HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT RESIT
Question one
Walmart Inc. being the best retail multinational corporation in America, successfully implements, but not fully, job analysis in the human resource department. Job analysis refers to a detailed and systematic examination of jobs and their roles. It involves the determination of duties and skills required for a certain job and the person to be hired for it. Walmart corporation may apply job analysis methods in the HR department that will aid in performing various job roles to improve their operations. The company should implement both work-oriented job analysis and worker-oriented job analysis (Bouffard et al., 2004). The first method, work-oriented job analysis, involves roles for the sales positions. The method will help in providing information concerning the tasks and their outcomes. The HR department may apply the method with direct observations and interviews. The department will directly observe the sale’s personnel activities and conduct activities to analyze jobs done by supervisors and team leaders. This method also will evaluate and analyze the expected outcomes of various jobs. The worker-oriented job analysis method, on the other hand, will aid in providing information concerning interpersonal, perceptual abilities, and cognitive abilities. The method will be useful to the organization in analyzing managerial jobs. For example, the use of the Work Profiling System (WPS) designed to monitor managerial positions (Bouffard et al., 2004). Through the method, the human resource department will be able to identify the required capabilities of managers, for instance, the corporate managers and the stores’ managers. If Walmart Inc. applies the above methods, the job roles of sales associates, cashiers, stockers, managers, to mention a few, will greatly be improved. As a result, the corporation will achieve effective operations and hence maximum profits.
Role responsibilities and role accountabilities are often confused worked that seem to the same but yet very different. Responsibilities can be shared among a workforce, whereas accountabilities are specific to an individual who is held answerable due to their abilities, strengths, or skills (Soltani, 2003). For example, in our case study of Walmart Inc, let us assume that John, as an employee in the store’s department, has the role of making sure that there are enough supplies in the storeroom. John, in this case, has a role responsibility of ensuring that the supplies are enough and more are brought to avoid stock run out. However, he will be held answerable (accountable for his role) if the stocks run out. In another example, Alice, as the CEO of Walmart Inc., is involved in the scandal that led to the bankruptcy of the company. She explains the collapse was as a result of corrupt cashiers and many ghost workers. In this case, Alice can be held accountable well as responsible for the scandal, since as a CEO, she must ensure such conspiracies are avoided in the company.
Question Two
The most valuable asset in every large or small business in today’s economy is human resources. The human resources comprise the employees whose knowledge, skills, and relationships with customers can never be replaced and contributes much in determining the success of an organization. Human resource planning refers to a process where the right candidate is hired for the right job (Kesler, 2000). The human resource planning mainly comprises six steps where the organizational objectives and current human resources are analyzed, future requirements are forecasted, manpower gaps are identified, action plan formulated, and feedback is controlled and monitored.
The first process in human resource planning entails analyzing the objectives of an organization. Generally, the main objectives entail finding the right person for the right job. However, during the hiring process, the human resource department has to set objectives in different departments in an organization. The fields like finance, marketing, sales, and production department must give ideas on the objectives to be achieved in these departments. These objectives will be useful in ensuring the job specifications and job descriptions are clear during the hiring process (Kesler, 2000). The second step involves the analysis of the present human resources. The current record of employees must always remain updated. The number of employees, their potential, performance, and their capacities must be thoroughly analyzed. In order to identify the job requirement during the hiring process, the estimation of internal sources (current employees) and external sources (recruitment candidates) have to be analyzed.
The third step in human resource planning involves forecasting the future human resource requirements. Estimation of the human resources required in different job positions in relation to their job profiles is necessary. Forecast involves measuring the fulfillment of both the available internal and external sources. A good matching job specification and job description for a particular work and the right profile of the person should be identified (Kesler, 2000). The fourth step involves the estimation of the manpower gaps. When a comparison is made between the demand for human resource and its supply will either give a deficit or surplus of human resource. The number of people to be hired is represented by the deficit, whereas termination is represented by surplus. Development programs and training sessions can help in improving the skills of the current and recruited employees.
The formulation of the human action plan is the fifth step of human resource planning. This step will depend on whether there is a surplus or deficit in the business. The action plan in case of a deficit involves recruiting, training, or interdepartmental transfers or voluntary retirement, redeployment, or termination in case of surplus (Kesler, 2000). The last step involves human resource action plan implementation. The human resources, according to requirements and available gaps, are allocated respectively. Monitoring of the plan is done strictly, and a comparison is made between the actual implementation and action plan the newly recruited employees are supervised, and feedback is given.
The above process of human resource planning ensures the survival, growth, and expansion of small businesses (Lam & Schaubroeck, 1998). The businesses highly benefit, and performance is improved. The business is able to adapt quickly to rapid introduction or changes in technologies with a proper human resource plan. The business also becomes proactive when new skills of new workforce in new areas are honored. The planning also prepares the business with new changes in requirements in a business. Also, the business is not caught off-guard if there are changes in demand for human resources. Lastly, the business gains a competitive advantage when the right person is chosen for the right job as the performance of employees will be increased.
Question three
During the restructuring process, training and orientation is an important step for both new and existing employees. For new employees during orientation, the employees should be toured around the facility to familiarize themselves with it. Also, they are introduced to their co-workers, probably given a mentor during the first weeks in the organization. The employees also are given the schedules of working hours, such as lunch breaks or team breaks (Brown, 2002). For existing employees, they can be introduced to unfamiliar departments and employees. During training, new employees are given the expected goals in the job assigned, get to familiarize themselves with visions, values, missions, rules, and regulations of an organization. For the existing employees, their knowledge is refreshed and enhanced. They are informed in case of changes in technology, and their career is improved during training.
