Better Option Between Fixing and Firing an Employee - Assignment Example

ID Number: Fix Them or Fire Them Personal SWOT and Goal Exercise A) “Fix them or Fire Them” 1) Better option between fixing and firing employee The author thinks that it is always advantageous to fix an employee rather than to fire. There are many reasons behind such a preference and the major one is that it helps to create a positive workplace environment. Often when an employee is fired it has a negative impact on the other members to the degree of lowering down their motivational level that has a direct impact on the work performance. In some situations giving a second chance to an employee is profitable for an organization in terms of not losing on talented personnel from the team. There is cost, time and risk associated in filling up the vacant space of a fired employee. On the contrary fixing an employee triggers the motivational level and encourages the employees to perform above the standard so as to comprehend the second chance that is given to them by the employer (Armstrong 56).Thus amongst both the options the most suitable one is fixing an employee for the author as it helps in retaining the skills and talents in the system which is not an easy mechanism in the highly competitive business environment. 2) Key things of an effective performance plan A performance plan can be effective only when monitoring performance of the employees is not only the major objective of the plan but it should even encompass techniques through which the issues that are faced by the employees are resolved and even goals are set that needs to be achieved by the employees. An effective performance plan needs to take care of following components as stated in the diagram below- (Martin 113) The first major part of the plan should be settig of goals for the employees and enter into a discussion where the expectations of the employer can be clearly communicated to the employees. On a continuous basis meetings should be held inorder to discuss the progress of each and every employee , their issues regarding the work process and also their achievements. The next impoetant factor in the plan is to review the performance of the team members on basis of the benchmark that is set by the employer so as to determine which of the employees are performing well so as to reward them and to train those employees who are not being able to perform up to the expected standard. These factors needs to be encompassed in the performance plan in order to make it effective so as to enhance the overall organizational performance. 3) 3 ways underperforming employees to rationalize their performance An organization should not compromise with the performance level that it expects from all its team members simply because this performance lays the foundation for the future growth and success of the organization. The first way through which underperforming employees can rationalize performance is by making them well aware of the results due to their underperformance, by conveying them the expected performance level and their actual level of performance in the system. The employees should have the knowledge that if they do not perform well it would be difficult for them to survive in the system as well as in any other organization. The second way is through communicating the areas where the employee is lacking and providing the required support that would be needed so as to overcome those loopholes and perform well. The implementation of training and development programs in the organization helps in meeting much of the underperforming areas of the employees. The third way is by encompassing monetary and non-monetary benefits to the performers so that it motivates all the other underperformers to perform well and set individual standards that can be accomplished by the employees on a continuous basis. 4) Lessons to be applied on own job performance There are many lessons from this particular book that can be implemented in my life so that I as an employee perform well and there are no certain circumstances where there is need for fixing or firing in my job career. The major lesson I learned is that in order to perform well it is very necessary to set individual goals and targets which can be reviewed on a regular basis so that the gap between the expected performance and the actual performance can be analyzed. The other lesson that I learned is that if in a particular organization an employee do not perform well then it is very difficult to survive even in any other organization simply because of the fact that capabilities needs to be possessed by an individual as this factor make an individual a performer or underperformer. The last lesson was that issues and challenges is needed to be discussed with the team leaders so that high performance standards can be achieved much before the situation of fixing or firing arises. B) Personal SWOT and Goal Exercise 1) SWOT analysis on yourself and career The SWOT analysis comprises of four major dimensions, strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats. The strengths are: I am very determined towards achieving my goals and success in the future I fulfill all my responsibilities towards my job and team mates, and put forward the common goal of the team compared to individual goal. I plan and organize all my tasks that I need to perform so that I do not miss out on any of the tasks, and I prioritize all my tasks before they are performed. I work hard and perform above the expected standard so that I achieve a rewarding performance. The weaknesses are: I lack interpersonal skills that would be affecting my future and effective team management. I do not prefer taking risks in my career path The cultural differences makes people easily misunderstand me and I am not able to defend myself I am not able to communicate in English and this language barrier forms my greatest weakness The opportunities are: There is a wide scope in the current scenario where I can utilize my hard working skills. More number of employment opportunities for people possessing high degree A scope to study further and gain practical knowledge in the field To explore skills through practical projects undertaken in small scale. The threats are: Increased competition in terms of more number of students opting for business administration courses Economic downturn that could affect the availability of good employment opportunities More number of talented and knowledgeable candidates from across the globe that can pose a major threat in terms of getting selected for a good job Rise in more different costly courses that may overshadow the preference towards business administration courses. 2) ONE well-stated and clear career goal for the first 12-24 months After I complete my graduation I want pursue with higher education in the field of business administration. Along with this course I would work with any small company in the textile industry so as to gain practical knowledge as to how the entire operations take place in this particular industry. My goal for the next 24 months would be two fold in one end I would be able to adapt myself to theoretical framework of management studies and on the other end I would be gaining some knowledge in the field that would be beneficial either in my job career or in my own business. 3) Significance of the above stated goal The major importance of my goal is that it aligns with my future plans towards my career and life. I have this goal because I want to be self employed and on the same time possess degree of higher studies so that I am able to analyze any situation and adopt appropriate measures. If I am able to achieve this goal then my future plans of opening a small scale textile company would be fulfilled as I would possess the required knowledge to set up my business in this sector. 4) Measures to know whether the goal has been achieved I would keep certain indicators so as to be aware whether I have been able to achieve my goal or not. The first section of my goal I can analyze through my academic results while I undergo the course and the study materials. The other part of my goal is being part of any textile company and I can measure that I have achieved my goal when I outperform in the organization and when I am set up strategies on how to handle uncertain situations in this particular industry. 5) 2-3 different strategies to follow to achieve this one goal There are three strategies that can be utilized so as to achieve the goal. They are- Analysis of all the small scale companies in the textile industry which can be opted for so as to be aligned with the future plans Aligning the knowledge that is possessed with that of practical issues to be witnessed in the industry so as to explore the best of opportunities Following some of the parameters that have been set forth by small scale entrepreneurs which would help in acquiring more knowledge in the field. 6) Action plan for any one of the strategies The appropriate strategy that can be followed is determining the various companies in the textile industry that can be joined so as to build career or gain knowledge for setting up a business. The action plan for the strategy is- Gaining information about the various players in the textile industry in Saudi Arabia Selecting some of the well established players in this industry who had started their business in a small scale To gain more knowledge through journals, articles and websites so as to know more about this particular field and get selected in any of the textile companies. Works Cited Armstrong. Michael., A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice. Great Britain: Kogan Page Publishers. 2006. Print. Martin. John., Human Resource Management. London: SAGE. 2008. Print. Read More