SAM's Main Book List

People Management

Employment Records Handbook: for voluntary organisations
By Paul Ticher
Pub Directory of Social Change 2005 ISBN 19039911390 £14.95 [£18.73 inc p&p]

Discipline and Grievances at Work - Advisory handbook
Pub: ACAS New edition 2001 £4.95
This highly recommended small handbook gives excellent guidance on the whole area of disciplinary matters including long-term sickness, sub-standard work and absence. It is very EO aware and covers counselling as well as formal disciplinary rules and procedures. Very useful model letters are included on notice of disciplinary interview, notification of dismissal, enquiry of a doctor about an employee's health. At less than £5, you should definitely have it on your bookshelf.

Managing People
by Gill Taylor and Christine Thornton
Pub: DSC 1995 £10.95 out of print ISBN 1 873860 47 1
Written from experience in the voluntary sector including arts organisations, this user friendly book aims to demystify people management skills, by looking at typical situations that managers can face. It therefore uses a case study approach and engages the reader by giving a scenario and asking what the manager should do. There are also useful checklists and reference to further sources of information. Brilliant for new managers in small organisations and those who have been doing it for some time but without any formal training. Sections cover suspension, planning and teamwork, dealing with difficult situations, the management committee and staff leaving in difficult circumstances.

Managing Recruitment and Selection
by Gill Taylor
Pub: DSC 1996 £11.50 ISBN 1 873860 85 4
A very thorough and useful handbook that covers all the expected stages of recruitment and selection and more besides. It covers different types of jobs, sessional staff, secondments and using consultants. As with its companion volume Managing People (see above), it takes a scenario approach. It is particularly good on EO issues and includes samples of all the forms, letters and lists you need.

The Trust Effect
by Larry Reynolds
Pub: Nicholas Brealey Publishing 1997 £12.99 ISBN 1 85788 186 9
Larry Reynolds works as a consultant and trainer across all sectors, including arts organisations. This book is about relationships at work and puts forward Trust, with its four core principles of competence, openness, reliability and equity, as the basis of teams and organisations. An inspiring read, and very applicable and practical to both large and small arts organisations.

The Work Experience Handbook - A guide for Arts Organisations
by Hannah Wilmot
Pub: Eastern Arts Board free p&p only ISBN 0 9 523278 2 1
An excellent handbook aimed at arts organisations who host or are considering hosting, work experience placements. It relates specially to 14-16 year olds from school, but covers further and higher education placements as well. Based on experience, these guidelines have been enthusiastically received by arts managers. It is thorough, covering initiating, planning, running and evaluating placements. It aims to raise the quality of experience for both students and organisations - and from reports I have had on its use, it has been very successful in doing so.

Managing Absence
by Sarah Hargreaves, Christina Morton and Gill Taylor
Pub: Russell House Publishing 1998 £14.95 ISBN 1 898924 17 1
Thorough and thoughtful guidance, combining the legal perspective with that of the ethical employer on a whole range of tricky issues - sickness, holidays, disability and absence, parental leave, flexible working arrangements and sabbaticals. Excellent stuff. Very useful. Recommended.

101 ways to develop your people, without really trying! - A Manager's Guide to work based learning
by Peter Honey
Pub: Peter Honey Publications 2nd reprint 1998 £16.95 ISBN 0 9508444 9 7
How to weave self-development and learning into everyday work. Great fun - an alphabetical numbered set of ideas for practical activities from the obvious to the unlikely - something for everyone here. Recommended.

Essential Volunteer Management
by Steve McCurley and Rick Lynch
Pub: DSC 2nd edition 1998 £14.95 ISBN 1 900360 18 7
Brilliant. Loads of very practical advice, from an overview to recruiting and volunteer/staff relations, and ace forms ready to adapt and use, as well as fascinating snippets of information and research results. I particularly liked Scott's ad for men for his Antarctic Expedition (return uncertain), and the evaluation form rating scale for 'How would you rate your experience in volunteering for us?' - from Terrible through Average to Great. Highly recommended.

The Health and Safety Handbook for Voluntary and Community Organisations
by Al Hinde and Charlie Kavanagh. Editor Jill Barlow
Pub: Directory of Social Change 2nd edition £12.50 ISBN 1 903991 01 3
This useful guide is extremely well laid out, clearly written and does not over-complicate issues. It assumes a small size of organisation, and includes the use of volunteers as well as paid staff. Its 14 chapters cover all the basics - risk assessment, workplace regulations, manual handling, use of computers, COSHH, RIDDOR - and also violence to staff, insurance, and food hygiene. There are well designed checklists and a DIY model Health and Safety policy for you to customize.

