CIPD 5CO01 – AC 3.1- A.C. 3.3 Practice Guide

CIPD 5CO01 – AC 3.1- A.C. 3.3 Practice Guide on Organisational Performance & Culture in Practice in Level 5 CIPD can feel quite heavy, because it talks about relationships between people activity, business direction, and the day-to-day routines that form culture. Many students say the assessors seem to expect a bridge between theory and workplace sense. I tend to agree. These relate to the employee lifecycle, the roles of people specialists, the links with broader business priorities, and the way we learn what internal customers actually need.

Picture a mid-sized retailer based in Manchester. They hire seasonal staff for peak months, develop supervisors from within, and want to reduce turnover in store teams. The lifecycle becomes visible:

• Attraction
• Recruitment
• Onboarding,
• Learning
• Performance
• Reward, and then exit or progression.

Each stage pulls in different people roles. Recruitment partners deal with attraction and selection. Leadership and Development practice unit guide, you’ll learn that teams shape growth. Reward teams look at pay and recognition. HR advisers sit on conduct and absence. It rarely runs in a neat line, which is part of the story of culture.

Quite a few students forget that people practice touches finance, operations, brand and customer experience. It all connects, sometimes in varied ways. A store manager may ask for support to improve scheduling, not because they fancy HR input, but because they need better staffing for weekend footfall. That is already strategy in its own small form. Think about how to listen and consult. Conversations, data, drop-in surgeries, or short surveys work. Some organisations use union reps or colleague forums. The assessors want you to show that you recognise choice, not just one preferred method.

Task – Questions LO3

AC 3.1 The CIPD Profession Map states, ‘People practices are the processes and approaches that we use across the employee lifecycle.’ Discuss the links between the employee lifecycle and different people practice roles.

Step 1 Define the key terms

• Employee lifecycle – list the typical stages you will use. For example, attraction/resourcing, selection, onboarding, development, performance management, reward/recognition, retention/wellbeing, and exit/offboarding.
• People practice roles – explain these are the roles within HR/people teams for instance, resourcing/recruitment specialist, learning and development (L&D) practitioner, reward adviser, employee relations adviser, HR business partner, occupational health/H&S, and HR analytics).

Step 2 Create a clear mapping

For each lifecycle stage, do the following, use headings or numbered sub-sections so the marker can follow you.

Example structure for each stage (short and repeatable):

1. Name the lifecycle stage.
2. State which people practice role(s) are most involved?
3. Explain, in 2–4 sentences, what those roles do at that stage in practice.
4. Give a short case study example (2–3 lines) showing the role at work in your case study context.

Below I give a concise mapping you can copy into your answer and expand with case study detail.

Attraction / Resourcing

• Roles: Recruitment/resourcing specialist, employer brand lead, HR analytics.
• What they do: set job adverts, manage candidate attraction channels, use basic data to judge where to advertise, and work with hiring managers on job profiles.
• Case example: in a mid-sized regional hospital, the recruitment specialist notices clinical posts are hard to fill and uses local nursing forums and targeted job boards plus short screening clinics to increase applicant numbers.

Selection

• Roles: Recruitment specialist, hiring manager, HR business partner.
• What they do: shortlist, coordinate interviews, set selection criteria, run fair selection panels, and keep records.
• Case example: selection panels include clinical leads and HR to keep clinical competence and equality of opportunity balanced.

Onboarding

• Roles: L&D practitioner, HR generalist, line manager.
• What they do: prepare induction schedules, competence checks, mandatory training and initial performance conversations so people become productive and safe.
• Case example: new nurses get a week-long induction, buddying with an experienced nurse, and an initial 3-month review co-run by L&D and the ward manager.

Development (learning, career progression)

• Roles: L&D, talent manager, line managers.
• What they do: skills audits, training programmes, career conversations and succession planning.
• Case example: a skills gap identified in acute care leads to a short course run by the L&D team and an internal secondment scheme.

Performance management

• Roles: HR business partner, line manager, performance adviser.
• What they do: set objectives, run reviews, record progress and handle underperformance processes if needed.
• Case example: annual appraisal plus quarterly check-ins supported with simple performance data produced by HR.

Reward and recognition

• Roles: Reward adviser, payroll, HR business partner.
• What they do: design pay structures, small recognition initiatives, check external pay rates and advise managers on fair practice.
• Case example: pay benchmarking shows nightshift premiums are behind local market and reward adviser presents options to management.

Retention, wellbeing and employee relations

• Roles: Employee relations adviser, occupational health, wellbeing lead.
• What they do: manage grievances, provide wellbeing support, run return-to-work processes and measure staff morale.
• Case example: after a difficult period on a ward, ER adviser runs listening sessions and occupational health offers resilience support.

