I guess there are advantages and disadvantages to being hired at the height of t
ID: 427642 • Letter: I
Question
I guess there are advantages and disadvantages to being hired at the height of the busy season at a ski resort,” said Sergio as he sat in the employee lounge with Patty
during a well-deserved break. “I like my job in the maintenance department, especially
the gang I work with, and it’s great to have all of the tools and supplies needed for routine maintenance. That has not been the case in some of my previous positions, and it really caused me to stress out!”
“We’re all glad you’re here,” replied Patty, a housekeep- ing supervisor. “I didn’t know what you would say now after I heard you talk earlier about your initial experiences with our resort that were less than perfect. I remember you telling me that you didn’t know the location of the work sites for many of the maintenance tasks because the property is so large. I also remember you telling me how silly you must have looked to your peers because you didn’t know specific maintenance tasks or the required tools for servicing some of our specialized equipment. In fact, you said you had been here two weeks before you even met the department head.
“You’re right,” said Sergio. “The initial orientation process could have been much more organized and better delivered. If it was, I wouldn’t have felt so awkward, and I could have better helped the resort by doing things right the first time without the need for lots of rework. I remember thinking a couple of times that they weren’t treating me very well, and the fact that every- one appeared to be so busy, and weren’t doing it intentionally, didn’t really soften my feelings.
“Since then, I guess I’ve become more ‘neutral,’ where I could ‘take the job or leave it,’ to my present attitude that it’s getting to be a better place to work.” “I don’t think things would be very different in my house- keeping department if you started in the middle of the season,” commented Patty. “I’ve always thought, incorrectly, that the excuse of ‘being busy’ was accepted by new staff members. But now I see that managers owe their staff members more than promises that ‘things will get better.’
“I’m going to make some changes and suggest to other department supervisors that they consider the need for changes in their departments as well. Thanks for the education, Sergio.”
Dimension: HR Issues
1. Since the ski resort is large, it likely has an HR department. Is it possible that these specialists are not aware of their property’s problems with orientation programs? If they are, what are reasons they might not be more proactive in addressing issues? If they are not, what changes in the property’s communication network might be appropriate?
2. What, if any, role should HR personnel play in advising (improving) the orientation program? What should be the role, if any, of top-level managers?
Explanation / Answer
Q1) There is least possibility that the specialists are not aware of their property's problems with orientation programs considering the set operations, processes and departments in place for the resort.
The reason that they might not be more proactive includes the business in the peak season when new members are hired and expected to onboard and deliver as early as possible without putting much emphasis on the orientation programs.
If the specialists are not aware of the issues, there should be a point of contact in the form of Human Resource manager(s) to bridge the gap between the skills required to accomplish the job and the orientation programs.
Q2) Below is the role HR personnel should play in advising the orientation program -
1. Act as points of contact by continuously working with specialists/experts to improve the program.
2. Managing scheduling of the programs as per the availability of the specialists to spend time taking the new hires around the resort to help them understand the processes.
3. Ensuring feedback is taken on continuous basis on the programs for continuous improvement.
The role of top-level managers is to -
1. Provide time, budget and resources to ensure successful implementation of the program.
2. Ensure an evaluation of the program is in place.
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