AHRMIO Publishes Second Survey of HRM Practices in International Organizations

AHRMIO, the Association for Human Resources Management in International Organizations, has published its second survey of HRM practices on behalf of its organizational membership, in collaboration with the Cranfield School of Management.

(PRWEB) April 29, 2004 -- AHRMIO, the Association for Human Resources Management in International Organizations, has published its second survey of HRM practices on behalf of its organizational membership, in collaboration with the Cranfield School of Management.

Background:
A first report was commissioned in 1999, by 19 United Nations organizations plus the World Bank and IMF, to investigate HR management practices. Each organization filled out a questionnaire, which was designed by academics at Cranfield School of Management in the UK, and the results were benchmarked against the results of an equivalent survey into practices at a number of national governmental organizations. This exercise was then repeated in 2003, with a larger survey group comprised of 30 international organizations, all of which are members of AHRMIO.

Overview:
Governmental and Non-Governmental International Organizations (IOs) are getting better at managing their people. This matters to governments and donors because labour costs are a huge element of the operating costs of nearly every IO. And it matters to those the IOs aim to help because it is through people that they provide their services. Recent research has highlighted the positive steps that have been made as well as the room for continued improvement.

Chris Brewster, Professor of International Human Resource Management at Henley Management College in the UK, one of the authors of the research report, says: "this is gratifying, but hardly a surprise. These are complex organizations with missions that are much more complicated than 'making money', and HR managers in this field have to deal with a variety of cultural and political issues as well as being involved in the usual HR work. But there are many excellent HR managers in the international world working on a whole series of initiatives to improve the management of people in ways that create fairness, and improve cost-effectiveness."

Progress since 1999:
· The amount of training given per employee has increased, from two days to five days per annum among professional staff, and its effectiveness is now monitored much more than in 1999.
· More non-standard contracts are being used.
· There has been a large increase since the last survey (from 6% to 32%) in the number of international organizations reporting that over 10% of their staff were employed on a temporary basis.

Areas for further improvement:
· Although international organizations now do more monitoring of recruitment and promotion for women and different geographical representations, they do not monitor the employment of disabled people.
· The use of techniques such as planned job rotation for longer-term career development remains relatively under-utilized in international organizations.
· The work of HR departments is systematically evaluated in fewer than half of international organizations, though senior management appear to be taking more responsibility for doing so in relation to other staff.

The full 38-page report is available for AHRMIO member organizations.

About us:
The Association for Human Resources Management in International Organizations is a unique professional association that has since 1999 promoted best- practice human resources management in international not-for-profit organizations. AHRMIO runs conferences, executive development programmes and sponsors research on HRM trends in international organizations. AHRMIO has recently launched a career portal in partnership with Monster.com featuring a range of vacancies in international organizations.