EPN 4: Finding, developing and retaining good field managers for relief assignments

Coventry, UK, 26 - 28 June 2002

Key points:

Short contracts are overused, leading to high staff turnover and loss of programme quality. Programme managers in particular should be offered longer contracts from the outset.
Training budgets are often inadequate, and lack a coherent training policy endorsed by the Board.
The cost of poor HR practice. Greater measurement of HR performance would show the cost to programmes, in quality and in financial terms, resulting from HR problems.
Many staff retention ideas are available. Agencies facing a shortage of field managers should make much more use of these ideas.
Mandatory security training is now needed for all new relief workers, before their first assignment to an insecure country, as a standard policy. Mandatory security briefing should also be required for all personnel, however experienced, travelling to an emergency area.
Board-level endorsement and support of an explicit and detailed HR strategy is necessary if agencies are to have the human resources to perform well in emergencies.