Exit / Offboarding

• Roles: HR generalist, employee relations and L&D (for exit learning).
• What they do: conduct exit interviews, manage admin and paperwork, and collect learning from departures.
• Case example: exit interviews reveal lack of progression; L&D and managers discuss targeted retention actions.

Step 3 Add critical evaluation

For each stage you should add one or two critical points:

• Where roles overlap and who takes final responsibility (for example, onboarding sits across L&D and line managers — who leads?).
• Practical tensions (for example, recruiting quickly versus investing in internal development).
• Risk areas (for example, poor data or unclear role boundaries can lead to inconsistent treatment or delays).
• How you would check whether the people practice is working (short measures: time-to-hire, induction pass rates, early leaver rate, training completion and simple staff survey items).

To show critical application, use the case study and pick 2–3 tensions and explain likely consequences and small remedies.

Step 4 Link to the CIPD Profession Map

State that the Profession Map positions people practice across the employee lifecycle and that specific professional areas or specialist roles correspond to those lifecycle stages. Show you can reference the Map by name and demonstrate how a role’s knowledge and behaviours relate to lifecycle activity. Use one short paragraph linking a role (e.g., L&D) to the relevant CIPD professional areas and behaviours.

Be careful not to offer a long list of Map items, focus on the most relevant ones and show how they help practice.

Sample Answer (AC 3.1)

The employee lifecycle describes the different stages a worker passes through in an organisation, from the first moment of attraction to the final point of exit. Each stage requires input from people practice roles, and this is exactly what the CIPD Profession Map emphasises when it says that people practices are the processes and approaches used across the lifecycle. To show the link, it is helpful to walk through each stage and consider which roles are most active and how they interact.

Attraction and recruitment sit at the start. Here, resourcing specialists or recruitment advisers manage advertising, candidate pools, and the practicalities of shortlisting. They might work closely with managers to make job profiles realistic. For example, a recruitment lead may notice high turnover in entry roles and adapt the wording of adverts or expand outreach into local colleges. This demonstrates how the lifecycle point is not just theoretical but carried by a clear role.

Selection follows naturally. People practice staff coordinate fair interviews, support hiring managers, and maintain compliance with equality law. It may be a recruitment specialist or an HR business partner who designs interview scoring sheets. In practice, this means interviews are structured, and candidates are assessed consistently. If these processes slip, there is a risk of bias or unsuccessful hires.

Once hired, the onboarding stage begins. Here, L&D practitioners often step in alongside line managers. Induction programmes, mandatory training, and buddy systems can make the difference between a smooth start and a confused new employee. A short case: new healthcare staff often receive a structured induction week followed by local shadowing, overseen by L&D but carried forward by ward managers. Both roles overlap, and without coordination, the experience becomes patchy.

As careers progress, development and performance stages become more visible. L&D roles manage training needs, talent pipelines, and coaching. HR business partners and line managers handle appraisals, objectives, and underperformance. The connection is clear: lifecycle progression is sustained by these roles. If development opportunities are missed, retention may weaken.

Reward and recognition, though often less visible day-to-day, are critical. Reward advisers design pay structures and benefits, linking directly to motivation and retention. A simple example is benchmarking pay for night work against local competitors; if ignored, staff might leave.

Later in the cycle, people practice roles in employee relations or occupational health focus on retention, wellbeing, and conflict resolution. Finally, during exit, HR generalists manage leaver processes and conduct exit interviews. These insights can then feed back into earlier stages, showing the lifecycle is circular rather than linear.

Overall, the lifecycle and people practice roles are intertwined. Each stage is supported by specific roles, and sometimes responsibility overlaps, which can cause tension or require clarity. The CIPD Profession Map highlights that people practices are not isolated tasks but connected processes across the whole employee journey. Reflecting on this makes it clear that effective practice relies on both specialist roles and collaboration between them.

AC 3.2 Analyse how people practice connects with other areas of an organisation and supports wider people and organisational strategies. 

Step 1: Understand the question

Now, what does that really mean?

• People practice is about the work of the HR function and those responsible for staff matters, this involves recruitment, training, employee wellbeing, performance, pay, and so on.
• The question is asking you to show how this doesn’t sit in isolation. Instead, how does it link into finance, operations, marketing, customer service, leadership, and all the other departments?
• You need to break it down, why that connection matters, what it achieves, and sometimes even the risks if the link is weak.

Step 2: Breaking it into manageable parts

To make it easier, let’s think of this in three layers:

1. The connection with other departments – how people practice links with them day to day.
2. The impact on organisational priorities – how those connections feed into bigger strategic aims?
3. Evidence through examples – show it happening in practice with simple illustrations.

Step 3: Looking at connections with other areas

Let’s pick a few departments and see how HR links to them but while writing stick to 2 or 3.

