Application Application Case: Jack Nelson's Problem Problem 1. What do you think think was causing causing some of the problems problems in the bank home home office and branches? There is clearly a problem with communication, and the effects are felt in the area of employee commitment. Additional contributing contributing factors include the lack of consistency in the policies and procedures procedures of various locations. locations. There is no cohesiveness cohesiveness to the staffing activities of this o rganization. 2. Do you think think setting up an HR unit unit in the main office office would help? help? Of course we think it would! Since there are HR-related HR-related problems both in the home office office and in the branches, it is clear that if a personnel office were set up, it would need to help to coordinate the HR activities in the branches. 3. What specific functions should it carry out? What HR functions functions would would then be carried out by supervisors and other other line managers? What role should the the Internet play in the new HR organization? There is room for quite a bit of variation in the answers to this question. Our suggested organization organization would include: HR Unit: job analyses, analyses, planning planning labor labor needs and recruiting, providing advising and training in the selection process, orientation of new employ employees ees,, managi managing ng wage wage and salary salary admin administ istrat ration ion,, managi managing ng incent incentiv ives es and benefits, benefits, providing providing and managing managing the performanc performance e appraisal appraisal process, process, organizati organization-wi on-wide de communications, and providing providing training & developing services. Supervisors and Other Other Line Managers: interviewing and selection of job candidates, training new employees, appraising perfor performan mance, ce, depart departmen mental tal & person personal al commu communic nicati ations ons,, and traini training ng & develo developme pment. nt. Internet and HR: shift some activities to specialized online service portals and/or providers.
Assignment 1: Case Study, Jack Nelson’s Problem 1. a) What do you think is causing some of the problems in the bank’s home office? 1. Ruth Johnson who has been working at the bank’s head office for last two months did not know what wh at the machine she is using is called or what is does. That shows that the bank did not give her sufficient training to familiarize herself with the name and the function of the machine. However, she did know how the machine works, but this doesn’t mean that she has bee n trained properly. A huge problem in the bank’s home office is the lack of a proper Training program. It can be an in-house training program especially designed for the new employees at the bank or a practical on-the-job training program. This will give n ew employees the change to practice, observe others, ask questions, learn from mistakes and familiarize themselves with the equipment that they are using. It is very important for the bank to utilize its available resources. In this case the supervisor could have given her proper, on-the-job training and informed and familiarized her with the name and function of the machine that she operates. 2. There is also mayor lack of communication in the bank’s home office. Ruth has been working there for almost two months and nobody has briefed or informed her on the name and function of the machine that she is using. The fact that Ruth’s supervisor or her colleagues did not notice that she does not know the function or name of the machine after she is has been using it for two months is worrying. It shows that there is very little interaction and communication between employees, supervisors and managers at the bank’s home office. Communication and interaction between employees are very important. It keep all employees informed, motivated and make them feel valued. In Ruth’s case communication and interaction between the supervisors and employees can be improved by b y starting a Trainee Performance Appraisal program. This would help supervisors to keep track of areas in which a new employer is uninformed in or unfamiliar with regarding their duties. This can b e done as soon as possible after the
new employee has received proper training and has experienced their first practical day on the job. The appraisal will be done by the supervisor in the presence of the new employee, by filling out an appraisal form in which they will sit, discuss and identify areas of the job that the trainee is not familiar with. The supervisor will then explains demonstrate and answer questions and motivate the trainee. The Trainee appraisal will also help employers to qualify and develop their employees on a constant basis. 3. All the problems that Jack observed in the bank’s home office are basically, because a HR Unit or Department is non-existent and the supervisor has to fulfill the role of a HR Officer as well as well as their own.