The restructuring process also involves various types of training by human resource management. These types include induction training where a new worker is handled carefully while providing information. The training can be carried out by co-workers or their supervisors, where they avoid using ambiguous words, using examples with clarity (Goldstein, 1991). The second is job training which involves increasing knowledge of workforce on specific skills on a certain job. This training is done by middle level management where role playing, on job training and simulators methods of training are used. Promotion training is a type of training which involves people ready to perform higher roles in senior levels of management. The training is delivered through technology-based learning, simulators, management games and on job training, to mention a few.
However, training to employees, both new and existing ones, may disadvantage an organization in various ways. One is that the organization ends up wasting much time and money during training. The organization spends time during training the employees. A lot of money is also needed to pay the trainers and buy resources needed during training. Second training programs involves too much theory than practical. These becomes a challenge to employees to grasp the important contents. The theoretical lectures make the sessions boring and employees may fail to listen. Third the employees may lose interest during training if delivered for ling hours (Goldstein, 1991). The employees fail to listen and information is not retained in them, as a result the performance of the employees is ineffective. An organization suffers on cost and time wasted when an employee after training gets another better promising job with good salary. The organization is forced to start another recruitment process to replace the employee. Controlling the employees during training is another challenge. The challenge may arise if the trainer is not talented or skilled to train other people. As a result, the employees may copy some ill habits from the trainer and quality training may not be delivered. Likewise, the employees may get bored and lose interest during training and become challenging for the trainer to control them. As a result of improper training, the organization will incur huge costs and losses improper results.
Question four
In a clothing retail sales environment, it is very crucial to improve performance of the sale’s team. Hence, different ways must be used to appraise their performance for the benefit of the organization. The methods of performance appraisal can be divided into two types namely, qualitative and quantitative methods (Tziner et al, 2000). Qualitative methods include, personally observing the salesmen by sales executives where casual and informal impressions are monitored in office and in the field. Merit rating as a qualitative method is scaling numerically from high to low the traits and accomplishments of the salesperson. Sales executives also ask customers to give an opinion concerning the salesperson. On the other hand, quantitative methods include analysis of the sales records and reports of the salesperson where all the information is summarized on weekly or monthly basis and analyzed. Also, comparison of the performances of the salesperson with is done and the accomplishment standards in terms of profit, expenses, sales volumes and activities are measured. Ratio analysis is also done where ratio such as sales expenses to sales volume is done. Also, the profit and loss statements analysis are used to appraise the performance and effectiveness of the salesperson.
Performance management plays an important role in employee compensation. It involves evaluation of job-related performance of employees with key goal of improving the performance of an individual. Performance management also gives a justification in determination of compensation of an employee and the way they should be promoted. The performance management does the performance appraisal that does the formal compensation philosophy for every employee (Farndale et al, 2011). The performance ratings determine the is linked directly to salary administration program for the employees. Reward programs that include bonuses and incentive rewards are converted in monetary terms by the performance management. Credible tools of management are used by managers to measure employee performance effectively and accurately hence compensated accordingly.
Financial and nonfinancial rewards play a crucial role in improving the performance of a sales team. The financial rewards include salaries, pension, bonuses, transport allowances and health benefits (Erbasi & Arat, 2012). The financial rewards such as rewards and bonuses and other benefits primarily fulfill and improve the basic needs and necessities of sales people. Hence, when these needs are met, the performance of these employees will be highly increased. The medical allowances provide an assurance to the sales team that their medical expenses are met and incase of any accidents in the line of duty, the sales team is assured of medical coverage. Transportation allowances improves the commitment of the sales team towards their work in the fields.
Nonfinancial rewards include team building activities, training, workshops and career development, good working environments, empowerment and participation in making decisions, to mention a few (Erbasi & Arat, 2012). Training and workshops improve the working skills of the sales teams and their careers are enhanced. Teambuilding activities and vacation holidays brings the sales team together outside work place where they get to interact with each other, know each other, build their confidence and refresh their minds away from office. A conducive working environment includes a comfortable working space and a healthy relationship among employees helps in improving the mood and energy among the sales team. Empowerment and being involved in decision making increases the performance of sales team. The empowerment creates a sense of belonging as well as improve self-esteem and self-motivation of these employees. It is therefore clear that both financial and nonfinancial rewards greatly motivate the sales team and improve their performance in their workplaces.
References List
Bouffard, J., Fiel, Z., Kizil, C., Pimental, K., Swihart, J. and Wal-Mart–Strategy, V., (2004) STRATEGIC HR MANAGEMENT RESEARCH PAPER OF ALPHA GROUP.
Brown, J., 2002. Training needs assessment: A must for developing an effective training program. Public personnel management, 31(4), pp.569-578.
Erbasi, A. and Arat, T., 2012. The effect of financial and non-financial incentives on job satisfaction: An examination of food chain premises in Turkey. International Business Research, 5(10), p.136.
Farndale, E., Hope‐Hailey, V. and Kelliher, C., 2011. High commitment performance management: The roles of justice and trust. Personnel Review.
Goldstein, I.L., 1991. Training in work organizations. Consulting Psychologists Press.
Kesler, G., 2000. Four steps to building an HR agenda for growth: HR strategy revisited. People and Strategy, 23(3), p.24.
Lam, S.S. and Schaubroeck, J., 1998. Integrating HR planning and organizational strategy. Human Resource Management Journal, 8(3), p.5.
Soltani, E., 2003. Towards a TQM‐driven HR performance evaluation: an empirical study. Employee Relations.
Tziner, A., Joanis, C. and Murphy, K.R., 2000. A comparison of three methods of performance appraisal with regard to goal properties, goal perception, and ratee satisfaction. Group & Organization Management, 25(2), pp.175-190.