There has been much talk of decentralising the northern-centric humanitarian aid sector to give more power to southern staff, but how much has changed over recent years?
Read the full story (20 May 2013)
The Humanitarian Accountability Partnership (HAP), People In Aid and the Sphere Project have now moved into the action phase to develop a new humanitarian standards architecture.
Read the full story (17 May 2013)
The global stakeholder consultation report on humanitarian standards, commissioned by the Joint Standards Initiative (JSI), has been made public on the Joint Standards website.
Read the full story (2 May 2013)
Volunteers are critical contributors to development and humanitarian work. When we consulted the humanitarian and development sector on the 2003 revision of the People In Aid Code of Good Practice, we were asked to refer to 'staff and volunteers' throughout rather than just staff. Since then, we have always considered volunteers in our work. Volunteer-sending agencies have felt comfortable both as members of People In Aid and with the Code itself, and many of our members have large cadres of volunteers (e.g. AVI, IFRC, Malteser, CESVI, VSO, MSF, SOS Kindersdorf). Amongst our other members, we are seeing an increase in the use of volunteers (and interns) to support agencies' work across a variety of teams and departments, both at HQ and field level, and an increased need to define a volunteer and their added value.
Read the full story (26 April 2013)
People in Aid is delighted to continue to support People Count Third Sector 2013, the UK's leading HR and Workforce Benchmarking Study for the sector, which provides you with a management tool to contribute to performance improvement and cost savings across your organisation.
Read the full story (16 April 2013)
Based in the London, UK and working closely with all of the team, the Operations Manager provides a comprehensive support service to all staff in the organisation by ensuring the smooth running of the office and contributing skills to a range of organisational tasks.
Read the full story (26 March 2013)
By Adam Bentham
What are your priorities for future-proofing your organisation? Have you taken note of the trends which will affect your workplace in the future? Today is the day to create your action plan to ensure you are fully prepared. Well, actually Friday 22 March was the day as that was when I attended Future of Work's event on the topic.
Read the full story (25 March 2013)
Following identification of key HR and management areas to improve on, ActionAid International Secretariat and its 26 associates and affiliates worldwide have been awarded the first People In Aid Quality Mark, Committed to the People In Aid Code of Good Practice.
Read the full story (19 March 2013)
We have added a new Policy Guideline, kindly donated by Oxfam UK, to our existing selection which you can download now free of charge. The Guideline was designed as a tool to support line managers and HR staff in developing rest and recuperation policies, whatever the context.
Read the full story (13 March 2013)
General elections will be held in Kenya on 4 March 2013. It is imperative that organisations working in the region have plans in place for staff, should there still be violence or unrest in the country.
A web portal, including key resources and an online forum to share opinions and plans is now live.
Read the full story (12 February 2013)
We are in the thick of the Joint Standards Initiative Consultation which launched in Dec 2012 and ends on 1st March 2013. The on-line survey has been widely circulated in four languages, focus group discussions are taking place across the globe and regional consultation events start this week. Here are some of the ways you can participate before the end of the month:
Read the full story (6 February 2013)
Seminal People In Aid paper, The State of HR 2013 is now available to download via our website. An essential read for all those within the humanitarian and development sector, this year's paper focuses on the changing landscape in recessionary times and how this climate of uncertainty presents challenges to the sector.
Read the full story (21 January 2013)
A 2010 employee survey identified several areas for Retrak to improve within the organisation. Among the issues raised were the needs to consider an improved financial package, to improve internal communication as well as to increase the opportunities for staff to develop their skills.
Read the full story (11 December 2012)
We are currently seeking a part-time HR Intern to assist and learn and gain valuable experience working with the HR Services Team in the London office as they deliver their 2012/13 work plan.
Read the full story (11 December 2012)
Three standard setting bodies (ourselves, HAP International, and the Sphere Project) have launched a process to seek greater coherence for users of standards in order to improve humanitarian action. At the heart of this collaboration, called the Joint Standards Initiative, is a consultation process with key stakeholders to gather views on the use, relevance and future of standards.
We invite you to fill in a short online survey to provide us with your views.
