L.B. Redbridge Swimming Club

Succession Planning

1 INTRODUCTION

The London Borough of Redbridge Swimming Club recognises the need to beable to find the right people with the right skills and competencies to be able to fillkey roles within the Club (committee, coaching, official and teaching positions) asthey arise. One specific aspect of effective workforce development planning isthe practice of "Succession Planning", which the Club intend to embrace in orderto help to build the necessary capacity required.

2 WHAT IS SUCCESSION PLANNING

Succession planning can be broadly defined as identifying future potentialswimmers, committee members, volunteers, teachers and coaches to fill keypositions as they arise. The practice can help organisations to ensure that theyhave the right people of the right calibre and skills to be considered for roles asthey arise either through retirements or natural wastage.

3 HOW WILL THE CLUB APPROACH SUCCESSION PLANNING

Succession planning will only be effective if it is integrated into the way the Clubruns and plans its business and is the responsibility of all Club membersAs part of the preparation of workforce development plans, committee memberswill be required to consider the workforce composition for specific purposes,considering issues such as:

Pending retirements;
Sickness absence (long term);
Turnover and patterns;
Difficult to recruit posts and market shortages;
Ongoing vacancies;

In preparing workforce development plans, consideration should be given as towhere through further support, training and development, existing employees andmembers may be have the potential to be considered for posts and roles as theyarise in the future.This approach will enable the Club through effective forward planning and riskmanagement, to prepare for future changes in the workforce by developingexisting employees and members, who show an interest in possible careers androles within swimming, to a position where they may be able to be considered forfuture Club and professional swimming positions.

4. HOW WILL THE CLUB TAKE SUCCESSION PLANNING FORWARD

By adopting ASA competency frameworks for committee members, teachers,coaches, officials and volunteers which detail the competencies required.These frameworks should be readily available to all members.By having an ongoing annual programme of training and developmentactivities against specific role competencies. This will provide ongoingopportunities for all members, who wish to consider development within theClub, to attend various training and development activities and events with aview to enhancing their skills and competencies, subject to Committeeapproval.Through effective application of the Clubs Continuous ProfessionalDevelopment Programme and the Swimmer Personal Development Plan, anycareer aspirations employees and members may have which are realistic andwhich the Club could assist with. In particular, this would need to be in linewith the requirements of the Club. Consideration in relation to costs willhowever need to be a factor, due to limited budgets within the Club. Wherepossible, development against competencies should be through Council andASA accredited training courses and other opportunities such as "on the job"training, mentoring and secondments.Through offering secondment and acting up opportunities during temporaryperiods for lower level staff, with the appropriate support programmes inplace.What it opportunities do not materialise? The purpose of workforcedevelopment and succession planning is to ensure that the Club haveemployees and members with the required skills and competencies to beconsidered for posts and roles which may arise in the future and which havebeen highlighted.Where opportunities, for what ever reason do not materialise, there remainadvantages with the approach being adopted, as employees and memberscontinue to be developed to reach their full potential, which not only has animpact upon their performance but also has benefits in terms of employee andmember satisfaction and morale.

5. FAIRNESS AND TRANSPARENCY

In order that succession planning, does not carry any risks, it imperative thatthe process is seen as fair, open and transparent by all employees andmembers.Where a permanent position or role arises in the future, an employee ormember who has been subject to succession planning and receiveddevelopment, will still be subject to the Clubs Recruitment and SelectionProcedures and will still be required to demonstrate that they meet theessential criteria for the post or role. There will still be a requirement toadvertise the post, at least internally, and where the post is of a highlyspecialist nature, and depending upon the level, the post may need to beadvertised externally also.

6. RECORD KEEPING

Various mechanisms for record keeping are likely to be the result ofsuccession planning including:

Workforce development plans
Individual employee's and swimmer "Personal Development Plans"
Records of Achievements
Applications for training and development activities demonstrating therelevance of the training

7. LINKS TO OTHER CLUB POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Recruitment Policy
Equity Policy
Club Constitution

8. MONITORING AND REVIEW

This policy and its application will be monitored on an ongoing basis by theCommittee. A review will take place every 24 months.

9. EQUALITIES AND DIVERSITY

The application of this policy and theinformation collated from monitoring its application will take into account allequalities and diversity issues.