Author Topic: HR professional body  (Read 1759 times)

Wombat

  • Is it supposed to hurt this much?
HR professional body
« on: 25 February, 2011, 09:31:32 am »
Sorry for using foul language like "HR" on this respectable forum, but...

I wish to make a formal complaint regarding the incompetence of my employer's (Southampton City Council) HR staff.  I am unclear as to what professional body any of them might be members of, and who to approach.  They have, as always, been utterly useless.    I don't mind a bit of uselessness, but blatant lies, total lack of support and just completely failing to do their job really pisses me off.  I can cope with being made redundant, but their attemts to make it all far worse than it needs to be have driven me to seek vengeance...

Is there an HR ombudsperson?

Any ideas that won't get me locked up for life?
Wombat

Re: HR professional body
« Reply #1 on: 25 February, 2011, 09:32:38 am »
CIPD

[EDIT] Bah, hit submit a bit early...

CIPD - The HR and development website
"Yes please" said Squirrel "biscuits are our favourite things."

Re: HR professional body
« Reply #2 on: 25 February, 2011, 01:04:26 pm »
CIPD is the professional body, in that it has membership levels etc and represents HR professionals.

However, there is nothing I'm aware of that means that anyone can "do" HR. I don't think (may be wrong) that CIPD can adjudicate or suspend etc for the way someone does something.

Your case, in my view, is with the employer. The HR department are part of the employer. If you feel that you have been treated unfairly or illegally you can take take legal action. I would recommend that you consult a solicitor who specialises in HR matters for an opinion whether you have a case.

If it's any satisfaction to you, if the employer loses a case, or settles before the tribunal/court, it will usually look to give the HR department a hard time for getting it into the mess!!

clarion

  • Tyke
Re: HR professional body
« Reply #3 on: 25 February, 2011, 01:34:50 pm »
CIPD is merely a professional association, not a governing body, I'm afraid.
Getting there...

Re: HR professional body
« Reply #4 on: 25 February, 2011, 03:13:59 pm »
CIPD is merely a professional association, not a governing body, I'm afraid.

That's what I should have said instead of my waffle - clarity from Clarion!

clarion

  • Tyke
Re: HR professional body
« Reply #5 on: 25 February, 2011, 03:30:56 pm »
I just gave an executive summary of your Board Paper ;)
Getting there...

Wombat

  • Is it supposed to hurt this much?
Re: HR professional body
« Reply #6 on: 26 February, 2011, 05:11:28 pm »
I suspected as much from my first look through their website.  The HR function is outsourced to Crapita, so I had best try to start with a more formal complaint to the contract supervisor person, rather than just the head of HR.  I doubt that their level of incompetence or intransigence is actually illegal, it just falls a very very long way below an acceptable standard.  Harassing the councillors probably won't work, because they are the people who are making the decisions to hack and slash the services, and almost certainly don;t give a stuff about how they do it. 
Wombat

Re: HR professional body
« Reply #7 on: 26 February, 2011, 09:19:44 pm »
I suspect that you have a formal grievance procedure available to you so why dont you use that?
Get a bicycle. You will never regret it, if you live- Mark Twain

Wombat

  • Is it supposed to hurt this much?
Re: HR professional body
« Reply #8 on: 28 February, 2011, 08:28:19 am »
It would be a fix, thats why.  No-one wins their grievances...  In our system it is actually very difficult to complain against anyone other than your own management, and I have no complaint against them.

I'll end up trying everything, and see what happens! javascript:replaceText(' ;D', document.forms.postmodify.message);
Wombat

Re: HR professional body
« Reply #9 on: 28 February, 2011, 10:48:55 pm »
Blimey Wombat, you're hopeful.  being F'in hopeless is the first qualification for most posts in HR.  Piss-ups and breweries come to mind ....
If there is a professional body, run by and for HR professionals I don't hold out much hope for their usefulness.

Regulator

  • That's Councillor Regulator to you...
Re: HR professional body
« Reply #10 on: 01 March, 2011, 07:29:28 am »
CIPD is merely a professional association, not a governing body, I'm afraid.

But it does have a Code of Conduct...

There was a move a few years ago to bring in statutory regulation for HR professionals but the government dropped the plan after pressure from some of the big companies - the CIPD supported the proposals.
Quote from: clarion
I completely agree with Reg.

Green Party Councillor

clarion

  • Tyke
Re: HR professional body
« Reply #11 on: 01 March, 2011, 09:47:08 am »
Not many HR folk are members of CIPD, so their Code of Conduct isn't going to hold much sway.  In addition, we're talking about Crapita, with their phenomenal turnover and piss-poor staff development, so they are unlikely to encourage membership.
Getting there...

Wombat

  • Is it supposed to hurt this much?
Re: HR professional body
« Reply #12 on: 01 March, 2011, 09:24:51 pm »
Depressing but true, Clarion....   Crapita are indeed a boil on the backside of life.  I'll just continue ranting and being generally unpleasant to their boss, then...  latest is that they have failed to send a form needed to get my pension, out in time.  it wasn't even a form tailor made for me, just a standard form, which should have been handed to me at my "dismissal hearing" (a strange title bearing in mind I'm being made redundant) but no, they have to wait till just after 6 weeks till I go, when the deadline is 6 weeks.   They have known about my redundancy since 28th September.   Knobs.
Wombat