Enabling a Motivated Workforce - Movie Review Example

Film Review Contents Overview of the HR activities 3 Recruitment and Selection 4 Training and Development 5 Compensation and Benefits 7 Employee Relations/Labor Relations 8 Conclusion 9 Works Cited 10 Name of the Student Name of the Professor Course Number Date Film Review Overview of the HR activities The film chosen for the current study is Pursuit of Happyness. This film revolves around a salesman named Chris Gardener, who tries to sell bone-density scanners. However, he suffers extreme difficulty in selling the apparatus, as it is highly expensive compared to ordinary x-rays with practically similar properties and offerings. This creates disputes between him and his wife, who ultimately leaves him and his son. After a long period of struggle, Chris comes across an opportunity for an internship as a stockbroker. One of the most fascinating facts is that the film is based on real life experiences of a known motivational speaker. In the current study, this film has been analyzed in terms of various human resource policies and practices that have been applied or showcased as several instances. The film has portrayed various events of human resource activities. The first instance is when Chris Gardener was travelling with one of the managers of the company, Dean Witter. Here the manager was impressed with Chris as he was able to solve the Rubik’s Cube within the short ride; this specifically highlights the recruitment and selection process. Another instance foregrounding employee relations was when Chris Gardener entered his office with unkempt look and in shabby clothes. Here the conversation of Chris with his managers as well as his tactical way of defending himself can be evaluated. The training and development process is stressed on during the internship process, where Chris Gardener had to face stiff competition from nineteen other interns. The internship also highlights the compensation policies followed during the late 18th century. Recruitment and Selection Recruitment and selection process is one of the major components or functions of human resource department. This basically involves selecting the right person, at the right time, at the right place and for the right job. It involves identification of organizational needs and fulfilling those needs by selecting right candidates. The recruitment and selection process is vast and varies across sectors, industries, organizations as well as nations. Selection and recruitment process is an inevitable part of an organization’s HR policy. Firstly, firms need to constantly promote their employees to a higher level and simultaneously fill the vacant positions. Modern day organizations not only require ground level staffs and employees, but also management executives for decision making and strategic planning process (Kelly, et al. 162-165). In the film, the selection process was held outside the company premises and the method of selection was different from traditional interview process. It can also be said that this was an external recruitment process. This shows a gradual transformation in the interviewing policies and selection strategies. A major challenge of the traditional recruitment and selection procedure is that of over-relying on educational qualification compared to that on attitude. Another recruitment challenge of modern day organizations was portrayed though the selection criteria. Out of 20 candidates, only one candidate was selected for the full-time job. This explains the external organizational factors affecting recruitment such as, availability of labor and demand and supply gap. The film also reveals the criticality of selecting candidates on the basis of their attitude and soft skills and not entirely based on education qualification and academic excellence. For example, in the film, Chris Gardener’s appearance on his first day at job was dismissal. Also, he only had a high school diploma compared to other candidates, who were well-qualified and academically superior. Nevertheless, at the end, it was seen that Chris Gardener was recruited purely on the basis of his sales and negotiation skills as well as his attitude towards hard work, perseverance and survival. The above situation also provides an important lesson for recruiters. Companies should move beyond traditional selection practices and adopt more creative approaches in order to analyze candidates at various levels. For instance, many organizations are now including various selection criteria such as, psychometric test (for instance, Chris Gardener’s ability to solve the Rubik’s Cube in short time was a proof of his high IQ, regardless of his low academic qualification), test for physical activeness, test for emotional intelligence as well as test of abilities to handle difficult situations (Kwiatkowski 384-390). These tests and selection processes apply beyond mere academic qualifications and can hugely vary among candidates. In brief, Chris Gardener’s motivation, enthusiasm, positive outlook and humor had helped him in securing the job. So, the story sheds light on shortcomings in recruitment and selection process as well as way in which a good selection method for candidates can enhance an organization’s overall performance and growth in long run. Training and Development Training and development is the field related to enhancement of performance of groups and individuals in an organizational setting. Training and development basically consist of three separate, but interrelated activities. These are training, education and development. Training activities are focused and evaluated against the current position, which an individual or a particular group is holding. The next is education, which includes activities concentrating on those jobs that a potential employee might hold in future. The third is developmental activities, which an organization undertakes with the objective of enhancing performance and skills of individuals and groups (Ankli and Palliam 7-10). In general, organizations involve two broad types of training activities. These are on-the-job training and off-the-job training. On-the-job training activities are those where employees learn while performing their job. For example, popular on-the-job training activities include mentoring, coaching, job rotation, apprenticeship and job instruction technologies. A similar concept was applied in the film. In the film, on-the-job internship was offered to Chris Gardener. Even so, no specific coaching or mentoring facilities were provided to the interns. They were only allowed to read the study material, observe existing employees and their working patterns and link the tasks with existing knowledge, before starting off with their own. The same strategy