Read the full story (5 December 2012)
By Maduri Moutou
The Future of Work consortium kicked off Phase 4 of their project with a masterclass on 26 November 2012 followed by a 48-hour online 'jam'. Themed around the future of talent - the event had over 100 participants in London. Many of the insights were incredibly helpful and some fascinating discussions really resonated with me:
Read the full story (29 November 2012)
This year sees the first ever Annual report from People In Aid. In a year where we have surpassed the 200 member milestone, it seems timely to collate and review our efforts and achievements to share with you all.
Read the full story (19 November 2012)
By Jonathan Potter
To coincide with our recent newsletter on Reward, Jonathan Potter, People In Aid's Executive Director, reports on the Listening Project's findings with regards to the disparity between local and international staff.
Read the full story (29 October 2012)
The new edition of the People In Aid Newsletter, exploring the topic of Reward is now available to view online for free. The newsletter includes valuable insights from Julie Shrestha, International HR/OD Practitioner (People Power), Victoria Smith, HR Movement Relations (Sierra Leone Red Cross Society), Reggie McCrae, Director of Global HR Services (CARE USA), Vanbreda International and many more.
Read the full story (23 October 2012)
Our Members' Forum provides an excellent platform to network with others and explore and discuss this year's theme: Tough Times and the Power of HR; looking at the impact HR can have in times of economic crisis. The day is open to all from the afternoon onwards and to People In Aid members all day, to include our Annual General Meeting.
Read the full story (11 October 2012)
The Joint Standards Initiative is looking for a Consultant(s) to support a major stakeholder consultation launching in November to run for a 4 month period.
Read the full story (10 October 2012)
The ground-breaking collaboration between HAP International, People In Aid and the Sphere Project to transform the quality and accountability system is gathering pace.
Read the full story (21 September 2012)
Read the full story of how Verified Compliant People In Aid member, Concern Worldwide, relied on People In Aid resources during their response to the Darfur conflict in 2004.
Read the full story (7 September 2012)
After close to ten years with us, Ben Emmens is leaving his role of Director of HR Services at People In Aid. We have kept him far longer than he expected and we dared hope, owing to the excitement and centrality of the role that he occupied in the sector, and which he grew so skillfully alongside the quantity and quality our output and services, relevance and credibility of our messages.
Read the full story (26 August 2012)
We are delighted to announce that there are now over 200 humanitarian and development organisations in the People In Aid network.
Read the full story (22 August 2012)
People In Aid have partnered with the Consortium of British Humanitarian Agencies on a wide variety of projects, such as competency frameworks for humanitarian workers, workshops for the development of humanitarian staff, and more.
Read the full story (8 August 2012)
Our latest edition of the People In Aid Newsletter, which this time is themed around Coaching, is now available to view online in French and Spanish.
Read the full story (31 July 2012)
Up on our website now are the key learning points, photos, presentation slides and video clips from the HHR Africa Conference 2012, 'Health, Safety and Security of Aid Workers' - visit www.peopleinaid.org/hhrafrica2012 to find out more.
Read the full story (27 July 2012)
People In Aid is exploring the possibility of embarking on a commercial venture with Response24, a specialised firm focused on delivering crisis and cash management solutions, for the corporate and non-profit sector. We would offer the Emergency Card, the current working title, to our members. This card will provide an all-in-one solution for staff that combines a Visa cash card, crisis insurance and enhanced staff security coverage.
Read the full story (10 July 2012)
We are looking for an experienced evaluator to conduct a mid-term independent progress review (IPR) of our work (deadline October 2012) as well as conduct our final evaluation in 2014. More information and a recruitment pack for this role are available below.
Read the full story (3 July 2012)
The new edition of the People In Aid Newsletter, which this time is themed around Coaching, is now available to view online.
Read the full story (25 June 2012)
Up on our website now are the key learning points, photos, presentation slides, videos and short audio clips from the HHR Europe 2012, 'What Duties? Who Cares? Integrate Your Approach to Health, Safety and Security' - visit www.peopleinaid.org/hhr2012 to find out more.
