Human Resources
Human resources management is a core dimension of organizational management as the workforce is a vital asset of any organization and often accounts for a significant proportion of its expenditures. Over the decades, the JIU Inspectors have kept in mind the United Nations’ values enshrined in its Charter, which stress the principles of the highest standards for efficiency, competence, integrity, transparency of the recruitment process, equitable geographical representation and gender balance.
In the area of human resource management, a major contribution of JIU has been to assess how the acknowledgment and incorporation of these core principles are implemented in the policies and practices of the United Nations system organizations. JIU has not only reviewed various human resources issues at the system-wide level, but also within individual organizations as part of the scope of management and administration reviews. Recommendations are tailored to each organization’s specific requirements, strengths and challenges.
Workforce composition
The United Nations system organizations emphasize building their workforce through proactive recruiting and by retaining competent staff to best achieve their missions and objectives. One enduring crucial aim of the system has been to achieve equitable geographical representation within the UN workforce. JIU has reviewed the methodology and the implementation of these principle in several reports dating back to 1991.
Staff mobility and work-life balance
JIUs analysis led to the conclusion that inter-agency mobility was often driven by the needs of individual staff members and was not the result of a planned strategy, nor of proactive actions taken by organizations. Executive heads should review their internal staff mobility and/or staff rotation schemes from a systemwide perspective.
Non-staff personnel
JIU has paid particular attention to their working conditions, benefits and remuneration and job functions. Its reviews were conducted primarily in an effort to make proposals to harmonize policies system-wide regarding fair salaries and working conditions. JIU underlined the importance t terminate the inappropriate prolonged use of non-staff personnel, and recommended monitoring the duration and frequency of their employment.
Retirees
JIU pointed out the importance of limiting the re-hiring of retirees and retention of staff beyond the mandatory age of separation. It recommended good practices in order to capitalize on the knowledge of retirees through mentoring programmes, or guaranteeing a better work-life balance with a phased retirement scheme option.