Staff Recruitment Policy for NGOs

Staff recruitment is the process of hiring staff to carry out various activities in an organization. In NGOs, staff recruitment is mostly determined by the availability of ongoing projects and how they have been budgeted. Nevertheless, staff recruitment is essential because many donors seek to know what policies grantees have adopted in terms of hiring personnel for projects funded by them.

Recruitment can be done internally (through referrals or inventories) or externally (through open job advertisements or employment agencies). In both cases, it is necessary to specify that a policy is in place to manage these processes.

Volunteers and Personnel Recruitment:

 Volunteers:

Volunteers are individuals who work at NGO out of their own choice or have been deputed at NGO by other organizations. They will be assigned tasks from time to time as deemed necessary by NGO. NGO will have a limited contract with volunteers and will not provide any compensation except under special conditions. They will not be considered as full-time or part-time employees of the organization.

Personnel Recruitment:

NGO believes in equal employment opportunity to each individual, regardless of race, color, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other occupationally irrelevant condition. This policy applies to recruitment and advertising; hiring and job assignment; promotion, demotion and transfer; layoff or termination; rates of pay and benefits; selection for training; and the provision of any other human resources service.

Notice of Vacant or New Position:

It is the responsibility of the Board of Members to fill vacant positions as well as new regular positions and new temporary positions of a duration exceeding more than six months. The Board must make sure that the positions can be filled under the organizational budget.

For all new positions, a job description shall be established and include the following elements:

• position summary
• description of duties and responsibilities
• conditions of work
• qualifications.

Notice of a new or vacant position must be approved by the Board before it is released publicly.

Recruitment for a new or vacant position can be opened to internal and external competition. For external recruitment, positions in the professional category can be advertised publicly through newspapers if they are regular positions, or if there is a limited tendering process for consultation.

Interview and selection:

As a general rule, a selection committee comprising of, at least two members shall be assembled for filling all positions.

The committee will go through the applications received, retaining those that show the best qualifications. It will evaluate each candidate’s application with the help of an evaluation form created beforehand, containing well-defined criteria.

A list of the candidates chosen to be interviewed will be shortlisted by the Selection Committee. The interviews will serve to make a final choice and also to establish a database of potential future candidates.

Policy for Annual Performance Evaluation at NGOs:

Annual Performance Evaluation:

The annual performance evaluation is the analysis, based on documentation from previous stages of the process, of an employee’s work record. The evaluation addresses two fundamental questions. The first relates to the past and involves verifying what was accomplished qualitatively and quantitatively during the year. The second relates to the future and consists of identifying means to be considered to ensure the employee continues to grow and develop.

The performance evaluation form should include all the sections needed for the evaluation. This includes a section relating to performance evaluation in relation to the objectives established at the outset and in relation to the responsibilities of the position, a section that specifies or targets what is needed for the employee’s development and finally a section allowing the employee and the evaluator to express their comments and affix their respective signatures. The form should also include a performance level classification and a definition of each of these levels.

The annual performance evaluation does not have any financial impact on salaries. It is first and foremost a tool to evaluate the employee’s performance and take remedial action if necessary.

Skill Training and Professional Development:

Depending on available funds, NGO should foster the professional development of its employees in order to be as effective as possible in its activities. The training programs chosen should address the actual needs identified and expressed during performance evaluation sessions.

Bond:

As part of the staff and organizational development activities, NGO may at times decide to send a designated staff person for trainings and/or further studies both abroad as well as at local level. NGO will bear the full/partial costs of the trainings/studies for this. However, the designated staff sponsored for the trainings/studies is required to sign a bond with NGO that requires him/her to complete the full tenure of working with the organization.

Performance Evaluation System Policy for NGOs:

Elements of the Performance Evaluation System

A performance evaluation system is composed of three main stages that generally take place over a period of a year:

Performance planning

The performance planning stage enables employees and supervisors to come to an agreement on what is to be accomplished during the year and how it will be carried out. The following procedures and tools are used to facilitate this stage:

a) Job description or list of duties

Each employee must have an up-to-date job description defining the purpose of the work and the responsibilities involved.

b) Setting of objectives

For each key responsibility associated with a position, at least one objective should be established for a particular period. The objectives should be clear and quantifiable, and the assessment criteria should be mentioned.

c) Individual action plan

The individual action plan is a planning tool used to specify the steps to be taken to achieve the objectives set beforehand. The action plan should be prepared jointly with the immediate supervisor. It may also involve new initiatives facilitating improved productivity or personal capacity development.

Performance Monitoring and Management

Staff performance and productivity should be managed on an on-going basis throughout the year. The following elements, among others, are involved:

a) On-going Supervision

This means taking the time to observe, examine sources of difficulty and seek solutions.

b) Regular Communication

This involves regular exchanges so that employees can receive feedback about their performance and receive the necessary supervision.

c) Periodic Evaluation

This involves formal, scheduled meetings between an employee and supervisor to discuss activities carried out, end results and the adjustment of the action plan and objectives, if necessary. A minimum of one meeting every six months is suggested to ensure satisfactory results.

 

 

(COMPILED BY THE IPC NGO RESOURCE SERVICE DIVISION)