Assignment 1: Case Study, Jack Nelson’s Problem 1. b) What do you think is causing some of the problems in the bank’s branches? 1. One of the mayor problems in the bank’s branches is that the employee turnover is very high, in fact so high that for every employee the bank employs, another employee will resign. The reason for this can b e that employees were not suitable for the position that they have been employed for in the first place. The bank does not have a proper recruitment and selection program in place to help select, shortlist, and interview and recruit the most suitable candidates for the jobs they have available. It can also be that employees did not receive proper training to prepare, familiarize, inform and develop them for their job roles and duties. Another possibility is that employees are dissatisfied with the compensation and benefits that the company offers them. This brings the morale of the employees down and could be the reason for the high employee turnover. This is very costly, because it cost 60% more to employ and train a new person for the job, than to keep an old employee. The bank can negotiate a better salary when an outstanding employee resigns, because they have been offered a better salary elsewhere. It will save the ban k more money if they negotiate an increment in salary and retain an employee, than to employ and train a new one. 2. Another problem is that the supervisors are very busy and already overloaded with their own work schedules and responsibilities. They do not have time to get involved in a proper recruitment process the orientation and the training of the new employees. Supervisors cannot keep up with the pace that old employees resign and need to be replaced with new employees. The supervisors focus is more on replacing the employee that resigned as soon as possible and not so much on recruiting and selecting the most suitable candidate for the job. The constant resignation and recruitment of employees demotivates the busy supervisors, because they cannot pinpoint what the problem is and why employees resign all the time. 3. Usually a supervisor that works in a bank are trained and qualified to work in a customer service environment. In all of the bank’s branches it is the supervisor’s responsibility to select, shortlist, and interview as well as to recruit new employees to replace the employees that has resigned. The bank does not have a proper recruitment and selection program in place, in which the supervisors are trained and qualified to conduct an efficient recruitment and selection within the guidelines of the company. 4. The last problem in all the bank’s branches is that all branch supervisors hire their own employees without communication with the home branch or with each other. The lack of internal communication between the 22 branches and supervisors is the reason this problem has no t be identified earlier. The supervisors were not aware of the fact that they all struggle with the same problems and issues and therefore cannot come up with a plan of action.
Assignment 1: Case Study, Jack Nelson’s Problem 2. Do you think setting up an HR unit in the main office could help? Yes, I think setting up a HR unit in the main office of the bank will help, because it is the solution to all the problems. The bank does not have a HR unit that can understand, relate and identify the needs and the problems that employees and organization is struggling with. A HR unit can identify individual needs and career goals to help employees to move forward and generate an overall sense of accountability and belonging. A HR unit will be involved in the development of both the administrative function and the wellbeing of all employees within the bank. The high employee high resignation ratio has a bad reflection on how the bank treats their employees, in return for their skills and experience. The HR unit will defend the needs and ensure the well-being of the employees. A HR unit in the bank’s home office will empower and improve positive relationships, communication and interaction between all employees on all levels. They will act as a mediator between the managers, supervisors and employees. The HR Unit will identify lack of training and insufficient knowledge and provide a solution in the form of training courses, workshop or seminars. The HR unit will also be responsible for recruitment and selection of the required workforce. They are also involved in the terminating procedures of employees that had resigned, going on retirement been and had been laid-off.
Assignment 1: Case Study, Jack Nelson’s Problem 3. a) What specific functions should a Human Resource unit carry out? 1. The HR unit or department will be responsible for the whole process of hiring new employees to replace employees that resigned and also to fill new positions within the bank. The whole recruitment and selection process from beginning to en d is just one of the functions of the HR unit. It will be involved in advertising the position in the newspaper or on the internet, shortlist the most suitable candidates for the position, interview the candidates, do psychometric tests, that will give an idea of the persons personality type and arrange a assessment centre to see how candidate perform in various situations within a group. 2. The HR unit is also responsible to ensure and oversee that all employees received proper training. So, those employees are familiarized, informed and p repared for their job role within the bank. This can be an internal induction training program by the bank if they have their own training facilities and trainers or an external training program by sending the employees to a college, where they will receive training that is designed and approved by the bank. Existing employees must also receive on-going training in cases like promotion, teambuilding and in some cases refresher courses. The HR unit must ensure that all training programs, manuals and resources are available to ensure efficient training within the bank. 3. The HR unit will also help motivate the employees by having an award system in place. Any employee that wo rks for the bank will then have a chance to be nominated and receive an award for qualities, situation and accomplishments that they have excelled in. This will motivate and show employees that their efforts and hard work is much appreciated and they are a valuable asset to the bank. 4. The HR unit is also involved in the payment of salaries of the employees. The must ensure that all employees receive the right compensation according to their contract and hours worked. They will also be involved in administration duties like preparing a breakdown of the salary and benefits for every employee in the form of a pay slip. They will also have a record of the personal information like bank details of each employee and will keep it updated at all times. To ensure that employees salaries are paid in the right accounts on pay day. 5. The HR unit will also be involved in the movement of staff within the bank’s branches. Basically, when a vacancy is available in any of the bank’s 22 branches it will first be announced or advertised internally. So, the employees will have a change to apply for a promotion or a transfer when such a position is available within the bank. This will keep employees motivated and help them reach their individual and career goals. 6. The HR department will also have a Performance Appraisal program in place. This will help the bank to measure the competencies and development of each employee. It will also identify lack of knowledge and training in employees.
