Selection, Performance Evaluation & Disciplinary Interviews - Assignment Example

 Selection, Performance Evaluation & Disciplinary Interviews In organizations human resources management is gaining popularity and it is concerned with getting things done through people. Now, organizations have developed separate departments to handle the human resources issue since now they have come to realize that the scarce resource is not the capital itself but the knowledgeable that help the organizations is capturing or gaining access to the capital. The role of human resource managers is central to the organizations since human resources is involved in employee training and development, management development, organization development, performance appraisal, employee rewards, employee selection and recruitment, man power handling and communication across the organization. Human resources also handle issues such as employee grievances, employee motivation, career counseling etc. Here, we are concerned with special areas of human resources i.e. employee selection, performance evaluation of employees and also any disciplinary problems that the employees might be involved in.1 Selection is a process of screening applicants after the applicants have been called in for a job; the selection process is based on the job description and the nature of the job. The hiring manager first need to define a detailed description of the job and then HR profiling should be done in the process to see whether the candidate fits the job. Then further, selection tools such as interviewing, role playing techniques etc are used to judge the individual’s suitability with the job. The process is required to judge the applicants on the claims that they write in their resumes. The screening process begins with preparing and publication of the advertisement for the applicants, or the due diligence for any references that might be available for potential candidate. The important point is to make authorized and reliable approaches. Then as applications are received they are screened and applicants are short listed for the step by step screening process.2 Today, as business strategies are being linked to the overall organization human resources also become a part of the strategic management process where employees at all level of organization participate in to formulate strategy and thus it becomes easy to implement without any fear of resistance from the employees. Thus today for organizations manual dexterity is far less important and knowledge, decision making skills, analytical abilities are the important criterion to select the employees. Especially since the selection of the wrong person for the organization can lead to organizational collapse and cost company huge in terms of money and also the intangible less that is usually unmeasured. Thus today organizations are heavily investing in the human resources selection process. Performance Appraisal This is the process that is used to measure the performance of the employees in the organization. This generally is a form of giving feedback to the employees; identifying where their strengths and weaknesses lie and whether there is a need to train them in any of the areas that they lack. Plus, performance appraisal also helps in judging which employees are to be rewarded and whom to be punished. It helps facilitate employees to identify their own areas of strength and work upon their weaknesses by exploiting organizational resources, by finding mentors, or getting help from their own peers as well. Today, management by objectives (MBO) and 360 degrees feedback are the popular hyped or the buzz words in the organizations to evaluate the employees. Performance appraisals become important because it is also inherent in human nature to judge there peers be it employees judging their supervisors or it is the other way i.e. supervisors judging their subordinates. This also becomes a source of motivation or de-motivation for many employees. The process is also used to set levels of income or pay. 3 In organizations performance appraisal is generally a formal process conducted monthly, bi-annually, or annually at least depending on the company’s policies themselves. But, it can also take an informal approach when supervisors simply communicate to the employees how they have been doing on a particular task. It helps managers decide who need counseling, if there need to be any replacement, promotion or in extreme cases layoffs. On one side where, performance appraisal is good for the health of the organization and performance it also becomes a source of controversy, personal grudges or biases might also become a part of the process and may take over the feedback or the evaluation of a certain employee. Disciplinary Interviews In organizations it is a formal process to regulate the employee behavior to produce controlled and effective responses in the job. It is a formal meeting between the manager and the employee against whom the disciplinary action has been undertaken. It helps employees deal with any inconsistent behavior that is not suited to the organizations values and relates to any misconduct. Disciplinary interviews can help tackle any serious indiscipline and misconduct in the organization and prevent any further situations that may arise if no action has been taken against the violation of behavioral conduct. But it is important that interviews conducted make the guilty party realize the importance of it. It is important to prepare for the interview before hand in order to make a fair decision and give the guilty party the chance to justify any decision but ultimately fairness is important. And for this gathering of data and evidence is the necessity. But, for any disciplinary interview to be conducted it is important that prior to any misconduct there are certain guidelines, rules and policies guiding the employee behavior; it is necessary that conduct and capability criteria are mentioned explicitly prior to any action. Then managers should define the behavior, its effects and consequences, and when any undisciplined situation arises then look in for solid evidence and proof. It is better if employees are given warnings before any big action or step is taken. Managers should notify the staff of any disciplinary hearing that might have called for them and there should not be any major surprises for the employees. All guilty parties should always be allowed a chance to present his or her case and give justifications for their behavior if any. And no action should be taken unless full investigation into the matter has been conducted. Lastly, it is important to give warnings and a chance before any extreme action like directly firing the employee. Interviews are basically the process of conversation between two