AC1.1 With reference to typical activities and behaviours, appraise what it means to be a ‘people professional’.

5CO03 Professional Behaviours and Valuing People

5CO03 Professional behaviours and valuing people

This unit focuses on how applying core professional behaviours such as ethical practice, courage and inclusivity can build positive working relationships and support employee voice and well-being. It considers how developing and mastering new professional behaviours and practice can impact performance.

CIPD’s insight

HR and standards (December 2022)

This factsheet explains what British and International standards in HR are and why they matter. It introduces the British and International HR standards already published or under development and outlines the CIPD involvement in their development. Whether or not organisations have a dedicated HR team, they will at some point need guidance on ethical and effective human resource management practice in areas such as workforce planning, recruitment, inclusion and diversity, learning and development, and human capital reporting. British and International standards provide such guidance. International experts develop them, in collaboration with key stakeholders. These standards advocate responsible people management practices and support the organisations that adopt them to improve their organisational resilience and sustainability.https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/strategy/hr/standards-factsheet

Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in the workplace (November 2022)

Promoting and delivering EDI in the workplace is an essential aspect of good people management. To reap the benefits of EDI, it’s about creating working environments and cultures where every individual can feel safe, a sense of belonging and is empowered to achieve their full potential. Whilst legal frameworks vary across different countries, in the UK the Equality Act 2010 provides legal protection for nine protected characteristics: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.  However, an effective EDI strategy goes beyond legal compliance and seeks to take an intersectional approach adding value to an organisation, contributing to the wellbeing and equality of outcomes and impact on all employees. This includes: accent, age, caring responsibilities, colour, culture, visible and invisible disability, gender identity and expression, mental health, neurodiversity, physical appearance, political opinion, pregnancy and maternity/paternity and family status and socio-economic circumstances amongst other personal characteristics and experiences. This factsheet explores what workplace equality inclusion and diversity (EDI) means, and how an effective strategy is essential to an organisation’s business objectives. It looks at the rationale for action and outlines steps organisations can take to implement and manage a successful EDI strategy, from recruitment, selection, retention, communication and training to addressing workplace behaviour and evaluating progress.https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/fundamentals/relations/diversity/factsheet#6428

Ethical practice and the role of people professionals (August 2022)

Scandals involving workplace harassment and poor treatment of workers have highlighted what can happen when ethics aren’t integral to the way organisations operate. With unique access to staff throughout their careers, as well as opportunities to influence an organisation’s strategy and the way it manages its workforce, people professionals are uniquely placed to support embedding principled decision-making into daily practice. Ethics are at the heart of professionalism. To create cultures of transparency and trust, practitioners should demonstrate strong standards of integrity when advising business leaders. This factsheet explores what ethical practice means and why it matters in an organisational context. It outlines the trade-offs involved in upholding ethical values and the challenges faced by people professionals. Finally, it looks at the profession’s role in creating ethical organisational cultures.

https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/culture/ethics/role-hr-factsheet

Ethics at work: an employer’s guide

Ethical values provide the moral compass by which we live our lives and make decisions: ‘doing the right thing’ because it’s the right thing to do. However, there are several reasons why unethical behaviour continues to happen in the workplace, from individual actions and choice to industry-wide indiscretions and compromising decisions.

In this guide, we discuss the red flags to watch out for, along with practical tips and resources to safeguard your organisation and people against ethical breaches and misconduct. The guide draws on – and complements – the latest CIPD research, and features nine areas of action employers can prioritise to ensure they behave ethically. If you’re an employer or manager looking to foster and encourage ethical behaviour in your organisation, you’ll find the practical advice you need in this guide.https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/culture/ethics/ethics-work-guide

Please note that the purpose of this insight is to link you to CIPD’s research and evidence within the subject area, so that you can engage with the latest thinking. It is not provided to replace the study required as part of the learning or as formative assessment material.

