Internal Coherence Evaluation of SBSA's HR Policies and Practices

This report evaluates the internal coherence of the HR policies and practices of Standard Bank of South Africa (SBSA). The report focuses on three key areas: Ethical Code of Behaviour, Employee Involvement, and Corporate and Social Responsibilities. The methodology involved a questionnaire distributed to SBSA management and staff to gather feedback on the clarity, effectiveness, and alignment of these policies with the organization's mission, vision, and legal requirements. Findings indicate that while the policies are generally clear and well-articulated, there is room for improvement, particularly regarding the alignment with best HR practices. The report includes detailed findings from the questionnaire, along with specific comments from both management and staff. Recommendations are provided for enhancing the policies to ensure they effectively support the organization's goals and employee needs. The report also includes a glossary, terms of reference, and a bibliography of cited sources.

Evaluation of The Internal Coherence of SBSA’s
HR Policies and Practices
Prepared for:
Prepared by:
Date of submission:

TABLE OF CONTENTS
No. Section Page No.
1. Acknowledgements 2
2. Glossary 3
3. Terms of reference (brief) 4
4. Introduction 5
5. Methodology 6
6. Findings 7 - 10
7. Recommendations (the way forward) 11
8. Signature and details of the Report-Writer 12
9. Bibliography 13 - 14
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1. Acknowledgements
I would like to thank the following SBSA executives and staffs for assisting in the preparation
of this report.
 Sim Tshabalala - Group chief executive, SBG and executive director, SBSA
 Arno Daehnke - Group financial director, SBG and executive director, SBSA
 Sola David-Borha - Chief executive, Africa regions
 Rene du Preez - Group general counsel
 Kenny Fihla - Chief executive, corporate and investment banking (CIB)
 Sharon Taylor - Group head, human capital
 Rod Poole - Group head change and business transformation
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2. Glossary
Abbreviation:
 SBSA Standard Bank of South Africa
 OP: Operating Policy
 T&D: Training and development
 HR: Human Resource
 EEA: Employment equity Act
 SA: South Africa
 WSP: Workplace Skills plan
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3. Terms of References (brief)
Prepare a report for Standard Bank of South Africa on report 1 covering the following:
1. Critical Evaluation of the Internal Coherence of the organisation’s HR Policies and
practices.
2. Recommendation of the possible changes to specific aspects of the HR policies and
practices through the analysis process.
3. Justify each recommendation.
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4. Introduction
4.1. Background
The Human Resource department of Standard Bank of South Africa is
responsible for Ethical Code of Behaviour, Employee Involvement and
Corporate and Social Responsibilities in the organisation. The important role
of the HR department is to set the guiding policy for the organisation.
The policies involved in an organisation guide the organisational system and
the organisational processes of the organisation.
4.2. Purpose of this report
In the following report, the HR policies in standard Bank of South Africa will
be analysed through the following questions. Therefore, the critical analysis of
the HR policies will help to put further recommendations for making a
sustainable working organisation.
4.3. Scope of policies selected
The following sample of policies are analysed further in this report:
 Ethical Code of Behaviour
 Employee Involvement
 Corporate and Social Responsibilities
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5. Methodology
A questionnaire was developed to evaluate the internal coherence of the carefully chosen
HR policies and its practices. Standard Bank of South Africa’s Management and Staff input
has been collated in the findings section.
The policies selected are: Ethical Code of Behaviour, Employee Involvement and Corporate
and Social Responsibilities
Name of the selected policy: Date: 2019
No
.
Questionnaire criteria Findings: Collated
feedback
1. Are the selected policies clear, easily understood and well-
articulated for all levels of the organisation?
2. Are the policies fit to make the consistent achievement of
the intended outputs?
3. Did you notice any non-coherence issue in respect of the
policies?
4. Are the policies focused on sound principles?
5. Do these policies support the mission, vision, strategies
and values of SBSA?
6. Do the policies comply with the legal requirement of South
African Labour Laws?
7. Do these policies support the HR support system and their
strategies?
8. Are these policies even effective as well as efficient?
9. These policies are part of the organisation’s HR framework
handbook, are they helpful as well as relevant?
10. Do these selected policies even suit the respective needs
of the organisation and its employees?
11. Employees’ feedback regarding the policies
The perspective regarding the internal coherence of the
policies of the management team? Do these policies help
in maintaining the HR role?
