You have been asked to research the use of better recruitment practices and a fo

Question

You have been asked to research the use of better recruitment practices and a formal disciplinary model to address the increased turnover and disciplinary issues in the maintenance department.

Begin your paper by summarizing the applicable HR laws, theories and issues that you have studied so far in the class that might apply to the case.

Then, using the SUO library databases, textbook, and other scholarly resources, research and analyze an effective recruitment process and how it might reduce turnover and disciplinary actions.

Additionally, evaluate the pros and cons for a formal disciplinary process for the organization.

Conclude your essay by defending at least three specific recommendations you would make to the university president.

Your essay should be 6-8 pages, in APA format, and include at least 4 scholarly references.

Explanation / Answer

Human Resource Management (HRM) is the term used to describe formal systems devised for the management of people within an organization. The responsibilities of a human resource manager fall into three major areas: staffing, employee compensation and benefits, and defining/designing work. Essentially, the purpose of HRM is to maximize the productivity of an organization by optimizing the effectiveness of its employees. This mandate is unlikely to change in any fundamental way, despite the ever-increasing pace of change in the business world. As Edward L. Gubman observed in the Journal of Business Strategy, "the basic mission of human resources will always be to acquire, develop, and retain talent; align the workforce with the business; and be an excellent contributor to the business. Those three challenges will never change."

Human resource department responsibilities can be subdivided into three areas: individual, organizational, and career. Individual management entails helping employees identify their strengths and weaknesses; correct their shortcomings; and make their best contribution to the enterprise. These duties are carried out through a variety of activities such as performance reviews, training, and testing. Organizational development, meanwhile, focuses on fostering a successful system that maximizes human (and other) resources as part of larger business strategies. This important duty also includes the creation and maintenance of a change program, which allows the organization to respond to evolving outside and internal influences. Finally, there is the responsibility of managing career development. This entails matching individuals with the most suitable jobs and career paths within the organization.

Better recruitment practices and a formal disciplinary model to address the increased turnover and disciplinary issues in the maintenance department :

Ethical considerations are becoming increasingly important to HR departments in American industries. A tension often exists between a company's financial goals and strategies to improve profits, and ethical considerations with right-behavior concerns. Since human resources departments are often most focused on employees and employee behavior, it falls to them to define ethical behavior, communicate specialized ethical codes, and update or elaborate on existing right-behavior expectations. Human resource management systems are expected to communicate ethical values and so improve company performance.

In the absence of a fully separate ethics department, HR departments can struggle with this ethical burden. A 2008 study done by SHRM, the Society for Human Resource Management, showed that over 50 percent of employers did not make ethical considerations part of their employee evaluations. About half of employees did not think they had means to find ethical advice within their company, and even 19 percent of human resources professionals felt pressure to compromise their ethical standards, coming from multiple directions within their companies, though the HR department was the primary resource for ethical information in 80 percent of studied companies.

One of the ways the HR department can support ethics management for their company is through the maintenance of a code of ethics. Briefly, an ethical code for a business should help employees build trust with each other and their company, while clarifying any uncertain or gray areas that may exist in the company's ethical considerations. Instead of only supporting existing ethical standards, a proper code of ethics should seek to raise the standard and improve employee behavior. The code should show members of the company how to make judgment decisions and encourage such proper decision making, while at the same time providing enforcement protocols to prevent misconduct. When writing the code of ethics, an HR department should be sure to do the following:

ne of the most important functions of HRM is to oversee smooth and successful employee separations and turnover. There is always a certain amount of employee turnover at any company, with people voluntarily quitting their jobs for a host of different reasons. These employee separations differ from normal personnel losses resulting from acquisitions, in which employees are laid off and not replaced. For every separation, HR must use recruitment strategies to find a new employee and make sure that the company workforce does not suffer through less skilled workers or workers who are more likely to quit.

There are three types of external employee movement that concern HR departments. The first consists of pure growth, or acquisitions where the company only gains employees without having an excess to lay off, usually involving the annexation of a department or production line. The second type is pure reduction, or movement that only loses employees, such as a series of layoffs to cut costs. Third is all the possible combinations of the first two.

Effective recruitment process and its impact on turnover :

Turnover is costly. According to Right Management, a talent and career management consulting firm, it costs nearly three times an employee’s salary to replace someone, which includes recruitment, severance, lost productivity, and lost opportunities. Life Work Solutions , a provider of staff retention and consulting services, provides the following turnover facts and rates:

From these statistics it’s clear that it’s important to develop a retention plan to retain employees and keep turnover low.

Here are some effective methods employers utilize in order to keep employees happy and part of their organization instead of looking for employment opportunities elsewhere.

Training. Training employees reinforces their sense of value (Wingfield, 2009). Through training, employers help employees achieve goals and ensure they have a solid understanding of their job requirements (Maul, 2008).

