U-Hauls Environment - Essay Example

Running Header: U-Haul's Performance Problem Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Code: Date of Submission: U-Haul's Performance Problem Process of Needs Analysis The process of needs analysis in U-Haul is to solve employees’ performance because they help clients who use moving trucks rented from U-Haul. Many clients have undergone through fatal accidents some leading to paralysis while others lead to death. In all these cases, U-Haul has to tackle safety problems on trucks either due to wrong packing technique or poor customer service (Gadiesh & Glibert 2009). This analysis will explain what the company needs to improve in its services and how the needs are different from prevailing process. Accidents caused by poorly maintained trucks which lack brakes or oil leakages have caused a pandemonium in U-Haul. Many clients have sued the rental truck company for accidents blamed on trucks that fail safety inspection. Managers have noticed this concern and a needs analysis is very important because it is central to the organization’s effectiveness. Stakeholders are involved in the needs analysis process because they have interest in results of the process. Data collection from three distinct levels of analysis needs to be efficient to successfully complete the analysis. These three levels include; organization, task and lastly person or employee (Fred & David, 2003). The outcomes expected from the needs analysis are as follows; clarify environment of performance gaps, determine whether employee training and also development is necessary, identify place, person and type of training that is appropriate, stipulate training objectives in U-Haul and design appropriate training programs and lastly develop measures for employee training evaluation. Needs analysis is clearly and simply shown in the flow chart below. Concern Important? Terminate Consult Stakeholders Collect Information Organizational Analysis According to Drummond (2005), needs analysis has an organizational analysis aspect that involves strategy, environment, resources and also context. The strategy mainly consists of U-Haul’s goals, missions and also objectives such as innovation and also dedication to quality of performance. There is also strategic training that involves aligning of U-Haul’s training needs and programs with its objectives which are to ensure safety of clients and also quality performance in employees. U-Haul’s environment is also important in organization analysis. Organization environment means new laws, new technologies, recessions, competitors and also trade agreements that can intensely affect U-Haul’s need to constantly train employees and also maintain those who are not resistant to constant change. U-Haul’s organization analysis will also identify available resources that will fund the design and implementation of employee training and also development programs. Context climate as an aspect of organization analysis entails the collective approaches of all employees towards supervision, work, company goals, procedures and policies. Training transfer climate will evaluate whether training on U-Haul will be facilitated or even inhibited. Learning culture ensures that employees in U-Haul recognize that knowledge and skill are important part of work life, which is also a responsibility. Task Analysis U-Haul needs analysis needs to cover duties, tasks or activities involved in the business and also appropriate abilities, knowledge and skills needed to perform all tasks. Tasks are activities that make an employee in U-Haul complete a job every day. Task analysis has steps that contribute to successful outcomes. The first step is by identifying target jobs of importance. Then obtaining the job description which is followed by rating the significance of each task and how regularly it needs to be performed. In U-Haul, truck maintenance and servicing are some of the frequent tasks that need to be performed. A survey of current jobs in U-Haul is carried out, information is analyzed and interpreted and later, a feedback on the results is provided. Task analysis in U-Haul consists of job description. This is a report of tasks responsibilities and duties of a job. Swift change leads to development of competencies in U-Haul’s job descriptions. Competence in employees means that a huddle of related skills, knowledge and abilities facilitates employees to work effectively. Tasks can also be completed by cognitive and mental activities such as pattern recognition and decision-making. Person analysis ensures that needs analysis recognize employee behavior with the intention of determining whether work presentation meets business values (Solveig & Klaus, 2010). Person analysis identifies desired performance, the gap between desired and actual performance. Obstacles to effective employee performance are also identified. Solving Safety Problems in U-Haul According to the above stages of needs analysis, training is not the only solution but it is part of the solution. Many clients who use U-Haul rental trucks lack essential guidance of how to pack their luggage to avoid the rental truck from swaying