There was an unhealthy culture of inertia that stifled good management and HR had lost its way.
A new CEO, Peter Carter, appointed Cooper to the executive board - the first time HR had a seat here - and the HR team began to reposition itself in order to deliver an action plan designed to tackle the big issues. It may be not for profit, but as a non-publicly funded organisation, the RCN feels the pressures common to all private sector bodies.
The first calls Cooper made were to the full-time convenors and local GMB union representatives dealing with RCN staff. He wanted to re-establish the right of managers to take decisions without having to consult everyone in advance on every detail, and to re-contract the RCN relationship with the union. This relationship was reinvented, so that it now takes one month to agree pay awards instead of 11 months. Best-practice HR policies and procedures are now reviewed and developed 20 times a year, compared to virtually no change previously.
According to staff member and GMB branch chair, Liz Longstaff: "The RCN, predominantly driven by HR, has made significant strides in creating a positive culture of engagement. There is greater trust and integrity and there is now shared responsibility for action. Staff themselves have been the drivers of change."
The HR team has taken a transparent and straight-talking approach to communication. Previously, not all managers were managing or leading by example, including senior leaders. This was often a result of lack of skill or confidence, or seeing their role as representing, rather than managing their employees.
HR has repositioned itself within the organisation, restoring confidence in HR with management so as to become a genuine business partner driving fit-for-purpose learning and development. It holds the organisation to account for the impact of decisions and behaviour, challenging employees to think differently and understand how their practice may damage the RCN.
For example, the HR team led a controversial debate to review the necessity of the traditional nursing qualification as a specification of regional officer roles: a criterion that had become sacrosanct within the organisation. This role now extends beyond the profession, providing a career pathway for existing staff and widening the pool of candidates.
The HR team provides metrics to the directorates and has evidence of clear links between its operational performance, staff satisfaction and adding value to the business. Membership figures are up, absence reduced by 25% and satisfaction with career opportunities up 7%.
Our HR Excellence Awards judges were impressed with how commercially focused the association had become. "It was a clearly failing organisation and has transformed. It had a problem and dealt with it extremely well."
