security, and agencies approaches to these issues. Also includes valuable guidance on managing the process of organisational change in regard to security and safety. www.odi.org.uk/hpg/papers/hpgreport9.pdf Security Manual for NGOs Working in Insecure Environments. Church World Service. Manual covering risk management, site security, communications, hostages and armed protection. www.cwserp.org/security/trainingmanual.php
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Alertnet contains sections on various aspects of relief work, including security, which list relevant documents articles. www.alertnet.org
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Operational Security Management in Violent Environments. K. Van Brabant. Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG) Good Practice Review No.8. ODI. A comprehensive manual offering a systematic step-by step approach to security management for aid agencies. www.odi.org.uk/publications/hpngpr.html Mainstreaming Safety and Security Management in Aid Agencies. K van Brabant. HPG Briefing No. 2 2001. www.odi.org.uk/hpg/papers/hpgbrief2.pdf Safety First. A field security handbook for NGO staff. S. Bickley. Save the Children UK. Can be purchased online at www.plymbridge.com (distributor) or at www.savethechildren.org.uk InterAction, the US NGO network has a number of very useful documents available on its website, including: The Security of National Staff: Towards Good Practices. www.interaction.org/disaster/staffsecurity.ht The Security of National Staff: Essential Steps. 2002. www.interaction.org/disaster/securitysteps.html InterAction Security Planning Guidelines. www.interaction.org/files.cgi/687_Security_ Planning_Guidelines.pdf
Security Training: Where are we now? K. Van Brabant. Forced Migration Review 4. 1999. www.fmreview.org/mags1.htm Handbook for Emergencies. UNHCR. Detailed comprehensive handbook of UNHCR field management protocols including staff stress, safety and security, including planning. Available online (free download) or can be purchased in hard copy. www.unhcr.ch Towards a Model of Security Management. L. E. Eguren. 2000. An overall framework for a process combining security management and security planning. Journal of Humanitarian Assistance. Available via: www.jha.ac/articles/a060.pdf or Reliefweb websites Security and Safety of NGO Personnel. Report of a study by Union of International Associations into NGO security. www.uia.org/security/home.php. Also includes an extensive bibliography and list of organisations involved with NGO security. www.uia.org/surveys/ngohaz/ngosecbi.htm VENRO report Minimum Standards regarding Security of Humanitarian Personnel. Contains very accessible guidance on improving security management, developing a security plan. www.venro.org/publikationen/archiv/personalsi cherheit_engl.pdf Staff Stress and Security: A Management Challenge for UNHCR. Summary of a study into staff stress and security in 1997. www.unhcr.ch The Global War on Terror and Its Implications for NGO Security Management. Seminar Report. RedR. 2003. www.redr.org/redr_london/GWOT_ SeminarReport.doc Staying Safe, When It Isnt. B. Mayhew. Aid Workers Exchange. 2003. Concise guidelines for aid workers on staying safe in insecure environments. www.aidworkers.net/exchange/20030416.html Prometheus Unbound: Challenges of Risk Evaluation, Risk Classification and Risk Management. WHO. Health Action in Crises. Available for free download. www.who.int/disasters/repo/7647.doc
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www.interaction.org/disaster People In Aid handbooks and policy guidance: Policy Pot Safety and Security. Agencies sharing knowledge and experience for the guidance of others in addressing safety and security. Preventing Accidents. Guidelines on common accidents and accident prevention. www.peopleinaid.org Staying Alive Safety and security guidelines for humanitarian volunteers in conflict areas. 1999. A handbook for aid workers published by the ICRC offering advice on dealing with threats in conflict areas. www.icrc.org (see publications/protection) Security in the Field. Information booklet for staff members of the UN, covering security arrangements and their individual responsibility in this regard, and also contains information regarding practical measures which each staff member can take to minimize risks. UNHCR. 1998. Available online (free). www.reliefweb.int/library/documents/security.pdf
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Risk management Baker Tilly, a large accountancy company, publishes on its website guidance in risk management, including checklists. Are linked more to overall charity risks rather than HR-related risk, but are useful as guides. www.bakertilly.co.uk/index.asp Charities and Risk Management. Online Charity Commission reference covering organisational risks (not personal or security risk management). Free. www.charity-commission.gov.uk/investigations/ charrisk.asp Strategic Risk Management Framework. Charity Commission. Table of risks which affect organisations, with impacts and indicators. Available online. www.charity-commission.gov.uk/tcc/risktable.asp Insurance War-risk insurance cover for aid workers. A Hallam. 1997. RRN Newsletter No.7 ODI. www.odi.org.uk/hpn/newslet/acrobat/nl7e.pdf Charities and Insurance. Booklet CC49. Charity Commission. Available free. www.charity-commission.gov.uk/publications/ pdfs/cc49text.pdf Under Cover 2. K. Howell. People In Aid. Investigates current insurance cover provided by agencies in the UK, the difficulties in obtaining insurance, and how agencies deal with the problems. 2003. www.peopleinaid.org/pubs/index.htm Vehicle Use Guide to four Wheel Driving, published by UNHCR. www.theecentre.net/resources/e_library/ index.cfm
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Section 5
Retention and career development
Career planning and development and the (recruitment and) retention of experienced staff and managers were the most important issues, according to the respondents to the survey for this study. For the smaller agencies in particular, it is a challenge to recruit experienced people they are unable to compete with the larger agencies, and the people themselves are not that easy to find, especially at short notice. It is much more cost-effective, in any case to keep the staff who are already with the agency, and to develop the skills and potential of existing staff for future management positions. In addition, investment in management systems information, support and planning will play a crucial part in encouraging staff to remain, and maximising the potential for them to do so. The reverse is also true for example, some of the reasons why people leave include: Lack of planning gaps between jobs, lack of continuity in employment, leaving people too long in one job because a replacement cannot be recruited Lack of information systems not informing staff of potential vacancies and not having sufficient information to plan for future personnel needs Lack of support in the field staff struggling financially, or feeling that support (in terms of insurance, welfare, counselling, briefings etc) is insufficient, leading to frustration Lack of management systems frustration and burnout caused by staff feeling that basic management systems and procedures are not in place, and therefore an over-reliance on a few experienced people, who may, as a result, be over-extended Profile Developing people as our main asset is a main objective, at the strategic organisational level, for ITDG to which is linked an organisational focus through establishment of a team to carry through the process, an organisational review to establish Where we are and where we want to go, and establishment of a framework for institutional implementation of the strategy.86 This is a very clear and concise statement of commitment to, and policy for, the development of staff, including the components of the programme. The ITDG model for implementation of the organisational objective is given below:
Figure 2 ITDG organisational objective model
Performance Management Identifying and evaluating potential Leadership development Team development Skills training Int'l secondments/swaps Mentoring UK/International HR best practice Management Development
Effective Communication
All initiatives cross-cut the two main themes of the Organisational Objective
These initiatives work together to develop managerial/peer group behaviours that increases recognition of a good job done and non-financial rewards
This is a clear and concise representation of the career performance management and development relationship.
Career planning and development

Career planning and development for whom? Staff are staying for longer periods overseas with agencies both in terms of each single assignment and also particularly with agencies involved in long term rehabilitation and development activities. In the agencies more involved specifically in emergencies, there are a significant number of people who will work with an agency for a relatively short period, and will then return to their previous employment. In future, they may also
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return to the humanitarian sector for another period. For example, within the MSF network (between 1997 and 2001): 25% of international volunteers had more than two years prior experience (with MSF) 34% of international volunteers were on their first mission 41% of international volunteers had between one and two years prior experience For Medair, the profile is similar (in 2002): 48% of international staff had less than one years prior experience 26% (average) had more than two years experience 26% had between one and two years prior experience The majority of nationally recruited staff will stay with agencies for as long as they can, not least because the employment benefits with an international agency will often be far better than is available in the local employment market, and also because operations in general are lasting longer periods. Career planning and development is not just a special programme for the high-flyers from whom senior managers will be selected, although this is often the perspective of agencies, who specifically select potential senior managers for development programmes. The same systems should be available for all staff in responsible positions in order to develop the potential of all, and maximise their contribution to the agency and its work. The programme may be more concentrated for a potential senior manager, but there is just as much reason for developing the potential of a junior logistician as there is in developing the competencies of a potential country director. This section therefore considers the basics of career planning and development, and the issues affecting retention. It then discusses training and learning methodologies and styles as the central planks of any development programme.
follow up, as well as systems for job description, staff review etc. Larger agencies are better able to afford the time and resources required for career development and planning systems. Smaller agencies will have to work together to achieve more Retention is about management quality and systems, and the wider remuneration package rather than salary or indemnity The purpose in this section of the report is to highlight the issues and factors which are important in developing planning and development systems, and pointing to resources which may be useful for agencies.
Career planning and development systems:

The basics for developing career planning and development policies and processes are the same as for any other aspect of management described in this report: Having the basic information systems in place and the information available Having the policy clearly stated, and bought into by management Having the resources of both time and finance to support development and training initiatives It is helpful at this point to consider the example of the British Red Cross, whose training and development policy provides a key foundation for career planning and development. Profile British Red Cross Training & development policy British Red Cross, for example has a concise and clear policy statement concerning its approach to career planning, development and training. In describing it in some detail, it is intended to show the need for an overall view at the policy level, a structuring of categories of staff (and appropriate development approaches) to best meet the needs both of the organisation and the individual, and the importance of developing a tailor-made approach to the development of each individual through an appropriate mix of the various techniques which are available. The policy can be summarised as follows87: The BRCS employs delegates across a spectrum of vocations and levels and is keen to maintain its position as a leading provider of high quality delegates to the International Red Cross/Red
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Key messages:
Career planning and development are dependent on other basic HR management functions good management information, regular monitoring, meeting consultation and
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Crescent Movement. Our aim is to help delegates fulfil their potential, enhance their capabilities and increase their effectiveness to the mutual benefit of the Society, the Movement and themselves. Specifically, the BRCS seeks to employ experienced, committed professionals who are able to perform their duties to a high standard. In return, we are committed to providing: Challenging roles; the opportunity to work in conflict and non-conflict situations, development and emergency contexts; to perform roles which offer responsibility and the opportunity to utilise and develop new or existing skills and expertise Self development opportunities; the opportunity to learn from fellow professionals and local counterparts, in multi-disciplinary, crosscultural settings Support and training; mechanisms for identifying and meeting training & development needs in line with individual and organisational objectives and access to training courses run by BRCS, the Federation and ICRC as well as external training providers in the UK and Europe, during and between missions Increased employability; improved employment prospects through experiences gained with a reputable aid organisation which offers opportunities for skill enhancement and variety of work opportunities Assistance with career planning; advice about career options/job opportunities within the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement, some assistance with longer term career planning and sign posting to other organisations as appropriate Resource constraints necessarily mean that career development and training opportunities will vary from individual to individual and will be linked to the operational and strategic priorities of the BRCS and the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement. We cannot offer continuity of employment but all international delegates have the right of access to support and available resources in order to develop and fulfil their responsibilities. While delegates will remain primarily responsible for their own career development and learning, the organisation will help facilitate this by providing access to appropriate training & development opportunities.
Note This policy applies only to international staff, as BRCS does not employ nationally recruited staff directly. Personal development plans are used to define agreed professional development needs, arising from appraisal, and the inputs and activities needed to achieve them. The individual is expected to be proactive in his/her own development, and assistance from BRCS will always be linked to the organisations operational and strategic objectives. BRCS has four categories of staff: 1 Senior managers career personnel normally at Country Director level or above, expected to remain within the BRCS for a long time 2 Core delegates who will have three five year contracts, with training and development activities built in to the contract 3 Delegates with core professional experience or skills (but not on the core delegate system) 4 Delegates with specific technical skills, required for their technical input for a fixed period The range of training and development inputs would vary from category to category, but would include: Field placements or HQ placements with BRCS, IFRC or ICRC Internal/external training courses Academic study Traineeships Mentoring or shadowing Mission planning and general career advice Career planning and development activities are carried out with close collaboration with the ICRC and IFRC who are actively involved in the development process and in coordination missions and planning, as well as providing opportunities for appropriate field and HQ assignments. The reason for describing this system in some detail is not to propose this as a model, but to use an example from the agencies responding to this survey, where all the elements of the process are clearly and effectively defined. In addition the case study exemplifies several other features critical to success: The clear statement of policy by the organisation, and the commitment(s) required of the staff member
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A clear commitment to a range of inputs and activities, including appropriate field and HQ assignments, internal and external training, and support through mentoring and monitoring Close collaboration with other agencies within the Red Cross movement, to ensure that maximum benefit is obtained, and that appropriate assignments and input are provided by the other organisations These are the same features which would be required of most agencies undertaking career development and planning for staff. However, in many cases the resources are not available, and it is now necessary for other mechanisms to be explored perhaps for career development to be part of a coordinated strategic commitment within consortia and networks (where coordination is possible with other member agencies, and there is no competition). Otherwise the risk is ever increasing that the most experienced staff and those with most potential for the future will be lost. This applies equally to international and national staff. Indeed, the risks may be higher with national staff who are filling higher managerial positions, are gaining important experience with international agencies, and whose skills and experience are very valuable to other organisations, especially if they do not have to pay for the development of the experience themselves. Smaller agencies experience The potential for career planning and development is certainly related to the organisations capacity to plan, to develop a system and to have sufficient resources of time and money to support it, particularly if dependent on official funding which is not often available for these issues. It is also a function of size, because in many smaller agencies there are not the resources required, and there are not the possibilities for secondment, mentoring, transfer etc. which are important mechanisms to develop capacity.
understanding on all sides. They have found that by managing secondments effectively, retention rates are improved, and employees are enabled to achieve career and personal goals, as part of a development experience linked directly to the organisations strategic aims. Profile Oxfam Australia Oxfam Australias secondment policy covers areas such as: Eligibility to ensure maximum benefit for both the organisation and the individual, secondments are only available to employees with more than three years experience, and to those with a satisfactory performance history. Salary seconded employees are paid at the rate eligible within the host Oxfam. This ensures parity with host agency staff and will have been set according to the positions responsibility and the cost of living. Benefits the home agency maintains leave accruals, pension and superannuation contributions, and continuity of service at the rate applicable for the home organisation, so as not to disadvantage the seconded employee. Job security in most cases the seconded employee returns to the position they vacate but in some instances the guarantee is that the seconded employee is entitled to a position at the same level, but not necessarily the exact job. Contracts three contracts exist between parties to set out management arrangements between home and host agency; between home agency and seconded employee, and thirdly, between host agency and seconded employee. Contracts cover aspects such as to whom the seconded employee reports, responsibilities for matters such as security, reporting obligations, insurance and medical cover, accommodation, equipment and materials, confidentiality, secondment termination, binding policies and procedures.
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Secondments
The challenges of arranging a secondment are usually in the detail and logistics. Differences between agencies and countries, such as financial resources available, and variations in terms and conditions, cost of living, accommodations standards, education facilities and employment and immigration laws can deter agencies from pursuing secondment opportunities. Oxfam Community Aid Abroad (Oxfam Australia) has adopted a number of secondment principles relating to secondments within Oxfam, to clarify
Training in small agencies

ACSUR, with only 11 international and six local staff, reported, Access to specialised technical training is facilitated, within the limits of available time and resources.88 ACSUR also stated Systems for performance evaluation and assessment were a specific additional issue of concern. Another small agency reported, Staff appraisal system in place for all staff but not linked to
performance, salary level etc. Career plan dealt with on case by case basis.89 On the other hand, DanChurchAid has extensive programmes and policies for appraisal, human resource development, (including budgets and priorities for 2003) and training courses in a large number of management related skills, also including HR management topics.
Figure 5 How training budgets are determined Q. 10 If your answer to question nine is yes, how is this amount determined?
Size of Agency 1-10 11-5 60+ Total %
% Staff costs 3 93 3 9 26
Number of days 2 0 0 2 6
Other 7 10 6 23 68
Total 11 14 9 34 100
Budgeting for learning, training and development

Research90 undertaken in 2002 on training used by ECHO partners elicited the following data: Sample size: Size of Agency (no. of managers) 1-10 11-59 60+ Total No of agencies 25 18 10 53
Figure 3 Staff training and development policies Q. 7 Does your organisation have a staff training and development policy?
The other methods mentioned most frequently were that budgets were determined as part of the annual budgeting process (frequently being based on a fixed sum allocation) or they were determined according to specific needs identified. Where agencies used a % of staff costs the figure quoted ranged from 1% to 3%, 2% being the most commonly quoted figure. Small agencies were alone in using the number of days (10 and 15 were quoted) as a means of determining staff training and development budgets, otherwise size of agency did not seem to have a major effect on the method used. An agency like SC UK, with huge resources is able to commit 3% of the costs of payroll to staff training and development, and #240,000 per year on strategic HR development. SC UK also has an extensive range of over 20 training courses available in-house and further courses externally, as well as a Learning Resource Centre at HQ in the UK containing hundreds of books, videos, audio material, training materials etc, which can be browsed or borrowed for private study.
Size of Agency 1-10 11-59 60+ Total
yes 15 11 7 33
% of group 60 61 70 62
no 10 7 3 20
% of group 40 39 30 38
Figure 4 Staff training and development budgets Q. 9 Does your organisation have a staff training and development budget?
Size of Agency 1-10 11-59 60+ Total
yes 15 14 10 39
% of group 60 78 100 74
no 10 4 0 14
% of group 40 22 0 26
Retention of staff and managers

By retention is meant the processes and systems which keep good staff and managers within the agency. During the seminars that were held as part of this project, many participants recognised that they need to be much more proactive in managing staff turnover and several were adopting creative strategies to retain their talent. At the same time, a certain level of staff turnover can be seen as healthy, though this varies dramatically according to the type of agency and its area of work. Effective retention policies cover much more than basic salary levels.
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As Mission East point out below, retention is not so much about remuneration as about the professionalism, ethos and atmosphere within an organisation, and the value it places on its staff. These are some of the reasons why staff become frustrated and will leave: If an organisation is not a congenial place to work If there is no overall strategy or ethos binding the staff and recognising their commitment to it If the atmosphere is bad the office and the HQ are squabbling, or management is weak If the level of information and involvement of staff in decision-taking is not adequate If the management systems and procedures are inadequate, the policies are not clear and transparent and the procedures are not effectively implemented and policed If the organisation does not maximise its management, planning and administrative systems to try and plan and prepare for HR needs, and take adequate steps to ensure that HR needs are met in a timely and efficient fashion The issues of retention are mostly about what the agency itself does, and the effects of potential competition with other agencies are much less significant as factors in keeping or attracting staff. So why do staff and managers stay with an organisation? Remuneration and benefits The levels of salary paid to staff are not the primary issue in keeping good people within an agency. As Mission East and other agencies pointed out: For recruiting and retaining good international staff, the level of remuneration does not seem to be the major factor, although a minimum level is necessary. More important factors seem to be the professionalism of the organisation and its staff, how well the organisation is fostering a sense of joint commitment, of being in this together and of valuing its staff. For national staff the above holds true, although salaries play a more important role.91 However, the level of the benefits package is certainly more important for older, more senior and married international staff who will consider pensions, gratuities, allowance for family and
education allowances to be significant in their career choices. This is also true for nationally recruited staff for whom financial benefits such as per diem, loyalty bonuses and end of contract gratuity are important, but even more so are provision for education and health care which it is unlikely the staff member could afford out of taxed income, but represents a relatively small cost for the agency. Professionalism of the organisation This is a combination of the operational professionalism of the agency and the quality of management, and support provided, and the degree of inclusion and solidarity which is engendered among staff. Many agencies have relatively poor planning systems for HR and field offices are often late in addressing the needs for replacements or for new staff the agency tends to be reactive to the fields needs rather than proactive for the staffs needs meaning that the need to think ahead for the next assignment for a staff member is not the priority but it should be! There is also lack of planning for field positions which are already budgeted and this is a simple problem to rectify by better management practice and effective communication. A helpful way of encouraging retention is to ensure that for staff on contracts of more than 12 months, discussions concerning future assignments are initiated three to six months before the end of contract. Such a dialogue can help reinforce a sense of commitment, and might mean that a costly external recruitment can be avoided. Unfortunately, for national staff, the situation is often worse, in that their employment is often more dependent on available funding, which is often only confirmed late in the budget cycle, and so national staff are recruited on short fixed term contracts which are renewable. This leads to uncertainty and lack of job security which are both definite reasons for staff moving on. Management This includes all aspects of management and is probably the most important factor in retaining staff. If the systems and procedures are open, transparent, inclusive and fair then staff and managers will stay. If they are not, then frustration is inevitable, and staff will leave. Most agencies do not look at themselves by assessing the quality of their management but staff certainly do, and the agencies should audit
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themselves regularly and consult with staff to take on board their views and experiences. Some agencies undertake peer reviews between country programmes which can help identify issues and systemic problems which may be resolvable internally. If the managers are not effective and skilled, or the international staff are not professional, or the basic management systems are lacking or nonexistent, or recruitment is not open and fair for all, or it there is corruption in a field office, these are the reasons that staff become disenchanted. If an agency wants to retain staff, then it is critical that the systems work fairly and transparently. HR management is a professional business, and the international humanitarian sphere is a complex and difficult place to operate an HR system. It needs a combination of policy and practice which requires a detailed understanding of what it is like in the field while at the same time requiring a professional HR approach. Most agencies do not have skilled HR professionals in the field, and have few if any qualified HR professionals at HQ level with substantial field experience. This is not only true of the smaller agencies the very large international networks do not have experienced HR people at country level, in most cases. Yet the country programmes might be multi-million # operations with dozens of international staff, hundreds of national staff, and a complex mix of international and national legal requirements. This is not an environment in which it is easy to operate without skilled and experienced people both at field and HQ level. Yet how is it affordable? But do we want to keep people forever? It is also important to note that retention is not always appropriate some people need to move on, either because their skills are no longer required, or their role has become obsolete. However, there are other reasons, and agencies should guard against looking to keep people at all costs. When a person becomes frustrated, or is looking for new horizons it is probably time to let them move on. For national staff, there is another issue, and that is the tendency for agencies to see staff moving on as a loss of investment. The development of skills and capacities in people is a successful investment in them. They have made their contribution to the agency and hopefully will move on to make a further contribution elsewhere. Both of these are positive outcomes. Just as MSF or other VSI agencies consider first missions for
volunteers as a significant contribution to the sectors new talent, so should other agencies developing skills in national staff. The next step is to change the views of other NGOs in the sector, and to encourage donors to agree, and to support and invest more in the process of developing skills. So why do we lose experienced staff and managers then? Stress and burnout All workers everywhere are under some form of stress at some time, but for overseas humanitarian work the stress, and often danger, is relentless and can cause serious problems among staff. Workers and managers who are exposed to the pressures for long periods will leave the sector altogether or become frustrated and move from one agency to another one which they think treats their staff better. The systems for monitoring and responding to stress, danger and work-life balance are therefore very important factors in retaining staff and managers. If staff feel they are being cared for, they will stay if not, then they will probably leave. A framework for stress management is available from the Antares Foundation and can help agencies looking to develop specific policies in this area92. From this study there is little evidence that there is widespread provision of support for nationally recruited staff in relation to stress, and agencies will, hopefully, as a result of this study, ask themselves whether the level of care that they provide is sufficient and improvements might include the provision of a simple benefit such as access to local leave (R&R), but which would have great impact on staff. Competition For smaller agencies in particular, i.e. those who are not always able to pay competitive wages and benefits, the problem of competition between agencies can arise. However, the evidence obtained during this research suggests the problem may be less widespread than is thought. It is easy for an agency losing staff to say that the reason is because someone else offered better terms, than to look inwards to see why people are being lost is it because management practice or systems are weak? The biggest question for an agency to ask, and the most important is What could we be doing, within available resources, to better meet the needs of staff and managers? Start by asking the staff the answer is almost certainly not to increase salaries, but to look at the other issues which affect staff.
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Retrenchment
Curtailing or closing a programme can be difficult especially where nationally recruited staff are concerned. Handled badly, it can result in an agencys reputation being permanently damaged and in extreme cases re-opening a programme may be impossible. Therefore, agencies are well advised to handle any retrenchment sensitively word travels quickly and it may be that youll wish to re-employ key staff at some point in the future. When laying off staff, the main consideration is to ensure local legislation is complied with, and that means ensuring contracts of employment are drawn up with all the necessary provisions at the outset, and kept updated when the law changes. For example, notice periods may be up to 12 months and as with many European states, workers can accrue certain employment rights according to their length of service. Re-training may be a cost-effective option, and again, an effective appraisal scheme will mean that managers have a clearer picture of their staffs abilities and skills, and are therefore able to consider options for retaining key staff. The second issue is key people are going to be lost even with the best planning and support. How do we prepare for this, and develop plans for dealing with it? Several agencies reported that they had specific programmes or initiatives to assist people who were leaving to re-enter the employment market, and would communicate with potential employers educating them about the benefits and value of the humanitarian experience gained by staff, and would also recommend to staff potential employers who would be interested in their services. The ICRC for example, has a career advisory service which coordinates the support to staff on: Maintaining and developing professional capacity Facilitating professional development Promoting professional reorientation MSF Belgium is also very much concerned about reorientation, and while not providing outplacement services, has engaged in a mailing to 3,000 prospective employers to introduce the benefits of MSF work experience, and provides career counselling for volunteers before they leave MSF. We believe that there is a clear link between retention, and reducing the fear of the future after leaving MSF.93
There is no doubt that a sound human resources management framework is extremely helpful in dealing with many of the issues raised during this project, but particularly in the matter of staff retention. Organisations with a dedicated, or partdedicated resource are able to address some of the more strategic issues and go a long way to ensuring staff are dealt with consistently and fairly. Agencies that have equipped their operational managers with some basic human resources management skills have also found that they are in a better position to deal with issues as they arise, and to proactively plan ways of avoiding such issues arising in the first place. Ensuring line managers have a basic grounding in people management and people planning skills is a useful starting point in tackling unhealthy levels of staff turnover, and a healthy dialogue with staff can have a dramatic and positive effect on organisational efficiency. Some organisations undertake what has been termed succession planning, where they have identified individuals who are ready, prepared and able to step into its key posts, when the need arises. Clearly this is made easier by maintaining the relevant employee data, and succession planning tends to rely on there being an effective performance management system or appraisal process in place. Used in conjunction with training and/or development, or mentoring or coaching schemes, a policy of succession planning can have a positive impact on retention strategy. Succession planning is not solely the preserve of large organisations any agency should be able to identify its key posts and can take steps to develop a strategy for filling or covering those posts internally, should the need arise.
Boosting staff retention

