Human Resource Management

Human Resource Management

 

1) Total Reward Systems

1) According to the case, benefit plans are designed to compensate the employee and cater for his or her well-being. The plan is dependent on factors like gender, age, length of employee’s service to the company and average salary. It is important that the HR Manager knows which types of benefits are suitable for human resource retention and attraction to the company.  He or she should ensure that the business plan design meets both the employee and employer’s needs (Conison, 1998). The design should be compatible with the employer’s point of view. In the case study, Debbie is obliged to reduce the premium costs to 15% from 54% as her VP, Ted, tells her to. Benefits plans are rewards added on top of an employee’s basic salary and they are based on premiums and deductibles of the employee’s salary. The higher the deductibles the lower the premiums and the reverse are true. Therefore, it is upon the HR manager to negotiate with the provider so that he or she can cut down on the premiums and avoid lay offs of employees.

2) Our company offers are benefit plans to employees. Such plans are retirement benefits, medical, life and disability insurance. Under retirement benefits, our employees secure pension funds after their term of service to the company has ended. This is depends on the age, salary and length of service that we agree on with the employee as we bare the risk of the investment. We also have a slot for the defined contribution plan under the retirement benefits where we specify our contribution with the employee’s contribution with his or her benefit dependent on investments.

The medical insurance maintains the healthcare of the employees and they become entitled to drugs and other medical operations. This medical cover is extended to the family of the employees. We pay part of the employee’s medical insurance. Our company sponsors the employee’s life insurance that will serve as family security in the event that he or she dies. Disability insurance is branched into short-term and long-term disability. Our company is among the few that offers this and it has earned us the loyalty of our employees. They are compensated incase they are off work due to an injury or fatal illness. Short-term disability is immediately given to an injured employee just after the accidents as he continues recovering and he is entitled to 100% of his basic pay in the first 14 weeks. Long-term disability is given to an employee who has a permanent condition and it goes to as far as retirement

3) Benefit plans cost such as the medical insurance can be reduced by advising the employees on preventive mechanisms for their health status and taking initiatives to start up exercises in the company. Debbie did her survey and realized that the most recurrent health condition among the employees was back complications. She therefore designed an exercising activity for the employees so that they could keep fit and avoid complications, thereby reducing the cost of the benefit plan. In addition, employees will enjoy the cost reduction if they are rewarded for good health. Health savings accounts initiated by employees can also be a plus in reducing benefits costs for both the employer and employee. HR Managers should also push forward a mandatory percentage on employees’ medical costs so that they become cautious and responsible for the coverage to enable them to save. However, some companies believe in employee layoffs as a better strategy to reduce benefit costs though the strategy can be detrimental on the company’s financial performance. Like Debbie, some HR Managers opt for reducing pay across the board.

4) Benefits costs have an impact on the employees in that, the hefty premium contributions make them strain financially and they pay out of pocket for public or private care.  Debbie found out that most of the employees avoided the benefit plans because of the large premiums that they could not afford. The operational costs are also interfered with because in the case of high premium bonds that the employer is part of in contribution, the operational costs will increase leading to a drop in the company’s profits.

5) Workers compensation consumes many of the employer’s resources diverting operational costs of the core objective to that of the workforce. According to Mondy et al (2005), this can be controlled by developing solutions that seek to better the overall business performance of the company.

6) To offset benefit costs for the employees and prevent layoffs, Debbie should present cut-offs in employees wages and reduce the rate of the benefit plans so that the premium can reduce to the expected 15%.

7) Debbie has a reason to be upset about her bonus because she worked extra hard to ensure she reduced the premium cost as Ted earlier implied. She has worked to serve both the interests of the employees and employer.

8). I would suggest that she perseveres with the plan she has committed herself to and wait for a vivid realization and consistent reduction in benefit costs. That way her VP, Ted will recognize the effort she has put and will reward her.

2) HR Project

Recruitment

            Pendsoft Systems majors on hiring marketing specialists to coordinate advertising programs by creating and implementing suitable designs for the company. It needs characters who can promote the image of the company by raising awareness and marketing its products across a wide geographic area. The company is in need of fifteen marketing specialists promptly because it needs to secure a top place in the competitive market. Therefore, information about varying prices for computer software and hardware is vital so that it can improve on its services. The positions need to be filled by the end of June so that the workforce can embark on the project plan. The cost of recruitment is $2 million and this will cover the training process that is indispensable to every recruited individual.

Recruitment strategies applied are call for submission of resume through adverts or one on one interview. Attracting potential workers means exposing the benefits given to employees by the company. The company employs a good method of separating wheat from chaff by organizing open house or conferences where applicants evaluate themselves and the employers gauge them according to their personality and skills. Pendsoft Systems also handpicks passive candidates who have the potential to execute the type of job needed. Use of non-traditional media, social media and compelling websites attracts most candidates. Advertisements to attract the jobseekers are placed on strategic places such as billboards where the candidate is most likely to spot it. Online communities provide a good avenue for Pendsoft to reach out to jobseekers and grasp their interests

The strategies employed by Pendsoft Systems have their pros and cons. The first strategy is open house interviews and conferences where all applicants congregate and have a session with the employers. The advantages of this method are that employers and managers will be able to pinpoint active members in the group based on the competitive atmosphere and the method is not time consuming. It also gives all candidates a chance to build their knowledge and skills since there is diversity. However, the employers and managers can misinterpreted the personality of different people and choose the wrong people who were just enthusiastic.

Another disadvantage is it might be difficult to choose from the group if all select candidates have equal potential. The second strategy is handpicking passive candidates in a different environment. This can be effective if the candidate is well experienced despite his or her subtle nature. However, since marketing requires an outgoing individual, the passive candidate may not be of much value to the company. Another strategy is through social media such as online communities. This is effective when the layout of the site is attractive and the advantage with this is that candidates can apply for the job online, speeding time of the recruitment process. However, it does not allow for critical evaluation for personality traits. In addition, the instability of the network can delay the application process.

