Periodic certification of personnel allows the head not only to find out the level of professional training and attitude of employees, but also to evaluate how their personal and business qualities correspond to their position.
Contrary to popular belief, the main objective of certification is not to control the labor activity of employees, but to find a reserve and discover potential opportunities to increase the level of return for each employee.
The concept of certification of personnel
Assessing employees involves conducting a series of tests, interviews or interviews.
At the same time, the objectives of personnel certification are not limited directly to assessment. Their main importance is to identify employees who could work more efficiently in other positions. Based on the results of the certification activities, the manager decides on the transfer, promotion, referral to training or retraining of individual employees.
The value of objectivity to obtain reliable results
The most important component of the certification procedure is its objectivity. This means that when evaluating employees, specific criteria and methods are used to avoid the influence of subjective factors.
This is not to say that personal impressions only interfere with the work of the leader during the certification process, but they can significantly distort the results of the procedure. The one-sided perception of employees develops into incorrect personnel decisions and management errors.
Appointment of certification of employees of the enterprise
Certification of personnel is often a great chance to prove themselves to those employees who "rest their heads on the ceiling." Having mastered their field of activity and not seeing opportunities for further growth, employees lose their motivation. They become ineffective and inactive, their productivity decreases.
Carrying out personnel changes based on the results of certification allows you to optimally use the labor resources of the organization.
The purpose of certification activities may be:
- Compilation of new compensation packages. Such changes affect the material interest of the staff (wages, the system of punishments and rewards change, motivation increases).
- Making managerial decisions regarding the development of the organization, optimization of personnel policy (feedback is being established, potential is being shown, the employee has the opportunity for personal and professional development, he receives information about what the organization expects from him). The company, having received and analyzed the data, can adjust its plans and manage human resources more efficiently.
- Reflection of the actual state of the enterprise at the current moment, detection of possible problems in the labor sphere. With this goal in mind, personnel certification is the study and evaluation of the employee’s past activities, their results, the need for training, as well as identifying existing work problems and finding ways to solve them.
The main components of the certification process
Taking into account the purposes for which the certification procedure is carried out, the head plans:
- Assessment of staff.
- Assessment of labor of workers.
Certification of personnel is a study of the degree of preparedness of an employee to perform specific labor tasks (those that he is engaged in at his workplace). In addition, this type of assessment involves identifying the level of potential abilities of the employee, which is necessary to predict his professional growth.
The essence of labor assessment measures is to compare the actual results with those that were predicted (check the content, quality, volume of work done). The study of planned indicators for technological maps, plans and work programs of the organization allows you to create an objective concept of the actual quantity, quality and intensity of labor.
In the process of certification activities, managers give an assessment of the work not only of employees, but also of their entire department. For this, there is a special procedure in which information from other (related) divisions is attracted and used, as well as data provided by external partners and customers of the company.
As a rule, the company can obtain the most reliable, objective and useful data by using both directions in carrying out certification measures (assessment of labor, as well as qualities and abilities that influenced the obtaining of the result).
Assessment of employees and their performance
Certification of personnel at the enterprise includes a whole range of different procedures: it can be written tests or an interview.
To summarize the results and facilitate their analysis, the manager fills out an evaluation form with two sections (a description of the qualities of the employee and the results of his work). At the same time, he uses both a mark and written explanations, comments, and justifications.
The tasks of personnel certification are the optimal use of labor resources, so it is so important to discuss the results of procedures and final assessments with the employees themselves. Being acquainted with how certification was passed, they must sign the corresponding document. The advantage of such a system is the ability of workers to indicate whether they agree with their assessment. If there are special circumstances that prevent the full implementation of their duties, the employee may bring them.
How often is certification
Most successful companies prefer to conduct certification activities every year. Some of them carry out such checks more often - once every six months, often in combination with a simplified assessment procedure.
Certification of organization personnel may also include periodic organization of informal interviews. Such actions are accompanied by a discussion of the results of labor, and also contribute to the ongoing monitoring of the labor process. With a good formalization of labor appraisal procedures, the manager can initiate appraisal activities even more often: weekly, monthly or quarterly. Of course, such procedures cannot be called certification, but with their help you can monitor the dynamics of the labor efficiency of the staff and the entire unit.
Who is subject to certification and evaluation
Supervision by the head is necessary for employees who have just been hired or received a new appointment (transfer, promotion).
For example, the McDonald's company, famous for its management strategies, provides for mandatory certification of all managers and specialists who have received an increase (decrease).
In addition, six months after the employee came to the organization or was transferred to a new place, he also undergoes an assessment.
The psychological aspect of assessment
In addition to monitoring labor activity and identifying potential opportunities, the essence of personnel certification consists in adapting an employee who has fallen into new conditions. Careful and regular monitoring helps the manager to see how quickly the employee got involved, how efficiently he copes with his duties and what kind of behavior correction he needs.
For many corporations, the "human resource" is a rather expensive investment, so they are interested in getting quick returns on its use. For this purpose, personnel shifts and experiments are used. These actions are inevitably accompanied by tight control, assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the employee, as well as the provision of necessary assistance in correcting deficiencies. At the same time, the relevance of the appointment is checked.
Evaluation results
If we are talking about checking the correctness of the appointment of an ordinary contractor or manager of a lower level, then the conclusion is made after a few months. For an assessment of the head of the middle and top management, the data for the year is analyzed.
In the event that the employee does not cope with the duties assigned to him, and his activities cannot be adjusted, the manager is forced to resort to demotion or even dismissal.
Why companies are interested in shortening the certification period
Most large corporations have their own code, set of standards, the so-called "corporate rules." The administration cannot allow a new employee to independently and uncontrolledly master these standards. As you know, few American or domestic companies can boast of the same stable "group norms" of labor behavior, as, for example, Japanese.
In this context, the essence of personnel certification (especially its regularity and high frequency) is to inculcate in the employee norms of behavior and the basics of work. The standards laid down in the first months are fixed and maintained in the process of regular annual assessment procedures.
How is the certification of employees at the enterprise
Despite the fact that most companies have their own procedures for the preparation and conduct of certification activities, there are several universal stages that are applicable in almost any industrial field:
- Preparation: at this stage, they prepare an order for assessment, approve the certification committee, prepare documentation and forms, inform the labor collective about when and how the certification procedure will take place.
- Form the composition of the commission and approve it. As a rule, it consists of a director for personnel matters (chairman), head of the personnel department (deputy chairman), head of the department undergoing certification (member), legal adviser (member), social psychologist (member).
- The main activities, that is, direct certification of personnel: this is the work of assessing the individual contribution of each employee, entering data into questionnaires, and also a computer analysis of the information received.
- Completion of certification: experts take stock, make personal decisions about whether to promote an employee, send them to school, move or fire (if the employee has failed in the certification).
Those managers and specialists who have worked in their place for less than a year, pregnant women, mothers with children under one year of age, and other workers belonging to preferential categories are not subject to evaluation.