Managing Conflict
By Gill Taylor
Pub: Directory of Social Change 1999 £12.50 ISBN 1 900360 28 4
This practical book is designed to help you develop a range of strategies and skills, in order to resolve conflict and build stronger teams. It will be particularly helpful for people in the following situations: as a manager who is managing conflict within a team; as a member of a team faced with conflict with colleagues; or as a worker handling conflict with clients, residents or service users.

Employing Disabled People: Handbook of Good Practice
By Annie Delin
Pub The Arts Council of England 2000 £15 ISBN 07278 0794 2
Based on the Arts Council Apprenticeship Scheme Programme, this handbook takes employers, advisors and employees through all aspects of good practice, recruitment and retention. Includes case studies and example documents.

Social Interaction and Personal Relationships
Ed. Dorothy Miell and Rudi Dallos
Pub: Sage / Open University 1996 ISBN 0 7619 5036 2 £15 [£21.52 inc p&p]

Setting Chief Executive Officer Remuneration
By Tess Akpeki
Pub NCVO 2001 ISBN 0 7199 1582 1 £12.50 [£13.07 inc p&p]

Creative Equality: making equal opportunities work in the arts
by Christine Thornton and Gill Taylor
Pub: Eastern Arts Board 1996 out of print  ISBN 0952 3278 13
This is a straight-forward, easy to follow guide on how to imbed equal opportunities practice across an arts organisation. It covers a wide range of issues and provides useful checklists and exercises, as well as case studies, within a manageable sized book. Sections include recruitment and selection, contract of employment, programming the arts, and promoting access through developing effective customer relationships.

Current Practice Good Practice - Guidelines for good practice on pay and remuneration for senior posts in the voluntary sector
by NCVO
Pub: NCVO 1996 £7.50 ISBN 0 7199 1495 7
The Greenbury report of directors' remuneration in the commercial sector may seem miles away from the humble salary payment made by arts organisations, but when you review salaries, on what basis do you set levels? And who does it, using what process? If your process and pay need a review, then this booklet provides much useful food for thought including principles and policy points.

Recruiting Volunteers: attracting the people you need
By Fraser and Ursula Jost
Pub DSC 2002 ISBN 190399120X £10.95 [£13.93 inc p&p]
Another very useful book from DSC.  Finding the right people who are prepared to commit themselves can be a real challenge.  You have to seek them out, encourage them and offer roles that are satisfying.  This guide prompts you to think of volunteer recruitment in the context of a wider volunteer strategy.  Full of practical advice and imaginative ideas.
To be reviewed

Inspirational Leadership: Timeless insights from Shakespeare’s greatest leader
By Richard Olivier
Pub Spiro Press 2004 ISBN 1904298214 £10.99 [£14.49 inc p&p]
Henry V is Shakespeare’s greatest leader – inspired and inspiring, visionary yet pragmatic, powerful yet responsible. The book draws on Richard Olivier’s intimate knowledge of the play and its absorbing central character, to unmask the secrets of inspirational leadership and reveal the timeless lessons it holds for managers and leaders today.

Checklist on People Management A health check of issues for an arts organisation to consider in their people management is available from SAM. Information on employment matters ACAS has an excellent website and series of leaflets at www.acas.org.uk Salary levels The following websites have information on salaries in areas related to the arts: National Union of Teachers - for posts related to education work www.nut.org.uk A website on public sector jobs with useful salary information www.jobsgopublic.com The Unison website (the big public sector union) gives information on Local Authority salaries. www.unison.org.uk/online/service/localgov/index.htm Volunteers The following research report is available from Resource – the Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries. Volunteers in the Cultural Sector Resource commissioned the Institute of Volunteering Research to develop a demographic profile of volunteers in museums, archives and libraries in England. http://www.resource.gov.uk/information/research/respubs2002.asp Arts Council England produce an information sheet How to pay artists Gives guidance on the payment of artists, and information about organisations that can provide more details. Published: Feb 2003 http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/information/information_title.php Arts Council England has produced a free downloadable publication Artists in figures This report provides information on the size of the artistic labour force, artists’ employment status, employment tenure, unemployment, their working hours, pay and multiple job-holding. It also describes the characteristics of artists; their gender, age, educational qualifications and where they live. Published: 2003 http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/information/publications_recent.php

 

See also General Management and New Thinking.

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