Since the Quality Management System (QMS) considers human resources, or the management of the people working inside a company, to be a significant component, you may reasonably assume that the ISO 9001:2015 standard will include standards for the human resources procedure. If you want any assistance in its implementation, you may click here.
Despite the fact that it doesn’t mandate the formation of a formal human resources system, the standard does provide rules on how your company must manage its human resources. Read this article to find out what should be included in the human resources audit checklist for your ISO 9001:2015 certification.
What does the new ISO 9001:2015 standard say about HR?
While the phrase “human resources” is not included in the requirements of the ISO 9001:2015 standard, two major subclauses discuss how to guide the employees in your QMS. Clause 7 of the standard’s support section includes both of these significant subclauses.
Clause 7.1.2 People
You need to plan for two discrete actions, and this short clause explains that. As a first step, you need to identify the individuals who will be responsible for operating your Quality Management System’s processes, which include all of the steps necessary to satisfy customers’ requirements.
The second step is to identify the individuals required to bring goods and services into compliance, including those involved in their conception and design, as well as those involved in ensuring that they fulfill the demands of end-users. The standard specifies that you must employ the necessary workforce for your QMS after identifying the kind of employees that are need.
Clause 7.2 Competence
The ISO 9001:2015 standard’s most comprehensive collection of standards for the human resources process is found in this clause. The following are the four sub-clauses that make up a four-step method for making sure that everyone has access to the information they require:
Determine a person’s level of expertise
What are the prerequisites for employees in your company to be able to carry out their duties? Everyone in your employ who has the potential to influence the QMS’s efficiency and effectiveness is include in this category.
It would be best if you establish what employees need to know before starting a job in order to ensure that the activity is done correctly in accordance with the ISO 9001:2015 criteria.
Ensure that employees have the necessary skills
Assuming you’ve determined what qualifications are necessary, how can you be certain that new hires possess these qualities before they begin work? This can be training, education, or practice, but it must align with the requirements you have set.
Acquire competence
The perfect applicant for any job is a rare phenomenon, as any HR expert will tell you; most of the time, there is a skill or knowledge gap that must be fill. So, what are your plans if this occurs?
Will you take any action? Will you provide the employee with further training to close the skills gap? When and where will the training take place? Is it going to be formal or informal?
How will you ensure that the individual has learned the skills they need, and that the action you took was successful? You will get answers to all these questions in this sub-clause.
Keep evidence
Last but not least, what kind of proof do you need to back up your claim that someone is competent? This might comprise the job description with a list of required skills, as well as any training records acquired for an employee to demonstrate how to fulfill the duties related to his position. Human resources files are often retain regarding employees in the company.
Don’t Allow Your HR Procedures Shackle You
Remember to keep the HR procedure as general as possible, especially when drafting job descriptions. An internal auditor’s competence can be define as a formal audit training course, and if this is the case, all auditors in your firm will need to be train to meet these standards.
As an alternative, if you want to learn about the ISO standard and how to conduct audits, you can do so by shadowing an auditor or reading and passing an exam on the standard. Formal auditor training might be one approach but not the only way to acquire these abilities.
What should be include in the human resources audit?
When conducting an audit, it is crucial to note that the ISO 9001:2015 standard requirements must be examine and the organization’s internal processes must be examine. Your organization’s interpretation and implementation of the standard’s requirements are reflect in the human resources procedure, which must be audit as part of the QMS.
If you want to assure that your business is doing everything required by the standard and make human resources work for you, make sure to include requirements from all sources while creating your audit checklist.