Preparation for the Tasks:

• At the start of your assignment, you are encouraged to plan your assessment work with your Assessor and where appropriate agree milestones so that they can help you monitor your progress.
• Refer to the indicative content in the unit to guide and support your evidence.
• Pay attention to how your evidence is presented, remember you are working in the People Practice Team.
• Ensure that the evidence generated for this assessment remains your own work.
• Completing and acting on formative feedback from your Assessor.
• Reflecting on your own experiences of learning opportunities and continuous professional development.
• Reading the CIPD Insight, Fact Sheets and related online material on these topics as well as key research authors on the subject.

You will also benefit from:

Task One –Professional and ethical behaviours

This task requires you to consider the significance of professional and ethical behaviours for a people practitioner and the values that underpin the people practice profession.

To complete the task, you should provide a written response to each of questions below, making appropriate use of academic theory and practical examples to expand your response and illustrate key points. 

1) With reference to typical activities and behaviours, appraise what it means to be a ‘people professional’. (AC 1.1)

2) Discuss how ethical values underpin the work of a people professional, including two examples of how ethical values might be applied in a people practice context. (AC 1.2)

3) Consider the importance of people professionals being able to influence others and ensure that the ‘people practice voice’ is heard in an organisation, through informed, clear and confident communication. (AC 1.3)

4) For each of the situations below (a & b), provide an example of an issue that would cause you to raise the matter to a manager (or other authority) - and describe how you would do this.

a) where you consider something to be unethical (whether or not it is illegal),

b) where you believe something contravenes legislation. (AC 1.4)

5) Discuss two theories or models relating to the human and business benefits of people at work feeling included, valued, and fairly treated, concluding your discussion with a summary of your own view of these benefits. (AC 2.1)

6) Discuss two ways in which a people professional can build inclusivity into a people practice initiative at the design stage, and two ways of checking inclusivity after a people practice initiative is implemented. (AC 2.2)

TASK ONE

Your evidence must consist of:

• Written responses to each of the 6 instructions above.

(Approximately 2250 words in total, refer to CIPD word count policy)

Task Two – Professional Review

This task requires you to demonstrate your commitment to professional development and performance improvement.

To complete the task, you are asked to undertake some reflection, self-assessment, and consideration of other’s feedback, leading to an identification of your strengths, weaknesses, and development areas.  Following this identification, you will formulate a range of formal and/or informal activities to address your development needs and support your continuous development. 

The task then shifts to a retrospective stance, where you are asked to reflect on the impact of development activities already undertaken, in the last 12 months. 

All five activities below must be completed.

1. Reflect on your own approach to working inclusively and building positive working relationships with others. (AC 2.3)
2. Explore how the role of a people professional (specialist or generalist) is evolving and the implications this has for your CPD. (AC 3.1)
3. With reference to your responses for Q1 & Q2, and feedback on your behaviours or performance obtained from (at least) one other person, assess your current strengths, weaknesses, and development needs.  Your response should include an explanation of the feedback received and how it has informed your self- assessment. (AC 3.2)
4. In follow-up to your self-assessment, identify a range of formal or informal development activities you will undertake to support your ongoing professional development. Your response should include a brief description of your chosen activities and your reasons for selecting them. (AC 3.3)

(Note: If using the CIPD ‘My Learning Plan’, you may find it useful to self-assess against the behaviours: ‘Working Inclusively’ and ‘Passion for Learning’ (along with other relevant areas) as this will stimulate development ideas around the areas at Q1 and Q2 above. (However, there is no requirement to provide copies of these self-assessment pages.) Your Learning Plan activities can be ‘copied and pasted’ into your assignment document, and edited so that you are not adding unnecessarily to your word count.)

5. Reflect on the impact of three previous learning activities (i.e., not the activities planned at Q4 above) on your behaviour and performance.  The selected activities may be any formal/planned or informal/unplanned activities undertaken in the last 12 months, which you consider to have impacted your behaviour and performance.  (AC 3.4)

Present your reflections, attached to your assignment, as either:

• your own format CPD record, edited to include just the three selected activities, or
• a report (or reports) from the CIPD ‘My CPD Reflections’ tool.