sideways and causing serious accidents. Training also help employees advice clients while choosing the right type of trailer because many accidents are caused when the trailer is heavier than the client’s vehicle. A larger percentage of the solution comes from having resources for truck maintenance and servicing. Organization, task and person analysis are the most important aspects of needs analysis because it entails all corners of fixing safety problem in U-Haul that causes a lot of accidents because of truck rentals. Methods and Sources Used for U-Haul’s Needs Analysis Observation, questionnaires, records, and reports are the best methods to use for U-Haul’s needs analysis. Observation takes a short time without costs and interference. Questionnaires make use of getting a lot of information from a lot of members in U-Haul within a short period of time and limited costs. Reports and records are easy to use because they are obtained from a series of tasks regularly done. This is simple and effective because confirmed tasks are recorded. Print media, interviews and tests are expensive and take a longer period of time to complete. While carrying out a needs analysis, methods of research need to be cost effective and last for a specified short period of time (Solveig & Klaus, 2010). Solutions for Safety Problems Training employees is very important because they are the people who interact with clients before rental trucks are issued. This means that employees should be able to record what clients are transporting and how the luggage should be packed. Employees should also know the kind of truck to rent out in relation to the client’s car. Training is very important in needs analysis because it will serve as the link between client’s safety and U-Haul’s reputation. Another important solution to safety problems is the maintenance and passing safety inspections. The fact that U-Haul’s rental trucks bypass government safety inspection is a serious offense because many clients will not realize that the rented trucks are faulty in terms of brakes, engine oil leaks, broken seals, tires that have nails or lights and signals that are not properly working. A final solution for safety problem in U-Haul’s truck rentals is the time taken for renting out trucks after clients return trucks. When trucks are returned, employees need to look for fault such as loose brakes, overheating, broken seals and flat tires among others (Levin and Miller 2007). These trucks need to be checked first before issuing and after receiving rental trucks. U-Haul has the largest market share in rental trucks because of cheap prices and a large number of trucks in different states in the US and in Canada. U-haul’s globalization makes exposes it to a wider target group which means that many people will want to carry out a background check on U-Haul to find out if it is safe to send their families and children to different places or colleges. There are however, solutions that will not work especially if the cost for rectifying risks is too high. Training the whole work unit in all the branches of U-Haul can prove to be expensive and also time consuming. Not only do some employees resist constant organizational change but also neglect explaining safety rules to one client when fifty other clients are waiting for rental trucks. Government’s Threat to U-Haul Performance Problem The threat by the government to suspend U-Haul’s license because of major concerns of safety problems caused by the rental trucks is not such a good idea. This is because many people are employed at U-Haul and more revenue earned to improve the country’s economy. Training will also be suspended when licenses are suspended and this is not a solution but a means of creating another problem. The surprise spot checks are fine because they help to bring out concerns that are essential to the lives of clients. The only problem is that many people who are moving to different states or countries cannot afford expensive rental trucks from U-Haul’s competitors. Many people are in the working class population and this means that cheap is better. The government should be finding grants to finance training of employees in U-Haul’s numerous branches. The government needs to help U-Haul stay in business by solving the problem instead of simply eliminating it. Public awareness of packing luggage should be advocated and this will help clients realize that some of the faults that occur during an accident involving U-Haul trucks are caused by clients’ negligence. References Drummond, K. (2005). How To Conduct A Training Needs Analysis. Queensland, Australia: Gull Publishing. Fred, F & David, W. (2003). A guide to national training needs assessment for human settlements. Nepal: UN-HABITAT. Gadiesh, O. & Glibert, L. (2009). Profit Pools: A Fresh Look at Strategy. Harvard Business Review. EBSCO Publishing. Levin, M. & Miller, C. (2007). Driving With Rented Risks. Times Journal, pg 1-15. Paul, D. & John, T. (2008). The Training Needs Analysis Pocketbook. UK: Laurel House. Solveig, L & Klaus, S. (2010). Language Centre Needs Analysis: Defining Goals. Refining Programmes. Frankfurt: Peter Lang GmbH. Read More