12. The perspective of the staffs’ internal coherence of the
policies? Do these policies work for the employees as
well?
Collated by Signature:
 Ackers, B. and Eccles, N.S., 2015. Mandatory corporate social responsibility assurance practices: The case of King
III in South Africa. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 28(4), pp.515-550.
 Adams, K., Nyuur, R.B., Ellis, F.Y. and Debrah, Y.A., 2017. South African MNCs' HRM systems and practices at the
subsidiary level: Insights from subsidiaries in Ghana. Journal of International Management, 23(2), pp.180-193.
 Binuyo, A.O. and Aregbeshola, R.A., 2014. The impact of information and communication technology (ICT) on
commercial bank performance: evidence from South Africa. Problems and perspectives in Management, 12(3),
pp.59-68.
 George, G., Corbishley, C., Khayesi, J.N., Haas, M.R. and Tihanyi, L., 2016. Bringing Africa in: Promising directions
for management research.

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6. Findings
The findings specifically point out the consensus that the SBSA current HR policies are
internally coherent in its practices; however there will have scope for improvements. Hence,
the recommendations have been discussed further.
The questionnaire that were discussed in the facilitated sessions regarding the management
and staff related Ethical Code of Behaviour, Employee Involvement and Corporate and
Social Responsibilities.
Name of the selected policy:
Ethical Code of Behaviour
Date: 2019
No. Questionnaire criteria Findings: Collated feedback (Management and Staff)
1. Are the selected policies clear, easily
understood and well-articulated for all
levels of the organisation?
The selected policies are clear and can be easily
understood in all levels of the organisation.
2. Are the policies fit for the purpose of
making the consistent achievement of the
intended outputs?
Yes, the policies fit for the purpose of making
consistent achievement.
3. Did you notice any non-coherence issue in
respect of the policies?
Nothing related to the non-coherence issue in respect
of the policies were noticed.
4. Are the policies focused on sound
principles?
The policies were focused on sound principles related
to ethical code of behaviour. However, not based on
the best practices of the HR policies.
5. Do these policies support the mission,
vision, strategies and values of SBSA?
Yes, these policies are the core part of the mission,
vision, strategies and values of SBSA.
6. Do the policies comply with the legal
requirement of South African Labour
Laws?
Yes, the policies comply with the labour laws of SA.
7. Do these policies support the HR support
system and their strategies?
Yes, these policies support the HR support system.
8. Are these policies even effective as well
as efficient?
Yes, the policies achieved the effectiveness as well
as efficiency to explain all the steps to follow.
9. These policies are part of the
organisation’s HR framework handbook,
are they helpful as well as relevant?
Yes, these policies are helpful as well as easy to
understand the following guidelines, what the
employees can do and what not.
10. Do these selected policies even suit the
respective needs of the organisation and
its employees?
Yes, it meets SBSA business guidelines regarding
their respective needs and contains a clear notion to
follow that supports the organisational strategy.
11. Employees’ feedback regarding the
policies
These policies provide a valuable tool to guide
forward in accordance to ethical behaviour of the
organisation. Therefore, it helps to direct and guide all
the staffs regarding their ethical behaviour to deal with
the disputed resolutions in between the bankers and
The perspective regarding the internal
coherence of the policies of the
management team? Do these policies
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help in maintaining the HR role? the consumers.
12. The perspective of the staffs’ internal
coherence of the policies? Do these
policies work for the employees as well?
The HR policies regarding the internal coherence of
the organisational ethical behaviour provide a
statement that demonstrates the standard of personal
as well as organisational integrity, the truthfulness
and encourages confidence among the SBSA
branches. Therefore, these policies can be of help in
terms of observing real-life stated cases.
Collated by Signature:
Overall comments:
These data obtained from SBSA management and staffs provide information regarding the existence of
internal coherence in the organisation. Therefore, the ethical code of behaviour is followed within the
daily application of the core behaviour of the organisation.
Name of the selected policy:
Employee Involvement
Date: 2019
No. Questionnaire criteria Findings: Collated feedback (Management and Staff)
1. Are the selected policies clear, easily
understood and well-articulated for all
levels of the organisation?
The selected policies are involved in the process of
employee involvement and can be clearly understood.
Therefore, they are well-articulated by the
organisation activities in al levels.
2. Are the policies fit to make the consistent
achievement of the intended outputs?
The policies were made to mitigate and manage the
adverse impacts of human rights to make consistent
achievement as well as intended outputs.