Assignment 1: Case Study, Jack Nelson’s Problem 3. b) What HR functions would then be carried out by the supervisors and other line managers? 1. The Supervisors and line managers of each bank should cooperate with each other and with the HR unit, so that they have a one goal in solving the problems that they are facing. 2. Supervisors and line managers must ensure that all employees work together as a team. They can do this by having group discussions, workshops and encourage everyone to get involved, so that no one feels left out. They must also be able to handle conflicts between employees and ensure that it does not affect the team spirit. 3. Supervisors and line managers must also keep each individual motivated and make them feel appreciated by showing interest in their work, communicating and interacting with their employees. Another method to keep the morale of the employees high is to recommend them for promotion and nominate them for an award. 4. Supervisors and line managers must lead by example and communicate and interact with all employees and encouraging them to do so as well. Better communication with each other will have a positive effect on all employees and the bank’s branches. The problems could have been identified and solved sooner if the supervisors had communicated to each other.
Assignment 1: Case Study, Jack Nelson’s Problem 3. c) What role should the Internet play in the new HR organization? 1. HR information technology and software is essential for any HR organization to help them manage their benefits plans and their employee information. An ap plicant tracking software is available that can be used for real time tracking of attendance, leave and salaries of employees. 2. Many organizations use intranet that is a single internal source that is accessible for all employees within the company. It have all company related information like vacancies, training, research, rules and regulation, goals, visions and all other information that the company want to make available to employees. 3. The internet and email can be used to reach and communicate the employees by sending and receiving email. Another method of communicating through internet is to use it to hold a videoconference with employees in different branches wo rldwide. 4. Internet and LinkedIn and other social networking sites can be advantageous for employers who use them for both networking and recruitment. Social networking sites play a major role in recruiting the right candidates and the change is better that potential employees will profile themselves on these sites. Employers can monitor Internet connections to make sure it is used for the benefit of the organization. 5. Blogging is also an informal way to communicate with your customers and employees and will help you highlight the type of our employees you do not want to hire. It can also help you with market research. 6. The Internet can also be used by a HR organization to advertise, recruit a nd select potential employees online. Most job websites allow you to reject resumes with unwanted keywords and locations. 7. The Internet is also very helpful with training and research. Wikipedia is the largest, free, online encyclopedia that will give you information on just about anything and can be used for training and research in a HR organization. Employees can also use the internet to develop and train themselves further by enrolling in a distance learning program.
1st Question: What do you think is causing some of the problems in the bank’s home office and branches?
- There is not any communication between branch supervisors, home offices, and other branches. The supervisor employ their own employee without any communication with the main branch. The major problem is high employee turnover, actually there can be many reason for turnover, however in the text this is a result of when an employee would be hired, they would be resign another employee. In additionally, Ruth Johnson has been working in a home office for two months, howeever she does not know what the machine called she used and what it did. That means, there is not any HR to asist her about that machine. 2nd Question:
Do you think setting up an HR unit in the main office would help?
- Setting up an HR unit in the main office would help the managers. Through the HR unit the bank can employ the educated bankers and reduce turnover ratios. I mean, because of HR unit will work for supervisors’ and line managers’ needs, the employee which apply the job probably educated by HR unit about the which machine or computer software does he/ she have to. As a result of HR unit, turnovers decrase and efficiency increases in the bank. 3rd Question: What specific functions should an HR unit carry out? What HR functions would then be carried out by supervisors and other line managers? What role should the Internet play in the new HR organization?
- A Line Function: The human resource manager directs the activities of the people in his or her own department and perhaps in related areas. - A Coordinative Function: The human resource manager also coordinates personnel activities, a duty often referred to as functional authority. Here, he or she ensures that line managers are implementing the firm’s human resouce policies and practices. - Staff (asist and advise) Function: Assisting and advising line managers is the heart of the human resource manager’s job. He or she advises the CEO so CEO can better understand the personnel aspects of the company’s strategic options. HR assist in hiring, training, evaluating, rewarding, counseling, promoting and firing employees. It helps line managers comply with equal employment and occupational safety laws and plays an important role in handling grievances and labor relations. It carries out an innovator role, by providing up-to-date information on current trends and new methods for better utilizing the company’s employees. It also plays an employee advocacy role, by representing the interests of employees within the framework of its primary obligation to senior management. - The new technology helps companies in various areas such as communication, advertising, marketing and competiton. HRM also uses the technology to reach canditates and communicate with them. HRM can use Internet to create and use an up-to-date employee database, measure the employee’ abilities, contact with them, train them and monitor them.
