How Handicap International tries to manage nationallyrecruited staff fairly

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How Handicap International tries to manage
nationally-recruited staff fairly ?
EPN 6, Barcelona, 16-18 June 2004
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Handicap International Key figures

• 50 countries
• Programme budget 39 M(but emergency lt10)
• 148 international staff (11)
• 34 Field Program Directors (FDP)
• 22 Administrators
• 1172 direct national staff ( 605 indirect /
  partners staff)
• 3 Field Program Directors (9 of the FDP)
• 13 Administrators (37 of the admin.)
• 33 guards, cleaning ladies, cooks

2003
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Key HRM principles

• All jobs are accessible to national staff
• Priority given to skills
• Priority to national staff if competent staff can
  be found locally, but ideally, FPD or Admin is
  international staff
• HQ is responsible for international staff
  management / FPD is responsible for national
  staff management
• Priority given to coherence with local
  market/employers
• Willingness to secure loyalty for the staff (NRS
  international)
• National staff may become international staff if
  they are ready to geographical mobility and
  succeed in HQ selection process

Fair doesnt mean equal but based on the same
values/principles
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Common rules

• The basics (minimum required) respect the local
  law
• Work contracts job descriptions,
• Salary grid
• Minimum medical cover
• Internal Regulation (local working hours,
  deontology, discipline rules, current
  organisation of the office, hygiene security
  rules)
• Responsibilities linked to the function (decision
  making, information, use of vehicles,)
• Important role of the national executives
  (managerial staff)
• Participation to internal initial training in
  HQ (1 month)
• About 30 of national staff in each training
  session
• About 40 national staff trained each year since
  1999
• Staff assessment process (strongly recommended,
  except for guards, cleaning ladies and cooks)

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Differences

• Remuneration system (primum non nocere) based
  on the same principles but
• Salary grid in coherence with local market no
  comparison with international staff salaries for
  the same functions
• Our advantages responsibilities/autonomy,
  access to training, medical/social cover
• Security common rules during working hours,
  but not outside
• HI manages the risks taken by the staff linked to
  the contract with HI

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How to ensure quality in national HRM ?

• A reference manual provides guidelines,
  recommendations, tools methods for national
  staff management (50 p administrative tool kit)
  
• Team management (common for NRS international
  staff)
• roles responsibilities, organization chart,
  internal regulation, staff assessment follow
  up, training policy, social relations
• National regional staff management
• Recruitment process, contractual management,
  remuneration policy, social policy
• Administrative Coordination in HQ and Regional
  admin. coordinators ensure quality
• Administrators training
• Capitalization
• Programs HRM control

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Tendencies and coming issues

• Not only 2 categories but also
• Regional staff / mobility expatriation in a
  limited area (cultural closeness)
• International staff locally settled
• Consultants/independent workers coming from
  everywhere !
• Issues
• Secure staff loyalty permanent contracts (and
  better accompaniment in case of interruption)
• Better salaries for national administrators and
  Project Managers
• Develop training policies and career paths on a
  regional basis through regional coordinations (
  proper funds dedicated to training ?)
• Data collection and follow up of national staff
  management by HR Services in HQ
• Medical cover improvement (especially for long
  illness/invalidity)