General principles of open, transparent and fair procedures recruitment and selection of employees (OTM-R Policy)
1. Introduction
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) received a report from the European Commission on 23/05/2019 that it meets the requirements and can start using the "HR Excellence in Research Award". The award reflects NIMH's commitment to continuous improvement of HR practices in line with the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers.
One of the key commitments is the implementation of the rules of open, transparent and fair procedures for the recruitment and selection of researchers (Open, Transparent and Merit-based Recruitment - OTM-R) and they are also applied appropriately when hiring non-researchers. OTM-R supports the hiring of the most suitable worker for a given job position, guarantees equal opportunities and access for all, facilitates the development of an international portfolio (cooperation, competition, mobility) and makes the career of a researcher more attractive.
- Recruitment and employment of workers in the Czech Republic is generally regulated by Labor Code No. 262/2006 Coll. and Employment Act No. 435/2004 Coll.
- The process of recruitment and selection of employees is regulated in the NIMH in the Recruitment and Selection of Employees Directive based on the principles of openness, transparency and merit criteria.
- The entire recruitment and selection process respects the NIMH Code of Ethics, the GDPR (Personal Data Protection) Principles in NIMH and the principles of equal treatment stated in the Anti-Discrimination Act.
- The guarantor of the recruitment and selection process at NIMH is the Human Resources Department (OLZ).
The main areas of application of the OTM-R Policy:
As part of the recruitment and selection of employees according to the OTM-R rules, 3 main areas are monitored:
- Publication of vacancies
- Selection and evaluation
- Phase of ending the selection procedure
2. Publication of vacancies
Information provided to Applicants
In accordance with open and transparent recruitment procedures, published job advertisements are formulated as concisely and clearly as possible. These job offers contain the following details published directly in the advertisement, possibly with links to where the information can be found:
- Job position
- Research program/section
- Type of employment (full-time, part-time)
- Duration of employment
- Location
- Estimated onset
- Workload
- Minimum requirements for education, work experience and required competencies
- Information on salary rules and benefits provided by NIMH to employees
- Tender announcement date and application deadline - there is usually a 30-day gap between
these dates
- Required documents from the applicant
- Contact information for questions
- Link to information about the organization, the given section / research program
- Link to information about open positions
- Link to OTM-R policy in NIMH
All positions are gender-neutral advertised (no gender preference). NIMH also allows disadvantaged persons to participate in tenders. That is also why advertisements for jobs that are suitable for disadvantaged groups - such as graduates, seniors, parents on parental leave - always mention this fact. People with physical disabilities can also work in NIMH due to the barrier-free nature of the building.
Action for better OTM-R policy in NIMH
More detailed information on salary and career development is communicated to those candidates who are invited for an interview as part of the selection process. In the future, it will be possible to use the link to the salary classification and career development options in the forthcoming Career Rules and in the NIMH Internal Salary Regulations when the advertisement is published.
Posting advertisements
Every open job offer is always advertised on the NIMH website and, depending on the nature of the job position, on other platforms and places:
- www.euraxess.cz, www.researchjobs.cz, www.vedavyzkum.cz, www.jobs.cz, on LinkedIn, Facebook and in selected professional periodicals and portals.
- In the form of a notice board at the Municipal Office in Klecany and at the Labor Office for Prague-East.
Action for better OTM-R policy in NIMH
NIMH will strive to expand the IT system, which will largely electronically cover the process of recruitment and selection of workers in NIMH and thus contribute to greater efficiency of recruitment and selection in NIMH.
Minimization of the administrative burden
The documents that the applicant sends in response to the advertisement are reduced to a minimum and are required primarily in electronic form in order to reduce the administrative burden on both sides. In most cases, only a structured resume is sent along with a cover letter.
Confirmation of receipt of application and other information
Applicants who have sent the relevant documents to NIMH are informed by e-mail about their delivery and the next procedure. In case of time shifts and/or changes in the recruitment and selection process, OLZ will immediately inform the participants by e-mail about this fact and the new procedure.
3. Selection and evaluation
Determination of selection committee
The selection committee is established by the head of the newly hired employee - direct supervisor. The commission has at least 3 members, which they are usually the head of the newly hired employee/senior supervisor, the OLZ representative and another cooperating colleague and/or future supervisor. In exceptional, justified cases, the leader can also determine a smaller number of committee members.
When appointing the selection committee, aspects such as the professional profile of its members, experience in the assessed field and gender balance are considered.
In the case of the appointment of members of the selection committee for the selection of deputies and heads of individual NIMH research workplaces, the invitation of external evaluators who have experience in the assessed area will be considered for the sake of objectivity.
Before the selection process conducted by the selection committee, OLZ will inform applicants of the names and work positions of the members of the committee.
