Internal Corporate Human Resources - Essay Example

Wabash Fiber Box Company is building a new plant in Franklin, Tennessee (a real situation that I was involved with as an internal corporate HR consultant). It will manufacture corrugated containers (cardboard shipping boxes) for companies within that region. The company eventually plans to have workforce of 150 employees. If you were given the project of setting up a new Human Resource Department in the plant explain how would you go about it? Think about all of the elements of an HR function. How would you prioritize and sequence the steps you would take to set up your HR department? The application of the five functions of human resource management in organizations plays an important role in the success of any organization. Planning, staffing, directing, controlling & organizing functions advance the overall development of organizations. In the planning stage, Job design has to be conducted by arranging duties and responsibilities for the purpose of accomplishing a certain objective. Descriptions and specifications of jobs are also important in planning. HRP is the strategy of forecasting the organizations future requirements for different types of workers, their acquisitions, utilization, improvement, employee cost control, retention and supply to meet organizational needs. Employees are received through staffing function by recruiting, selecting and hiring. Employees have to be directed after recruitment. Induction, training, and development strategies are used to direct employees. Employees are controlled through the use of performance evaluation techniques to know if they are productive for the company and if not so found out the reasons. They are then either demoted or promoted. The human resource management department finally organizes the activities of the staff to common objectives. Labor and management Relations are maintained. Staff union is organized. It focuses on the relationship between staff and management. However, the Government also involves in the said union as a third party in order to regulate this relationship by the rule of law. If I have to work for as human resource manager, Wabash Fiber Box Company, I could have simply implemented the above said Human resource functions so that I recruit 150 employees in the future and I would have prioritized and sequenced the steps as per the above said standards to set up my HR department. Management is all about planning and implementation. Implementing tasks that were not planned is hardly possible. Therefore, I could have kept and respected the sequential orders of the five functions of human resource. In the planning stage, my department would have used scientific techniques to observe past performances so that jobs are designed properly. Job descriptions would have been prepared for each job. I would have also prepared the competences, abilities, qualifications and experiences required to make sure getting the right person at the right job. I would have forecasted the organizations future requirements for different types of workers, their acquisitions, utilization, development, cost control, retention and supply to meet organizational needs as planned. I could have then attracted capable candidates to fill the vacant positions from both internal and external sources of the organization. I would have used a solid, and systematic process of selecting the right personnel at the right job. Applications sent by the candidates would have been evaluated. Interviews and tests would have been scheduled where necessary. So that I acquire the right people, I would have conducted background Investigations. To know and investigate the applicant family, financial positions, Residential Background, and criminal background will ease the staff tracing procedures. Assessing the applicant’s physical fitness would have been an essential element in receiving the right personnel for the plant. Then, as an applicant is hired, letters of appointments would have been prepared, employment contracts signed as the probationary period is established. This involves in introducing an employee to the company in a systematic way. My department would have oriented the newly recruited staff. It uses induction strategy for the employee to know the culture of the organization and so that he/she is fully briefed and/or trained about his job. Nothing can be done without performance evaluation. Assessing employees’ performance would have been an essential part to review whether their performance matches the expected results so that the department trains the ones with the weaknesses, demotes and/or removes the unproductive staff and promotes the productive employees. I could have established solid and well planned salary and compensation scales by considering the internal and external factors affecting salaries and wages such as cost of living, supply and demand of labor, government requirements as governments set minimum wage levels, competitor wage scales, trade Union influences and labor productivity. As the contemporary business world employees are considered as an asset, training, and development, therefore, plays a crucial role in giving them the necessary skills so that they carry out their responsibilities as per the required standards. I would have therefore, considered this function as a crucial part in developing the profits of the plant. Development involves in providing the necessary skills, attitude and experience to enable the employees undertake greater roles and responsibilities in the future. I would have stuck the development of the staff so that I am prepared for the succession plans of the organization. Besides salaries, I would have planned extra benefits for the employees so that they are satisfied. As only satisfied employees can maximize the production, employees’ welfare is also an essential element. This refers