Design of HR Processes- Recruitment, Selection, Training, and Development - Research Paper Example

of the Number: Paper: Table of Contents Introduction 3 Design of HR processes 3 Recruitment and selection  4 Training and development 5 Compensation  6 Legal issues with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission  7 Performance Appraisals  8 Other strategies 8 Conclusion 9 References 11 Introduction This paper is aimed at designing an HR plan to create a one person HR department for Ritz Organic food. This company specializes in developing organic food materials and distributes them through franchises and retail outlets. Ritz is associated with the production and supply of sustainable and organic food products. The company operates all over the United States and covers operate in 10 locations. The company also operates through an efficient e-commerce system. Ritz has managed to create a significant brand name by expanding in certain locations and used large areas of land that is suitable for producing organic food. The land acquired by the company is located at various locations all over the United States to take advantage of the geographical variation. The product line of Ritz ranges from organic spices to organic detergents. The company also produces cereals, processed foods, pulses, tea, rock salt, sweeteners and medicinal herbs which are all organic in nature. Ritz also hires officers who are highly experienced in field work and know how to deal with farm resources. The company has employee strength of around 500 skilled individuals. Ritz develops its products by efficiently identifying customer needs and then modifies product line accordingly. Maintaining customer satisfaction is an important goal that the company always tries to fulfill (Armstrong & Taylor, 2014). Ritz operates on the basis of a one person Human Resource (HR) department. In such a scenario, it becomes imperative to strategically design a HR plan that suffices to all the objectives and goals of the company. The design of the HR department must correspond to the various dimensions of the organization i.e. the HR needs to manage all the divisions of the company appropriately and strike a balance between all the divisions (Armstrong & Taylor, 2014). Design of HR processes An efficient HR plan requires that the various components and functioning areas that are vital for efficient HR management are strategically developed and given equal importance. The process should not be complicated. This would ensure that the organizational objectives are always in sync with the HR policies (Armstrong & Taylor, 2014). The various components are given as follows: Recruitment and selection  While designing plan about recruitment and selection of employees, the HR manager must keep in mind the appropriate skills necessary for the available job opportunities at the company. The company can design a recruitment system of its own or use other sources which help the company to identify prospective candidates (Paauwe & Boselie, 2005). The HR strategy of the company should be perfectly integrated with the recruitment policies. The recruitment and selection of the employees should justify the goals and objectives of the organization. A well designed strategy for recruitment should be planned in such a way that the company’s process of recruitment is compatible with the job market. The recruitment process can be designed as: In an organic food company, it is imperative to have a diversified workforce due to the variation in business operation that ranges from food plantation to food marketing. The company should make a recruitment portal where it should specifically mention the job roles and select candidate for a position by matching his or her skills effectively (Armstrong & Taylor, 2014). Recruitment process is also associated with the company’s brand name. If a company has an influential brand name it would be able to attract potential candidates more effectively than any other less known firms. A company like Ritz is now in its growing stage and has a brand name which is significant enough to attract skilled candidates for various job positions. The company also has potential competitors as organic food is now a profitable business. In such a scenario, Ritz should design the recruitment and selection plan in such a way that the plan helps to differentiate itself from other competitors. In order to acquire skilled employees, the company should design innovative employee benefits over the basic remuneration (Armstrong & Taylor, 2014). Ritz should effectively plan its recruitment activities through various medium such as newspaper advertising, college hiring fairs, job notifications through the web etc... Selection of the candidates should be done by conducting appropriate tests of aptitude and skills. The candidates should be also judges on grounds of morality and ethics as these qualities are important for striking a work balance. The whole process of recruitment and selection should be planned in a cost effective way (Watson, 2004). Training and development The goals and objective of a company can be achieved efficiently with the help of the joint effort of the workforce. The efforts of the employees are directly related to their skills and the quality of training that is given to them to modify and enhance their skills work performance (Paauwe & Boselie, 2005). Training is an essential part of the HR plan. Proper training can help an employee to identify his strengths and thereby help him to specialize in a certain business area. An appropriate HR plan should specifically consider the following points to enhance training and development of employees: Ritz is a company that specializes in developing organic food. Production and processing of organic materials requires efficient skills and advanced technology. The employees should always be updated with the latest technological advances. This can be done by organizing training sessions periodically. Ritz should always ensure that it develops innovative ways of producing organic food. This would help them to enjoy a comparative advantage over their rivals. Innovative practices can be encouraged by the company by giving proper training to their employees and motivating them to develop new ideas and practices (Aguinis & Kraiger, 2009). It is imperative for Ritz to develop a dedicated workforce that will able to understand the organizational goals. The company can conduct training sessions for the employees by organizing practical sessions. Ritz can collaborate with business institutions and other institutions that specialize in providing conceptual knowledge and workings of an organic food industry (Aguinis & Kraiger, 2009). The top level managers of the company should be given ample scope for development in their professional roles. Individual needs and requirement should also be considered by the company while carrying out the development process for the managers. The process of development should evolve with time and it should be an incessant process (Aguinis & Kraiger, 2009). Compensation  The remuneration structure of the company should be clearly specified under the compensation strategy. The company should design a compensation policy that should lay emphasis on rewards based on work performance. The company should ensure that the employees are motivated continuously and this gets reflected in their performances (Lengnick-Hall, et al, 2009). The following essential components should form a part of the HR plan: Ritz comprises of different business operations. The compensation plan should be designed in such a way that all the divisions of the company are paid according to the efforts provided by them. The base pay of the employees should be justified and the employees should feel satisfied. The employees should also be offered with overtime pay in case of extra effort