3. Did you notice any non-coherence issue in
respect of the policies?
There was not an issue related to non-coherence
were distinguished during the business operations
and the financial decisions and services of the
organisation.
4. Are the policies focused on sound
principles?
Yes, the policies were focused on making sound
principles regarding the factors to maintain basic
human resource principles.
5. Do these policies support the mission,
vision, strategies and values of SBSA?
Yes, the policies focused on employee involvement
are intended to support the mission, vision, strategies
and values of SBSA, and they do so as well.
6. Do the policies comply with the legal
requirement of South African Labour
Laws?
Yes, these policies related to employee involvement
complies with the legal requirements of South African
Laws.
7. Do these policies support the HR support
system and their strategies?
These policies regarding employee involvement fully
support the HR system and their strategies.
8. Are these policies even effective as well
as efficient?
These policies are effective in making an effort to
increase involvement among employees. Therefore,
they play an effective as well efficient role to maintain
all resources in human involvement.
9. These policies are part of the
organisation’s HR framework handbook,
are they helpful as well as relevant?
Yes, these policies play a great part in the
organisation’s HR framework handbook and they are
helpful as well as relevant in all effective ways.
10. Do these selected policies even suit the Yes, the selected policies suit the respective needs of
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respective needs of the organisation and
its employees?
the organisation and its employees.
11. Employees’ feedback regarding the
policies
The perspective regarding the internal coherence of
the HR policies of the managerial division is to put the
organization forward in making changes throughout
the working period by enhancing the HR policies.
However, the cultural difference and the diversity in
the organization is a huge challenge for the human
resource department.
The perspective regarding the internal
coherence of the policies of the
management team? Do these policies
help in maintaining the HR role?
12. The perspective of the staffs’ internal
coherence of the policies? Do these
policies work for the employees as well?
Yes, the policies work for all the internal coherence
regarding the perspective of the staffs’ as well as
strategies are taken for the human resource or the
organisation.
Collated by Signature:
Overall comments:
The organisational purposes related to employee involvement, as mentioned before, are one of the most
important aspects of the organisation. Therefore, the organisation includes effective goal planning and
effective human resource measures to practice this goal planning properly.
Name of the selected policy:
Corporate and Social Responsibilities
Date: 2019
No. Questionnaire criteria Findings: Collated feedback (Management and Staff)
1. Are the selected policies clear, easily
understood and well-articulated for all
levels of the organisation?
Yes, the selected policies make a clear statement, to
provide an easily understandable and well-articulated
process for all levels of the organisation.
2. Are the policies fit to make the consistent
achievement of the intended outputs?
The policies fit to make consistent achievement
related to the factors of corporate and social
responsibilities of the intended outputs.
3. Did you notice any non-coherence issue in
respect of the policies?
There was not an issue related to non-coherence in
respective of the policies.
4. Are the policies focused on sound
principles?
The policies were solely focused on sound principles
to make a sustainable corporate and social
responsibility in an organisation.
5. Do these policies support the mission,
vision, strategies and values of SBSA?
Yes, the policies implemented to make a sustainable
movement support the mission, vision, strategies and
values of SBSA.
6. Do the policies comply with the legal
requirement of South African Labour
Laws?
Yes, the policies comply with all sorts of the legal
requirement of South African Labour Laws in the
banking sector.
7. Do these policies support the HR support
system and their strategies?
Yes, these policies support the HR support system of
SBSA and its strategies related to the organisation
development program.
8. Are these policies even effective as well
as efficient?
Yes, these policies are effective and efficient in terms
of all organisational processes related to corporate
and social responsibilities.
9. These policies are part of the These policies were made to comply with
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organisation’s HR framework handbook,
are they helpful as well as relevant?
organizational values and responsibilities. Therefore,
they are helpful as well relevant.
10. Do these selected policies even suit the
respective needs of the organisation and
its employees?
Yes, these policies related to corporate and social
responsibilities suit the respective needs of SBSA and
its employees.
11. Employees’ feedback regarding the
policies
The human resource department of SBSA is focused
on making changes in the behavioural as well as
cultural aspects of South African employees.
Therefore, the employees are aimed at the alignment
of different cultural aspects to reinforce employee
involvement among the organisation.
The perspective regarding the internal
coherence of the policies of the
management team? Do these policies
help in maintaining the HR role?
12. The perspective of the staffs’ internal
coherence of the policies? Do these
policies work for the employees as well?
