Understanding ISO in HR: What Are the Key Procedures and Compliance Steps?

Hi all members, I am in the HR department. Please provide detailed information about ISO, including:

What is ISO and What are the Procedures?

1. What is ISO and what are the procedures?

Data Maintenance for ISO Compliance

2. What data should the HR department maintain for ISO compliance?

ISO Audit Process

3. Is there an audit process for ISO, and if so, who conducts the audit?

HR Activities Related to ISO

4. What specific activities related to ISO does HR need to undertake?

Please respond promptly.

Thank you.

Introduction to ISO

ISO is the International Organization for Standardization. Its current version is ISO 9001:2008, commonly referred to as Quality Management Systems. A search on Google will provide a lot of information on this topic.

Regards

Hi there, please find below the link containing all the information required for your query on the ISO: ISO Reports Forms.

Best of luck.

1. What is this? What is the procedure for this? - It is for standardizing good practices suitable for your organization and to ensure that all follow the same procedure for their respective functions/departments.

2. What data have to be maintained by the HR department? - It is important to have the procedures defined for HR. Formats and reports would indicate the data that should be maintained by the HR department. It is nothing very special but what you would normally maintain for the HR function even if your organization is not ISO Certified.

3. Is there any audit in ISO? If yes, then tell me who does the audit? - Where did you first hear about the audit in this context? Yes, you are right, and anybody outside the HR department may come to audit the HR department. Once a year, external auditors and two to three times a year internal auditors review the HR function.

4. What are the activities in ISO for HR? - Clearly write an HR manual outlining the tasks in the HR department. Get it approved by your manager. Follow the guidelines mentioned in the HR Manual. Keep records and reports for legal purposes, top management, and ISO compliance. You would be surprised to find that most of the requirements overlap by over 95%. Therefore, by maintaining HR documents, you are effectively performing your job correctly.

The HR Department plays a very important role in ISO 9001:2008 certification. There are a total of 8 clauses in this certification, out of which 1. Resource Management and 2. Training are completely applicable to the HR Department.

In case you do not have an HR Manual prepared yet, it doesn't matter; you can always develop one. If you already have one, please check whether your Resource Management procedure includes manpower planning, recruitment, and selection. It should also define HR Quality Policy and Objectives.

Training as a Key HR Process

Training is a very important HR process from an ISO point of view. Therefore, you should have documented procedures for training needs identification, imparting methods, and maintaining records.

Audit Considerations

From an audit point of view, the ISO 9001:2008 auditor shall audit the HR department for training procedures and records and Resource Management procedures and their records only.

Please note, during audits, anything that is not related to the 8 clauses of ISO or the concerned department, you can always object to the purpose.

Role of HR in ISO Certification

The ISO is a certification, and the role of HR in ISO includes:

• Resource providing.
• Skilled manpower - whatever the processes are running.
• If there is any gap between the skill of manpower required vs. actual, we will provide training to manpower and update their skills for performing that particular process.

Training Process

The training process is as follows:
1. Skill level
2. Training need identification
3. Training calendar
4. Training record
5. Training feedback
6. Training evaluation
7. Skill updation

Regards,
Bharti

ISO: International Organization for Standardization

For Quality: ISO 9001:2008

For Environment: ISO 14001:2004

For Occupational Health & Safety Assessment Series: ISO 18001:2007

The ISO is a certification, and the role of HR in ISO is as follows:

1. Training need identification
2. Training Planning (Based on Identification)
3. Training circular
4. Training Agenda
5. Conduct training Program
6. Feedback about training
7. Training Evaluation (2 types)
a) On Job evaluation
b) Off Job evaluation
8. Skill Matrix

These are the basic steps of the ISO HR department.

ISO stands for International Organization for Standardization. It contains many standards; a few of them are as below:

1. **9001:2008**

9001 stands for the number given to quality parameters, and 2008 stands for the year when the standard was revised. Earlier it was 2000, but now it is 9001:2008. It is also known as QMS, i.e., Quality Management System, where all the quality-related parameters and their compliances are inspected by the auditors.

2. **14001:2004**

14001 stands for the number given to environmental parameters, and 2004 stands for the year when the standard was revised. It is also known as EMS, i.e., Environmental Management System, where all the environmental aspects and impacts and their compliances are inspected by the auditors.

3. **18001:2007**

18001 stands for the number given to health and safety parameters, and 2007 stands for the year when the standard was revised. It is also known as OHSAS, i.e., Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series, and even known as OH&S, where all the health and safety-related parameters and their compliances are inspected by the auditors.

Group Risk Assessment, minutes of safety meetings, reports of mock drills, and results of emergency preparedness are important documents for OHSAS Audit.

Who Conducts ISO Audits

External audits are done by ISO agencies like BVQI, QS, and many more. Internal audits are done by company personnel, which include the Management Representative, Head of Quality Assurance Department, and other department heads if required.

HR Documents

1. Employee Details file
2. Attendance Registers
3. Competency Matrix
4. Training Need Identification
5. Annual Training Calendar (Scheduled)
6. Training Effectiveness Evaluation
7. Unscheduled Training reports
8. Re-training records
9. Internal and External Communication File
10. Compliance to legal evaluation
11. Contract agreements for vendors
12. Pest Control records
13. Housekeeping records
14. Canteen records, etc.

