It is important to be aware that the governing body is the employer, and has ultimate responsibility for the institution’s employment policies.
The main responsibilities of governing bodies in relation to HR are:
Some governing bodies have one or more committees to assist with HR matters, and in some institutions governors may act as trustees of local pension schemes. The statutes and ordinances of many of the pre 1992 universities include a role for Council members in staff disciplinary and grievance procedures.
Governing bodies have to comply with a substantial and growing body of legislation (including European directives).
Governors new to the higher education sector may find in some institutions an absence of ‘conventional’ people management, particularly in relation to academic staff. Traditions in many pre 1992 universities of academic self-government are changing, but in many institutions elections to senior posts, held for a limited period, are very much the norm.
However, aspects of people management in higher education are becoming more mainstream. For example, the generalisation that many academic staff look to external peers for recognition, and therefore may have relatively marginal loyalty to their institution, is not unique to higher education. Nor is the tendency of professionals as employees to resent close supervision. Other sectors employing highly qualified knowledge workers face the same challenges in persuading key staff to do things that are in the organisational interest rather than just their own.
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