Yes, these policies related to the organisational
development program work for all the employees for
SBSA branches all over South Africa.
Collated by Signature:
Overall comments:
The specific challenges and HR department faces in managing an organisation is related to ethical code
of behaviour, employee involvement and corporate and social responsibilities.
SBSA has its own set of HR needs, and one has to be in the certain recommendations can
be made upon the organization. If the recent business profit chart of the country can be
observed them it can be seen that the organization has scored the fourth place in the chart.
It can be said that, although, the organization includes a very good business strategy, yet
there are certain drawbacks which is hindering the growth and the profitability of the
organization. The primary objective of any organization is to gain profit, and it is the prime
objective of the organizational houses or the business houses.
No. Recommendations Justification
1. Ethical Code of Behaviour:
Develop or reform the employee
handbook. This refers to the policies,
benefits, amendment and the
company procedure, that guide the
organizational conducts and
organisational behaviour (Binuyo and
SBSA includes the Consequentialism
approach in this perspective. Therefore, all
these upholds that the human resource
strategies contribute effectively and help in
the maintenance of the business strategies
of the organization (Horwitz 2015).
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7. Recommendations

Aregbeshola 2014).
2. Employee Involvement:
the conducts of the human resource
team and the business strategies of
the organization are observed
closely, then the organizational
strategies and the human resource
strategies of the organization are
closely related (Adams et al. 2017).
The organizational purposes, as
mentioned before, are one of the most
important aspects of the organization.
Therefore, the organization includes
effective goal planning and effective
human resource measures to practice this
goal planning properly (Binuyo and
Aregbeshola 2014).
3. Corporate and Social
Responsibilities:
The sustainable development and the
approaches are the primary aspects
of the organizational conducts. The
organization also include a detailed
purposes and detailed goal planning
processes in order to conduct their
business better (George et al. 2016)
The organization must use the online
platform rigorously. The organization must
understand the need and must put into use
the e- commerce system and the online
platform and incorporate them into the
organizational procedure (Maduku 2013).
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8. Signature of report writer
Report prepared by:
Name:
Division: HR
Designation: HR, Learning and Development Manager
Signed Date
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9. Bibliography
 Ackers, B. and Eccles, N.S., 2015. Mandatory corporate social responsibility
assurance practices: The case of King III in South Africa. Accounting, Auditing &
Accountability Journal, 28(4), pp.515-550.
 Adams, K., Nyuur, R.B., Ellis, F.Y. and Debrah, Y.A., 2017. South African MNCs'
HRM systems and practices at the subsidiary level: Insights from subsidiaries in
Ghana. Journal of International Management, 23(2), pp.180-193.
 Binuyo, A.O. and Aregbeshola, R.A., 2014. The impact of information and
communication technology (ICT) on commercial bank performance: evidence
from South Africa. Problems and perspectives in Management, 12(3), pp.59-68.
 Binuyo, A.O. and Aregbeshola, R.A., 2014. The impact of information and
communication technology (ICT) on commercial bank performance: evidence
from South Africa. Problems and perspectives in Management, 12(3), pp.59-68.
 George, G., Corbishley, C., Khayesi, J.N., Haas, M.R. and Tihanyi, L., 2016.
Bringing Africa in: Promising directions for management research.
 Hall, R., 2013. The next Great Trek? South African commercial farmers move
north. In The New Enclosures: Critical Perspectives on Corporate Land Deals
(pp. 217-238). Routledge.
 Horwitz, F., 2015. Human resources management in multinational companies in
Africa: a systematic literature review. The International Journal of Human
Resource Management, 26(21), pp.2786-2809.
 Maduku, D.K., 2013. Predicting retail banking customers’ attitude towards
Internet banking services in South Africa. Southern African Business Review,
17(3), pp.76-100.
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 Newenham-Kahindi, A., 2013. Human resource strategies for managing back-
office employees in subsidiary operations: The case of two investment
multinational banks in Tanzania. In Effective People Management in Africa (pp.
202-225). Palgrave Macmillan, London.
 Newenham-Kahindi, A., Kamoche, K. and Chizema, A. eds., 2013. Effective
people management in Africa. Springer.
 Oluwajodu, F., Greyling, L., Blaauw, D. and Kleynhans, E.P., 2015. Graduate
unemployment in South Africa: Perspectives from the banking sector. SA Journal
of Human Resource Management, 13(1), pp.1-9.
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