Human Resource Management: Fresh Perspectives - Essay Example

I developed my retail career over a period of about 30 years as a sales associate for a fortune 500 Company. I successfully progressed in my career from sales associate to the highest position of Chief Operating Officer. Throughout my career, I have had experiences in virtually all segments of retail operations, buying, selling, marketing, operations, logistics, human resources and Information Technology. I particularly found human resources management as the most interesting among other jobs and I am of the opinion that the most successful companies are those that consider human capital as their most valuable asset. This essay seeks to discuss the most fundamental pillars of human resources management which are: associate selection, associate training, and managing associate performance. My learning and experience with these disciplines culminated in getting several leadership awards including the chairman’s award on two occasions and personal awards from my staff. Human resources management is by far the most important factor in running a business. People are the major players in an organisation who determine whether any business will succeed or fail. Against this backdrop, I believe that a company’s success is founded on its employee’s success. Hiring great employees starts with the careful selection process. In short, rrecruitment involves searching for and obtaining qualified job candidates and it gives the organisation the opportunity to select the most appropriate persons to fill its job needs (Carrell, R. et al 1995). Effective recruitment often attracts individuals to the organisation and also increases the chances of retaining the individuals once they have been hired. Recruitment efforts seek to satisfy the needs of job applicants as well as the needs of managers. From this assertion, Pfeffer (1989) also concurs that companies which are serious about making profit through people ought to “expend the effort needed to ensure that they recruit the right people in the first place.” This is arguably the most important part of human resource management since it is likely to influence the success in interviewing the right people. Interview preparation includes the development of a job description, a realistic job preview worksheet an interview guide, behavioral questions, work samples and aptitude tests. The job description should include the position title, the position purpose, the major tasks and responsibilities associated with the job, critical knowledge, skills and abilities, working conditions, educational as well as professional qualifications, experience and other physical demands. The job preview worksheet which should be used for discussion with each candidate should include the following: the essential responsibilities of the job (from the job description), the expectations for hours worked and working conditions. It also attempts to outline the top five positive and negative aspects associated with the job how they will be measured as well as the benefit package. The interview guide should be made up of questions that seek to determine how the candidate behaves under certain conditions that are applicable to the job. The applicant is asked about related behavior that exemplifies the knowledge or the skills being sought and evaluated. Understanding past behaviors in different situations will give you a good sense of what you can expect with future behaviors in similar scenarios. A good framework for positioning questions is by using the S.T.A.R. method. This is an acronym which stands for situation, task, action and result. The question starts off with a scenario, such as “tell me about a time you had to communicate under difficult circumstances.” This question is followed by asking the associate what they were communicating (the task), this is then followed by what they did. Aptitude screening is another important tool in the selection process (Jackson & Schuler 2000). No matter how good applicants may appear on paper or how positive they appear during a job interview it has been noted over time that many candidates lack the appropriate aptitude characteristics that are needed to fit into the job and or the organization. Aptitude screening enables you to determine whether or not the associate has the appropriate pre-disposition to succeed in different jobs. For example, if you are looking for a candidate to fill the position of customer service, you would want to know if the candidate possesses the characteristics related to customer service such as diplomacy, cooperativeness, patience and assertiveness. Candidates who apply for this job would therefore need to be given a customer service aptitude test. If you were interviewing a manager you would want to know whether or not the candidate has good communication and interpersonal skills. In this case, you would administer a management skills test. There is a plethora of tests available which include: cognitive ability, general workplace skills, management, sales potential, customer service, supervision, and light industrial to name just but a few. All of these tests can be purchased on line and are readily available. Aptitude and behavior testing should only be used in conjunction with a structured interview where an interview process should never be used as single determinant of an associate’s capability. Title VII of the EEOC permits employment of tests as long as they are not designed or intended to be used in order to discriminate against potential employees on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or nationality. Title V11 also prohibits employers from using neutral test or selection procedures that have the effect of disproportionately excluding persons based on race, color, religion, sex or nationality where the test or selection procedures are not job related and consistent with business requirements. The next element of preparation is developing samples of work that will need to be performed in the position. This is where you create a sample of the type of work the position requires and you have the candidate to perform the task. For example, if you were interviewing for an administrative assistant and the job required typing skills, you would create a typing test for the candidate to complete, if the job required filing skills you would set up sample documents for the candidate to file. It is not practical to have samples for all jobs, but when you can, it provides a good measure for understanding capabilities. Once you have prepared the interview guide, job description, job summary and samples you are ready to begin the interview process. The purpose of interviewing is to predict a candidate’s future success within your company. An interview is not simply about having a discussion with a potential associate, it is about determining whether or not they are motivated for the job and have the kills to succeed at the job. A structured interview as the name suggests is an interview with structure and not just a free form of discussion where different questions are asked to different candidates being interviewed for the same position. A structured interview is established by the positioning of an interview guide. The interview guide also includes a rating scale which is used by the interviewer as a gauge to rate the candidate’s responses and take notes on each of the questions. The same interview guide and questions are used for all candidates applying for the position. A structured interview of this sort ensures that all candidates are treated equally and that there is a relational scale to measure one