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View from the Top: RWE Npower, the HR's prospective
According to Singh, good management is simply about good execution. "A lot of the things I look after are not rocket science. HR can be simple and I've always thought execution is the differentiator," he says. "You can get just as good performance from a mid-range car as you can a Rolls-Royce. HR policies are pretty much all the same. But if you execute policies with passion, that's what really turns people on. Passion is not about the model of car you drive."
Passion, and the goal of delivering on its 2020 goals, is behind Npower's people policy of "turning employees and customers into fans". How? "To me it's about getting the right people in and getting the management of these people right, so that we tap into the extra 10% staff will give willingly." Again, management is the linchpin: "We task our managers to achieve step improvements," he says. "If results are down, I'm not blaming staff, I'm blaming the management. It's their responsibility. I need all these people to have a grasp of the business. If they can't give me the numbers, I'm not interested."
Some of the numbers do make impressive reading. Singh says he has improved on 27 out of 32 possible measures - these include the 86% of staff who agree they have the knowledge and ability to do their work, the 73% who say they understand the business's objectives and how Npower is performing and, crucially, the 73% who say their line manager relationship is good.
The most impressive is a policy launched last year where, for critical posts that become vacant, Singh's aim is for 50% of the candidates who are put forward to be women.
Relationships are also making sure all staff maximise the opportunities they have for making the most of a career at the power company. The most impressive is a policy launched last year where, for critical posts that become vacant, Singh's aim is for 50% of the candidates who are put forward to be women. Management is being asked to encourage female workers to put themselves in the picture and reassure them that they will not be overlooked.
"I want to ask how can we capitalise more on 100% of our population," he says. "It's not all about quotas, and people will still be hired on merit, not favouritism, but it's the opportunity to be considered that I want to instill among people. I want to signal to the whole organisation that there is no ceiling for anyone."
Diversity, maintains Singh, is also not just a way of looking good, it has a positive financial impact too: "Diversity practices clearly contribute to both sides of the profit and loss account. It is positioned as a means of enhancing potential revenue for the organisation, and is therefore part of the way we conduct business."
It will probably not surprise anyone therefore to learn that the HR king has now hired a dedicated head of diversity and inclusion. Long live the king.
CV
1960: Born India; educated London University - BSc in physiology;
Leicester University - MSc in Training
1988: Personnel projects manager, Thorn Lighting
1994: UK human resources director, Thorn Lighting
1998: Human resources director, Europe, Thorn Lighting
2000: Joined Npower as human resources director
2003: Human resources director, RWE Npower.
Article published in Human Resources - Copyright Haymarket Business Media