When auditors inspect for any deficiencies, they issue Non-Conformity Reports (NCR). For ISO Audits, the closure period for the NCR is 90 days. If the deficiencies are related to documents, they can be closed by mail evidence, but if they are operational, then re-audits are conducted by auditors.

Types of NCRs

1. Minor - where there is no direct impact on human beings, quality, environment, health, and safety.
2. Major - where there is a direct loss of human beings, quality, environment, health, and safety.

If a minor deficiency is not closed within 30 days, it becomes a major NC for the next audit.

Certification

ISO certification is valid for 3 years. But every year auditors visit the company and conduct the audit to check the continual improvement of the systems and company, and then they continue the certification for the next year. For a consistent 3 years, you have to be with one agency only. Once the 3 years are complete, you can change the certification agency if required for any reason.

Please revert back for any queries.

Regards,
Siya.

ISO is related to quality assurance. In ISO, HR activities involve conducting training programs and verifying the Good Hygiene Practices (GHP) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) in the food industry. DNV conducts audits to verify all records.

Regards.

Hi Lokesh,

Understanding ISO 9001:2008 for HR

ISO 9001:2008 is an international standard for the management of "Quality" in an organization. If you have a copy of the standard, the HR department will be responsible for:

• Defining responsibilities and authorities (Clause 5.5.1)
• Determining the competence of personnel performing work affecting conformity to product requirements (Clause 6.2.1)
• Identifying training needs of personnel, providing training, and maintaining training records (Clause 6.2.2)
• Ensuring a suitable work environment (Clause 6.4)

ISO Audit Process

There is certainly an audit conducted by an accredited body leading to the certification of the organization. Prior to the third-party audit, the organization must conduct its own audit by its internal auditors.

Should you need any more information, please feel free to contact me via my email: [Email Removed For Privacy Reasons] or cell number [Phone Number Removed For Privacy Reasons].

Regards

Wonderful "Clarification at the micro-level." Can you please also help me with:

1. As 2004 stands for years, does it mean the standard came into existence or any amendments were made this year?
2. What is "Aspect / Impact Analysis" and how do we conduct it? Do you have any format available?
3. Do you have any presentations? I want to provide training on IMS at the "Supervisory Level."

Regards,
Ashish

Hello Mr. Sharma, Please refer to the answers below:

1. What Is This? What Is the Procedure for This?

ISO is an internationally acclaimed and accepted standard for the implementation of a Quality Management System (QMS) at an organizational level. It comprises eight clauses related to Quality Management System, Management Responsibility, Resource Management, Product Realization, and Measurement, Analysis, and Improvement. The first three clauses deal with introduction and definitions, etc. There are many models of quality being practiced in the industry to implement quality management systems, such as TQM (Total Quality Management), MBNQA (Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award - USA), EFQM (European Foundation for Quality Management), or Operational Excellence, etc. ISO 9001:2008 is one such model to implement quality management systems across an organization.

To get certification, one needs to prepare documents, procedures, and manuals to guide the team about its implementation. After implementation, an internal audit needs to be conducted by trained internal auditors from the organization to ensure conformance to the requirements laid down in ISO 9001:2008 standards.

After this audit, two audits need to be conducted by an external agency, mainly the certification agency, Stage I and Stage II, to verify conformance to standards and compliance. If everything is found in line with the stated guidelines, your organization will be awarded a certification.

2. What Data Have to Be Maintained in the HR Department?

Basically, for HR, there is a separate clause in ISO 9001 standards apart from general requirements, clause #6 - Resource Management, which deals with the provision of resources, competence training, awareness, infrastructure, and work environment. All documents pertaining to this area need to be maintained in any form, whether electronically or manually. Most practiced and maintained documents include training records, job descriptions, competency records or skill matrix data, resources list, work environment data affecting quality, employee list, etc.

3. Is There Any Audit in ISO? If Yes, Who Conducts the Audit?

Please refer to the explanation above for audits. An audit is compulsory to obtain ISO 9001 certification by a third party. Certification is valid for at least three years, and periodic audits at intervals of one year will be conducted by your certification agency to verify conformance to requirements and effectiveness of the management system. After three years, you need to apply for reassessment and re-certification.

4. What Are the Activities in ISO for HR?

The following tasks are part of ISO 9001 for the Human Resource department:
- Building competency matrix or skill matrix for employees as per job requirements
- Preparing JD (Job description) for employees and communicating the same
- Arranging training for employees affecting job requirements and quality
- Providing necessary resources and requirements to employees to achieve quality
- Providing a good work environment to achieve quality
- Maintaining education, training, skills, and experience details of employees
- Selecting the right talent as per job requirements concerning education, skills, and competency
- Providing support services such as transportation, communication, and information to achieve quality

I hope this clarifies your doubts and queries. For further assistance, feel free to reach me at [Email Removed For Privacy Reasons]

Regards,
Raju Prasad