Commonwealth Bank: Impact of Informal Learning on HRD Practices

This report examines Human Resource Development (HRD) practices within the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, with a particular emphasis on the role and influence of informal learning. It outlines key HRD practices such as recruitment and selection policies, training and development programs, and staff mobility and remuneration strategies. The report highlights how informal learning shapes these HRD functions by fostering a learning culture, encouraging employee engagement, and facilitating knowledge sharing. It also discusses the implementation of strategies like peer review, rapid reflection models, and 360-degree appraisal systems to enhance employee performance and development. Furthermore, the report suggests integrating informal learning with formal training methods to create comprehensive learning opportunities and improve overall organizational effectiveness within the Commonwealth Bank.

Running head: HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Human Resource Management
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

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Executive Summary
The report has helped in understanding the different kind of HRD practices that are required
in the Commonwealth Bank that is based in Australia. The different kind of HRD practices
has helped the company in analysing the different kind of informal learning practices that has
helped in understanding the importance of the informal learning in the entire workplace as
well. The importance of informal learning has helped in solving different issues in an
effectual manner as well.

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Table of Contents
Outline of HRD practices to potential workers in Commonwealth Bank..................................3
Recruitment and Selection Policies........................................................................................3
Training and development......................................................................................................3
Mobility of Staffs and remuneration......................................................................................3
Ways through which informal knowledge has influenced HRD practices................................3
References..................................................................................................................................6

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Outline of HRD practices to potential workers in Commonwealth Bank
Recruitment and Selection Policies
There are different human resource development practices that has been adopted by
Commonwealth Bank to provide to the different potential workers. The recruitment and
selection policies of the bank integrates to diversity and equity policies to specific strategies
and goals. This benefits in ensuring that the bank attracts the high calibre candidates along
with traineeship programs of recruitment (Wilton 2016).
Training and development
Secondly, the staff training along with development is provided by the respective
bank wherein the equity policies were inducted in the induction of the different staffs who
works in Commonwealth Banks. The bank even continues access to women along with
participation in activities of training as well. Furthermore, the graduate development program
has been adopted by the bank that has helped the employees by providing strong kind of
foundation for the long-term professional kind of development.
Mobility of Staffs and remuneration
Thirdly, the mobility of staff that includes promotions, secondments and transfers has
included the provisions with selection procedures and policy. There are centralized
mechanisms of the job evaluation along with generation for accurate remuneration. The bank
has tried to develop merit-based remuneration for the candidates as the bank do not support
discrimination among the candidates in the wage system that is required to be provided to the
candidates.
Ways through which informal knowledge has influenced HRD practices
The informal learning has facilitated to a huge extent in influencing the different HRD
practices of Commonwealth Bank that is based in Australia. The informal learning has played

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a significant role in influencing the practices of HRD wherein this is build learning culture
wherein it will help in providing space for the different learners to reflect the learning in an
effectual manner. The informal learning will support in encouraging the employees in
performing well in the organizations.
Furthermore, the informal learning in the organization will help in fostering the
employee engagement program in the Commonwealth Bank (Commbank.com.au.2018). In
order to foster the employee engagement program in the respective bank, it will benefit in
building different kind of opportunities wherein both new and old employees are offered with
informal opportunities of learning and building connections with the organization as well.
The employees are engaged in their tasks in the organization wherein the training and
development opportunities are provided to employees will provide assistance them in
providing encouragement and this will assist employees in getting accustomed to the working
culture of the organization as well.
With the aid of execution and planning, the bank can initiate the process of peer
review wherein the employees will be offered constructive critique of the work of the peers
as well. With the implementation of the rapid reflection model, the employees of the
respective bank will be able to build a proper and accurate culture with the benefit of learning
and growing that is responsive in nature. The remuneration process is affected by the
informal learning wherein this will be developing the individual talents and identifying
different kind of opportunities that will help the company in sharing the expertise knowledge
effectively.
With the implementation of the 360-degree appraisal system, the employees in the
bank can gain knowledge on different weaknesses and turn them into strengths (Armstrong
and Taylor 2014). These kinds of performance appraisal systems will aid the employees in

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understanding their job roles and job responsibilities that has to be performed by them in the
later stages. With implementation of the different kind of informal learning, the employees
will perform effectively the different tasks that will be assigned to them. The informal
learning will assist the entire bank along with the employees in learning in a focused and
fulfilling manner. The informal learning will provide different kind of avenues for the
employees in the Bank in collaborating with the employees and this will bring in flexibility in
the workplace and the work that is performed by them as well. Proper ascertainment is
required in order to mentor and make the employees participate in different activities as well
(Albrecht et al. 2015).
The informal learning in the organization can be integrated with the help of the formal
learning wherein it will create learning avenues for the different employees to exchange
different kind of ideas and share the best practice that will match the responsibilities that will
be taken by the employees in the tasks performed by them. This kind of informal learning
techniques will help in facilitating the creation of the blueprint for the entire learning
organization in an effectual manner (Brewster 2017).
Proper ascertainment is required to be done wherein this will benefit in making the
employees understand the practical knowledge during their training and development stage. It
is seen that the on-the-job training method can be applied by Commonwealth Bank wherein
this will assist employees in understanding their job roles and understand the difficulties in a
much effectual manner as well. Lastly, Commonwealth Bank will support the company along
with employees in understanding the issues along with different systems of the HRD
practices in the bank as well (Bratton and Gold 2017).

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References
Albrecht, S.L., Bakker, A.B., Gruman, J.A., Macey, W.H. and Saks, A.M., 2015. Employee
engagement, human resource management practices and competitive advantage: An
integrated approach. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, 2(1),
pp.7-35.
Armstrong, M. and Taylor, S., 2014. Armstrong's handbook of human resource management
practice. Kogan Page Publishers.
Bratton, J. and Gold, J., 2017. Human resource management: theory and practice. Palgrave.
Brewster, C., 2017. The integration of human resource management and corporate strategy.
In Policy and practice in European human resource management (pp. 22-35). Routledge.
Commbank.com.au. (2018). Commbank.com.au. Retrieved 7 April 2018, from
https://www.commbank.com.au/about-us/careers.html
Wilton, N., 2016. An introduction to human resource management. Sage.