The online application process is effective however; a few things need to be improved. First, the benefits that the company gives to the employees should be clearly outlined for the jobseekers so that they can evaluate their interests and fill in the details. Pendsoft systems should be specific when noting down the length of time that the employee will wait to enjoy the benefits. There are also vague questions that might be ambiguous to the respondent; hence, their questions should be precise. In the screening and selection process, companies narrow down the employee base to only those individuals who meet the exact qualifications (Gatewood, 1987). They search for individual differences among respondents and the aptitude of the respondent based on answering questions. They are tested on how they can maneuver around difficult questions so that the company chooses the best individuals.

Training and Development

            The company’s on-boarding process of Pendsoft Systems capitalizes in the orientation and training of the new recruits so that they can familiarize with their roles and responsibilities in the company. There are different communication methods between the managers and the newly recruited employees so that they become accustomed with the company’s cultures and regulations. The company embarks on an in-depth on-boarding process that mentors the employees and has steady feedback systems to ensure the important message is passed and understood. This is also necessary to evaluate the promising performance of the employees as Gatewood (1987) proposes.

In terms of mentorship, the manager organizes a more experienced staff to be the mentor incase the employees really need one. The process takes 30 days in Pendsoft Systems. Therefore, the on-boarding process is meant to make a great first impression to the employees. The company offers in-house system training which allows the new employees to be acquainted with the business environment with supervisors demonstrating the essential of the computer software and hardware. This enables them to understand which products are in dire need of advertising and to establish a good customer base. Training sessions are done in the first two weeks and it is from the training that the new employees get the hint of a market niche. They are therefore given manuals and brochures so that they can brainstorm. However, Pendsoft Systems can improve this training and development program by giving the employees only enough information at a time to avoid wrong applications. Secondly, there should be interactive ways to cater for the new employee’s family. Employees are well vast with knowledge on their remunerations and promotions.

Total Rewards

The company values the performance each employee and therefore the biggest percentage of employees’ returns comes from performance conduct. Employees know that they are valued by the company because they are entitled to benefits such as life insurance, medical insurance, retirement benefits, fringe benefits and disability insurance (Klubnik, 1995). Through such recognition, the company cultivates admirable profits since the workforce is reinforced to have a magnified output in business. The best marketing specialist is graded according to the feedback from different clients and the customer service is evaluated. This is also reflected in the sales report of the marketing specialist. Thus, employees are rewarded according to their output and consistency (Klubnik, 1995). Rewards are given to employees unexpectedly and it is the duty of the HR Manager to design rewarding programs.

The compensation policy shows that employers want a quality-performing employee since it is also an advantage to the company’s performance overall. Pendsoft Systems also promote the wellness of employees by through various healthcare programs. Here, employees are cautioned to prevent themselves from medical complications and as a part of team building, they are encouraged to exercise their bodies. The company is flexible and can accommodate new healthcare legislation because it wants the best for the workforce. However, they should reduce layoffs and rely on alternative ways to beat benefits costs. Layoffs are a loss of human resource, which is vital for business to thrive.

Performance Management

            Pendsoft Systems uses the SMART performance criteria to assess the performance of employees. SMART is an acronym for Specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound. By using this criterion, the manager assesses the specific expectation of an employee. The requirements are therefore analyzed and a decision is made. The performance requirements should be feasible and realistic.  The evaluation is done within a specific period. The company employers evaluate the total sales of the marketing specialist, the successful market strategies implemented, new ideas that raised the company’s profit margin and the customer relations. Pendsoft Systems also gives performance reviews where the HR Manager speaks of the performance appraisal and what is expected from other employees. In most cases, the avenue is to motivate and reinforce the enthusiasm of the market specialists. Performance reviews are given after every six months. The wages are not increased based on the performance scores and evaluation is done through customer feedback and supervisor evaluation. The company needs to work on a system that constantly motivates employees through an increased pay so that their morale can be boosted.

Diversity and Inclusion

            The company really cares about diversity and conclusion because it has incorporated both genders in the business and the board of directors has a balanced representation. There are also people from different culture but the company has unified them by stipulating policies that equally cater for the interests of all individuals. The company has also fostered support on women’s initiatives by allowing them to organize and form a group with strategies to develop their lives. Women executives are legitimately entitled to their status. Diversity is equally at corporate level and within the frontline. Diversity and inclusion is also exhibited by the different supplies in term of company products. There are different designs of computer software and hardware that will serve to solve clients’ problems. It therefore deals with different product line.

Employee Relations and Legal Compliance

            Pendsoft Systems is a company that is legally compliant and upholds the rights of the employees to ensure that they are in a good working environment. The company therefore observes ethical aspects and follows them to the letter. The employee handbook has policies that highlight professionalism from both the employer and employee perspectives. In case the legality is breached, there is internal conflict resolution and penalties are imposed on the guilty individuals. The company’s mission remains to retain its workforce based on principles that promote its image. However, the company should have avenues where employees report the complaints so that they are attended. There should counseling sessions with employees so that their fears are dispelled giving them confidence to speak for their rights.

References

Conison, J. (1998). Employee benefit plans in a nutshell. St. Paul, Minn: West Group.

Gatewood, R. D., & Feild, H. S. (1987). Human resource selection. Chicago: Dryden Press.

Klubnik, J. P. (1995). Rewarding and recognizing employees: Ideas for individuals, teams, and managers. Chicago: Irwin Professional Pub.

Mondy, R. W., Noe, R. M., & Gowan, M. (2005). Human resource management. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson Prentice Hall.

 

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