Managing people? There's a standard for that

There's a simple rule when running a business – happy employees mean a happier (and more successful) workplace. Although let's be clear from the start, true workplace happiness does not come in the form of a ping pong table and some brightly coloured bean bags. It comes from a mutually satisfactory and sustainable relationship between employers and their employees – and the more valued employees feel, the greater an organization's performance.

In terms of assets, people are probably the best a business can get. As a result, businesses need to be able to establish a positive dialogue between those at the top and the rest of the workforce. If they can achieve this, the business is better equipped to recognize, adapt to, and value the skills and potential of individuals – and become more stable and successful as a result.

The secret to such business success lies with an effective management system, one that creates a structured and thoughtful approach to managing people. Any business looking to benefit from the inherent value of its staff needs consistency, and this is precisely why BSI has published its first HR-specific standard.

BS 76000 – Human resource – Valuing people – Management system – Requirements and guidance offers a framework to help businesses build effective working relationships with staff through an individually-tailored management system. In short, the standard aims to make sure employees are treated with the respect they deserve and that businesses benefit from the value people bring.

It requires a strategic and practical commitment from top management, shifting the focus from the HR department alone. Recruitment is a crucial element in any business, but for too long businesses have been restricted in the hiring process. This standard leaves behind the rigid procedure of recruiting from a pool of people who apply at any given moment and moves towards a more proactive and adaptable process that identifies people's potential and shapes roles accordingly.

BS 76000 is industry driven and can be applied to any business of any size, sector or maturity. It extends beyond the remit of HR and can be applied to any organization with employees, volunteers, interns or any other types of staff.

This standard is the first of its kind and is particularly important because there are times when even those businesses actively striving for investment in people experience a certain amount of detachment. All of a sudden, employees start viewing their employers as problematic, exploitative or unfair – and vice-versa.

This sense of business being a two-way relationship is at the heart of BS 76000. If a business values its staff and recognizes individual capabilities and potential, their employees are more likely to value the organization. This means they are also more likely to remain loyal, productive and invested in its success. A genuine win-win.

BS 76000 aims to make the workplace a fairer place – and you can't say fairer than that.