Replacing a valued employee can cost as much as twice their salary, but the implications for the organisation are often even wider. High profile exits can damage an organisations reputation and crucial knowledge is often lost. With thanks to Penna Change Consulting94, here are some key elements to an effective retention strategy: 1 Start early Before the employee even arrives be prepared to receive them by planning their induction, for example by adding them to mailing lists and setting up their profile for access to computer systems. 2 Salary and benefits package Clearly explaining the salary and benefits package and the principles behind your pay system together with how an employee might progress.
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3 Build a sense of belonging Pay is only one factor binding employees to organisations. Factors such as friendship and sharing a common goal are equally important. Newcomers can be allocated a buddy who has some time to make them feel welcome, and to explain how things work. A welcome pack can be helpful, together with the opportunity to meet colleagues. Informal get togethers in the early stages can help build networks and friendships. 4 Avoid information overload Formal induction courses should ideally wait a few weeks until employees have a context in which to place extra information. 5 Create a development plan After the honeymoon period, attention should move towards creating a plan for development. Enough time should have passed for training needs to have become apparent, and any plan should be worked out between the employer and the employee. Frequent reviews can help monitor development and ensure any problems are dealt with early on. 6 Assign a mentor After the initial induction period, a mentor (not the employees line manager) should replace the buddy. They will help the employee understand the organisation and how it works. 7 Find further assignments Once an individual has arrived and is contributing to the organisation, the challenge is to ensure they stay for as long as the organisation requires. Secondments and further assignments will encourage the employee to develop and can be an excellent source of motivation. 8 Be flexible A one size fits all attitude to employment is being replaced by a more flexible approach. Flexible working, including job sharing, part time contracts, home working and sabbaticals can boost retention and evidence suggests that managers who work flexibly outperform their full time colleagues! 9 Dont ignore values Values tend to remain constant during the course of a persons life, and they determine an employees attitude to their organisation. An organisation ignores the values of its staff at its peril.
Training can be expensive, but not providing learning opportunities for staff and managers is undoubtedly more expensive leading to loss of staff, the costs associated with recruiting new staff, and especially managers, and the costs associated with poor programme implementation if staff were unable to contribute to their maximum potential. Yet: 27% of the ECHO FPA partner NGOs audited in 2003 had no training policy at all95. Learning relates to the continuous process of acquiring skills, knowledge, abilities and attitudes, and can include both formal and informal approaches to acquiring these on an individual, team-based or project-based level. Training and development are part of learning. This is neatly expressed by the following example from UNHCR. Profile UNHCR A strategic approach to learning For the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), with 6,000 staff based across 280 offices in 120 countries, staff access to learning opportunities is a major challenge. A realisation that conventional training workshops were neither effective nor sustainable in encouraging learning resulted in a strategic shift that brought learning to the workplace and the learners. UNHCR has supported this strategic shift in a number of ways. Since 1999, 20% of its staff development budget has been allocated to the field offices who are empowered to identify their specific learning needs and identify local solutions. On-the-job learning (for example, coaching, shadowing, action learning, guided missions) is encouraged. From its headquarters in Geneva, training providers in the various subject areas are converting or redesigning training workshops into distance learning modules or blending self-study elements and workplace application with the face-to-face events to create nine-month learning programmes. E-learning was introduced in early 2003 with on-line courses in management, personal effectiveness and communications skills. Where the subject matter warrants (staff safety, induction and supply chain), UNHCR has developed interactive learning CDROMs in-house. There remains a need to develop more tools for self-directed learning (self-study guides, coaching guides, job aids) in a number of UNHCR-specific subject areas and to reinforce the
Learning, training and development
Quoted from an agency handbook:
If you think training is expensive, what about ignorance.

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important role of all supervisors to more proactively facilitate the learning of their staff. The adjustment has been surprisingly well accepted, particularly in the field offices where lack of access to learning opportunities was a source of frustration. Skills development is all the more important as offices expand and contract with refugee influxes. While learning activities must match organisational needs we should not ignore the fact that capacity building of locally recruited staff is also an organisational obligation.96 This section of the report is dealing with training as an element of the development of staff potential, rather than a management tool, and describes the importance of training at the organisational and strategic level, and managerial buy-in to its support and resourcing, as well as the development of organisational development and training policy. The report then describes some of the important methodologies available for development programming, and also the significance of organisational and individual learning styles, which centrally affect the scope and potential of success.
that if I dont leave soon and move to an agency that does provide formal training, that I will have difficulty changing agencies in the future without certified training on my CV. So this will probably be my last contract with this NGO97. Yet training is an important factor both in staff performing their day-to-day work and their development:
An important factor in some countries of national staff is their perception of the organisations commitment to training them.98
International NGOs in Ireland and the UK are recognising the importance of relevant training, and recent assessments of training needs among Irish and British NGOs have been undertaken by BOND (British Overseas NGOs for Development www.bond.org.uk) and DCI (Development Cooperation Ireland www.dci.gov.ie).
Key messages:
Clear strategic planning, a statement of policy and commitment, and management buy-in and support are essential to set the framework and to access the resources for an organisations training ambitions Donors should be encouraged to support training as an activity that strengthens organisational capacity, and to require that it is included in plans and budgets Agencies need to be innovative, especially where resources are scarce in using new and different methods to develop capacities and skills We may think that agencies are providing much more substantial training opportunities for staff, but evidence from experienced programme managers would appear to contradict it as can be seen in a quote from a Programme Manager canvassed for views as part of a briefing paper for EPN 4. Document entitled Programme Managers Remember... Throughout my time with this agency, my biggest dissatisfaction has been the lack of formal training offered. The NGO is a small agency with a very tight budget. Formal training is considered something of a luxury so always manages to get cut. After watching my colleagues in other agencies receive regular formal training, Im afraid
Their research, undertaken during Autumn/Winter 2003/04, suggests that there are a number of key areas on which resources should be focused. In general terms and relating to needs within a head office environment, BOND describe these areas as including management development, human resources management, and organisational development and learning. There is also a focus on international development and on strengthening the management capacity of southern partners. DCI concur, highlighting management development in projects and programmes as a key area for training, development and learning provision during 2004. DCI also note that organisational development and change management are priority areas. There is no doubt that for both national and international staff, the provision of training is one of the most important elements in keeping staff and managers motivated, and involved. The contrary is also true, and the lack of provision of training is one of the most serious disincentives to retention and loyalty.
The training and development cycle

There are many models which describe how employers can manage the training and development process, and a methodical approach together with a sound framework can make the managers life much easier, as well as providing an assurance that training and development is done consistently, and remains relevant to the organisational aims and mission. A summary of the cycle is presented in figure 5:
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Figure 6 The training and development cycle
Preparing for Analysis Organisation objectives Actual and desired culture Documentation/Assessments External factors Assessing strengths/ weaknesses
Implementing & Assessing Carry out the training and development activities Build opportunities to put new skills into practice Ongoing monitoring and assessment
Analysing Training Needs Collate and analyse data Interviews and discussions Identify training and development needs (organisation, team and individual)
Developing the Training and Development Plan Needs, objectives,outcomes Activities and methodologies Resources and timescales Assessment measures (including added value)
Strategic aspects of training

