Human Resource Audit (HRA) — Winter 2019

Briefly answer / explain the following . All 7 questions are compulsory.

Human Resource Audit should be conducted from a strategic perspective .

HRD Audit must start with a specific purpose in mind .

The purpose of HRD Audit is served when timely and effective post-audit steps are taken .

HRD Audit is not about the HRD function alone, it is integrative .

The composition of the team conducting the HRD Audit matters the most.

HRD Audit should, essentially, be driven by the Top Management.

The design and content of the HRD Audit Report is critical to the achievement of the purpose of the Audit .

How do good HR practices make a difference to organizational performance? Describe briefly the elements / characteristics of good HRD and relate it with the Integrative Framework approach.

The classification of various HRD systems as envisaged by Prof Udai Pareek and Dr. T V Rao is as given below :

Career System ii) Work – Planning System iii) Development System iv) Self-Renewal System

Culture Sub-system Mention for each of the systems above , what are the sub-systems that one would examine while conducting HRD Audit ? Also mention how each one of these systems contribute to the effectiveness of HRD in an organization with respect to all the stakeholders satisfaction and motivation. Quote suitable examples .

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HRD Audit if conducted well, will essentially contribute to Business improvement. All the same, there are many reasons why the HRD Audit process will either go through various challenges or/and will fail to give desired results. State what can go wrong and why. Also indicate the measures that must be taken to overcome or proactively counter these potential challenges from a practical perspective. State the importance of a good organizational culture as a sure and long lasting step to ensure effective HRD Audit process .

HRD Audit is a Process. Discuss in brief the steps in implementing the HRD Audit. Also mention the critical success factors for each step in the process.

How would you differentiate between HRD Strategies and HRD Systems ? Make a list of HRD Strategies and HRD Systems . Choose any 01 HRD Strategy and any 01 HRD System and for both of these, make at least five audit questions each.

Comment on the various HRD Structures, their importance and describe the broad competencies required at various levels of the structure. What does the Audit team try to know in relation to the organization structure of any organization?

List the various Audit Methodologies. If you were to conduct Group Interviews, describe step wise how you would go about doing so and also mention the questions you shall put forth for getting answers to evaluate the overall performance of the HR department .

HR department is rightly referred to as a “Strategic Business Partner” . While saying so, what do you see as the challenges for HR Champions? What are the HR Capabilities and Competencies that would be required ? State the methods that can be used to test/ audit these competencies.

Observation can many a times reveal more than direct questions to people concerned. If you intend to learn about the level of employee satisfaction and development in a fast growing organization amidst highly competitive environment, what are the list of documents, forms, formats, reports etc. that you would observe and why ?

State the objectives of the HRD Audit report . List down briefly what each chapter of the report should contain.

If you were in-charge of conducting the HRD Audit and ensuring good and meaningful recommendations for business improvement, what are the roles you would expect each of the following to play :

The CEO / Top Management ii) Line Managers iii) HR Department Explain how would you ensure that each of them played their role effectively. Page 2 of

Elite Pharmaceuticals is a reputed company, known for its proactive HR Policies and practices. The vision and mission statement of the company also reflect the corporate social responsibility of undertaking environment friendly manufacturing activities . Some of the innovative HR practices of the company are as follows:  Creating change management plans for preparing the company for entering foreign markets  Culture building exercises that support that support self – initiation, openness, honesty and integrity and team work, etc.  Career Planning for good performers.  Challenging and learning assignments for grooming future leaders  Sharing of knowledge management infrastructure which nurture and support shared learning . However, the CMD of the company received a show cause notice from the Pollution Control Board on account of pollution created by one of the manufacturing units. The company’s image of being socially responsible was getting tainted. The employees of the company were perplexed with the external information and started doubting the company’s holy vision and mission statements and also the credibility of the top management. After a mammoth task of creating employees awareness towards the pollution control mechanisms being implemented by the company and making them tour all villages to create awareness about the responsible actions taken by the company, matters were under control. However, regaining the credibility as before posed a challenge. Also, issues that had remained covert till now, started gradually surfacing – some of them being grapevine as well. The management was seriously concerned. On one hand business was growing and on the other hand, internal concerns were bothering the management . The management decided to carry out an HR AUDIT and entrusted this assignment to the Head of HR Department.

If you were the Head of HR Department, explain what approach would you have taken to carry out the HR Audit. Justify your answer with due explanation.

Explain the pre-audit steps you would take in order to gather objective responses to your audit questions. Having done so, how would ensure that the Audit would be able to address the concerns of the CMD?