Welcome to the Employing Staff and Managing Human Resources in Non-Profit Organisations course brought to you by Carmichael.

Course Overview

If your non-profit organisation employs staff, then be aware of the issues that can cause problems in the employer/employee relationship. Hire appropriately, manage fairly and motivate effectively if you wish to retain productive employees. All of this should happen within a human resources framework that adheres to all aspects of employment law, data protection and health and safety legislation.

Target Audience

This course is designed with the needs of social enterprises and growing non-profits in mind. It provides a practical hands-on approach to human resource management for directors, senior managers and supervisors who do not have a background in human resources management.

Course Structure

The course is divided into 7 component parts and takes approx. 6 hours to review. Participants should allow for additional time to review the practical templates and suggested reading material which accompany the course. Topics are self-contained to facilitate micro-learning for the time conscious participant.

Lesson 1: Employing staff – Adhering to Legal Obligations

This lesson focuses on some of the practical considerations that must be addressed to ensure that an organisation complies with its obligations under Irish employment legislation. Three core topics are covered in this lesson.

Topic 1: Employment Law

Topic 2: Health and Safety

Topic 3: Data Protection

Lesson 2: Working with Suppliers

Most non-profits need to work with suppliers and contractors to get their products and services to market, or to help them to meet their reporting obligations. This course addresses the subject from the perspective of how to source suppliers and manage relationships.

Topic 4: Sourcing Suppliers and Contractors

Topic 5: Managing Supplier and Agency Relationships

Lesson 3: Recruiting Employees

The employee recruitment process is explored in lesson 3 and introduces participants to the many factors that impact the sourcing and recruiting of competent and motivated employees. Seven core topics comprise the lesson.

Topic 6: Human resources planning: staffing levels and business objectives

Topic 7: Setting terms and conditions of employment

Topic 8: Creating Job profiles

Topic 9: Sourcing employees

Topic 10: Screening and interviewing potential employees

Topic 11: Selection and reference checks

Topic 12: Staff induction and initial training

Topic 13: Community Employment Schemes

Topic 14: Hosting Work Placements

Lesson 4: Maintaining Employment Records

General data protection regulation aside, a non-profit is legally obliged to retain certain employment records for the people employed in the organisation. The lesson explores this important requirement from the perspective of setting up and retaining employment records.

Topic 15: Setting up staff files

Topic 16: Retaining employment records

Lesson 5: Managing and Motivating Employees

Managing and motivating employees is at the heart of human resource management. There are a multitude of factors that can affect staff motivation as reflected in the eight core topics that comprise the course.

Topic 17: Theories of motivation

Topic 18: Managing teams

Topic 19: Reward System

Topic 20: Setting performance standards

Topic 21: Managing performance

Topic 22: Recognising good performance

Topic 23: Handling grievances

Topic 24: Identifying staff training and development needs

Lesson 6: Developing Employment Policies

A social enterprise or non-profit demonstrates its commitment to adhering to employment legislation through the range of policies it adopts. Policies relating to the management of employees are typically contained in an employee or company handbook.

Topic 25: Identifying policy requirements

Topic 26: Setting internal controls

Topic 27: Developing an employee handbook

Lesson 7: Human Resources Templates 

In this final lesson, we provide a fast and easy-to-access list of all the templates and practical resources covered during lesson topics. Upon completion of the course, the lesson page can be accessed time and again to access and download practical ready to use forms and policy documents.

Acknowledgements

Carmichael would like to acknowledge this project was approved by Government with support from the Dormant Accounts Fund.

Disclaimer

The content provided in this elearning resource is not exhaustive and should not be construed as advice. The resource is intended to aid in the development of human resource management knowledge by participants completing the course. If you plan to use the content and especially the policy templates and other sample documents accompanying this course in your organisation, please ensure that you first adapt them to suit your own requirements. No liability can be accepted for any consequences arising from the use of the content provided in this course.

Course Commencement & General Instructions

1. Please progress through each of the lessons in the course sequentially.
2. To move from one lesson page to another, click on the ‘Mark Complete’ button located at the end of each lesson page. Once you have clicked the ‘Mark Complete’ button, you may then progress to the next lesson in the course.
3. Some lesson pages contain interactive resources. To open an interactive resource, click the orange ‘Launch’ button contained on the web page. Click on the ‘Next’ buttons or arrows within each interactive resource to move from one screen to the next within each of these resources.
4. Document names in blue within a lesson or topic page denote that the document is available to download. Just click on the document name (in blue) to open it for viewing and download.