Mentoring. A mentoring program integrated with a goal-oriented feedback system provides a structured mechanism for developing strong relationships within an organization and is a solid foundation for employee retention and growth (Wingfield). With a mentoring program, an organization pairs someone more experienced in a discipline with someone less experienced in a similar area, with the goal to develop specific competencies, provide performance feedback, and design an individualized career development plan (Goldenson, 2007).

Instill a positive culture. A company should establish a series of values as the basis for culture such as honesty, excellence, attitude, respect, and teamwork (IOMA, 2008). A company that creates the right culture will have an advantage when it comes to attracting and keeping good employees (Main).

Use communication to build credibility. No matter what the size of the organization, communication is central to building and maintaining credibility. Many employers get communication to “flow up” through a staff advisory council (or similar group) which solicits and/or receives employees’ opinions and suggestions and passes them on to upper management (IOMA). It’s also important for employees to know that the employer is really listening and responds to (or otherwise acknowledges) employee input.

Show appreciation via compensation and benefits. Offering things like competitive salaries, profit sharing, bonus programs, pension and health plans, paid time off, and tuition reimbursement sends a powerful message to employees about their importance at the organization. The rewards given to employees must be meaningful in order to impact their perception of the organization and therefore have a marked influence on its retention efforts. Moreover, if an organization promises a reward, it should keep that promise (Gberevbie, 2008).

Encourage referrals and recruit from within. Having current employees offer referrals could help minimize confusion of job expectations. Current employees can realistically describe a position and the environment to the individual he/she is referring. Another way an employer can lessen the impact of turnover is to hire from within, since current employees have already discovered that they are a good fit in the organization (Branham, 2005).

Coaching/feedback. It’s important for companies to give feedback and coaching to employees so that their efforts stay aligned with the goals of the company and meet expectations. During an employee’s first few weeks on the job, an employer should provide intensive feedback. Employers should also provide formal and informal feedback to employees throughout the year (Branham).

Provide growth opportunities. An organization should provide workshops, software, or other tools to help employees increase their understanding of themselves and what they want from their careers and enhance their goal-setting efforts (Branham). It’s important to provide employees with adequate job challenges that will expand their knowledge in their field (Levoy, 2007). According to Right Management, employees are more likely to stay engaged in their jobs and committed to an organization that makes investments in them and their career development.

pros and cons for a formal disciplinary process for the organization :

A progressive discipline policy is one that has a clear progression of disciplinary actions that will be taken when an employee violates the work rules. For example, a typical progressive disciplinary policy might include steps like this:

Verbal warning. A verbal warning is one that is more informal. It serves to ensure that the employee is aware of the infraction and is given the opportunity to take steps to remedy it. (The warning is verbal, but you should document it.)

Written warning (one or more). A written warning is a more formal warning to the employee. It is issued if the verbal warning does not result in a positive change in the employee’s behavior. It usually includes an action plan or next steps that must be taken in order to ensure that there are no further consequences. An employer may choose to have more than one written warning for some infractions. Usually, the employer and employee sign the written warning and it goes into the employee’s personnel file.

Suspension (with or without pay). Suspension is generally reserved for major infractions or for situations that require investigation before further action is taken. It can serve as a final warning to the employee that if behavior is not improved, termination will result next.

Termination. Termination is usually a last resort, but sometimes it cannot be avoided. Documentation is important every step of the way, but especially for any termination decision.

PROS for formal disciplinary process for the organization :

Here are the pros:

It provides a clear explanation of the consequences of not following the employer’s rules or not meeting expectations.

It provides the opportunity for consistency and fairness in disciplinary procedures for different employees.

It gives the opportunity for an employee to change behaviors. This is especially true in cases where the employee may not have realized they were breaking the rules or causing a problem.

It gives the employer the chance to explain to the employee what actions can be taken to improve the situation; this is a chance for coaching and mentoring.

It provides the employer with alternatives to termination for minor infractions. This improves employee retention.

It also can enhance employee morale when the employees know the employer is not going to fire them for a minor issue. Morale can also be enhanced by the knowledge that poor behavior of others will be addressed.

It provides evidence that the employer gave the employee every opportunity to improve.

Here are the cons:

Such a policy can seem inflexible; HR and managers have to make judgment calls when to deviate from the progressive steps (as may be necessary when considering all circumstances).

If not followed consistently for all employees, this could appear to be discriminatory. (Note: This problem exists any time different disciplinary actions are taken for different employees who have committed the same violation; it is not unique to employers using progressive discipline.) The primary concern here is the potential for litigation if this occurs.

Some fear that such a policy implies that the steps must be followed before any termination, which could have the effect of an implied contract stating that an employee will never be terminated without these steps. The fear is that this might jeopardize the “at-will” status of the employment.

It can be time-consuming to use in practice, especially for organizations with limited resources. Not only does the process itself take time but it also requires training in advance, documentation during each incidence, and follow-up.

For some businesses, especially small organizations, it may not be practical to follow these steps as it may not be practical to keep an employee on staff who violates any rule. Or, it may not be feasible to keep the business running with a suspended employee. It just might not be practical to implement for every organization.

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