was followed by Chris Gardener in order to succeed and get selected in the company. This can be also related to his development. Employees learn a lot simply through observing their surrounding environment or culture (Ahmed 35-40). As a result, it is important for management to create soothing and friendly environment for the employees. A welcoming and flexible work culture not only reduces stress and tension, but also helps in engaging employees in a better manner. Another training and development concept that has been directly used in the film is talent development. Organizations are increasingly shifting towards talent development strategies from traditional training and development concepts. For instance, on-the job training was basically an internship in the film, where candidates got the opportunity to develop their skills and talents regarding a particular job or career. Even though only one candidate was going to be selected for the final employment, yet the internship helped all of them to understand crucial aspects like, employee culture, work patterns and internal work environment. Compensation and Benefits Compensation and benefits can be described as those reimbursements or paybacks, which are provided to employees, apart from their normal salaries and wages. These benefits might include insurance for life, vision, disability and dental, daycare, retirement benefits, tuition reimbursements, vacation paid, sick leave, education funding as well as alternative and flexible working arrangements. Compensation and benefits form a crucial element of entire paychecks of an individual. It can also be said that a good compensation and benefits package can be a key differentiator, in terms of talent acquisition as well as maintaining employee motivation (Ankli and Palliam 7-10). In the film, Pursuit of Happyness, Chris had first worked as a salesman selling bone scanners. Nonetheless, his income was not fixed and there was a lot of ambiguity regarding the product itself. This had not only resulted in loss of motivation, but also invariably led towards financial loss. He eventually was trapped under huge debt, which ultimately resulted in emptying of his bank accounts. The film reinforces the basic need to work for an individual in order to support personal needs as well as that of the family. In order to make life better for his son and himself, Chris had grabbed the opportunity of internship for a broker. This can be related to the grievances of modern day workers and employees working at the ground level. The extra benefits provided to them are meager and often not negligible, thereby lowering their level of motivation. As a result, rate of attrition is higher among entry-level candidates compared to mid-level and top level executives. The film also foregrounds another factor. Chris Gardener had seen a person in Ferrari and asked him about his profession. When the man replied that he was working as a stockbroker, Chris decided to pursue the same career, regardless of being under qualified for the job. This can be related to the present day compensation as well as fringe benefits systems provided by firms. Organizations can improve this situation by restructuring compensation packages for entry level candidates. Inclusion of small, yet critical benefits, such as, flexible timings, wok insurance and special compensation during marriage or child birth, can greatly enhance motivation and level of engagement (Emerald 22-24). Employee Relations/Labor Relations In simple terms, employee relations refer to establishing and maintaining relationships with employees of an organization. Employees are one of the biggest assets for an organization. As a result, it is extremely essential for organizations to maintain a positive employee-employer relationship. Employee relations were displayed in the film during interaction of Chris Gardener with his managers and also during his internship tenure with the stock broking company. Quality of job and associated future prospects can become an important decisive factor among employees. Hence, this should be regarded as any employer’s key objective. For instance, Chris Gardener’s pursuit to become a stockbroker was ignited by appearance of a man in Ferrari, who was supposedly a stockbroker. Large organizations are preferred by young employees because the former provides greater opportunities, safer environment, along with higher salary and compensation offers (Atkinson and Hall 90-100). Another factor that can be highlight is the level of diversity. For instance, the film was set in the year 1981 and Chris Gardener was aiming for a white collar job; this opportunity was particularly difficult to obtain for black people then (Knights and Hitner 13-15). This was evident from the behavior of his intern colleagues. However, Chris continued his internship with motivation and a goal to bag the job. Conclusion The film, Pursuit of Happyness, imparts a great deal of knowledge regarding human resource functions and its evolution over ages. The recruitment and selection process is changing and employers are adapting more intricate and effective ways for understanding and hiring candidates. Training and development is a crucial element for enhancing performance of individuals as well as entire organization. In addition, benefits and compensation package can be a differentiating factor, while opting for a job. Finally, employers need to maintain a strong and long-term employee-employer relation for facilitating continuous growth and development of an organization. Works Cited Ahmed, Pervaiz. “Culture and Climate for Innovation.” European Journal of Innovation Management, Vol. 1.1(1998): 30 – 43. Print. Ankli, Robert E. and Ralph Palliam. “Enabling a motivated workforce: exploring the sources of motivation,” Development and Learning in Organizations, Vol. 26.2(2012): 7 – 10. Print. Atkinson, Carol and Laura Hall. “Flexible working and happiness in the NHS,” Employee Relations,” Vol. 33.2(2011): 88 – 105. Print. Emerald. “Happiness and productivity in the workplace: The role of transformational leadership,” Development and Learning in Organizations, Vol. 27.4(2013): 22-24. Print. Kelly, Aidan, Teresa Brannick, John Hulpke, Jacqueline Levine and Michelle Tool. “Linking organizational training and development practices with new forms of career structure: a cross-national exploration”, Journal of European Industrial Training, Vol. 27.2(2003): 160 – 168. Print. Knights, David and Trevor Hitner. “Race Relations in Industry: Problems and Prospects for Equal Opportunity”, Employee Relations, Vol. 4.5(1982): 12 – 16. Print. Kwiatkowski, Richard. “Trends in organizations and selection: An introduction.” Journal of Managerial Psychology,” Vol. 18.5(2003): 382 – 394. Print. Read More