Assessment Criteria Evidence Checklist

You may find the following checklist helpful to make sure that you have included the required evidence to meet the task. This is not a mandatory requirement as long as it is clear in your submission where the assessment criteria have been met.

Declaration of Authentication

Declaration by learner

Assessment Criteria marking descriptors.

Assessors will mark in line with the following assessment criteria (AC) marking descriptors, and will indicate where the learner sits within the marking band range for each AC.

Assessors must provide a mark from 1 to 4 for each assessment criteria within the unit. Assessors should use the mark descriptor grid as guidance so they can provide comprehensive feedback that is developmental for learners. Please be aware that not all the mark descriptors will be present in every assessment criterion, so assessors must use their discretion in making grading decisions.

The grid below shows the range for each unit assessment result based on total number of marks awarded across all assessment criteria. 

To pass the unit assessment learners must achieve a 2 (Low Pass) or above for each of the assessment criteria.

The overall result achieved will dictate the outcome the learner receives for the unit, provided NONE of the assessment criteria have been failed or referred.

Please note that learners will receive a Pass or Fail result from the CIPD at unit level. Referral grades can be used internally by the centre.

Marking Descriptors

Marking grid and feedback for learner

Sample Answer - Plagiarised

AC1.1 With reference to typical activities and behaviours, appraise what it means to be a ‘people professional’

Being a “people professional” is defined by a commitment to understanding, supporting, and enabling people within organisations to thrive, contributing to organisational success while upholding ethical standards and professional integrity. According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), a people professional encompasses a wide array of roles in human resources (HR), learning and development (L&D), and related fields. These professionals embody specific activities, behaviours, and values aligned with CIPD’s Profession Map, which sets out standards for effective practice.

Core Activities of a People Professional

1. Employee Lifecycle Management
   People professionals actively manage the employee lifecycle, from recruitment and onboarding to development and offboarding. This includes ensuring fair and inclusive hiring practices, designing meaningful induction programmes, and facilitating smooth transitions for employees leaving the organisation.

2. Building Organisational Capability
   A key focus is developing workforce capability through strategic workforce planning, skills development, and succession planning. People professionals design and deliver training and development initiatives that align with organisational goals and address skill gaps.

3. Driving Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
   Upholding DEI principles is central to a people professional`s role. They ensure equitable policies and practices, create inclusive environments, and advocate for underrepresented groups. This involves educating leaders on unconscious bias and implementing measures to promote cultural competence.

4. Policy Design and Compliance
   They develop and implement policies that comply with legal frameworks and reflect ethical standards. This includes managing disciplinary and grievance procedures, promoting wellbeing, and safeguarding employees` rights and responsibilities.

5. Change Management
   Supporting organisations through periods of change is a significant aspect of the role. This involves acting as a change agent, communicating effectively with stakeholders, and mitigating resistance while promoting engagement.

6. Employee Relations and Wellbeing
   People professionals foster healthy workplace relationships by resolving conflicts, mediating disputes, and promoting a culture of respect and collaboration. They champion wellbeing initiatives, ensuring that employees` physical, mental, and emotional health is prioritised.

Behaviours of a People Professional

CIPD highlights specific behaviours that define a people professional:

• Ethical Practice: Acting with integrity, fairness, and professionalism. Ethical dilemmas are approached with a commitment to doing what is right for individuals and the organisation.
• Valuing People: Demonstrating respect for individuals` needs, capabilities, and aspirations, while ensuring their voices are heard.
• Collaboration: Working effectively with diverse teams and stakeholders, building strong relationships based on trust.
• Curiosity and Learning: Remaining curious, seeking continuous improvement, and embracing opportunities for personal and professional development.
• Resilience: Navigating challenges with a solutions-focused mindset, maintaining composure under pressure.

Professionalism and Standards

Being a people professional also entails adhering to CIPD’s Code of Professional Conduct, which emphasises confidentiality, impartiality, and a commitment to ongoing professional development. Continuous learning ensures professionals remain up-to-date with the latest research, legislation, and trends in people management.

Continued...