The Role of HR

by Jing Li

After seven years of work and study life in Leeds, UK, Jing Li started her career journey in international education by joining ULink Education in 2010. Jing has served in various administrative roles within the organisation, including Head of Student Affairs, Head of HR, Board Chair Assistant, and Co-Principal. In her current role, Jing is the Director of HR of the newly founded international school – Guangzhou ULink International School. With 14 years of experience in international education, Jing shares her insights into international education and the management of international schools.

The Role of HR in International Schools

The organisation I have worked with for the last 14 years is undergoing some major changes which will lead to a new era. After finishing my last assignment as the Director of International Division, I returned to the head office to be part of leading these changes as the HR Director. Part of my job is to redefine the role of HR in this transformation so that HR can play a more valuable role in building the right school culture.

Best Fit

Each school is unique and one of the characteristics of international schools is the multi-cultural environment. I strongly believe in finding the best fit for the school culture during recruitment, performance management and professional development. Much research and leadership training emphasizes that schools with a strong cultural identity have higher teacher and student satisfaction rates. While the Head of School is tasked with cultivating the school culture, the HR Director’s job is to help source people who will thrive in it. When the HR Director and Head of School collaborate closely, they can find candidates not only with academic prowess but who can adapt and fit into the school’s values.

People Leaders

Both the Head of the School and the HR Director are people leaders whose primary focus is to lead and develop teams and individuals. The HR Director is often at the frontline of recruitment, onboarding, and employee relations, alongside the Head of School who also sets the academic and cultural vision. A shared view on teacher and staff quality enables them to be united in leading the school’s most vital asset – its people. The more understanding they share, the fewer chances there will be for mixed messages being sent to staff, which could lead to confusion, disengagement, and in the worst-case scenario, a toxic culture.

Building Trust is the Key

To enable HR to contribute more to people management, building trust between the Head of School and the HR Director is very important. As Steven R. Covey stated, ‘Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships.’ (First Thing First. 1994)

How to build that trust? There are many elements, but the following four qualities are most important for an HR Director.

1. Ability to solve key problems. Often, the Head of School has little idea what the HR Director does on a daily basis. Perhaps he or she does not need to know such details, but the check normally comes when difficult questions arise and if the HR Director has the ability to solve them. There are many capabilities required from the HR Director in order to solve these problems which involve both macro and micro, as well as short-term and long-term views.

2. A clear understanding that the ultimate bottom line of a school is to do what is best for the students.

3. Accountability. Personally, I believe that all good leaders should be aware of the importance of holding people accountable.

4. Last but not least, Empathy. As a people leader, this quality is essential, especially in a school context where it helps to build strong connections with teachers and staff. I would like to quote a Chinese saying from The Analects of Confucius, ‘己欲立而立人,己欲达而达人’, meaning ‘If you want to establish yourself, help others to establish themselves. If you want to achieve success, help others to achieve success.’ (The Analects of Confucius, Book 6: Yong Ye)

Some tips to build a close relationship and shared understanding between the HR Director and the Head of School:

– Having the HR Director in the leadership meetings. Schools will have different ways to manage meetings. Whenever the meeting is about staff and faculties issues, the HR Director should be part of it. This will enable the HR Director to be aware of the latest issues and developments of people, and provide necessary advice and support.

– Set up weekly or bi-weekly one-on-one meetings between the Head of School and the HR Director. These sessions should be dedicated to discussing recruitment plans, ongoing professional development initiatives, and any emerging issues related to staff and faculty performance.

– The HR Director should take the initiative to know the school’s curriculum and programmes. This will help them to understand more of what kinds of teaching experience, skills and values the teaching candidates should come with.

– Have a sound onboarding programme and gather feedback from new staff. Also, having exit plans, including interviews with staff who are about to leave the school, is equally important and beneficial.

– An open-door policy. A good HR Director should encourage staff to share their questions or concerns. However, a wise HR Director also knows how to prevent conversations from turning into gossip, or unfounded allegations.

Jing Li 黎婧 is the Director of HR at Guangzhou ULink International School and Vice General Manager of GD ULink Education Company.

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