• Finance: pay structures, staff budgets, pensions, and cost of training. If HR sets pay without consulting finance, the business could overspend. But if finance alone drives it, you may get demotivated staff. So, the relationship has to be balanced.
• Operations: staffing levels, rostering, health and safety. Say a hotel is opening a new branch. Operations will need to know if HR can recruit enough staff in time, and HR will need to know the workload patterns.
• Marketing: employer brand and reputation. The way staff are treated internally often spills over into customer perceptions. If employees are engaged, the marketing message feels authentic.
• Leadership/Strategy team: succession planning, culture, leadership development. HR is the one preparing tomorrow’s leaders, but they must work with directors to know what future skills are needed.

Step 4: Linking to wider strategies

Every organisation has its broader aims, growth, customer satisfaction, sustainability, profitability. People practice supports those. Below, you’re showing how HR doesn’t just connect with departments, but also acts as the bridge that keeps staff aligned with what the business is trying to achieve.

• Example: If the strategy is digital expansion, then HR needs to work with IT and training to build digital skills across the workforce.
• Example: If the aim is strong customer service, HR plays a role in recruiting staff with the right interpersonal skills, while also working with operations to put training in place.

Step 5: Using a case example

Let me give you a scenario. Imagine a UK retail chain expanding into new cities. The organisational strategy is growth and improving customer loyalty. Now you can see on the below example HR touching every area.

• The operations team is focused on opening stores quickly.
• Finance is keeping an eye on costs.
• Marketing is promoting the new openings.

Now, HR steps in:

• Recruiting and onboarding staff so stores actually run when they open.
• Working with finance to set pay that is competitive but affordable.
• Training staff to deliver service that matches the marketing promises.

Sample Answer (AC 3.2)

When we think about people practice, it is easy to imagine it as a department on its own, but in truth it only works when it connects with other areas across the organisation. The way staff are recruited, developed, supported and rewarded has a direct effect on the wider priorities the organisation is aiming for. This is why people practice is often described as the thread running through all other functions, even if that thread is not always visible at first glance.

A good starting point is finance. Pay, pensions, and training budgets sit in that space, yet they cannot be managed effectively without the involvement of HR. If HR sets ambitious learning programmes without checking costs, the business may overspend. On the other side, if finance cuts back too sharply, the workforce may feel undervalued and disengaged. The connection here matters because it balances financial control with the reality of what people need to perform at their best.

Another clear link is with operations. Whether it is a hospital ward, a factory floor, or a retail shop, operations depend on having the right number of staff in the right place at the right time. HR supports this through workforce planning, rostering, and ensuring legal requirements around working hours and health and safety are met. If that connection breaks down, operations struggle to deliver and staff themselves often feel the strain.

Marketing provides a slightly different but equally important link. The way employees experience their workplace often shapes the way customers perceive the brand. For instance, if HR invests in staff development and wellbeing, marketing can honestly communicate a positive image of the organisation. Where this link is weak, customers quickly spot the gap between the promise and the reality.

These departmental connections support the larger organisational strategies. If the strategy is growth, HR works with operations and finance to make sure new sites can be staffed within budget. If the aim is digital expansion, HR works with IT and learning teams to develop new skills. If the strategy is to improve customer loyalty, HR plays a role in recruiting people with the right behaviours and attitudes, then equipping them to deliver service that feels genuine.

Take a retail chain expanding into new cities. Operations may be concerned with store openings, finance with cost control, and marketing with brand promotion. HR brings these together by recruiting staff in time for the openings, agreeing pay structures with finance, and training employees so that the customer service reflects the marketing message. This is not a separate activity, it is the link that makes the wider strategy achievable.

In the end, people practice is not a standalone function. It is most effective when it connects with other areas and actively supports the broader direction set by the organisation.

AC 3.3 Discuss processes you have, or could use, for consulting and engaging with internal customers of the people function in order to understand their needs.

Step 1: Understand the Question

So, two big parts:

1. Who are the internal customers? – Managers, team leaders, staff across departments, sometimes even executives.
2. What processes can you use (or imagine using) to consult and engage with them? So this is more about methods, practices, and approaches that give you a clear idea of what they require from HR.

Step 2: Break It Down into Practical Processes

Here are some to consider:

• Formal meetings or forums – e.g., scheduled sessions with department heads to review workforce planning. You can say something like: in one case, monthly cross-departmental meetings revealed that supervisors in operations were struggling with shift cover, which HR had not fully appreciated until then.
• Surveys or questionnaires – these can reach a wider group and give measurable trends. They’re not perfect, as people sometimes skip them or rush answers, but they help identify common themes like dissatisfaction with appraisal systems or requests for clearer training pathways.
• Focus groups or workshops – smaller gatherings where people can share concerns. They work well for sensitive topics, such as discussing equality or wellbeing. I remember one instance where a workshop uncovered that junior staff felt intimidated during formal reviews, which managers hadn’t realised.
• One-to-one consultations – direct conversations, often with line managers. They tend to surface specific concerns, for example, a manager struggling with high turnover in their unit.
• Observation and informal chats – sometimes just being present in the workplace, or having coffee with staff, gives insights you wouldn’t get from formal channels. For example, overhearing repeated mentions of rota clashes can highlight scheduling issues without anyone formally reporting it.

