On 31 March-1 April 2021, State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGS) experts attended a two-day workshop on “Identification of most relevant concepts, approaches and methodologies for SBGS human resources management” organised under the EU-funded project “EU Support to Strengthening Integrated Border Management in Ukraine (EU4IBM)”. The workshop was conducted as part of EU4IBM assistance to SBGS in improving human resources management (HRM).
“We recognise the importance of SBGS’ commitment to change. The enhancement of the human resources management at the SBGS based on good EU practices and approaches is a step towards developing an effective border management agency that is aligned to EU IBM standards. We are happy to support the SBGS in this important process”, said Xavier Camus, Head of the Good Governance and Democratisation Section at the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine.
The workshop was delivered to more than 100 SBGS HRM staff representing both the Administration and the regional level by international HRM experts and business process analysts from EU4IBM. Among other things, the participants studied the case of staff reassignment, one of the most complicated and lengthy business processes within SBGS. If the recommendations of EU4IBM experts are implemented, the proposed reengineering will decrease the number of process steps from 170 to 59, its execution time by 40%, and the waiting time by 84%. Such recommendations as well as the results of the comparative analysis of good HRM practices applied by border management, law enforcement and public service agencies of EU countries will contribute to the enhancement of SBGS HRM capacities.
“The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine plays a crucial role in the implementation of the IBM concept as well as the National IBM Strategy and Action Plan in Ukraine, and an invaluable role in this process of change belongs to SBGS staff. As always, the person stands in the core of any process. Therefore it is of utmost importance to ensure that the HR system is improved, well-functioning and developed in accordance with best EU practices for the benefit of both the Service and the individual”, commented Arunas Adomenas, EU4IBM Team Leader.
The individual is also in the focus of the planned staff engagement survey, a bottom-up exercise helping to identify HR-related bottlenecks from the point of view of an average border guard, and thus to increase the overall ownership and engagement of staff in the longer term. Combined with other project activities such as review and assessment of the existing SBGS training architecture and capacity, recommendations from business processes analysis as well as conclusions of the past workshop on relevant EU and Ukrainian concepts, approaches and methodologies, the survey will help the SBGS, assisted by the EU4IBM project, develop an efficient HRM Strategy and its Roadmap, as well as their further implementation.