given by them. The employees can also be motivated if the company declares a cash profit sharing type of payment method. This would ensure that the employees put their full efforts in accomplishing organizational goals. Employee turnover can be reduced by an appropriate compensation strategy (Armstrong & Taylor, 2014). Apart from an efficient pay structure, Ritz should also lay emphasis on structuring appropriate benefits for the employees. The employees should be given retirement benefits as most of the business operations of Ritz are associated with manual labor. This implies that workers can work till a certain age. Beyond that certain age, the workers should be given retirement settlements. This would help them to avoid future financial insecurities. The employees also work under tremendous pressure and they have to handle certain chemicals that might prove harmful in the long run. They should therefore be provided with health insurances. They should also be encouraged to maintain a balance between work and personal life. All the above benefit plans would ensure that the employees stick to this organization. The company should also plan the benefits for the employees in a cost effective manner (Lengnick-Hall, et al, 2009). Ritz should design proper career management plans for the employees. Career management techniques can be costly for the company but following such management policies would ensure low attrition rate. Employees value enhancement of their skills because it is often related to their chances of promotion within the company. Thus, to ensure stability in employment, Ritz should help employees to identify a proper career plan (Lengnick-Hall, et al, 2009). Legal issues with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission  The company must design an HR plan in such a way that it does not violate the rules set by the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The company should avoid any legal issues as this may harm the brand name of the company. The HR plan should thus specify the following points: The employees and the managers of the company should be aware of the laws and rules set by EEO. The EEO policies are more meaningful for the top level managers. They should be accountable for the violation of any rules and they should also ensure that their subordinates also abide by the policies. An affable work culture should be developed within the company. The employees should work as a team and be responsible for each other’s activities. Effective communication should be encouraged within the company to ensure proper delegation of responsibilities (Armstrong & Taylor, 2014). The business operations of Ritz require a diversified work force. The company should thus ensure that racial discrimination is not practiced within the company. Personal differences among the employees should not be encouraged and a professional environment should be developed within the company. The company should design policies that would protect employees from any harassment. If the employees face any harassment, the company should ensure that an impartial investigation is held (Armstrong & Taylor, 2014). Performance Appraisals  An effective structure should be designed that would help to identify employees who should be considered for performance appraisals. Performance appraisal is an important component that helps the employees realize their performance level and they also feel more connected to organizational goals. Performance appraisal effectively enhances the morale of the employees which is beneficial for both the employees and the company. The HR plan should emphasis on the following: The company should be aware of each employee’s performance. A complete monthly review of the performance should be maintained with the HR department. The employees should be given feedback about their performances. They should be aware about the reasons behind their appraisals. This would motivate them to perform better (Paauwe & Boselie, 2005). Opinions of the employees should be valued and the employees should be in a position to challenge organizational goals in a justified manner. This would help the company to form objectives that would be compatible with the employees. The employees would perform effectively and their appraisal would be ensured in the long run (Becker, Huselid & Ulrich, 2001).  Other strategies The HR plan of Ritz should also focus on other strategic components that would help in effective operation of the company. The additional components of the HR plan are given below: The operations of Ritz require effective knowledge management as the product with which the company deals with are highly innovative and requires proper research and development. The organization should ensure that available market information is conveyed to the employees so that they understand the customer needs and requirements (Armstrong & Taylor, 2014). The HR plan here will be implemented by a one person HR department. Such a department should thus ensure that the responsibilities related to the plan are carried out effectively. The department should be aware of all company events and programs. Quality control should be ensured by the department (McAfee, Glassman, & Honeycutt, 2002). As the company operates in more than one location, it becomes imperative for the company to develop a strategy that would ensure effective communication within all the divisions. All the division should be integrated by a research and development team that would ensure the efficient development, production and distribution of the wide product line of the company (Armstrong & Taylor, 2014). Conclusion Ritz organic food should try to implement the above HR plan which would ensure the effective running of a one person HR department. This would ensure the optimum use of the company’s resources at all levels. The asset management of the company would be ensured through the above comprehensive HR plan. This plan should be implemented systematically within the company and the one person HR department should regularly evaluate and monitor the workings of the plan. A best fit between company’s human resource and technological development in products will be ensured if the plan is implemented strategically within all the divisions of the company. All the components of the HR strategies are included in the plan so that a balance is achieved between all the divisions of the company. The proper implementation of the HR plan would ensure that the company attains a sustaining growth rate in the long run. A proper HR management within a company would not only manage the human resources which are an essential part of the company but also enhance productivity growth. The company can thus make further expansion plans and create a recognized brand name (Paauwe & Boselie, 2005). References Aguinis, H., & Kraiger, K. (2009). Benefits of training and development for individuals and teams, organizations, and society. Annual review of psychology,60, 451-474. Armstrong, M., & Taylor, S. (2014). Armstrongs handbook of human resource management practice. London: Kogan Page Publishers. Becker, B. E., Huselid, M. A., & Ulrich, D. (2001). The HR scorecard: Linking people, strategy, and performance. Boston: Harvard Business Press. Lengnick-Hall, M. L., Lengnick-Hall, C. A., Andrade, L. S., & Drake, B. (2009). Strategic human resource management: The evolution of the field. Human Resource Management Review, 19(2), 64-85. McAfee, R. B., Glassman, M., & Honeycutt, E. D. (2002). The effects of culture and human resource management policies on supply chain management strategy. Journal of Business logistics, 23(1), 1-18. Paauwe, J., & Boselie, P. (2005). HRM and performance: what next?. Human Resource Management Journal, 15(4), 68-83. Watson, T. J. (2004). HRM and critical social science analysis. Journal of Management Studies, 41(3), 447-467. Read More