to all the facilities and comforts given to them such as, medical facilities, canteen facilities, housing facilities, transport facilities, recreational facilities, loan facilities, and educational facilities. I would have also maintained the health and safety of the plant by maintaining required professional health and safety in the plant and its environment. The organization should ensure the employees physical and mental health so that the plant is free from hazards and so that the organization becomes a greater place to work. I could have controlled the performance of the employees according to the rules and regulations of the organization. It is focused on handling all grievances so that employees work in a participative manner and without conflicts. My department would have, therefore, set up a solid human resource department using the above detailed functions of human resource management. 2. Of the five HR functions discussed in our textbook, name the one that is most appealing to you and explain why. Then pick three or more articles posted online and about that HR function and write a summary (one half to one page) of the most important things you learned from the articles. Of the five functions of human resource management, planning is most appealing to me as I have to establish new HR department. Nothing can be done without plans. Activities without plans will usually end up failure. I would have therefore prepared solid strategic plans to attain the required results. The application of the functions of human resource management is an essential element to the success of every human resource manager particularly for this modern world that employees are considered as capital. That is why I have gone through the up to date discussions on the functions of human resource management. In summary, the importance of the lesson learned from the current articles is business owners can only be satisfied if employees are happy on their jobs. This can be reached by the proper and sequential application of human resource management functions. This work attempts to solve the use of traditional human resource concepts that considered employees as tools. Human capital is the key point for the articles. The work for great place, therefore, encourages capitalizing staff as the greatest asset. If staff properly maintained and cared for their concerns, organizations productivity will improve and vice versa. This is a clear example that will assist organizations to consider their work force as assets so that they increase the productivity of their organizations. As employees trained, and developed, they will automatically turn into assets rather than a burden to the company. That is the way I could have applied the idea to the practical use of the plant. 3. 100 Best Companies To Work For. Each year, Forbes Magazine publishes a list of the 100 Best Companies To Work For. Go to this link http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/best-companies/2012/full_list/ and answer the following questions: a. Pick three companies from the list that you would most like to work for and list them. Go to each company’s website and look at how the company brands itself (mission, vision, values, etc.). Take a look at their employment careers website and examine how they portray themselves to potential employees to attract the best talent. b. Underneath each company name and explain what you find most appealing about the company. c. What reasons are given for why the companies were selected for the Best Companies to Work For list? d. To select companies for the list, Forbes relies on the Great Place To Work Institute to do the surveys and selections. Go to the Great Place To Work Institute’s website at http://www.greatplacetowork.com/our-approach/what-is-a-great-workplace and explain what their research has shown to be critical elements of a great place to work. Include the single-most important ingredient to a great place to work and explain how you would go about creating a great place to work as an HR executive. Three best companies to work for: Google Boston Consulting group and SAS institute After the above mentioned companies brands is examined, it is proofed that they all value employees as owners. Employees, therefore, feel owned as they are satisfied in terms of pay and self development. They portray themselves to potential employees to attract the best talent. The most appealing issue for above said companies is that they gave first priority to their employees so that they are satisfied and productivity doubled. The said companies achieved this criterion because of setting strong standard of plans and meeting the human resource plans as stated.This is main reason why the above said companies became great places to work for. In fact, the Great Place To Work with Institute provided the critical elements that makes a company a great place to work for and that is when Employees believe they work for great organizations as they have consistent trust to the people they work for, have pride in what they do and enjoy the people they work with. Using the said techniques, I would have created a great place to work for by improving the material and moral benefits of the company staff. 4. What are the most important things you have learned in HRD 495/595? How will you apply these concepts to your career? What do you wish you had learned in the course, but didn’t? What changes would you recommend to make it more effective the next time it is offered in spring 2013? Mainly, I have learned from this course that business is all about employees. Satisfied and well provided employees can generate the best profits. This can be reached through the applications of human resource functions. As my point of view, the course covered almost every necessary step in recruiting and retaining employees. I, therefore, have nothing more to recommend. Read More