1.5.2 Human resource management | Indicators For Democratic Parliament

This dimension concerns the human resources needed to support an effective parliament. It only includes non-partisan staff under the management of the parliamentary administration, not political staff supporting individual MPs and political groups.

Human resource management includes building institutional capacity for sustained and enhanced performance. The comprehensive development and training of staff is therefore important for the parliamentary administration to be able to meet the needs of parliament in the longer term.

In some countries, staff are permitted to move between the civil service and the parliamentary administration. The legal framework may establish that parliamentary staff are whole-of-government employees for the purpose of retirement and other related benefits.

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Aspiring goal

Based on a global comparative analysis, an aspiring goal for parliaments in the area of “human resource management” is as follows:

The parliamentary administration has sufficient human resources to be able to fulfil its mandate.

There are processes and procedures in place for the planning, allocation and assessment of the staff needed to support parliamentary business.

The following principles are applied to the recruitment and advancement of parliamentary staff:

Parliamentary staff should be recruited and promoted through fair and open competition, based on merit.
Appointments should not be based on personal or partisan political considerations.
MPs and/or political staff should only be involved in the recruitment and career advancement of parliamentary staff in exceptional circumstances, usually in relation to the most senior positions.
Recruitment should be conducted with the aim of ensuring so far as possible that parliamentary staff as a body represent the range of people who are citizens of the country.

Clear policies govern disciplinary procedures, ethical conduct, working hours and leave allocations for parliamentary staff. The implementation of these policies is reviewed regularly.

The parliamentary administration has a professional development framework for parliamentary staff.

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Assessment criteria

No 1: Policies

Clear human resource policies are established, implemented and regularly reviewed to support the effective management of parliamentary staff. These policies govern the recruitment and retention of parliamentary staff, as well as disciplinary procedures, ethical conduct, working hours and leave allocations.

No 2: Processes

Processes are in place for planning, performance management and reporting. Clear job descriptions are also in place, along with details of salaries, benefits and other performance incentives. Human resources are sufficient to support all aspects of parliamentary business.

No 3: Recruitment and advancement

Rules and procedures determined by parliament are in place for the recruitment and advancement of parliamentary staff. Parliamentary staff are recruited and promoted through fair and open competition, based on merit, without political involvement.

No 4: Training and specialization

The parliamentary administration has a professional development framework for parliamentary staff, which includes training and specialization in specific areas, and which recognizes the unique skills and capabilities required.

How to complete this assessment

This dimension is assessed against several criteria, each of which should be evaluated separately. For each criterion, select one of the six descriptive grades (Non-existent, Rudimentary, Basic, Good, Very good and Excellent) that best reflects the situation in your parliament, and provide details of the evidence on which this assessment is based.

The evidence for assessment of this dimension could include the following:

Provisions of the legal framework on the relationship between the civil service and the parliamentary administration
Provisions of the constitution and/or other aspects of the legal framework on the independent recruitment and advancement of parliamentary staff
Rules, procedures and guidelines on the recruitment and advancement of parliamentary staff
Statistics on the recruitment and advancement of parliamentary staff
Reviews or reports relating to recruitment and advancement processes
Policies pertaining to human resource management within the parliamentary administration
Performance contracts, reports on work done and performance assessments
Monitoring and evaluation framework and work (if any)

Where relevant, provide additional comments or examples that support the assessment.

Sources and further reading

Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments (ASGP), Principles for recruitment and career management of staff of the parliamentary administration (2014)
Charles Lusthaus and others, Organisational Assessment: A Framework for Improving Performance (2002)
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Comparative research paper on parliamentary administration (2020)
United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Organizational Capacity Assessment (2016)

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The assessment of indicators involves diagnosing and considering strengths and weaknesses, i.e. the things parliament is doing well, and the things it could do better or more effectively, taking into account established good practices that are described in the indicators.

Read the assessment guidance to find out what to consider when conducting an assessment against the Indicators. Find out how to prepare, how to set the objectives of the assessment, how to organize the process, and more. Contact the project partners for expert advice.

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Dimension: 1.5.2 Human resource management