Staffing and HR essentials

A SACCO is only as strong as the people who run it, and people are managed best when the rules are written down before they are needed. Good HR is not paperwork for its own sake. It is how you hire the right staff, treat them fairly, and keep the clear separation of duties that protects members' money.

Why it matters: fair, documented HR practice keeps good staff, settles disputes calmly, and supports segregation of duties, the control that stops any one person both moving money and hiding it. Guesswork and favouritism do the opposite.

Build a clear staffing structure

Set out who reports to whom before you argue about it. A simple structure prevents overlap and keeps controls intact.

Group posts into grades and show, on one page, who answers to whom. Keep the controls inside that structure: never place the person who handles cash under the same eye that records it, and the internal auditor should answer to the board, not the manager. Right-size it for your SACCO. Small teams share hats, but add a compensating check whenever two duties that should be separate land on one person.

Recruit fairly and competitively

Hire against the job, not the friendship. Every post should start with a written job description setting out duties and the skills required.

Advertise openly so you draw the best candidates, not just the nearest. Score against the job description, using the same questions and criteria for every applicant and writing down the reasons for your choice. Verify references and qualifications before you offer, and confirm the terms in a signed letter.

Set clear employment terms

State the category of each post in writing so both sides know where they stand.

• Permanent staff for ongoing core work.
• Fixed-term or contract staff for a defined project or period.
• Short-term or casual staff for seasonal peaks or cover.
• Allowances: spell out any transport, housing, airtime or acting allowances, who qualifies, and how much, so they are consistent and never a favour.

Give proper leave

Write down every entitlement so leave is a right, not a negotiation.

• Annual, sick and maternity leave to the standard your policy sets.
• Compassionate or bereavement and emergency leave for genuine personal crises.
• Unpaid leave where paid entitlement is exhausted but the reason is sound.
• Record it: track balances and approvals so cover is arranged and duties still segregate while someone is away.

Review, discipline and part ways fairly

Manage performance and conduct through steps everyone can see coming.

Hold annual performance reviews: set goals, review against them once a year, and note the discussion in writing. Use progressive discipline, a fair, staged process (warning, then written warning) with the staff member's side heard and recorded. Terminate only with due process: clear grounds, notice, and documentation. Never dismiss on rumour or a single unheard complaint.

Quick checklist

• Approve a written HR policy covering structure, recruitment, leave, allowances, discipline and termination.
• Give every post a current job description before you advertise it.
• Confirm each hire's employment category and terms in a signed letter.
• Record all leave balances, approvals and allowance entitlements.
• Hold and document an annual performance review for every member of staff.
• Check the structure keeps duties segregated, so no one both moves money and records it.