Read the full story (22 June 2012)
By Maduri Moutou
Day two of HHR Africa began with a recap of day one, asking participants to share the learning they intend to take home. Learning included "understanding that staff care is not optional, but essential", that "staff wellbeing does not have to be expensive", "stress can be contagious within an organisation, so we do need to deal with it quickly" and finally to "investigate when staff have issues, and not just send them to counselling at the first opportunity".
Read the full story (13 June 2012)
By Maduri Moutou
People In Aid's HR Services Team Leader, Maduri Moutou is in Nairobi, Kenya for our annual Humanitarian HR Conference, themed around the Health, Safety and Wellbeing of Aidworkers
Read the full story (12 June 2012)
When it comes to providing staff care for aid workers, effective debriefing after placements and assignments is vital. Our new case study on debriefing comes from VSO, who restructured their debriefing strategy after a member of staff attended our Debriefing Staff Workshop in June 2011.
Read the full story (7 June 2012)
The JSI seeks a short-term Senior Administrator for immediate start (would suit a secondment from a member agency) and is re-advertising for the position of Coordinator, to start in September. More details about the two positions are available below.
Read the full story (29 May 2012)
By Adam Bentham
A lot of the discussion today followed yesterday's panel discussion on 'Staff Care: What Duty? Who Cares?' Representatives from Oxfam Novib, Interhealth, ACF UK, Mindfulness for NGOs and the ex- Global Editor of Reuters all took questions from the group. It was great to see such high profile agencies/organisations discussing the similarities of the problems they face.
Read the full story (25 May 2012)
By Adam Bentham
Ted Lankester, co-founder of Interhealth, addressed the room earlier on today and asked NGO's to consider two key questions when aid workers become unwell abroad.
Read the full story (24 May 2012)
By Adam Bentham
Mike Thomson, esteemed journalist and currently the Foreign Affairs Correspondent for BBC Radio 4, has just finished the keynote address here at HHR Amsterdam 2012. Mike touched upon his previous experiences, from visiting troops in the Central African Republic and prisons in Eastern Congo to interviews with Karen rebel leaders in Burma.
Read the full story (23 May 2012)
By Adam Bentham
Participants are now taking their seats for this year's 3-day Humanitarian HR Europe Conference in Amsterdam titled 'What Duties? Who Cares? Integrate Your Approach to Health, Safety and Security'.
Read the full story (23 May 2012)
People In Aid has been active in the region for a number of years, with Melbourne-based Regional Consultants Angie Zogopoulos and Lucy Quarterman supported by colleagues in London and local partner consultants.
Read the full story (9 May 2012)
We are pleased to announce details of the upcoming conference, themed around the Health, Safety and Wellbeing of Aid Workers. We are also pleased to reveal our keynote speaker, award winning Kenyan journalist John-Allan Namu. Places are limited so please book early to avoid disappointment.
Read the full story (11 April 2012)
We are currently recruiting for a one-year post as Coordinator of the Joint Standards' Initiative, a collaboration between HAP, People In Aid and Sphere. It is an extraordinary opportunity for someone to make a historic difference to the sector.
Read the full story (30 March 2012)
Thank you very much to everyone who took the time to take part in our recent evaluation of the People In Aid newsletter. Responses to the questions tell us that, broadly, our Newsletter continues to have a very positive impact on readers and is well received.
Read the full story (29 March 2012)
We've recently expanded our member-only Policy Bank, to include Tear Australia's policies on Learning and Development and Recruitment, and HelpAge International's policies on Performance Management, Reward, Whistleblowing and more.
Read the full story (22 March 2012)
People In Aid is currently looking to recruit three new Trustees.
Read the full story (14 March 2012)
JointStandards.org has now launched, giving you and your colleagues the opportunity to view and use guidelines and guidance from the humanitarian sector on one website.
Read the full story (14 March 2012)
People In Aid are now using social bookmarking site Delicious to provide more insights, resources and information for visitors to the website. The Delicious widget can be viewed on the right hand side of the People In Aid homepage.
Read the full story (23 February 2012)
The new edition of the People in Aid newsletter is now available to view online; evaluate its impact for the chance to win an e-copy of the People In Aid HR Manual.
Read the full story (15 February 2012)
The Joint Standards' Initiative deployment to the Horn of Africa that began at the end of October 2011 concluded on 31 January 2012.