First and foremost, agencies need to have an organisational commitment to training and developing skills, capacities and potential of staff and this must be supported by management, both for national and international staff. From this commitment, should emanate a development policy for staff, which has been discussed in the section above, but which should include a provision for training. A substantial study carried out in 2002, Analysis of the human resources management systems applicable to NGOs in the humanitarian sector99 found that: Less than 2/3 of agencies had training and development policies Only 60% of small agencies (39) had a training and development budget 12 agencies had a budget but no policy The five most important training topics were: 1 Financial management 2 Project management 3 Strategic planning 4 Managing people 5 Security management
A significant number of agencies, (and particularly the smaller ones) are lacking in the policy and resources required for training, and where training is provided it tends to be for immediate management needs, rather than the development of staff potential. What is the broader organisational context for training and development planning?
Looking at the bigger picture100
When looking at your organisations training and development needs it is important to take a more strategic approach, including looking at organisation wide needs and taking account of the following contextual factors: Organisational mission/vision and objectives (long and shorter-term goals, targets) Organisational culture (actual and desired ways of working and relating) External influences on the organisation and its work (eg changes in legislation, funding environment, partnerships)
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There is a tendency within most organisations to provide training and development opportunities in a reactive and ad hoc fashion, responding to individual or team requests as and when they arise.
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Organisations planning and/or performance management cycle (identification of cascaded down objectives and timescales for achievement) These provide the bigger picture that ensure training and development provision links directly into the organisations ability to deliver on its mission, values and objectives rather than focusing narrowly on individuals. Every agency should have both a strategic commitment and a staff development and training policy. Neither needs to be complicated, but both are essential. MSF Belgium for example has separate training policies one for expatriate volunteers and another for nationally recruited staff members101. The training policy clearly reflects the organisational significance as well as the operational and personal significance of training, and also stresses the importance of the integration with operations, and the importance of effective HR management and procedures: The training of MSF expatriates plays an essential role in developing the necessary resources for the organisation. Training serves its global strategic and operational aims. Thus, it reflects the needs expressed by the operations department as well as its support departments, both on the medical as the organisational and technical level. However, the training policy must imperatively allow for the individual development of the persons committed to volunteer within MSF and is therefore an integral part of the organisations Human Resources policy. Training activities and steps will only be of use to the individuals and the organisation if the HRM aspects, such as recruitment, individual career follow-up or evaluation run in parallel and are coordinated. A training policy must be based on clear and legitimate objectives in order to be effective. In meeting these conditions and in the current context, training manages to fulfil its role in securing loyal individuals within the organisation, in progressively enriching their skills, in constructing the "loyalty chain", and therefore increasing the much-required pool of experienced coordinators and expatriates. If there is no clear policy, every request for training is an exception, and must be lobbied for, and the resources fought for, whereas the agency has a clear obligation, and duty of care, to support its staff in the carrying out of their responsibilities,
and in their development. Even if resources are limited, the provision of training provides both the means by which staff are prepared to carry out their tasks and the main plank of any process to assist them in developing their potential to contribute further to the organisation. For agencies with sufficient funds to invest in development and training, and this refers primarily to the larger agencies, and members of international networks, it is easy to commit the necessary financial and personnel resources to develop appropriate systems and to implement them. The problem is much more serious for the smaller agencies, which do not have available funding (or personnel) to support these initiatives, and are dependent on donor funding for their field level programming activities. Donors have become more supportive of funding development activities recently, but still normally expect that the necessary skills and competencies are available and do not have to be developed. It is very important therefore that agencies encourage donors to support staff training as part of overall development activities, rather than as an administrative expense. Indeed, it should perhaps be a precondition for programme submission to official funding agencies that a percentage of programme costs (non capital costs) are dedicated to staff development (and especially development for nationally recruited staff). The agency should be required also to show in detail the planned initiatives in this area. MSF Belgium in its training policy also makes an important point about investment in training: Finally, MSF also considers the training of its expatriates as a major step in their professional development during their time with MSF and consequently as a facilitating element for their reintegration when they leave the organisation.
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Identifying the training and development needs

Having looked at the bigger picture above you are ready to identify the training and development needs, considering the following factors: What does your organisation currently do well? What are the areas for improvement? How well does this match the mission/vision, values and objectives? How well does this match with changes in the external environment? What new knowledge, skills and behaviours are required to meet your mission/vision, values
and objectives (organisation, team and individual)? Existing internal resources can be used such as: Evaluations and assessments of project work/activities Performance review/appraisal (especially performance development plans) De-briefings and exit interviews Job descriptions and person specifications (especially the knowledge, skills and behaviours within the latter) In addition you may want to hold individual interviews or facilitated group discussions to look more precisely at anticipated training and development needs. Once this data has been collated it is possible to draw together an overall training and development needs analysis for your organisation.
Secondment, where a staff member is temporarily assigned to another office incountry, or to another country programme, or to the HQ of the agency. The assignment would normally involve a mixture of normal work responsibilities and learning through formal and informal interactions Shadowing which involves watching someone else in the day-to-day performance of their work Planned study/reading and reflection involving research into a specific subject, the study being managed by the staff member him/herself Structured placements and visits involving placements elsewhere in the organisation and the possibility of learning about other offices, jobs and styles of work Mentoring, the mentee is provided with guidance and advice that is separate from any line management relationship, and the mentor benefits from thinking differently about their own area of expertise. The relationship has to be a close and mutually respectful working relationship Shared learning forums, such as Action Learning Sets or Practice Forums enable staff members to learn from each other in formally arranged groups, but in an informal interactive situation There are also a number of technological tools which provide further opportunities for the learning process: The worldwide web A formidable learning tool in finding and accessing information and analysis on almost any subject, and in communicating with people all over the world. A few clicks of the mouse and it is possible to find information on almost any conceivable subject. Internet and intranet Many agencies use the internet for communications, and also for sharing information and documents with other parts of their organisation, either through intranets networks based on the Worldwide Web, which are accessible only to authorised offices and staff or through less structured mechanisms whereby documents etc are held on the web and are accessible by authorised users. Electronic communication The use of the Internet for voicemail, email messaging, use of whiteboard and other communications is available through Windows Messenger (and other) software. Virtual networks there are a number of existing international networks based on the Internet which provide the opportunity for discussion and debate
Learning and training methodologies

Training what does this encompass? Training is normally considered to refer to the formal teaching environment, and a course involving a teacher or lecturer, but this is far from the truth. Training can encompass formal and informal interventions by which learning is enabled in staff, and might include the following: External study at formal sites of training for academic qualifications, certificates. Includes Universities, Colleges and Institutes NGOs such as RedR/IHE, Bioforce, Mango, and Groupe URD hold non-certificated specialist training courses for NGOs and their staff, some of which are fee-paying Conferences and seminars. Attendance at conferences and seminars can be part of a training process Briefing, debriefing, internal training meetings and seminars. Many NGOs already hold extensive training seminars for staff, on internal policies and procedures. However, there are also a number of less structured management tools available within agencies to provide for training102: Coaching, through which a manager is able to provide feedback to questions from staff members on a day to day basis regarding their work
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with other agencies, and for learning on a range of subjects. Examples are the Aid Workers Network, Oneworld, Alertnet, Development Gateway103 etc. Computer-b based training Almost all staff have access to computers, and the computer is an ideal mechanism for training, either using internally developed training modules, or external training courses available either commercially or via the internet. Staff are able to study at their own pace, and to receive feedback quickly from coaches or tutors. CD Roms An effective tool in training, because they are an easily recordable and portable means of accessing training courses, modules and data, as well as storing vast amounts of information as source material.
Concrete experience this can be planned or accidental Reflective observation this involves actively thinking about the experience and its significance Abstract conceptualising involves generalising from experience in order to develop various concepts and ideas that can be applied when similar situations are encountered Active experimentation testing the concept or ideas in new situations. This gives rise to a new concrete experience and the cycle begins again The provision of training courses and materials is not the whole story the agency itself is an important factor in creating the space and atmosphere for learning and development, just as is the style of the staff member important in developing the most important training programme or course for their needs. In this section, reference is made to the importance of an organisational approach to learning, and also to the individual learning styles which exist among staff, with the intention of highlighting the importance for agencies to create the space and organisational management style which is conducive to learning, and for the teaching/training and development activities to be geared to the learning style of the student, and not the priorities of the agency or managers.
The importance of learning styles

When looking at the provision of training and development opportunities, the following elements are essential to ensuring the best end result: Identifying and taking account of the learners own preferred learning styles Identifying the type of learning methodology most suited to the knowledge, skills or behaviours to be acquired or developed Identifying the type of learning methodology most suited to the learners preferred learning styles or areas where learning style needs to develop
Organisations and learning
Looking at the learning cycle and ensuring all stages are covered in the learning intervention An online learning style questionnaire can be found at the Penn State University website: www.clat.psu.edu/gems/Other/LSI/LSI.htm
The Learning Cycle Kolb et al (1974) defined the following learning cycle:
Figure 7 The learning cycle
Concrete experience
86
In an article in The Humanitarian Affairs Review, Spring 2003, K. van Brabant questioned the level of commitment within NGOs for staff development: Aid organisations complain about the difficulty of finding and keeping qualified staff, while experienced practitioners express dissatisfaction with the growing rigidity and bureaucratization of international aid organisations. There is a proliferation of short training courses on humanitarian and disaster-related subjects but doubt about their impact. Many students of the growing number of M.A. degree university courses in humanitarian action complain that their lecturers have no practical experience and understanding of field realities. Field staff on the other hand say that they have no time to reflect and learn. Relief and humanitarian organisations are criticized for failing to learn and repeating the same mistakes. Why is the aid sector so weak at supporting practice-based and practice-oriented learning?
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Testing implications of concepts in new situations
Personal Learning
Observations and reflections
Implementing and assessing
A less clearly admitted reason seems to be that it is not valued, because often the top management, who strongly influence the incentives and disincentives culture of the organisation, is far removed from the realities of poor people and people experiencing conflict and disasters. The reason for quoting this in detail is because, while the rhetoric may be a little strong, the basic point is correct the reason why it is difficult to prioritise staff development is not only a factor of available financial and time resources, but is a factor of strategic and managerial commitment, and also organisational prioritisation, of valuing learning, and encouraging and supporting it. In consequence, obtaining strategic and managerial commitment and buy-in is absolutely essential to a staff development policys success.
Individual learning styles104

When designing training, or when staff members are considering undertaking training, it is useful to consider the individual learning styles which people have, in order to identify the style which will suit the programme best. Honey and Mumfords learning styles comprise the following: Activists who learn by doing Reflectors who like to think about things before having a go Theorists who like to have a clear grasp of the concept before having a go Pragmatists who like to have practical tips and techniques from someone with experience before having a go By assessing the learning style through a questionnaire,105 appropriate styles of teaching/training or development activities can be recognised whether private study is more appropriate, for example, than active participation in group work. An alternative is the VARK106 system which uses a simple questionnaire (online) which identifies five categories of learning style. The website suggests appropriate learning techniques for each. The five categories of styles are:
The section has stressed, once again, the importance of the following: Obtaining organisational, strategic, managerial and operational commitment to people management and development as critical factors in meeting organisational goals and objectives as well as the needs of the individual Acknowledging that investing the appropriate funds and personnel are fundamental requirements of any development programme
Section 5
The common explanation is that such learning is expensive, financially and in terms of staff time, and that the high staff turnover (but local staff often do not "turn over" so fast) does not provide a good "return on investment".
Visual Aural Read/Write Kinesthetic Multimodal Mumford (1994) identifies the following stages to self-managed learning: Identify individuals learning style Review how their learning is encouraged or restricted by their learning style Review their core learning skills of observation, reflection, analysis, creativity, decision-making and evaluation and consider how to use them more effectively Review the work and other experiences in which they are involved in terms of the kind of learning opportunities they offer Look for potential helpers in the selfdevelopment process: managers, colleagues, trainers or mentors Draw up learning objectives and a plan of action (a Personal Development Plan or Learning Contract) Set aside some time each day to answer the question what did you learn today?
Conclusion
This section is intended briefly to draw together some of the threads arising from the discussion above concerning retention and career development. The survey, and this report have shown that the issues associated with attracting, keeping and developing skills and competencies to an organisation are not straightforward it is not simply a question of competition with other agencies for experienced people, or expecting people to be able to take on more responsibility without external support, guidance and management.
Section 5
That retention and planning are both dependent primarily on the efficiency of management and information systems both to carry them out and also for development of planning and information elements of the process That, especially for the smaller agencies, but generally for all, investment in career planning and retention has to take place, and should be included in every agency and programme plan and budget Lastly, and as we have noted previously, there is potential for greater inter-agency collaboration perhaps through coordinating assignments, secondments and mentoring with other members of a consortium or alliance, or in working with other peer agencies in maintaining continuity of employment for key staff, as part of the development process. There is also potential in advocating to donors to support development policies, and to encourage and demand development input in programme funding proposals.
Asia-Pacific Area Network (APAN) website contains a number of manuals on subjects such as team building, driving, security awareness, and emergency management. www.apan-info.net/peace_operations/ humanitarian_manuals.asp Oneworld website lists a large number of training courses which may be of interest to emergency as well as development NGOs. www.oneworld.net Itrainonline specialises in training in information and communications technologies for NGOs in the South, and may be of interest in developing skills of national staff. www.itrainonline.org/itrainonline/english/about .shtml ICRC gives details of its training courses in the info sources/events section on its website: www.icrc.org Mango provides a number of training courses related to financial management. www.mango.org.uk/training Bioforce provides training for VSI volunteers going overseas, and also a la carte training packages. Subjects include managing intercultural relationships, security and negotiation and preparation for situations of insecurity in countries in crisis www.bioforce.asso.fr/alacarte/alacarte.htm Development Studies Association. Details all development studies and related courses at 41 universities in the UK. www.devstud.org.uk/courseguide/index.htm InterAction, the US network of 160 relief and development organisations lists training opportunities for the disaster response community. www.raven.webfirst.com/iatraining Analysing Training Needs. See training section of Voluntary Sector Skills: www.voluntarysectorskills.org.uk Analysis of Human Resources Management Systems applicable to NGOs in the Humanitarian sector. ECHO-Partners Annual Conference. 2002 Working Group 2. J. Potter et al. Section 3 of the report contains an extensive listing of the sources for training available to European NGOs http://europa.eu.int/comm/echo/pdf_files/200 2_partners/human_resources.pdf

