Competency and Values Framework (CVF) in HR

The way recruitments are taking place is changing alongside the requirements for any job role. Stress is now more on the fact that whether an applicant has the necessary skills to perform well in a role and not just technical knowledge.

Thus, HRMs need to go one step beyond to improve the recruitment process and make a conscious move to use a CVF framework to ensure a more efficient workforce.

Understanding the Competency and Values Framework (CVF)

When HRMs look at the educational qualifications of an applicant, it does not speak much of how they will perform when posed with challenges. However, by using a competency and values framework, HRM can better gauge how an employee is going to perform. Further, employers can also identify who the top performers are.

What is the Competency and Values Framework?

In competency or capability frameworks, key skills (both technical and behavioural) and their necessary proficiencies are listed with regards to each job role. Further, when values and ethics that align with the objectives of the company are incorporated with this, it becomes a CVF or Competency and Values Framework.

Thus, a competency and values framework defines and outlines the essential attributes, skills, and knowledge that are key to performing well in a job role.

Some competency framework examples are:

  • Core Competency Framework
  • Behavioural Competency Framework
  • Technical Competency Framework
  • Leadership Competency Framework

Key Components of the CVF Framework

The building blocks for an effective and efficient CVF framework are:

  • Core Values: These are the principles (ethical standards and codes) that influence the decisions being made and actions being taken by your employees.
  • Core Competencies: These account for the basic skills that every member of the workforce should possess.
  • Functional Competencies: Technical know-how, educational qualifications, and relevant experience relevant to the job role in question make up the functional competencies.
  • Meta Competencies: Skills and traits that are valuable no matter the role, such as adaptability, being ready to learn, etc., form the meta competencies.
  • Leadership Competencies: These are skills and traits that show that an employee has the potential to lead, i.e., guide, manage, and motivate others.

Benefits Offered by a CVF Framework

When an organisation uses a competency values framework, it stands to gain the following:

  • Clarity in which skills and competencies are essential for a job role.
  • Detecting whether there are any skill gaps among the workers.
  • Promoting career mapping and growth for all employees.
  • Aiding and streamlining the recruitment process.
  • Creating targeted training and development courses for employees.

CVF Framework in Hiring: Attracting the Right Talent

With a Competency and Values Framework in place, identify and list which key skills and values are essential for a worker to be the right fit for the job role being offered. Further, you can also align the values of your workers with the goals and culture of the company. This, in turn, will ensure that you attract the right talent and that your workers enjoy job satisfaction.

How the CVF Framework Enhances the Recruitment Process

A CVF Framework lists the following things against every job role:

  • The educational qualification, training, and job experience necessary.
  • Soft skills like effective communication, empathy, decision-making, timekeeping, and more.
  • Ethical and moral values like integrity that is important to work anywhere in the organisation.

Similarly, a leadership competency framework also needs to be taken into account when hiring an employee in a management position.

Here, the key criteria under consideration are:

  • emotional intelligence,
  • managing change,
  • conflict resolution, and
  • being able to motivate and manage others.

Thus, a competency values framework can help identify which applicants are the best fit for the job role on offer. Further, it has the potential to streamline the hiring process and increase the efficiency of recruitments.

Competency and Values-Based Hiring: A Strategic Approach

When recruiting with the help of a CVF framework, some of the main things to consider are:

  • Whether the behavioural traits and competencies align with the job role on offer.
  • Qualities and attributes that the organisation stresses on.
  • If the ethics and values of the organisation and the candidate under consideration align.
  • Whether or not the evaluation methods are fair, objective, and data-driven.

By taking a look at the above, recruiters can devise a strategy to streamline the hiring process. Additionally, by deploying a suitable competencies and values framework, HRMs can cut back on the time taken to hire a new joinee by 91% and costs by 89%.

CVF Framework in Retention: Creating a Values-Driven Workforce

In the UK, CIPD recognised that the average employee turnover is 34%. Out of this, 27.4% of workers moved to a new workplace. Further, only 21.6% of employees enjoy a tenure of 2 to 5 years at any given workplace.

The CIPD competency framework can act as a benchmark when selecting an appropriate CVF framework for your company. This will not only boost the efficiency of recruitments but also help hire employees who will stay with the organisation long-term and add value.

How a Strong Values Framework Boosts Employee Retention

When a company has a strong foundation for their CVF framework, they can positively contribute to employee retention:

  • Attract talent who are best suited to the role.
  • Create a sense of purpose among the employees.
  • Give employee engagement a boost.
  • Improve communication and collaboration among the workers.
  • Reduce conflict among the personnel and boost morale.
  • Provide a fair and clear framework for performance management and appraisals.

Developing Employees Using the Competency and Values Framework

To ensure that the employees meet the organisation’s goals and values, as an HRM, you can try the following:

  • Create tailored training programs that align with the organisational views.
  • Train the employees based on the gaps you may find in their competencies.
  • Use the framework as the basis for performance management.
  • Communicate clear job roles and expectations.

Conclusion

Streamlining recruitments and retaining the best performing employees is an essential task for all HRMs. To this end, a Competency and Values Framework is one of the best tools.

Evaluate a CVF framework for your organisation and deploy it to establish a thorough system for new recruitments and employee retention.