Read the full story (3 February 2012)
We've recently expanded our Policy Bank, which now features a new section on counter-terrorism policies available for People In Aid members to view.
Read the full story (27 January 2012)
Up on our website now are the key learning points, photos, presentation slides and short audio clips from the International Strategic HR Conference 2011, 'Tomorrow's organisation: the people issues and how you prepare for them.'
Read the full story (8 January 2012)
RedR have launched a new tool designed to improve the standard of capacity building in the humanitarian sector. Developed by RedR UK and Bioforce, the framework is supported by Bond, ELRHA, INTRAC, Mango and People in Aid.
Read the full story (2 January 2012)
Numerous factors, including drought, rising food prices, conflict, seasonal floods and localised resource conflicts have been overstretching the coping strategies of rural and urban livelihoods systems in the Horn of Africa.
Read the full story (23 December 2011)
The Directors/Manager of the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership (HAP), the Sphere Project and People In Aid, as well as the Chairs of their respective Boards, have met regularly in the last few months to address concerns about the proliferation of standards and the potential impact on aidworkers' ability to put our standards into practice. The goal of this process is to achieve greater coherence of standards in humanitarian response and to better equip aidworkers and organisations to meet the rights of disaster- and conflict-affected persons around the world.
Read the full story (16 December 2011)
Chris Ernst offers his opinions and the key points participants should have taken away from the workshop held in London on 5 December 2011.
Read the full story (8 December 2011)
On 28 November 2011, issue 52 of the Humanitarian Exchange was launched with an event in London, UK. Titled 'Accountability in humanitarian action: changes and challenges', the magazine features an article from our Executive Director Jonathan Potter.
Read the full story (3 December 2011)
On 30 November, People In Aid's Executive Director Jonathan Potter presented his reflections at the launch of the policy paper 'Can you get sued? Legal liability of international humanitarian aid organisations towards their staff', in London (UK). An important report, the paper looks in depth at the legal aspects of duty of care for NGOs and is essential reading for trustees as well as those with management responsibilities.
Read the full story (2 December 2011)
By Ben Emmens
A report on the NGO Local Pay workshop, 15 November 2011, Nairobi, Kenya.
Read the full story (1 December 2011)
On 19 September 2011, People In Aid held a Debriefing Follow-up Masterclass for those who had completed a previous debriefing workshop in June. The following case studies examine the complex situations which arose during the Masterclass, and the solutions which participants arrived at through collaboration.
Read the full story (9 November 2011)
The new edition of the People in Aid is now available to view online.
Read the full story (9 November 2011)
There is still time to register for the NGO Global pay survey which captures market data for internationally-recruited staff located at headquarters and on international assignment in field locations.
Read the full story (26 October 2011)
As a People In Aid member, we would like to congratulate 'Save The Children UK' on their recent achievement. Already Verified Compliant to the People In Aid Code, they have just won the 'Best Employer' category at the ThirdSector Excellence Awards 2011.
Read the full story (14 October 2011)
As some of our most downloaded resources, a new selection of 'How To' Guides from Oxford HR are now available.
Read the full story (26 September 2011)
Our "Managing People In Emergencies" wiki on People In Aid Interactive is a vital resource which gives you access to over 130 pages of material, helping you create, manage and develop your team in an emergency.
Read the full story (23 September 2011)
As we have previously mentioned, we've expanded our Case Studies page which now feature many more studies of good practice from across the sector and worldwide. Every six weeks we're going to be profiling three new case studies and this week we're highlighting the following:
Read the full story (22 September 2011)
The prospect of becoming an aid worker is a daunting one, especially for those who have no previous experience of the aid sector and have no idea where to start. 'Becoming an Aid Worker' fully illustrates how motivated individuals can gain the experience, skills and knowledge needed to build a lasting career in the humanitarian aid sector.
Read the full story (22 September 2011)
By Mike Johnson
Here's a question for you. Is the aid sector a profession in its own right - discuss ? The reason for posing the question is that around the globe there is a singular lack of training courses, college diplomas and degree-level programmes that specifically focus on preparing people for a career in the aid sector.