Training Volresource is a site designed for voluntary organisations in the UK, but is also a large resource for accessing information on people management and training. There are large numbers of links to relevant documents, and also links to external sites where tools and resources are available. www.volresource.org.uk/index.htm Alertnets website provides a wide range of resources for humanitarian agencies, including listings of training courses. www.alertnet.org/theevents/training/?via=1nav Reliefweb is a UN information website with information on all aspects of disasters. Includes a section on training and a very extensive database of training events. www.reliefweb.int/training World Vision has a distance-learning package for international and national staff in countries prone to disasters. Subjects include: communications, Human Resources, operations management, health, finance etc. The course also includes modules in personal health, communications and other person-related competencies. www.reliefstandards.org/hrtp/about.html
Section 5
88
Merlin provides training courses open to other agencies on aspects of emergency programme management, including management, public health, nutrition, and an introduction to emergencies. www.merlin.org.uk RedR/IHE provide training courses concerning emergency work, including security and safety. www.redr.org/training/programme/full.htm The Humanitarian Dialogue Centre provides information and links to manuals, guidance and training courses in mediation and conflict. www.hdcentre.org Groupe URD offers training in a number of subjects, including managing stress and health in the field, security of humanitarian personnel and crisis management: www.urd.org/formatio/training/training.htm People In Aid run workshops for NGOs on HR related topics www.peopleinaid.org/news/workshop.php Training for Troubled Times. H. Slim. Article published in Health Exchange magazine, 1996. Describes the range of skills needed in humanitarian workers political analysis skills, management skills and specific technical skills. www.ihe.org.uk/pub.htm People In Aid has produced Information Notes Basic Training for NGO workers and Evaluating Training and Development. B. Mayhew. Learning and learning styles Publications on self-managed learning. www.selfmanagedlearning.org An online learning style questionnaire can be found at the Penn State University website: www.clat.psu.edu/gems/Other/LSI/LSI.htm Peter Honey. Home of the Honey and Mumford Learning Styles questionnaire. www.peterhoney.com/main Site of practitioners of MBTI personality indicators questionnaire. www.myersbriggs.me.uk/ Also see www.opp.co.uk for training and consultancy company which holds exclusive rights for the questionnaire Good practices in teaching and learning. University College Dublin provides information on various learning and teaching methods. www.ucd.ie/teaching/good/flex.htm
People In Aid has prepared an Information Note for this study entitled Learning Styles and Methodologies which looks at the learning styles of individuals, and the range of learning methodologies available for trainers. Management development Guide to Management Development in the Voluntary Sector. Includes checklist for management and leadership qualities and also mechanisms for developing management skills. www.voluntarysectorskills.org.uk
Section 5
Section 5
Section 5
Section 6
Conclusion
Evidence from the agencies themselves gathered during the course of this project suggest that there have been significant commitments and progress among many of the larger and more proactive agencies in the development of policies and practice for staff and volunteers. However, the challenges to the sector, the agencies, and also staff themselves, have continued, and in many cases worsened in recent years -- the pressure on agencies to improve quality in strategy and management continue to grow. The pressure to improve quality comes from both outside and within the sector, and agencies have to respond, and ensure that people management and development related issues are treated with the seriousness they deserve and require. The consequences of lack of prioritisation are potentially severe for agencies, staff and volunteers. The agencies: Should proactively develop organisational level strategy and policy for people management issues including issues such as safety and security, career development, retention and training. This will also require processes to ensure that managers buy in and commit themselves to supporting the policy Should be more proactive in developing HR management and information systems and procedures which form the basis for all development activities in career planning, retention, security and development. This should include efforts to increase the level of priority and involvement given to HR in decision taking, policy formulation and management Need to engage more proactively with the other actors involved in emergencies, to define and defend humanitarian agencies role, added value and space, and for HR issues to be centrally included in these interactions Should engage positively with donors and with agency governance structures to prioritise people and HR management, and to encourage the investment which is overdue and urgently needed. Donors should also be encouraged to make their funding conditional on the agencies investing appropriately in HR and people and the building of their capacity and potential - for all staff and volunteers, national and international Scattered through both handbooks are calls for agencies to collaborate. Why? Primarily because resources, both financial and human, are precious in our sector. Where work has already been done, or can be done more effectively together, then a duty is owed (to donors and to staff) to work in partnership. Secondly, inter-agency competition to some extent threatens the sectors future, and collaboration is a tangible way of presenting a united and coherent front to donors and host governments. People In Aid actively encourages the sharing and dissemination of good practice in human resources management, and was established by the sector as a central resource. We seek to encourage collaboration and will continue to monitor progress in this respect. In some cases groups of agencies will be self-determining, in others they may come together under the auspices of People In Aid or other networks. Some host-governments will look to interact with agencies through an umbrella group or network; in other cases organisational ethos or sectoral specialism will draw agencies together. Existing alliances provide an example of the leverage that can be gained.
Section 6
Section 6
Several key areas have been highlighted in the two handbooks, and the list is by no means exhaustive. Joint advocacy to donors to ensure further investment in support for HR development Facilitation of recruitment in a country where the agency has no presence - screening interviews could be undertaken by an agency in-country on your behalf When recruiting staff with specific language skills, peers in the country where the language is spoken may be able to assist Recruiting nationals in-country could be done through partners or through agencies already present Recruitment - sharing of vacancy lists could be expanded to include secondments or exchanges A survey of rewards and benefits might enable agencies to determine whether their staff are getting fair packages Building on the work People In Aid has already undertaken in this area, sharing of policy and practice could be done at an international and country office level, through a central source Management information systems - agency experience is diverse and could be shared to ensure organisations get the most out of their system, or make the right choices when selecting software Jointly negotiating with insurance companies might achieve more cost-effective cover Minimum levels of insurance cover could be agreed for international staff, volunteers and nationally recruited staff Where networks or alliances or consortia exist, a strategic commitment to develop staff could be endorsed. For example through career planning, secondments, mentoring and so forth In conclusion then, we hope that you and your agency will benefit from the content of these handbooks. There remains much to do in the human resources arena - while people are the key factor in your ability to achieve your mission, they also have individual wishes and needs, and one person is distinctly different from the next. However, taking this into account can be done very simply: i.e. by putting people at the centre of your organisations activities. At a macro level, making valuing people an organisational value can ensure the organisation remains both committed to matters affecting people and accountable for their actions in this regard. Achieving these aims requires more than a simple absorption of the material in these handbooks. It requires action. We have highlighted good practice from what we consider to be proactive agencies, so now there is an opportunity for you yourselves to be proactive, demonstrate leadership, seek allies and to innovate in policy and practice... We have benefited, in writing these handbooks and in much of People In Aids daily work, from those agencies willing to collaborate, so now we would urge you to be collaborative yourselves - share your good practice, work together on issues of importance to your people and to the sector. As agencies in the sector become more proactive and collaborative, then the sector itself will become a better place for people to work, and our humanitarian mission is much more likely to be accomplished to the satisfaction of all our stakeholders.
Section 6
Endnotes
Endnotes
Section 1 notes
1 Keynote address by S. Davidson to Consultative Meeting on Management and Support of Relief Workers. 1998. WHO. www.who.int/disasters/resource/pubs/141098b.HTM See also, Planning Between Danger and Opportunity: NGO Situational Analysis in Conflict Related Emergencies. 1996. H. Slim. Director, Complex Emergencies Programme, CENDEP, Oxford Brookes University 18 Competency Essentials - A Compensation Practitioners Perspective. K. Stock. WVI. 1999 19 Taken from MAF Europe International Staff Handbook. 20 Comment by a senior manager in an NGO, in correspondence relating to this study. 21 Quoted from reply to survey submitted for this project 22 For further details, contact RedR in London. www.redr.org 23 Quality Project/Groupe URD draft Mission No. 2 report Quality Project in Afghanistan. 2003. www.urd.org and www.projetqualite.org 24 Taken from EPN 4 Seminar - Summary of Selected Major Points. 2002. www.redr.org/epn/coventry/EPN4.htm 25 Purchase details are available on IFRC. www.ifrc.org/publicat/catalog/ 26 Sometimes Maybe, Sometimes Not. J. Henry. 1998. IHE. www.ihe.org.uk 27 Websites: Reliefweb www.reliefweb.int / Alertnet www.alertnet.org / Oneworld http://oneworld.net 28 Several websites obtained from Recruitment Websites section of Report on EPN 4 seminar. www.redr.org/epn/coventry/EPN4.htm 29 Quoted from agency reply to the survey for this report.
Section 2 notes
2 Reliefweb. UN News Service. 22nd October 2003 www.reliefweb.int
Section 3 notes
3 4 Preparatory Research for an Interagency Emergency Relief Personnel Seminar, F. Taylor, October 1997 Preparatory Research for EPS 3 Quick Survey on Current Human Resource Issues in Emergency Personnel. S. Lawry-White. 2000. www.redr.org/epn/newyork/index.htm Sometimes Maybe, Sometimes Not. J. Henry. 1998. IHE Building Regional and National Capacities for Leadership in Humanitarian Assistance. D. Salomons et al. 1998. Center on International Cooperation. NYU www.nyu.edu/pages/cic/projects/humanassist/Praxis.html Taken from Statements to EPS 3 and EPN 5. www.redr.org/epn/previousSeminars.htm Detailed information concerning setting up and managing internal rosters is available in Information Note Emergency Response Rosters. J. Barry. Commissioned for this study by and available from People In Aid. IFRC International Recruitment Handbook. www.ifrc.org/publicat/catalog/
5 6
7 8
Section 4 notes
30 Quoted from a reply to the survey for this report. 31 For further information about Policy Pots and other resources contact People in Aid. www.peopleinaid.org 32 People in Aid Performance Review Process Managers Guide. Available from People in Aid. www.peopleinaid.org 33 Performance Management & Appraisal Help Center. http://performance-appraisals.org 34 MAF Europe. Training and Development Guide. 35 Taken from 360 Degree Feedback: Pluses and Minuses. www.vault.com 36 Upward and 360-degree Appraisal. Chartered Management Institute. www.managers.org.uk 37 RedR 360 Degree Feedback form. RedR London 38 Taken from 360 Degree Performance Appraisal form. www.Marquette.edu/hr/downloads/360Appraisal.rtf 39 Taken from reply to survey for this report. BRCS. 2003. 40 Information Note - Debriefing. D. Lovell-Hawker. Commissioned for this study by and available from People In Aid. 41 Stress Management in Disasters. C. Bryce. PAHO. www.reliefweb.int 42 Source. World Vision Germany. [Filename: Presentation Stress and Trauma.ppt]
10 Taken from Information Note - Emergency Response Rosters. J. Barry. Commissioned for this study by and available from People In Aid. 11 For additional insight into another form of emergency roster, Oxfam GB recommended contacting their sister agency, Community Aid Abroad in Australia. They have a strong roster system that also involves staff training. www.oxfam.org.au/ 12 From discussion group 1. Emergency Personnel Seminar No. 3. 2000. New York. www.redr.org/epn/newyork/index.htm 13 People in Aid Analysis of ECHO audit of FPA NGOs, 2003 for this study 14 International Recruitment Handbook. IFRC. www.ifrc.org/publicat/catalog/ 15 Taken from a presentation by D. Bryer to EPN 5. 2003 Evian. www.redr.org/events/post_events/epn5.htm 16 Relief Groups Must Prepare Workers for New Realities. J. Hammock and S Lautze. Chronicle of Philanthropy Feb. 2000 17 The Continuing Metamorphosis of the Humanitarian Practitioner: Some New Colours for an Endangered Chameleon. H. Slim. 1995. Disasters Volume 19. No.2. Pub: Blackwell
Endnotes
Endnotes contd
43 Taken from Sexual and Gender-Based Violence against Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons. 2003 Guidelines for Prevention and Response. UNHCR. www.rhrc.org/pdf/gl_sgbv03.pdf 44 Guidelines for Staff Care. Antares Foundation. www.antaresfoundation.org 45 A Guide for Humanitarian, Health Care, and Human Rights Workers. Caring for Others, Caring for Yourself. J. H. Ehrenreich, Ph.D. 2002. www.mhwwb.org/disasters.htm 46 Work-Life Balance Guidelines. Dr. T. Lankester. People In Aid. www.peopleinaid.org/pubs/index.htm 47 Rest and Relaxation. People in Aid Policy Pot. 2002. www.peopleinaid.org 48 A Guide for Humanitarian, Health Care, and Human Rights Workers. Caring for Others, Caring for Yourself. J. H. Ehrenreich, Ph.D. 2002. www.mhwwb.org/disasters.htm 49 Sexual and Gender-Based Violence against Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons. 2003 Guidelines for Prevention and Response. www.rhrc.org/pdf/gl_sgbv03.pdf 50 Re-Entry Syndrome. M. McCreesh. Antares Foundation. Reproduced with permission from original article by Moira McCreesh, published in Aid Workers Exchange, 6 August 2003. www.aidworkers.net/exchange/20030806.html 51 International Review of the Red Cross. No.318 p.311-323. May 1997. Providing Support for Red Cross volunteers and other humanitarian workers following a security incident or a disaster. www.icrc.org/Web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/review_318? OpenDocument 52 Taken from an internal MSF memo describing Groupe 422 53 Taken from Volunteer GPS handbook. MSF Belgium. 54 Paying the Ultimate Price: An Analysis of aid-worker Fatalities. 2001. ODI. Humanitarian Exchange 21. www.odi.org.uk/ [Filename: humanitarianexchange021.pdf] 55 Arjan Erkel from the Netherlands, is an experienced worker with MSF 56 People In Partnership - HR in NGO relationships. A. Swarbrick. People In Aid. 2003. www.peopleinaid.org/pubs/freepubs.php 57 Mainstreaming the Organisational Management of Safety and Security. HPG Report 9. 2001. ODI. www.odi.org.uk/hpg/papers/hpgreport9.pdf 58 Safety First. S. Bickley. 2003. SC UK. Can be ordered online at www.savethechildren.org.uk or offline via distributor www.plymbridge.com 59 Source - People In Aid Analysis of ECHO audit of FPA NGOs. 2003 for this study 60 Source EPN 5. 61 The Global War on Terror and its Implications for the NGO Security Environment. RedR. Seminar Report. 2003. www.redr.org 62 Taken from Alertnet Viewpoint article 02.10.03. www.alertnet.org/thefacts/reliefresources/10650944016 3.htm 63 Taken from Information Note - Categories of Risk Vulnerabilities. Commissioned for this study by and available from People In Aid. 64 Steps in risk assessment are taken from SC UK Security Management Guidelines. 2001 65 Health and Safety in Aid Agencies. K. Howell. People In Aid. www.peopleinaid.org/pubs/index.htm 66 A Problem from Hell: Humanitarian Operations in a Vengeful World. B. Gorlick. 2003: www.fmreview.org/pdf/Gorlick.pdf 67 Paying the Ultimate Price: An Analysis of aid-worker fatalities ODI. . Humanitarian Exchange 21. www.odi.org.uk 68 Declaration of Minimum Humanitarian Standards. Institute for Human Rights, Abo Akademi University, Turku/Abo 1991. See also Int. Review of the Red Cross, New Draft Declaration of Minimum Humanitarian Standards. Vol. 282 Pages 328-336. 1991. 69 From Mainstreaming the Organisational Management of Safety and Security. HPG Report No. 9. 2001. K. Van Brabant. ODI. www.odi.org.uk/hpg/papers/hpgreport9.pdf 70 Extracted from final report of EPN 5 seminar. www.redr.org/events/post_events/epn5.htm 71 Paying the ultimate price: An analysis of aid-worker fatalities. D. King. Humanitarian Exchange No 21 July 2002. www.odihpn.org/index.asp 72 Interaction: www.interaction.org 73 Security consultant at InterAction Forum Workshop - June 2001 74 www.interaction.org/disaster/staffsecurity.html 75 www.interaction.org/disaster/securitysteps.html 76 www.interaction.org/files.cgi/687_Security_Planning_ Guidelines.pdf 77 Safety First. S. Bickley. 2003. Save the Children UK. Can be purchased online at www.savethechildren.org.uk or offline via distributor www.plymbridge.com 78 Code of Conduct policy pot (2003) is available to download free from www.peopleinaid.org/pubs/freepubs.php 79 Preventing HIV/AIDS. Dr. T. Lankester. People in Aid. 2003. Available for purchase. www.peopleinaid.org/pubs/order.php 80 From UNAIDS Factsheet - Sub-Saharan Africa. 2003. www.unaids.org/en/media/fact+sheets.asp 81 Taken from response by Helpage International to the survey for this study. 82 Taken from Under Cover 2. 2003. K. Howell, People In Aid. www.peopleinaid.org/pubs/index.htm 83 Under Cover 2. 2003. K. Howell, People In Aid. www.peopleinaid.org/pubs/index.htm 84 Quoted from a reply to the survey for this study. 85 Quoted from Insurance Guidelines of an agency response to this project
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Endnotes
Section 5 notes
86 Taken from ITDG Group Strategy 2003-2007. Developing People as our Main Asset. 87 Taken from Training and Development Policy. British Red Cross Society. 2001 88 Quoted from ACSUR response to survey for this study 89 Quoted from NGO reply received to the survey for this study 90 Analysis of Human Resources Management Systems applicable to NGOs in the Humanitarian sector. ECHOPartners Annual Conference. 2002 Working Group 2. J. Potter et al. Section 3 of the report contains an extensive listing of the sources for training available to European NGOs http://europa.eu.int/comm/echo/pdf_files/2002_partners /human_resources.pdf 91 Quoted from a reply to the survey for this report. 92 www.antaresfoundation.org 93 Quoted from MSF Belgium reply to survey for this study. 94 Penna Change Consulting, quoted from www.peoplemanagement.co.uk 95 Source. Analysis by People In Aid of results of survey information, ECHO FPA Audit 2003. 96 Reproduced from the People In Aid Code of Good Practice, 2003 97 Briefing document for EPN4. Programme Managers Remember. www.redr.org/epn/coventry/EPN4.htm 98 Quoted from Mission East reply to survey document for this study 99 Analysis of the human resources management systems applicable to NGOs in the humanitarian sector. J Potter et al. ECHO Partners Conference 2002. http://europa.eu.int/comm/echo/pdf_files/2002_partners /human_resources.pdf 100Taken from Information Note -Training and Development Cycle. Commissioned for this study by and available from People In Aid. 101 MSF - Operational Centre Brussels. A Training Policy. 2002. and Training for National Staff members, Guidelines for drawing up a policy paper. 2002 102Information Note - Learning Methodologies. Commissioned for this study by and available from People In Aid. 103Websites: Aid Workers Network: www.aidworkers.net Oneworld: www.oneworld.net - Alertnet: www.alertnet.org The Development Gateway: www.developmentgateway.org 104Information Note - Learning Styles. Commissioned for this study by and available from People In Aid. 105Questionnaire available from website: www.peterhoney.com for a fee 106VARK system and questionnaire. www.varklearn.com/english/index.asp
Glossary and abbreviations

