Toolkit for Developing Human Resources Policies and Supportive Institutional Environments in Higher Education

                                                            Image courtesy of Nick Youngson (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Human Resources Management (HRM) is a well-developed field that focuses on managing, supporting, and developing the people who work in organizations, including universities. Human Resources (HR) teams ensure that the right talent is hired, staff are trained and motivated, clear systems are in place to measure performance and promote professional growth, and that the organisation complies with legal labour requirements.

While the core principles of HRM apply across sectors, higher education presents a unique context that requires a specialised approach. Higher education institutions employ a diverse workforce that includes academic, administrative, and professional support staff, each with different roles, career pathways, and performance metrics. Further, higher education institutions must balance academic freedom with institutional accountability, navigate power dynamics between student and staff cohorts, and invest significantly in talent management to attract and retain academic staff.

As higher education faces increased funding pressures and global competition, strategic and context-specific HRM becomes an essential part of the core functions of institutions. That said, HRM in higher education is often under-resourced or overlooked in strategic planning, despite its crucial role in institutional success.[1]

The Toolkit for Developing Human Resources Policies and Supportive Institutional Environments in Higher Education provides a comprehensive, practical guide for higher education institutions to assess, improve, or establish effective HR policies and practices. It is positioned as an Open Education Resource (OER) and contributes to OER Africa’s broader mission to support sustainable education systems in Africa by empowering institutions to improve staff capacity, enhance organisational effectiveness, and create environments conducive to the adoption and integration of OER. 

Recognising the critical role that HR systems play in the strategic and operational functioning of higher education institutions, the toolkit is designed to support institutions in creating fair, inclusive, and strategically aligned work environments. Developed to be adaptable across diverse institutional types and national contexts, the toolkit presents a step-by-step approach to identifying policy gaps, adopting good practices, and aligning HR processes with institutional missions and goals. 

It offers detailed guidance on core HR domains, including conditions of service, staff development, performance management, promotion, and codes of conduct, along with templates and openly licensed resources to facilitate policy development and implementation. It focuses particularly on helping institutions determine which HR processes and policies should be in place to support individuals within the work environment, as well as the strategic functioning of broader organisation, and foregrounds talent management, which, in recent years, has added another layer to HRM in higher education.[2]  

Key focus areas of HRM in higher education

At its core, the toolkit aims to strengthen HR as a strategic partner in institutional planning and transformation. It encourages continuous improvement through internal self-assessment and promotes alignment with best practices in workforce planning, talent management, staff well-being, and professional development. It particularly aligns with the work OER Africa is doing to develop a comprehensive framework for Continuous Professional Development (CPD) of university staff[3] by guiding institutions towards developing enabling policy environments to support staff development.  

Elevating HRM in higher education can lead to more effective leadership development, improved institutional performance, greater staff retention, and a more inclusive and responsive academic environment.