parties where one party is the interviewer and another interviewee. The purpose of conducting interview is to get information from the interviewee regarding a specific objective. They can be conducted to assess someone or are also conducted to get some information. Differences and similarities in selection, performance evaluation and the disciplinary interviews It is necessary to note that in selection interviews the relationship between the interviewer and the interviewee is that of recruiter and the applicant who is likely to become a potential employee. In performance evaluation and disciplinary interviews relationship is that of employer-employee or boss-subordinate. Firstly, the purpose of the three interviews differ; selection interviews are conducted to find out about the potential candidate’s suitability and compatibility with the job. On the other hand, purpose of the performance evaluation interviews important thing is to change the behavior of the individual not because of any misconduct but to improve further the employee performance and productivity. Standards and benchmarks are generally used in performance evaluation interviews and directly align capability with the work. Like disciplinary interviews it is important that as the problem or any weakness in employee’s capability is identified it should be noted at once and communicated as early as possible. Whereas, in selection interviews no weakness or strength is communicated to the employee until the employee becomes the formal part of the organization structure. The meeting is called upon in performance appraisal interview and employee is informed beforehand that it refers to his or her performance. Before, the meeting it is important to become familiar with the employees job description; and the expectations that the manager has from the employee. When selection interviews are being conducted potential employees are generally unaware of what is expected of them in terms of job description and the work that they are supposed to be doing and thus have their own expectations; but in performance review interviews, employees already know what was required of them and then if they don’t perform up to the standards then they are called for the interview and provided a chance to justify their performance. In disciplinary interviews there is always some negative phenomenon that has been bringing together the employee and the supervisor to the meeting. And employees are always well aware that they were not supposed to get involved in any of the misconduct to which they were a part of. In selection interviews there is an environment of strangeness between the interviewer and the interviewee. In performance evaluation interviews the environment is to mentor or to facilitate the performance of the subordinate, hence, the friendlier the interview the better.4 In disciplinary interviews managers should try to be as calm and understanding but in extreme circumstances the negative flair may prevail. It is required in all three types of interviews i.e. selection, performance evaluation and also disciplinary interviews to be prepared for both the interviewer and the interviewee. In selection interviews it is imperative because organizations are too much dependent on the creative personnel and does not want to end up making a mistake by selecting the wrong person or selecting the right person for the wrong job. Thus employers need to be aware of what kind of employees they need and what are they looking for in the prospective employees. In performance evaluation any weaknesses should not be solely blamed on the employee but also the context and the resources provided should be evaluated before any action is to be taken. In disciplinary actions witness and proof are compulsory and any homework related to arguments presented should be done. It is also important to note the sequence of the three interviewing processes from the perspective of human resource if we see in terms of people joining the organization and leaving the organization. Firstly, we have selection interviews- this as the name suggests are conducted at pre-entry stage of the employee into the organization. And if employee is selected and has a job in the organization then regular performance appraisals are conducted. And lastly, disciplinary interviews become necessary if employees get involved in any misconduct during their stay in the organization. Another important difference in the selection, performance evaluation and disciplinary interviews is the frequency (i.e. the number of times the interview is conducted) of the interview. Selection interviews are one time interviews and are conducted at the onset of the potential employee joining the organization. Performance evaluation interviews are normally a regular part of the process and are conducted as per the organizations polices. Sometimes there might be contingency interviews in worst situations or when the organization is in crisis and is laying off. Whereas, disciplinary interviews are not a regular or the normal part of the organizational working, though they are very much a formal part of the process but are not required very often. Conclusion So far we have discussed the similarities and the differences in the three interviews i..e. the selection, performance evaluation and the disciplinary interviews. No matter, they are different but they are all a formal part of the human resource planning process of the organization and none of them should be ignored.5 Each of these fulfills different purposes for the management. The important difference that we have seen lies in the purpose for which they are used, the frequency of the interviews occurring, and the ambience that each interview process requires. Whereas, what we see to be similar in the three is that interviewers need to prepare themselves before conducting the interview and there is no need to surprise the interviewee but let him or her justify his reasons of saying something in his own favor. Managers should therefore focus on developing interviewing skills because no function they perform is devoid of the interviewing the subjects. References Gabarro, AuthorJ. J., & Hill, L.A. (2002). Managing Performance. Harvard Business Review. Ferris, G.R., Buckley, M.R., & Fedor, D.B. (2002). Human Resources Management: Perspectives, Context, Functions, and Outcomes. Prentice Hall. http://dstc.nhmccd.edu/61861/ Retrieved August 20, 2007, from allbusiness.com Web site: http://www.allbusiness.com/human-resources/careers-career-development/11132-1.html Foulkes, F.K. (1989). Human Resources Management: Cases and Text. Prentice Hall Ivancevish, J.M. (2007). Human Resource Management. Houston: McGraw Hill. Freiberg L.K. (2006). Annual Editions: Human Development, Baltimore country: McGraw Hill Read More