ACF ACODEV ACORD ACSUR ACT ACTED AGEH ALISEI ALNAP APAN APSO ASI BESO BME BOND BRCS CAFOD CBO CESVI CFE CIIR CINFO CMS CoO CORD CRS CUAMM DanChurchAid DANIDA DEC DCI DFID DRC ECHO EPER Action contre la Faim Belgian Federation of Development Cooperation Associations Agency for Cooperation and Research in Development La Asociacion para la Cooperacion con el Sur - Las Segovias Action by Churches Together LAgence dAide la Coopration Technique et au Dveloppement Association for Development Cooperation Associazione per la Cooperazione Internazionale a lAiuto Umanitario Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance in Humanitarian Action Asia Pacific Area Network renamed (2004) DCI Training and Research Centre Agences de Solidarit Internationale British Executive Service Overseas Black and Minority Ethnic organisations British Overseas NGOs for Development British Red Cross Society Catholic Fund for Overseas Development Community-Based Organisation Cooperazione e Sviluppo La Caisse des Francais de lEtranger Catholic Institute for International Relations Centre dinformation, de conseil et de formation Church Mission Society Country of Operations Christian Outreach - Relief and Development Catholic Relief Services Collegio Universitario Aspiranti e Medici Missionari Folkekirkens Nodhjaelp Danish Government - Danish International Development Assistance Disasters Emergency Committee Development Cooperation Ireland UK Government - Department for International Development Danish Refugee Council European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office Entraide Protestante Suisse
Danish Peoples Aid Dansk Folkehjhealp
96
EPN EPS EU EU-CORD FAO FEWER FHI FPA Groupe URD HPG HAP International HPN HQ HR HRM IAS ICD ICRC ICVA IFRC IHE ILO INGO IOM IRC IS ITDG JEEAR JHA LWF LWR MAF Europe MduM MSF NCA NGO NRC OCHA ODI
Emergency Personnel Network Emergency Personnel Seminar European Union Christian Organisations in Relief and Development Food and Agriculture Organisation Forum on Early Warning and Early Response Family Health International Framework Partnership Agreement (ECHO) Groupe Urgence-Rehabilitation-Dveloppement Humanitarian Policy Group Humanitarian Accountability Partnership International Humanitarian Practice Network (ODI) Headquarters Human Resources Human Resources Management International Aid Sweden International Cooperation for Development International Committee of the Red Cross International Council of Voluntary Agencies International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies International Health Exchange (merged with RedR, 2003) International Labour Organisation International NGO International Organisation for Migration International Rescue Committee International Service (UNAIS) International Technology Development Group Joint Evaluation of Emergency Assistance to Rwanda Journal of Humanitarian Assistance Lutheran World Relief Lutheran World Federation Mission Aviation Fellowship Europe Mdecins du Monde Mdecins sans Frontires Norwegian Church Aid Non-Governmental Organisation Norwegian Refugee Council UN - Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Overseas Development Institute
Glossary and abbreviations contd

