Human Resources Business Discussion
Not what you're looking for?
Using in-text citiations and APA format, please respond to the questions below.
1. Julie Watkins has worked in her new position writing software documentation for three months. She keeps hearing about how important her job is to the company, but she does not understand how her work contributes to the whole. Her exposure to the company is limited to her department colleagues (other technical writers), the employee cafeteria, and the payroll office. What could Watkins's company have done to make her see the whole picture and gain an understanding of and commitment to how the company works?
2. Interviewing unqualified applicants can be a frustrating experience and a waste of time for managers, peers, or whoever is responsible for interviewing. How can the HR department minimize or eliminate this problem?
3. Superficially, it seems preferable to use objective performance data (such as productivity figures), when available, rather than subjective supervisory ratings to assess employees. Why might objective data be less effective performance measures than subjective ratings?
4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using seniority as the basis for layoff? What alternatives to seniority are available as layoff criteria?
5. What challenges do post-traditional family units pose to company career development plans? How can companies meet these challenges?
6. Should applicants be selected primarily on the basis of ability or on personality/fit? How can fit be assessed?
7. Today's organizations are flatter and offer fewer opportunities for advancement. How do you think careers should be developed in this type of organizational environment?
8. In an age when more and more companies are downsizing, an increasingly trendy concept is the "the virtual corporation." The idea is that a company should have a core of owners and managers, but that, to the greatest degree possible, workers should be contingent - temporary, part-time, or on short-term contracts. This gives the corporation maximum flexibility to shift vendors, cut costs, and avoid long-term labor commitments. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the virtual corporation from the point of view of both employers and workers?
9. Managing survivors in a layoff is important. As a manager, what concerns would you have about the surviving workforce after a layoff? How can the HR management staff be of assistance in providing support for the survivors of a layoff?
10. What is comparability? How can it be maximized in performance appraisal?
.
Purchase this Solution
Solution Summary
This solution of 1680 words address various human resources business scenario questions, touching on on topics like software documentation, performance data, layoff criteria, manager responsibilities and performance appraisal.
Solution Preview
1. Julie Watkins has worked in her new position writing software documentation for three months. She keeps hearing about how important her job is to the company, but she does not understand how her work contributes to the whole. Her exposure to the company is limited to her department colleagues (other technical writers), the employee cafeteria, and the payroll office. What could Watkins's company have done to make her see the whole picture and gain an understanding of and commitment to how the company works?
The organization should ensure that all employees feel that they are integral for the success of the company, which requires for the organization to incorporate policies within the organization that allow employees to engage in group work, collaboration, and other forms of participatory activities that make the employee feel a part of the success of the entire organization. In addition, I would suggest that the organization allow Julie and other employees to participate in decision-making for their departments. When employees are involved in the organization's decision-making process, they understand that their input is valued and respected by the company, which allows for the organization to elicit organizational commitment from their employees because they understand their importance to the organization's success.
2. Interviewing unqualified applicants can be a frustrating experience and a waste of time for managers, peers, or whoever is responsible for interviewing. How can the HR department minimize or eliminate this problem?
To eliminate the tedious and time-consuming process of interviewing unqualified applicants, HR must ensure that they implement a program and strategy that weeds out applicants that aren't qualified for the organization. Therefore, this process must begin prior to interviews being given wherein HR management develops core qualifications, personal traits, and other variables that coincide with the company's goals and objectives. This requires the visionary leader of the organization to collaborate with HR and concisely express the organization's mission and vision while explaining the necessary skills and ethical traits that are desired for employees. HR can build upon this to create a process that only interviews the most qualified people for the organization's individual needs.
3. Superficially, it seems preferable to use objective performance data (such as productivity figures), when available, rather than subjective supervisory ratings to assess employees. Why objective data might be less effective performance measures than subjective ratings?
Objective measures are simply untenable for some positions as job positions involving complex duties can't be easily measures. Attorneys, data analysts, etc. perform job duties that can't be placed into simple and discrete metrics that are ...
Purchase this Solution
Free BrainMass Quizzes
Understanding Management
This quiz will help you understand the dimensions of employee diversity as well as how to manage a culturally diverse workforce.
Academic Reading and Writing: Critical Thinking
Importance of Critical Thinking
Writing Business Plans
This quiz will test your understanding of how to write good business plans, the usual components of a good plan, purposes, terms, and writing style tips.
Balance Sheet
The Fundamental Classified Balance Sheet. What to know to make it easy.
Learning Lean
This quiz will help you understand the basic concepts of Lean.