The HR Audit & Biometric Registration of the Civil Service

Introduction The Federal government of Somalia has made tremendous efforts by committing itself to the transformation of its HR practices and together with the World Bank wishes to conduct a full-blown human resource audit. To ascertain the adequacy or otherwise of HR policies, practices, procedures, controls and strategies in order…

Introduction

The Federal government of Somalia has made tremendous efforts by committing itself to the transformation of its HR practices and together with the World Bank wishes to conduct a full-blown human resource audit. To ascertain the adequacy or otherwise of HR policies, practices, procedures, controls and strategies in order to make appropriate recommendations to determine whether they align with the HR requirements of FGS’s development aspirations contained in the national development plans and strategic priorities.

The primary objective is to get correct employee HR and payroll data and to carry out an audit of HR processes and policy. The human resources audit will be a tool that is used to collect and evaluate information about the state of the FGS civil service HR practices and policies to determine the overall effectiveness of people management practices in the government.

What is the aim behind the HR Audit?

  1. To headcount and confirm the correct number of all civil servants registered on the payroll, persons identified off the payroll and how such people were recruited and are being paid.
  2. Making a new biometric registration of the civil servants.
  3. An evaluation of operational HR policies, practices and processes and to review current HR indicators such as: number of unfilled positions, absenteeism rates, staff personal profiles such as gender, age etc.

The scope of the HR Audit

  1. Conducting a HR audit across the civil service to identify gaps in critical and strategic positions that are vacant or filled temporarily by unqualified and absentee staff that may need to be redeployed, retired, or removed from the payroll.
  2. Establishing credible data personnel data management system, strengthening controls on the payroll process of the management of civil servants including professional development and retirement.
  3. Development of a severance policy policy and procedure of administration, and implementation plan.

The Government oversight committee

The Government oversight committee consisting of:

  • Minister of Labor & Social Affairs
  • Chair of the National Civil Service Commission
  • Auditor General
  • Permanent Secretary of the Office of the Prime Minister
  • Accountant General
  • The Technical Committee consisting which of 15 members representing different government institutions and are led by the Ministry of Labor & social Affairs.

What will be the outcome of the HR Audit?

  1. Obtaining the correct number of civil servants working in different capacities.
  2. Achieving a biometric record that tracks each employee’s employment history by maintaining world-class HR practices.
  3. Timely and accurate information for human resource management decisions, and improved and automated processes for personnel, establishment and payroll management
  4. Improved Personnel data management system appropriate for the FGS

This exercise requires close collaboration with all Director Generals, Permanent Secretaries and HR/Administration heads of the government institutions in the Federal Government to work together with the HR Audit teams as well as the Biometric registration firm.