HR Planning/Staffing in Smith Radiator Company - Case Study Example

Human Resource Planning Smith Radiator Company is experiencing an economic growth as it started it operations as a small-scale entity that was a garage but over the years the company has developed into a major manufacturing company that produces and exports reliable radiators. The net sales of the company are at $50 million in the previous year signifying growth of the company. Human resource planning involves linking people and the management to the company’s objectives, mission, vision and goals, as well as its budgetary resources and the strategic business plan. The management ensures it has the right personnel, capable of completing their duties and contributes towards reaching the objectives of the company. The major goal of the human resource planning is to get with the correct composition of workers with the right skills, competencies and experience in the right job at the right expense for the company as stated by Mathis and John (2008). The company is a growing entity and should consider hiring more employees to cater for the increase in output production. The function of human resource management in a business is take part in the decision making process by providing options and qualified opinion concerning staff morale, recruitment costs, level of skill of staff, availability of prospective workers in the job market and the training needs in a company. Training of the staff Smith Radiators Company should invest in training in order to develop a qualified work force by incorporating skills and expertise in them leading to improved output. Training ensures that the worker are competent, satisfy the customers needs and that the employees work in synchronization with the mission of the company as suggested by Anthony, Kacmar & Perewe (2010).The company should make use of part-time workers to be able to regulate the number of workers in a company depending on the work load and helps to secure the jobs of full time workers through economic crisis such as recession or depression. Customer service should be the main are of emphasis during the training and this ensure a good relationship is established between the consumers and the company. HRIS Human Resource Information Systems is system that enables a company that helps the management monitor the employees and collect all the necessary information concerning them according to Compton & Nankervis (2009).It is a form of new technology that is an online solution or software for the data entry, data tracking and information needs of the Human resources, management, payroll and the accounting functions within a business. This system provides overall management of all employees’ information, analysis of employees, complete integration of the company financial software and accounting systems and ensures proper editing of the database. The system ensures that the managers can assess information that is needed for decision making legally and ethically and this ensures effective reporting on the success of their employees. Smith Radiators Company should adopt the system to ensure they have all the necessary information regarding all their employees. Auditing The company should regularly assess the effectiveness of the HR role and ensure compliance to the set regulations. The audit should be conducted an external consultant as he does not have any personal interest or bias since he does not have any vested interest in the company. The audit evaluates the success of the company’s service in delivery to it’s clients. Staffing Smith Radiators Company should practice good hiring, recruitment, selection and retention of the workers. Staffing entails a broad scope of activities that are involved in the relationship between the company and workers in achieving the objectives of the company. Sometimes it is used interchangeably with the term recruiting or hiring. Recruitment involves the process of advertising for a job vacancy, screening and eventually selecting qualified people for the vacancies as stated by Caruth, Caruth & Pane 2008. Different companies have diverse staffing requirements as dictated by the nature of business, the kinds of products, size of the company and this determines the number of people to employ and the level of skill required. Sustainability of the work force The company should at all times sustain an adequately staffed work force to meet the customers’ needs and maintain quality production. Companies have different strategies when it comes to handling staff turnover. The company can employ part time employees and interns who work for the company as they continue with their studies. The company can capitalize on this since they offer their services to the company at an overall cheaper cost and places it at a better financial position than other businesses in the same industry as explained by Ployhart, Scheinder & Schimitt (2006). The company has access to labor that is cheap and readily available since the main goal of the part time workers is mainly to make money. The use of part time employees makes the company flexible since it can control the number of employees available depending on the work load. In case of part-time students a buffer created between its operations and the incorporation of unions in its facilities. The company should treat their long-serving employees like investments. They should not only give them high salaries but they should give them other benefits that motivate them. Smith Radiators Company should have considered to apply this policy when it was experiencing a financial crisis to acquire cheap labor. Recruitment The company should ensure the establishment of a strong recruitment program in order to maintain an adequate number of employees with the right skills and competency to work in the company. The company should employ peer recruiting among employees as it allows employees give an opinion on whom they think would be of value to the organization. Peer recruiting is an important tool in communication of correct expectations to the potential employees as suggested by Losey, Meisinger & Ulrich (2005). Smith Radiators Company should have done a proper recruitment in order to employ those who support the mission of the company. This enables the company employ workers that meet the expectations of the company and strength the link between employees in supporting the mission of the company. Advertising and the selection process The company should ensure that the mode of advertising used to advertise available vacancies are reaches a high number of people to ensure that all potential applicants are reached. Technology should be applied in this field as it will enable the company reach a high number of people and it is also a fast and efficient way for example through posting on the company’s website. The first step in the applicant selection process is job analysis that involves having an understanding of the job requirements as stated by Anthony, Kacmar & Perrewe (2010). The second step of job analysis is conducting a questionnaire which is important in fields such as customer care and direct services such as cashiers in a bank. A questionnaire is beneficial as enables the company to reach a high number of potential employees and can be used on different jobs at once. The last process of the selection process is implementing of the tests and pre-employment checks. This mainly involves interviewing of the number of workers who have been selected as prospective workers of the company. Recruitment and methods of training Smith Radiators Company is strategically located where there is a skilled workforce therefore labor is externally available. The company uses cheap labor by hiring high school dropouts. The company should consider hiring part-time workers and internships to enable the company maintain a sufficient work force for the company. The company should develop a policy of retaining its long-term workers since they use it as a training ground and advance to better jobs such as medical benefits, recreational facilities and better salaries. Most of the workers in the company are technical workers and they require technical training to improve on their production. The workers and the management should go for a building to enhance their relationship and create a better working environment. The recommended medium of training should be in form of lectures and incorporate practical training for the technical work. The training can be evaluated through both written and practical examinations as it assesses the level of understanding by the employees. References Anthony, W. P., Kacmar. K. M. & Perrewe, L. P. (2008). Human resource management: A strategic approach. Caruth, D. L., Caruth G. D. & Pane, S. S. (2008). Staffing the contemporary organization: A guide to planning, recruiting and selecting human resource professional. (3rd ed.) ABC-CLIO. Compton, R. L. & Nankervis, A. R. (2009). Effective recruitment & selection practices. (5th ed.) CCH Australia Limited. Australia. Losey, M., Meisinger, R.S. & Ulrich, D.(2005).The future of human resource management: 64 thought leaders explore critical issues of today and tomorrow. John Wiley and Sons. Mathis, R. L. & John, H. J. (2010). Human resource management. (12th ed). Cengage Learning. Ployhart, R. E., Schneider, B & Schimitt, N. ( 2006). Staffing organizations: contemporary practice and theory. (3rd ed). Routlege. Read More