Human Resource Management is a long-established task within the Government's Management Framework. Through this task the Government meets its obligation to be a good employer; seeks to secure staff commitment; and develops and manages staff to give of their best to help the Government serve the community.

The need to respond to changing community expectations means that the task of managing our staff better is more important than ever - it is the staff who deliver the service, and it is through a new emphasis on staff management that a customer service and performance oriented culture will gradually evolve.

The Civil Service Branch carried out a review in 1993 to determine what changes were needed in implementing Human Resource Management so that it could best complement and support the new focus on devolving authority, on customers and on raising service standards.

The outcome of the review has established the direction for Human Resource Management. First the Civil Service Branch is now concentrating more on its strategic role, determining policy, setting guidelines and rules, and advising branches and departments on implementation. Within this, the Branch is delegating as much authority as possible to departments, and simplifying rules and procedures. Second, the emphasis is now more on the management of people rather than the administration of rules. Third, branches and departments are expected to review and develop their own Human Resource Management plans to help them meet their operational requirements.

While the Civil Service Branch encourages the implementation of Human Resource Management initiatives, it appreciates that change cannot happen overnight, and that many effective staff management practices are already occurring. It is for departments to build upon these and show continuous improvement over time.

This booklet explains how Human Resource Management works in the Hong Kong Civil Service. It describes the core principles and values of the Government; where responsibilities lie; and the key management tasks that must be addressed.

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Hong Kong Civil Service.

FOREWORD

One of the measures of success of our Civil Service is our responsiveness to the changing needs and circumstances of Hong Kong. We are learning how to work with a fully elected legislature and how to deliver new and improved services demanded by a more affluent and sophisticated community. We have become more open and accountable, and have committed ourselves to specific standards of performance against which the public can gauge what they can and should expect from us. Such responsiveness and adaptability call for an enormous amount of resilience, dedication and skill from all of us. We must ensure that our human resource management (HRM) practices develop even further the commitment and performance of civil servants.

Each one of us have a role to play in meeting the challenge of improving our HRM practices and maintaining a dynamic and progressive approach to managing people.

This Guide to Human Resource Management not only encapsulates the vision and guiding principles of how we intend to manage people in the future, but also provides a practical tool to assist us all in realizing that vision.

The Hong Kong Civil Service is one of the best in the world, and people are Hong Kong's most precious assets. I hope colleagues will make the most of this Guide to upgrade the value of our "assets" and uphold the high reputation of our Civil Service.

Michael C. C. SZE
Secretary for the Civil Service

THE WAY AHEAD

Human Resource Management is a long established task. However there is a new emphasis emerging and greater importance being placed on finding ways of managing staff better, so that they can and will continue to give of their best in these times of changing community needs and expectations.

The challenge ahead in Human Resource Management is not to effect cultural change overnight, but rather to take initiatives which will lead to continuous improvement and show a more planned approach to managing people. It is our collective responsibility to motivate, develop and manage staff in such a way that their contributions to the service are maximized.

Civil Service Branch sets the strategic direction and formulates the overall Human Resource Management development policy to encourage and support departments to achieve continuous improvement in their areas. It has reviewed Human Resource Management policies and practices and identified four main priorities:

• emphasis on more open, flexible and caring management of people, rather than the administration of rules ·  delegation of authority and accountability for Human Resource Management to those responsible for service delivery
• simplification of rules and procedures to encourage efficiency and effectiveness
• increasing Civil Service Branch's strategic Human Resource Management role in policy formulation, setting guidelines and rules, and advising departments on Human Resource Management implementation.

To address these priorities, Civil Service Branch is encouraging departments to review their Human Resource Management policies and practices, and to plan how Human Resource Management initiatives can help address the operational needs of the department.

Policy Branches will need to give more emphasis to their role, to agree and monitor departmental Human Resource Management plans with their departments.

Departments have the challenge to take stock of the existing culture and Human Resource Management practices with a view to finding better ways to enable and encourage the self-motivation, development and management of staff. Departments should form their own Human Resource Management plans to bring about more effective and efficient performance to meet their objectives.

Individual Civil Servants should be committed to the Government's aim to serve the community, continue to give of their very best, and take every opportunity to keep building the new culture. They should understand the changing values and expectations, and work with management to identify opportunities for personal and departmental performance improvement, and culture change.

The way ahead, therefore, is to build on current strengths and successes in the most relevant areas of Human Resource Management, and plan a realistic approach to continuous improvement over time.

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