HCM index needs to engage with firms

I was perplexed and concerned by your recent news story ‘Index reveals true state of human capital management in UK organisations’  (Personnel Today, 7 June). It implies that I support the methodology behind the index.

I clearly stipulated that the Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) had received no formal request from the author of the Newbury Index Rating, Paul Kearns, for information on our human capital strategy, measures or business impact. Consequently, our position was misrepresented.

Our view is similar to those of other organisations with serious concerns about the approach behind the index, and we remain unequivocally opposed to ratings that make critical and subjective assumptions about the human capital performance of organisations without engaging them.

As a previous winner of the Personnel Today Human Capital award, and having recently rolled out a human capital platform across our organisation, we have demonstrated a strong commitment to measuring the effectiveness of our people strategy and its impact on business performance.

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When approached by Personnel Today for comment, I suggested that the index would go some way towards raising the profile of the human capital debate. However, not having been approached by Kearns for any information, I don’t understand how he can legitimately make claims about our performance.

Greig Aitken
Head of employee research and measurement, Royal Bank of Scotland Group