Matching person to the job essential when you have 3500 staff

Getting the right people for the right job and keeping them happy doesn't sound too demanding. But if you're looking after nearly 3500 staff then it takes on a new dimension.
That's the job that falls to Hentie Cilliers, a 49-year-old who is regional general manager of human resources and organisational development for both the Whanganui and MidCentral district health boards.
Mr Cilliers' role is another of those created as a result of greater collaboration between the Wanganui and Palmerston North health boards and he stepped into the position in January this year.
At some point his teams in both cities (nine in Wanganui and 16 in Palmerston North) will have contact with 2500 staff at MidCentral and more than close to 1000 employed in Wanganui.
"After that initial contact with our staff and beyond their successful appointment, there's on-going contact through training days and the like. We see them throughout their life in our originations," he said. "That's why candidate care is important from that first contact throughout their career with us."
Mr Cilliers said broadly his job was getting the right people for the right jobs, retaining them and, if they left, get their feedback "so we can learn from them as well".
"Basically we're a support department to our managers. We're not 'people managers' in that we don't directly manage staff. To a large degree it's providing advice to the managers, to help them manage risk. We're helping both managers and staff at the same time."
He and his family moved from South Africa in 2005, and spent a year in Christchurch before shifting to Wanganui in mid-2006 where he managed the YMCA. He has worked for for the WDHB since 2008.
Mr Cilliers' department has contact across the broad range of staff employed by both boards, making sure the proper processes are followed. Once his team has done the groundwork it is up to managers to make the final assessment and select the person they want for the job.
He said the creation of the regional role means there will be a streamlining of structures within the department.
"There will be efficiencies to be gained from this collaborative role. It's still early days but we've been talking about a regional HR service for quite a while now. There's still a lot of work to be done and while there's still a need for roles that are specific to both centres it's about getting the back office processes in synch in terms of policies."
He said the sharing was not restricted just both boards. There were a number of HR systems and processes that they and other New Zealand DHBs could and did tap into regularly.
Mr Cilliers said the benefits in a regional approach to staffing and recruitment were obvious. "If you're talking future workforce, all the research says the workforce is more mobile. So if boards are doing similar things then we might as well get the benefits from working together."
He said he could not do his job without the support of the teams working under his control. "This is not about Wanganui or Palmerston North. It's about what we do for the greater region.
"Managers and team leaders are always looking for the best solution and how they can make it work. It's about health service delivery in both areas and has nothing to do with one being bigger than the other."
Mr Cilliers said there were some major tasks ahead for this combined team and there would be a review in about 12 months time and there were timelines he has created to get tasks done.
"It's important though that none of the staff experience a drop in the service as we work through these changes," he said. "From now until the end of the year there's a fair bit work to be done."