Read the full story (8 September 2011)
A new range of How-To Guides, including a three-part guide on how to use coaching, are now available in the Resources section of the website.
Read the full story (25 August 2011)
We've expanded our Case Studies pages which now feature many more studies of good practice from across the sector and worldwide. Every six weeks we're going to be profiling three new case studies and this week we're highlighting the following:
Read the full story (18 August 2011)
There is never a year without a disaster. World Humanitarian Day is, put briefly, a 'celebration of people helping people'. It is a chance to recognise the heroic work aid workers do around the world. To mark the day (19 August 2011), we have discounted downloads of some new key research into the resilience of aid workers.
Read the full story (17 August 2011)
By Mike Johnson
Occasionally at a conference or meeting you pick up a phrase that it so thought-provoking that you just have to write it down (maybe act on it too). Doesn't happen often, but when it does, it sets off the thought-processes - big-time.
Read the full story (16 August 2011)
Four Quality and Accountability humanitarian initiatives - the Sphere Project, the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership (HAP) International, People In Aid, and the Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance in Humanitarian Action (ALNAP), at a meeting hosted by the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response (SCHR) on 20 July 2011, took the first bold steps to strengthen their collaboration in a frank and wide-reaching assessment of their effectiveness and impact. Hearing no doubts from the sector about the value they have added since their founding in the 1990s, the Chief Executives and Board Chairs of these initiatives recognised nevertheless the need to effectively adapt to the ever changing aid environment, in order to maintain relevance and assist aid providers in enhancing the quality of their response to crisis victims.
Read the full story (5 August 2011)
We are currently recruiting for an HR Services Team Leader role, based in our London office.
Read the full story (5 August 2011)
We are currently recruiting for an HR Services Executive role, based in our London office.
Read the full story (4 August 2011)
In partnership with the Birches Group and InsideNGO, we are pleased to share with you the latest update on the NGO Local Pay Survey, an initiative to create reliable, tailored compensation survey data for the international NGO community.
Read the full story (3 August 2011)
We have updated Resource Sheets on recruitment, volunteering and career resources. There is also a new Policy Guideline on Codes of Conduct available for free as well as a new organisational policy on Relocation from CAFOD.
Read the full story (1 August 2011)
We are currently recruiting for a Communications Executive for our London office.
Read the full story (19 July 2011)
As agencies respond to the disaster unfolding across East Africa following the worst drought the region has faced in decades, humanitarian staff (both expatriate and national, surge recruits and long term staff) will be facing a great deal of pressure and stress in order to carry out their life-saving missions.
Read the full story (8 July 2011)
We recently commissioned a review of our Australian activities.
Read the full story (10 May 2011)
There are less than 10 days to go until the early bird offer expires for People Count - the sector's leading HR benchmarking study on Friday 13 May 2011.
Read the full story (6 May 2011)
Continuing our series of concise, informative, one page 'How to' Guides, 6 new Guides are available to download for free.
Read the full story (15 April 2011)
"DFID should make a sustained effort to improve skills in the humanitarian sector". This is one of the recommendations from the HERR (Humanitarian Emergency Response Review), an independent report presented to DFID'S Secretary of State at a launch today.
People In Aid submitted points to the review team, some of which have been absorbed in the review and others not. For our members, and others concerned with the people-related aspects of humanitarian action, we offer our own summary highlighting people issues.
Read the full story (28 March 2011)
Through this report, People In Aid undertakes an initial exploration of the personal skills and strengths and organisational structures and practices which can promote resilience in managers working for international humanitarian organisations.
Read the full story (3 March 2011)
We are pleased to announce the launch of Roffey Park's Management Agenda 2011 and the INGO Management Report. Offering a snapshot of how organisations are really operating in the current climate, the research is widely accredited as one of the most important and reliable indicators of emerging workplace trends in the UK.
Read the full story (1 March 2011)
We are happy to announce Teresa Kamara as our new Regional Consultant for East Africa. An HR specialist with more than 15 years' experience in international HR management and programme development, Teresa brings with her extensive knowledge and experience of working in East and Central Africa.
Read the full story (10 February 2011)