Action for better OTM-R policy in NIMH
For the proper functioning of the selection committee, the members of the selection committees undergo training aimed at observing the principles and rules of recruitment and selection of employees in the NIMH, based on openness, transparency and merit criteria.
Selection of applicants and interviews
The manager, in cooperation with OLZ Department, will select the most suitable candidates and invite them to the selection process conducted by the selection committee.
If it is not possible to conduct an interview with the applicant in person, means of remote communication are used (video conference, teleconference, etc.).
Both advanced and rejected applicants are continuously informed by e-mail about the stage of the process, the results and the next steps.
Rules for evaluation of applicants
The interview is conducted with the aim of selecting the most suitable applicant by verifying the applicant's motivation and assessing their past results and future potential. Merit is evaluated quantitatively and qualitatively. As part of the selection process, according to the given job classification, the outputs of employees are taken into account through bibliometric indicators, as well as experience in managing research and other projects, managing teams, doctoral students, knowledge transfer, knowledge of specific methodology, etc. When filling top and specialized positions, the presentations of individual candidates can be part of the selection process.
Previous career interruptions and/or non-standard career paths are assessed individually and are not primarily understood as disadvantaging applicants.
Experiences with mobility are also understood positively - e.g. stay in another country, in the private sector, change of field, industry, or even experience with virtual mobility. These will be assessed individually, taking into account the applicant's other qualifications.
The service age criterion is not applied automatically in NIMH without taking into account the applicant's other qualification requirements.
Recognition of qualifications in NIMH
- When recognizing the qualifications of scientific and other employees, NIMH is governed by the Act on Universities and the Education Act. The recognition of this qualification also results from the Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications in the Field of Higher Education in the European Region.
- NIMH recognizes qualifications obtained by Czech and foreign nationals outside the Czech Republic, according to the conditions of nostrification by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.
- In the case of medical employees who have received recognition of their ability to perform a medical profession outside the territory of the Czech Republic, the NIMH is governed by the conditions of the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic when recognizing their qualifications.
- Relevant informal qualifications (certifications, courses, training...) are also taken into account when assessing qualifications.
NIMH does not discriminate between candidates who respond to a vacancy on the basis of race, ethnic or social origin, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, belief or worldview, property, ancestry or other status and because of nationality of the organization's employees. This principle is also described in general terms in the NIMH Code of Ethics. Questions and statements that may be interpreted as discriminatory by applicants are not used in the selection process with candidates.
NIMH pays attention to the ethical behavior of individuals, which is why ethical or unethical behavior in the previous course of the career is taken into account (e.g. earlier unethical actions of scientific and research workers regarding the authorship of scientific outputs).
Individual members of the selection committee evaluate applicants according to the set evaluation criteria and rules.
4. Stage of termination of the selection procedure
After the end of all rounds of selection procedures, the selection committee will process the evaluation and ranking of the applicants. The job offer is presented to the most successful applicant by OLZ, and if the offer is accepted by the applicant, the selection process is considered to be over. Alternatively, the manager may terminate the selection process at any time without selecting a candidate.
In accordance with the principles of transparency and openness, after the end of the selection process, all candidates will receive a report by e-mail about its completion and result within 30 days of the end of the selection process.
An applicant who participated in the selection process before the selection committee has the right to request communication of the specific reasons for his rejection, in writing to nabor@nudz.cz within 14 days from the date of sending this rejection e-mail. You will receive an answer within 30 days from the delivery of this request.
The ratings will be recorded for the necessary period according to the GDPR rules, so that it can be proven in the future, based on what criteria and reasons a particular applicant was or was not selected.
5. Monitoring compliance with OTM-R rules
The OLZ Department is responsible for maintaining compliance with the OTM-R policy, which is taken into account in the Recruitment and Selection Directive. This department is also the guarantor of all other changes and implementations in the OTM-R policy and their consideration in the Directive on recruitment and selection in NIMH.
The following indicators have been identified for objective monitoring of OTM-R compliance:
- Number of trained persons/members of selection committees – absolute number, trend
- Number of external vs. internal applicants - absolute number, share, trend
- Number of applicants from abroad – absolute number, share, trend
- Number of female applicants - absolute number, share, trend
- Number of applicants overall – trend
- Number of advertisements on EURAXESS and other job portals - absolute number, share,
trend
- Number of women in selection committees - absolute number, share, trend
Action for better OTM-R policy in NIMH
OLZ Department continuously monitors and evaluates the above-mentioned indicators and, based on their state of development, recommends measures aimed at ensuring compliance of NIMH activities with OTM-R rules.
The rules of the OMT-R policy and any other modifications of this document will be published on the NIMH website in Czech and English and communicated internally.