OFDA Oxfam Solidarit PAHO PVO RedR RES R&R RRN SAC (or SAK) SC UK / SCF UK SMID SPHERE TCN UN UNDP UNHCR UNICEF UNV USPG VENRO VITA VSF Belgium VSI VSO WATSAN WFO WHO WVI WWF YMCA The Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance Oxfam Solidarit Belgium Pan American Health Organisation Private Voluntary Organisation Register for Engineers in Disaster Relief Re-Entry Syndrome Rest and Relaxation Relief and Rehabilitation Network Swedish Afghanistan Committee Save the Children UK Stress Management in Disasters SPHERE Project. The Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response Third Country National United Nations United Nations Development Programme United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees United Nations Childrens Fund United Nations Volunteers United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel Association of German development NGOs Volunteers in Technical Assistance Vterinaires sans Frontires Belgium Volontaire de Solidarit Internationale Voluntary Service Overseas Water supply and sanitation World Food Programme World Health Organisation World Vision International Formerly World Wildlife Fund Young Mens Christian Association
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People In Aid HR survey
Appendix 1 People In Aid HR survey 2003

This survey is being carried out to provide the basis for description and analysis of current HR practice and trends among agencies active in the humanitarian field. However, rather than circulate a detailed Questionnaire, which would be time-consuming for agencies to complete, we are approaching the question differently. Please feel free to forward documents in languages other than English, if necessary. If you would like clarification or to discuss the study, please contact us. In order to move the project forward and to have the Handbooks produced by the end of 2003, we are setting a deadline for the inclusion of information in the project. Please respond to the questions in the two sections below before 25th July, sending the information, preferably by email, to Jim Henry at jvs@henry.evesham.net If email is not appropriate, other contact details are provided at the end of this document.
A - Information Collection and Collation We are asking you to provide information which, we hope, is available within your agency, and which we will then analyse and collate - in our ECHO funded survey undertaken last year it was very encouraging that around two thirds of respondents expressed a willingness to share some documentation with others, and we hope to build on this. Following the information collection, we will subsequently contact a number of agencies for further clarification, and may undertake a number of visits to agencies should this be appropriate.
B - Issues Affecting HR Effectiveness

We are asking you to give your opinions on the issues which affect your agency, and your staff and volunteers in the field (and at HQ) and which either positively or negatively affect HR effectiveness.
Information requested
The questions below are divided into 3 sections: your agency and activities in the field, and the involvement of international and locally recruited staff and volunteers the basis on which staff and/or volunteers are employed, and details of the principles on which remuneration, support and welfare packages are based management and policy - resources which your agency has, or has access to on areas of management and policy NOTE - Questions refer both to international (expatriate) staff and volunteers and also to nationally recruited staff and volunteers working overseas.
Appendix 1
Questions
1. Your agency and Activities in the Field
Please provide us with the following information or documents: Information about your agency, its mission and operational activities The information might be in the form of an Annual Report, in which case please send it to us, or advise us where the report can be obtained (e.g. website URL). Statistics over the last 2 or 3 years of the numbers and categories of staff and volunteers working overseas (showing numbers of expatriate and national staff separately), including technical speciality Statistics are not always available - if so, please provide whatever information is easily available. If not possible, please tell us rather than waste a lot of time
2. Employment Conditions of Staff and Volunteers

Handbooks or Notes for staff and volunteers describing principles and terms and conditions of employment/volunteering Most agencies prepare written documents describing the principles of employment, and the terms and conditions for staff and volunteers in booklets or induction packs. NOTE - If the relevant information is available in a handbook or briefing note, the questions below need not necessarily be answered. Conditions of Employment Please provide and example of the types of contract or agreement applicable to staff and volunteers Principles of Remuneration Please provide details of the principles behind remuneration policy for staff and/or volunteers including salary levels and volunteer stipends, (including mechanisms for increases/pay awards), payment of subsistence allowances, income tax payment etc. Social Benefits and Welfare Please provide details of the principles on which social benefits and welfare provision is made including National Insurance, State health care, pension provision, end of mission/reintegration allowances etc. Please give details of employers and employees contributions, where applicable Insurance Please provide details of insurance cover provided for staff and volunteers for emergency/permanent health cover/disability/evacuation/kidnap/baggage etc. (This section refers to any additional health cover not included within State-funded provision of basic health care) NOTE - Because of differences in the way health care is covered in different countries, it may be difficult to separate health care costs into Social Benefits/Insurance categories. Dont worry. Other Financial Benefits - including family benefits (such as travel, insurance and subsistence), and car and accommodation provision
3. Other Support - Management and Policy

Within this section, we are seeking details of the other benefits and resources that are provided for staff and volunteers, but which are not financial in nature. Please provide information, if it is easily available in a handbook or briefing notes about the following: Briefing and Debriefing provision - including access to specialist counselling Training and skills development before during and between Assignments - both general training and specialist technical training Career Planning and career development systems, including whether you have appraisal/performance management systems in place
People In Aid HR survey
Issues affecting HR effectiveness
The issues which affect different agencies are not the same, although there are some which are common to many of us. The purpose of this study is to identify the issues of major concern, and to collate agencies views and opinions, together with sources of information, expertise and best practice in dealing with them. Below are suggested some of the issues which affect agencies - please feel free to add your responses to this electronic document or attach them separately together with any other relevant information: Please provide us with details of your concerns about the issues which affect HR management in your agency, including any documentation you have concerning the issues Please give details of any initiatives your agency has taken to address the issues, especially if they might be of relevance to other agencies, or might also be accessed by them Does your agency have resources which would be available to other agencies in addressing these issues - such as specific policies/guidelines, or training courses, for example Suggestions are given below of some headings which include issues which affect many agencies and staff - this may help you. (It would be useful if you could also rate the issues below in their importance for your agency, in the box provided, on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being very important). 1 The Future of Volunteerism 2 Volunteerism versus Professionalism 3 Recruitment and Retention of Experienced Staff 4 Career Planning and Development 5 Briefing and Debriefing, Counselling and Psychological welfare 6 Training - pre-mission, during and between assignments (general training and preparation and also specialist technical training) 7 Compensation and Benefits 8 Insurance and Health Cover, including War Risk 9 Competition with other agencies 10Expatriates and Nationally recruited staff - ensuring equity 11The threat of litigation Please provide details of any other issues of major concern, not included in the list above
Appendix 2
Appendix 2 ECHO FPA agencies

Agencies with Framework Partnership Agreements at December 2003 Agency ACF Action Contre La Faim ACP Asambla de Cooperacion por la paz Country France Spain Agency Caritas (Secours Catholique) Caritas Caritas Caritas Caritas CEFA Comitato Europeo Per La Formazione E Lagricoltura CESVI Cooperazione E Sviluppo Christian Aid Church of Sweden Aid CIC Associado para a cooperacao international Country France Germany Italy Luxembourg Spain Italy Italy UK Sweden Portugal
ACSUR Asociacion Para La Spain Cooperacion Con El Sur Las Segovias ACTED Agence Daide A La Cooperation France Technique Et Au Developpement Action Against Hunger Action Aid Action Contre el Hambre ADRA Adventist Development And Relief Agency ADRA Adventist Development And Relief Agency Aga Khan Foundation UK Aide Medicale Internationale AIFO Associazione Italiana Amici Di Raoul Follereau AISPO Associazione Italiana Per La Solidarieta Tra I Popoli Alisei (Ex NUOVA FRONTIERA) AMAR Charitable Foundation AMI Assistancia Medica Arbeiter Samariter Bund ASF Dansk Folkehjaelp Asia onlus Atlas logistique AVSI - Associazione voluntari UK UK Spain Denmark Germany UK France Italy Italy Italy UK Portugal Germany Denmark Italy France Italy
CCM Comitato Collaborazione Medica Italy
CINS Cooperazione Italiana Nord Sud Italy CIR Comite Internacional de rescate Spain CISP Comitato Internazionale Per Lo Italy Sviluppo Dei Popoli CISV Una comunita per il mondo Concern Universal Concern Worldwide COOPI Cooperazione Internazionale Italy UK Ireland Italy
ANNF Asociacion navarra nuevo futuro Spain
CORD Christian Outreach Relief And UK Development Cordaid Netherlands COSPE Cooperazione Per Lo Sviluppo Italy Dei Paesi Emergenti COSV Comitato Di Coordinamento Delle Italy Organizzazioni Per Il Servizio Volontario CRIC Centro Regionale dIntervento per la cooperazione CUAMM DanChurchAid Danish Refugee Council DIA Diakonie Der Evangelischen Kirche in Deutchsland Italy Italy Denmark Denmark France Germany
CAFOD Catholic Agency For Overseas UK Development CAM Comite daide medicale CARE CARE CARE CARE CARE International Caritas Caritas Caritas France Austria France Germany Netherlands UK Austria Czech Republic Denmark
DIMITRA Centre of strategic planning Greece for development Emergency Enfants du monde Entreculturas Italy France Spain
ECHO FPA agencies
Agency Erikshjalpen European Perspective Finn Church Aid Fonds Medical Tropical Food for the Hungry UK France libertes German Agro Action Greek committee for intern. Democratic solidarity GVC Gruppo Di Volontariato Civile Handicap International Handicap International Help Hilfe Zur Selbsthufe HelpAge International Hilfswerk Austria ICCO Interchurch organisation for development cooperation ICU Istituto Per La Cooperazione Universitaria Initiative developpement Inter aide Intermon Oxfam International Orthodox Christian Charities Intersos IRC ISCOS Istituto Sindacale Per La Cooperazione Allo Sviluppo Islamic Relief Johanniter Unfallhilfe LVIA Associazione Internazionale Volontari Laici
Country Sweden Greece Finland Belgium UK France Germany Greece Italy Belgium France Germany UK Austria Netherlands Italy France France Spain Greece Italy UK Italy UK Germany Italy
Agency Medicus del mundo Medicus mundi Memisa Merlin Mission East Movimondo MPDL Movimento por la paz el desarme y la libertad MSF Medecins Sans Frontieres MSF Medecins Sans Frontieres MSF Medecins Sans Frontieres MSF Medecins Sans Frontieres MSF Medecins Sans Frontieres MSP Movimento sviluppo e pace Norwegian Church Aid Norwegian Peoples Aid Norwegian Refugee Council Nouscamins Novib (Oxfam Netherlands) Ockenden International Oxfam Oxfam Solidarite People In Need Pharmaciens Sans frontieres Plan UK PMU Interlife / Swedish Pentecostal Mission Polish Humanitarian Organisation Premiere Urgence Project Hope PTM Paz y tercer mundo Save the Children Save the Children Secours Populaire Francais Solidaridad Internacional Solidarites aide humanitaire durgence SOS Kinderdorf Tearfund Terre des hommes
Country Spain Spain Belgium UK Denmark Italy Spain Belgium France Luxembourg Netherlands Spain Italy Norway Norway Norway Spain Netherlands UK UK Belgium Czech Republic France UK Sweden Poland France UK Spain Netherlands UK France Spain France Austria UK Italy
OIKOS Cooperacao E Desenvolvimento Portugal
Madera Mission daide au France developpement des economies rurale MAG Mines Advisory Group Magyar Okomenikus Szeretetzsol Malteser Hilfsdienst Marie Stopes International Medair Medicins du monde Medicins du monde Medico International Medicos do mundo UK Hungary Germany UK UK France Greece Germany Portugal
Appendix 2
Agency The Halo Trust Triangle Trcaire Un ponte per Veterinaires sans frontieres VISPE Volontari Italiani Solidarieta Paesi Emergenti World Vision World Vision World Vision ZOA Refugee Care
Country UK France Ireland Italy Belgium Italy Germany UK Ireland Netherland
Project background
Appendix 3 Project background