Step 3: Why These Processes Matter

Now, you need to show why these processes help you understand needs. That’s the second part of the question.

• They create two-way communication. Staff feel heard, and HR learns first-hand about what really matters.
• They build a picture that goes beyond numbers. For instance, HR might see high absence rates in reports, but conversations may reveal it’s because of rigid rota systems.
• They allow different voices to be considered. What managers see as priorities (e.g., staffing numbers) might not be the same as what employees need (e.g., flexible shifts).

Step 4: Applying Examples

Since your paper must link back to a case study, think of examples like these:

• A hotel group running staff surveys across properties to spot gaps in training. HR then followed up with departmental meetings to discuss findings.
• A manufacturing plant introducing a staff forum where production and HR meet monthly. This surfaced safety concerns that weren’t in the official reports.
• A retail chain where HR partners spent time on the shop floor. They noticed cashiers skipping breaks, which led to changes in staffing plans.

Sample Answer (AC 3.3)

When we think about internal customers of the people function, we are talking about those inside the organisation who rely on HR services. This includes line managers, team leaders, senior managers, and, in a broader sense, employees themselves. Each of these groups will have different expectations, so the challenge is to find practical ways of engaging with them to understand what they need and where the gaps lie.

One of the most common processes is formal meetings. These might be regular discussions between HR and departmental managers. For example, a monthly session could focus on issues such as staffing shortages, training requirements, or recurring absence. Meetings like these are useful because they provide a structured environment where managers feel comfortable raising concerns. At the same time, they can highlight issues that don’t always show up in data.

Surveys are another approach. They give a wider snapshot of how employees are feeling across the organisation. In one example I recall, a survey revealed that many staff were dissatisfied with the appraisal system, something managers had not flagged. Of course, surveys come with limitations, people may answer quickly or ignore them altogether, but they still give a broad sense of employee opinion that HR can build on.

Focus groups and workshops add another layer. They are particularly valuable when dealing with sensitive issues, such as wellbeing or equality. Smaller groups allow staff to speak more openly, and patterns often emerge that would not be obvious from numbers alone. I once saw a workshop where junior staff explained they felt intimidated during reviews, which led to practical changes in how appraisals were conducted.

One-to-one consultations also play an important role. Direct conversations with line managers can uncover specific problems. For instance, a manager may share that their department struggles with high turnover during busy seasons. This can then inform targeted support from HR.

Sometimes, the most revealing information comes from informal interaction. HR staff spending time on the shop floor or engaging in casual chats can spot recurring frustrations, such as rota clashes or lack of clarity in communication. These informal insights, though less structured, can be just as valuable as formal methods.

What matters across all these processes is that they build a more complete picture. Different approaches reach different voices, and together they allow HR to move beyond assumptions. Managers may focus on staffing numbers, while employees might be more concerned with flexibility. By engaging through several channels, the people function is better placed to balance these priorities and respond in ways that feel relevant and practical.

CIPD 5CO01 – AC 3.1- A.C. 3.3 Practice Guide

The key thing that stays with me from years of teaching this part is that culture is rarely declared; it is lived. In our Manchester retailer, the managers reported that new employees tended to feel lost during peak trade. The people team spoke with supervisors, reviewed absence patterns, and sat in on morning briefings. A small adjustment appeared: redesigned onboarding with job-shadowing and short e-learning tasks. No grand announcement. Just practical tweaks that made new starters feel welcome and, perhaps, valued. Turnover during probation dipped. I remember one supervisor saying it felt calmer, though the sales targets were unchanged. That sort of comment is not scientific, though it tells us something about culture.

The lifecycle keeps looping. New starters become experienced colleagues, then supervisors, then leavers with knowledge we might want to capture. People practice holds threads across that loop. Finance will ask about costs. Operations may focus on schedules. Marketing may look at the store brand and its voice. None of these sit outside the human story of work, even if they pretend to.

Internal customers of the people function come with needs that are not always spoken clearly. Some want faster recruitment. Others want clarity on conduct. A few seek career paths. Consulting them can involve conversation, observation, and sometimes mild tension. In a funny way, the tension proves engagement. The CIPD map encourages curiosity toward the business and toward colleagues. I like that. It stops people practice from living in its own bubble and brings it nearer to organisational goals, workforce expectations and the quieter signals of culture that give work its feel.