associate’s responses compared to the other. The rating scale and interview guide also assist with follow up interviews where additional probing might be necessary. The next step in human resource management is training and developing the individual that has been hired. Indeed, a seed needs water to grow so does an employee. The quality and knowledge of the employees is a major factor in determining the long-term profitability and productivity of your business. It has been proven that immediate and on-going training leads to increased productivity, reduced employee turnover, increased efficiency and a decreased need for supervision (Jackson & Schuler 2000). Companies benefit from increased productivity and associates benefit from a great sense of belonging, confidence and overall well-being. There are many types of training methods in use today and they include both on the job and off the job training. On the job training includes, job instruction while performing the job, job rotation and coaching. Usually, a buddy or supervisor conducts this type of training. Off the job training includes, on-line learning, video learning, classroom lectures role-playing or lab instruction. Orientation training is usually conducted during the first days on the job. Orientation training emphasizes the company’s history, mission, vision and values. This training also includes key information such as emergency procedures, parting, and personnel rules and regulations. Orientation is extremely important especially when you consider the fact that 60% of associates usually quit within the first 10 days of work. The last pillar in Human resource management is managing associate performance. Performance management is one of the key processes that help employees to know that their contributions are recognized and acknowledged. Performance management is not a one time event but rather an on going process that occurs throughout the year. The elements of managing performance include setting clear objectives, follow-up and continual coaching and a formal assessment. A common tool for setting objectives is the S.M.A.R. T program. This acronym stands for establishing goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely. The associate and the manager can establish the goals in collaborative way. Once the goals are established they become the framework for follow-up, training and on going coaching and formal performance assessment. There are several different coaching techniques that are used depending on the situation. Basically, coaching is defined as planned one on one instruction method where a coach working with only one learner at a time sets a good example of what is to be done (Kleynhans 2006). Coaching can be used to educate, sponsor, persuade, influence, encourage, counsel or confront an individual. When you are coaching to educate, you are imparting new knowledge and skills to an associate. When you are coaching to sponsor you are recognizing an associate’s special contribution. Coaching to encourage affirms good performance and enhances one’s confidence and skills. Coaching to counsel is directed at correcting behaviors that are affecting job performance and confrontational coaching is used for direct and specific coaching that is tied to an event that has occurred. Coaching is a critical part of a manager’s or supervisor’s job since it is the determinant of whether or not good associates stay whereas not so good associates improve or leave. This management skill takes time and patience and is often prioritized last when it should be prioritized first. Associates need to know how they are performing; they need praise when they deserve it and the need constructive criticism in order to improve. Failing on this part of your managerial commitment is failing your associates. Coaching is a method of strengthening communication between management and the employee. Coaching helps to shape performance and increase the likelihood that the employee’s results will meet the business objectives. Simply put, coaching is observing associates’ behaviors, attitudes and performance. These observations culminate in a collaborative conversation with the employee. The conversation includes praise for accomplishments and improvements and solutions and actions for areas of observation which need work. It is important when coaching that you focus on behavior, not personality and that you collaborate with the associate to set goals and action plans. As a manager it is important that you practice active learning. Assessment is the final phase of the performance management cycle. It provides an excellent opportunity for you to formally communicate with the employee about past performance, evaluate the employees job satisfaction, and make plans for the employees future performance. Thus, performance assessment summarizes the employees contributions over the assessment period. Normally, associates receive a formal assessment on an annual basis. For new recruits, a formal assessment should be done within the first 90 days. The goal of the performance assessment process is to help the employee, show them that you care about them and that you want them to succeed. Associates want to be recognized for a job well done and appreciate constructive feedback. The performance assessment process should discuss successes and failures of the associate and the areas that need improvement. The performance assessment should continue the momentum you have established throughout the year with your on-going coaching. The tone should be set for an open and productive discussion. Outlined below are some of the steps that can be taken into consideration to make the discussion with associates as meaningful as possible. Clearly state the purpose of the discussion in an open and non-threatening way. This should not come off as an interrogation and should not be dreaded by the employee. Discuss key areas of responsibility and give examples of specific results, both positive and negative. Discuss what could have been done better. Identify your concerns and listen to the employees explanations. Focus on future performance.  Involve the employee in developing action plans, identifying problems and resolution options. Discuss the employees interests and potential new responsibilities. Discuss how you will help the associate achieve their new interests. Finally, conclude on a positive note, emphasizing the benefits of the conversation and letting the associate know that you will be available if he/she would like to have further conversation. In summary, I have been involved all of my life with developing and coaching individuals both in business and in my personal life. I find this part of life to be the most rewarding and satisfying. There is nothing better than to see the individuals that you coached and trained achieve their life or business goals. There are many views and opinions related to the expense involved in training, coaching and developing associates. However, I would argue that you get the value for through development of human resources. The more you invest in your people, the better your company or business unit will perform. References Carrell, R. et al (1995). Human Resources Management: Global Strategies for managing a diverse workforce. 5th Edition. NY. Prentice Hall. Jackson, S.E. & Schuler R. (2000). Managing Human Resources: A Partnership Perspective. NY. South Western College Publishing. Kleynhans R. et al (2007), Human Resource Management: fresh perspectives, Prentice Hall, S.A. Pfeffer J. (1998). The Human equation: Building profits by putting people first. Boston MA: Harvard Business School Press. Read More