The overall aim of this project is to develop better understanding and knowledge between the agencies by describing: What agencies do and why they do it The issues which both negatively and positively affect the potential to maximise HR effectiveness How the wider context affects agencies, their staff and volunteers How agencies can work together to maximise understanding, collaboration and access to expertise, policy information and good practice
An introduction to the handbooks

The handbooks are intended both as a source of reference in understanding the humanitarian sector and the factors which affect staff and volunteers, and for use both in planning agency HR strategies and relationships with other agencies. They are also a resource and source of reference for headquarters and field managers who are involved in HR management. Many agencies do not have professional HR managers, or have HQ and field managers who have little experience of HR management and issues. The handbooks are intended to assist agencies and managers in understanding the breadth of the sector and the challenges it faces, and also to be a resource when addressing quality in human resources. At the same time, the handbooks represent the primary outputs of a consultative study involving dozens of European humanitarian agencies, and are a snapshot of the humanitarian sector in HR terms, reflecting the issues and concerns agencies are dealing with on a day-to-day basis. Many agencies have a high staff turnover, not least in the human resources department, and it is intended that the handbooks are a learning tool for new staff who may not be aware of other agencies activities or their structure, or the way agencies are addressing issues affecting staff and volunteers. The handbooks will also provide an important resource and source of reference in the field - where access to contextual and issue analysis is rarely available and information about other agencies experience, practice, tools and resources is often lacking. Yet these are critically important when managers must respond to situations on the ground. Many smaller agencies do not have HR specialists at regional and country level - but the hope is that all their managers will benefit from access to these handbooks. Handbook 1 defines and analyses humanitarian agencies, in HR terms and the framework within which staff and volunteers work, and discusses the effects, in HR terms, of recent changes in the international system, and also within the humanitarian sphere as a whole. Why is understanding how other agencies work important? While it is not easy to fit humanitarian agencies into groups, there are certain features of some of the agencies which explain how and why they behave the way they do. For example, it is because an agency is a faith-based development agency that it is structured, and treats staff and volunteers, in a particular way. It is likely that similar agencies will have a similar approach. At a technical level, when undertaking a remuneration review, it is important to understand why other agencies do what they do, which provides the context for the remuneration or benefits they provide. The way staff and volunteers work is hugely influenced by the mandate, structure and mission of the organisations which they work for, and a greater understanding of the agencies that make up the sector and the people who work within it is essential in order to understand the context of the issues which affect staff and volunteers. The handbook undertakes an analysis of the humanitarian agencies, and the staff and volunteers who work for them - in order to show how and why the agencies do what they do. What are the trends in HR-r related issues? The handbook then considers, firstly the global trends, and secondly the specific issues which have been identified through the consultation process in this study.
Appendix 3
There has been significant improvement in many areas of the management of staff and volunteers. In terms of HR management, policies and procedures there have been significant improvements and many agencies have established and implement comprehensive policy and administrative frameworks. In capacity development and training, and support and welfare, much again has been achieved, particularly within some of the agencies. What does the external environment have to do with HR? For many people, it is not immediately obvious how the changing nature of conflict impacts agencies activities and staff. However, the security and safety of staff is fundamentally affected by the way the international system works (or does not work), and the military, political and economic response by donors and governments (through the UN). Perhaps even more significantly, the safety and security of staff is hugely affected by the changes which have taken place in the international system, in recent years. Agencies have to understand how these factors influence our work and to use the knowledge to engage with the other actors - through debate, negotiation and advocacy. The handbook describes the way in which the external environment influences human resources, through an analysis of the changes which have taken place recently in the international system, the changes which have affected the humanitarian sector and agencies, and also the implications of recent emergency situations, such as Afghanistan and Iraq. The handbook describes in detail the scope, scale and range of the sector and the agencies, and the way in which agencies have responded to the external pressures which have affected them. Examples are given, from the responses provided by agencies to this study, to exemplify the scope and scale of the sector and the factors affecting human resource potential. Handbook 1 shows us that the sector is a great deal more diverse than might be understood, and is a lot more robust - many of the agencies are prospering and have made very significant commitments to human resource development and management. Many agencies reported significant improvements in systems and procedures and in the quality of preparation, management and support to staff and volunteers. However, other parts of the sector are struggling, and the reasons for this are explored in detail. The handbook underlines the need for increased clarity, coherence and professionalism within the sector. It also strongly promotes greater interagency collaboration, and finally introduces the second handbook which deals with the technical HR related issues identified by the agencies themselves, in some greater detail. Handbook 1 stresses that it is essential for operational and HR managers, and also senior field staff, to have a considerable insight and understanding of the wider politico/military/cultural context in which staff were working and to engage coherently with other agencies in representing the humanitarian case in negotiations with the other actors. Handbook 2 concentrates specifically on the issues which affect, both in a positive and negative way, the scope and potential of staff and volunteers to maximise their contribution to humanitarian programmes and agencies. The handbook is intended to be a management tool for HR practitioners both at HQ and in the field, and analyses in detail the HR issues which have been identified by operational agencies and HR managers consulted in this study. Agencies were requested in the survey questionnaire to rank a number of issues which are generic, and also to add or comment on any of the issues. The handbook describes the issues and details how agencies have addressed them. Areas where progress has been made are indicated, and remaining gaps in good practice are identified. Agency experiences are shared through case studies, and examples given where good management practice exists, including input/tools suggested by external specialists. Handbook 2 looks in detail at issues associated with Recruitment and retention of staff and managers
Project background
Employment and management issues, including remuneration, tax and social welfare, safety and security, performance, welfare and insurance Career planning and development The handbook seeks to analyse the issues, as defined by the agencies consulted in the study, shows how the agencies have responded, and suggests where gaps in good practice still exist and possible courses of action which might be taken. Through the agencies experience, and case studies, the aim is to provide information to practitioners on methods of addressing issues and problems, together with suggestions of resources where expertise, information and examples of good practice might be accessed. The handbook provides links to worldwide web sites, resources, and to tools and documents which may be useful for agencies developing their own approaches, strategies and policies.
Seminars
In March 2004, 5 seminars were held in major capitals in Europe in order to discuss the findings and the issues with agencies, and to debate possible future courses of further collaboration and networking. Invitations were circulated to all ECHO partners and all agencies participating in the project. In addition other agencies that People In Aid works with were also invited. Seminars were held in London, Paris, Geneva, Copenhagen and Brussels, and the diverse contributions from participants have been incorporated within the two handbooks. ECHO - The European Unions (EU) mandate to ECHO [Regulation (CE) n 1257/96] is to provide emergency assistance and relief to the victims of natural disasters or armed conflict outside the European Union. The aid is intended to go directly to those in distress, irrespective of race, religion or political convictions. ECHOs task is to ensure goods and services get to crisis zones fast. Goods may include essential supplies, specific foodstuffs, medical equipment, medicines and fuel. Services may include medical teams, water purification teams and logistical support. Goods and services reach disaster areas via ECHO partners. Since 1992, ECHO has funded humanitarian aid in more than 85 countries. Its grants cover emergency aid, food aid and aid to refugees and displaced persons worth a total of more than #500 million per year. ECHO is supporting this project through its training grant facility as a contribution towards the enhancement of understanding of HR in the sector and of HR issues affecting humanitarian agencies. The project involves a consultative review of HR within the humanitarian sector, with approximately 280 European agencies (including ECHO partners) invited to participate.
Appendix 4
Appendix 4 People In Aid

People In Aid - What does People In Aid do?
People In Aid is an international network of development and humanitarian assistance agencies. People In Aid helps organisations whose goal is the relief of poverty and suffering to enhance the impact they make through better HR management and support. It does this by offering relevant services and tools, such as the People In Aid Code of Good Practice. The People In Aid Code of Good Practice in the management and support of aid personnel. The Code provides agencies with a framework for ensuring good practice in the management of agencies most important resource - the people who work for them. People In Aid publications contribute to good practice in HR management and development, and are produced for agencies in the relief and development sectors which wish to improve the management and support of their staff. They include benchmarking exercises, policy research and awareness-raising papers. A forum and catalyst for networking, debate and advocacy. People In Aid is able to support and represent the HR needs of its members and the sector and to provide a focal point for access to information and for collaboration between agencies. Other People In Aid resources include: Handbooks on specific policy areas such as health and safety, work-life balance and debriefing Guideline policies on key areas such as security, codes of conduct and rest and relaxation Support for members in implementing the Code Training on topical HR issues for the sector, such as distance management, mentoring and people development Research on topics such as insurance and remuneration Group meetings on immediate priorities, e.g. HIV/AIDS in the workplace, staff supervision in refugee camps and development of nationally recruited staff A quarterly newsletter, A resource centre and information network
www.peopleinaid.org info@peopleinaid.org

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Section 3 Recruitment and selection ..............................................9

Section 4 Employment and management ....................................27

People In Aid May 2004

Enhancing quality in HR management in the Humanitarian Sector

Section 5 Retention and career development ..............................73

Section 6 Conclusion ......................................................................91

Responded to survey Attended seminar

People In Aid May 2004

Jonathan Potter Executive Director People In Aid

Handbook 1 - Understanding HR in the humanitarian sector

Handbook 2 - Enhancing quality in human resources management in the humanitarian sector

People In Aid May 2004

Enhancing quality in HR management in the Humanitarian Sector

Aspects which require more detailed consideration by agencies

Material to provoke further thought or to act as a potential catalyst for action

People In Aid May 2004

Enhancing quality in HR management in the Humanitarian Sector

Why are they important?

Challenges to the sector

Prioritising human resources

People In Aid May 2004

Enhancing quality in HR management in the Humanitarian Sector

What is an acceptable level of risk?

An acceptable level of risk?

Enhancing quality in HR management in the Humanitarian Sector

People In Aid May 2004

Human resource planning

People In Aid May 2004

9 Enhancing quality in HR management in the Humanitarian Sector

Why is recruitment always urgent?

Recruitment procedure flow chart

Enhancing quality in HR management in the Humanitarian Sector

People In Aid May 2004

Recruitment and selection

Accessing the necessary skills and competencies

People In Aid May 2004

11 Enhancing quality in HR management in the Humanitarian Sector

Shortlisting and selection interviews

Registers and selection

Enhancing quality in HR management in the Humanitarian Sector

People In Aid May 2004

Recruitment and selection

People In Aid May 2004

Enhancing quality in HR management in the Humanitarian Sector

People In Aid May 2004

Recruitment and selection

Responding quickly to fluctuating needs

Enhancing quality in recruitment skills and competencies

Enhancing quality in HR management in the Humanitarian Sector

People In Aid May 2004

Recruitment and selection

At least a minimum knowledge of International Humanitarian Law

Knowledge of the organisation, its history, procedures etc. Professional competence

17 Enhancing quality in HR management in the Humanitarian Sector

Recruiting in a global marketplace

Attracting new talent

People In Aid May 2004

Recruitment and selection

People In Aid May 2004

Senior managers a special case?

19 Enhancing quality in HR management in the Humanitarian Sector

Finding good programme managers