The aim of the Unit is to help the trainees and executives who attend it to carry out sound planning, make the right choices and objectively appraise employees, to foresee accurately the likelihood of employees remaining with the business, and to help new recruits develop personally and professionally so that they can integrate more easily into the culture of the business or organisation. It also aims at better employee performance appraisal and the provision of incentives through objective remuneration systems. In short, it seeks to help trainees understand and become familiar, at both theoretical and practical level, with Human Resource Management. Moreover, it has been designed to a high standard and is fully adapted to the needs and conditions of today’s reality in the Human Resources Department of a business or organisation.

The ambitious goal of optimising the performance of the Human Resources Department of a business or organisation is achieved by improving the skills of the directors, executives and human resources managers who will be called upon to address and manage problems arising from people working together, whether in the same workplace or even remotely. Building on the existing knowledge, experience and behaviours of those responsible for managing employees, this Unit contributes to improving the following skills/competences:

• Preparing and organising a responsible response to a problem that has arisen
• Developing the right reflexes, as heads of the human resources department, for the timely planning of the number of employees required
• Resisting pressure from various sides to hire favoured insiders
• Gaining knowledge of how best to organise the recruitment of an employee
• Managing employee performance so as to avoid setbacks once a satisfactory level of efficiency has been achieved
• Feedback to management and employees regarding their performance
• Empowering and strengthening the role of the human resources manager
• Maintaining and promoting the corporate image
• Designing the interview for the recruitment of new employees
• Preparing and organising the reception of new employees in the business
• Identifying employees’ weaknesses and strengthening them through continuous training
• Assessing performance as objectively as possible
• Managing employee underperformance by introducing the appropriate policies
• Understanding tailored communication tools within the business
• Establishing reward systems, etc.

Every modern business has systems of control and evaluation. Employee performance appraisal is carried out for salary adjustments, promotions, the assignment of additional duties and the identification of training needs. The successful leader-manager recognises that a flexible performance appraisal system will effectively link business objectives with employees’ personal goals. Such a system will strengthen and reinforce the employee development programme and will contribute to improving the effectiveness of the business or organisation. This Unit aims to improve employee performance as a result of appraisal. This improved performance will help the business achieve its objectives. Achieving these objectives translates, directly or indirectly, into improved results for the business. The techniques and methods developed will enable participants to adopt the latest developments in the field and apply them in their business or organisation. They will help them carry out objective appraisals, so as to make the system functional and useful for the business.

The goal of optimising the employee performance appraisal process is achieved by adopting clear and achievable objectives for employees, linked to their development plan. Building on the existing knowledge, experience and behaviours of those responsible, this Unit contributes to improving the skills/competences of participants:

• By adopting career development plans
• By increasing the work output of all parties involved
• Contributing to the alignment of the efforts of managers and employees
• Through an understanding of the performance appraisal process
• By designing this process
• Through a meeting between supervisor and subordinates before the formal appraisal
• Through feedback to the employee on the results of their appraisal
• By informing management about employees’ performance levels
• Maintaining and promoting the corporate image
• By providing constructive feedback to the employee
• Through a fair discussion of the employee’s past and/or reduced performance
• By identifying employees’ training needs
• Through a well-founded view on fair and merit-based promotion of employees
• By properly managing difficult employees
• Understanding modern systems and tools for objective appraisals

Modern Crisis Management developed out of the need to control the consequences of catastrophic or painful situations for a business or an organisation. As a management discipline, it should remain independent of the content of the crisis. For some businesses or organisations, it is essential to have drawn up plans in advance to ensure not only the continuity of their operations but also the minimisation of the consequences of a crisis, whether small in scale or more serious in its consequences. This Unit analyses, in a direct manner, some of the reasons why crises occur and proposes solutions for managing them better before and during the event, as well as after it.

The aim of the Unit is to limit or minimise any damage or other impact on the reputation and public image of the business. This aim is achieved by improving the skills of the executives who will be called upon to address and manage a potential crisis. Building on the existing knowledge, experience and behaviours of those responsible, this Unit contributes to improving the following skills:

• Preparing and organising a collective response to a crisis situation
• Developing the right reflexes as an organisation
• Withstanding pressure from journalists
• Gaining knowledge of how to bring a crisis to an end
• Managing the post-crisis period
• Feedback for management and employees
• Understanding how the media operate during a crisis
• Strengthening the role of the Spokesperson
• Maintaining and promoting the corporate image
• Withstanding pressure from journalists
• Preparing and organising communication in the event of a crisis
• Recognising weak communication signals
• Assessment of the risks to which the corporate image is exposed
• Managing media relations during a crisis
• Understanding tailored communication tools in a period of crisis