Human resources capability lacking

Two-thirds of small to medium voluntary organisations do not have a
dedicated human resources specialist, according to a report
commissioned by the National Council for Voluntary
Organisations.

Joanna Wootton, HR manager at the NCVO, said: “It is clear that
many organisations are not planning strategically and this may be
due in part to the lack of time or expertise available
internally.”

She added that the government’s initiatives to support the capacity
of voluntary organisations provided an “ideal opportunity to review
the HR function and ensure that it is prioritised as an area of
importance”.

Kirsty Newsome, lecturer in human resources management at the
University of Strathclyde, which carried out the research, said
that although some organisations were formalising their HR
policies, there were “question marks over the sustainability of
provision given the constraints on internal resources”.