Part A

 

As the new human resource manager of a multimillion-dollar service organization, you have been provided with a job description for new responsibilities.

 

For this assignment, please provide the following.

 

1.      A synthesis of three (3) environmental influences that affect the organization quantifying their impact and providing potential solutions for negative and positive influences.

 

2.      Create a brief job description for a specific job of your choice outlining the roles and responsibilities of this position. Next, design an employee-training program and outline its implementation for this position. Finally, provide an evaluation of the design and implementation of the employee-training program you have created.

 

Part B

 

You operate a small advertising agency.  You employ two secretaries, a graphic designer, three sales representatives, and an office coordinator.

 

1.      Construct a multi-tiered approach for compensation for each position. What types of criteria would you consider when determining how to compensate each position?  Describe two (2) considerations for each position. Students may choose to present information in a spreadsheet or table format for organization and interpretative purposes.

 

2.      Evaluate the process and the associated outcomes for the approach you constructed. Defend the choices you have made including the type of compensation plan chosen for each position.

 

 

Solution

Human Resources Management: Environmental Factors, Training and Compensation

Part A

Environmental Factors

There are various environmental factors that affect big organizations. The first environmental factor affecting an organization is its customers (Elearn Limited, 2009). Customers are crucial to an organization’s success as they provide the revenue without which the organization will fold up. The second factor is the competition. Competitors stand between an organization and its customers. Intense competition can crop at an organization’s bottom-line and may force it to close. Thirdly is the economy which affects the organization by determining the disposable incomes of its customers. A successful organization monitors economic developments within its environment so that it can offer products that its customers can afford. As such, a bad economy will spell doom for any organization as the customer’s propensity to spend will be reduced significantly due to their low purchasing power.

Customers are the most important factor in the success of an organization after the firm’s employees. Therefore, the organization must strive to delight its customers, collect customer feedback, advertise to get new customers and retain old ones. An organization should also reserve profits to sustain it during dips in demand. In some markets, competitors may engage in price wars or co-operate to build oligopolies (Elearn Limited, 2009). Competition for customers and healthy margins force organizations to innovate and improve efficiency. Lastly, the economy determines the size of the market and the prices the firm can charge. During economic booms, organizations expand and build their reserves which they can use to weather lean times, expand their product offerings, or explore new markets (Elearn Limited, 2009).

Job Description and Employee Training

Job Description

JOB TITLE: Software Engineer

JOB SUMMARY:

The candidate in this role will work in a highly changing environment. You will maintain, audit, create and improve systems in consultation with analysts, administrators, and testers. In this role, the candidate will develop different software needs for our customers and provide recommendations for continuous developments.

Requirements, Knowledge and Experience:

Qualifications

A bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering or a bachelor’s degree in physics or mathematics with professional training and experience in software development is required.

Work Experience

2-3 years of experience in a medium or a large-size organization is desirable.

Skills

The candidate must demonstrate knowledge of computer systems, competence in Python and two other programming languages and SaaS.

The candidate must be meticulous, logical, analytical, creative, thorough, and attentive to detail. The ideal candidate should be a good communicator, great team player, and quick learner.

Employee Training and Evaluation

All new employees undergo a structured training program. This training involves common procedures, such as HR policies, finance, and specific training on the job expectations. The training on the job specifications for the software engineer will be done by the line manager following the ADDIE format.

In this training, the manager works with the new hire to analyze the tasks in the role and identify gaps that need to be addressed (Dessler, 2020). Once the needs have been identified, the line manager designs a training program to fill these needs. In this role, the employee will require training in SaaS, Python, Java Script and Oracle.

In the next step, the line manager develops the program by assembling the training materials and content. The training content is produced within the organization in form of work instructions for every standardized activity. Finally, the line manager implements the training in structured training sessions, on-the-job sessions, and in supervised activities.

The training program is evaluated by eliciting employee reactions and comparing pre-training test results and post-training tests results. For our standard operating procedures (SOP), each SOP has an evaluation sheet administered at the end of the training; typically a set of five to ten questions that must all be answered correctly for the training to be adjudged effective.

Part B

Compensation

            A pay grade system is easy to design and administer. For example, the US Federal government classifies pay rates for most federal employees in 15 grades, GS1 to GS15, with ten steps in each grade (FederalPay, 2021). The base salary was determined through a market survey and a point system to ensure equity between highest and lowest paid employee (Culpepper and Associates, 2010). Jobs were then ranked depending on requirements, such as managerial complexity, impact on the organization, and knowledge requirements. The placement of an employee into a starting grade or tier depends on the criticality of the role, the employee’s skills, and experience.

In this example, the graphic designer and the sales representatives are very critical to the organization. The two cadres also possess specialized knowledge of the industry, so new hires will enter the pay grade system at higher ranks than a secretary and office coordinator. For the two secretaries, the experience and longevity in the organization determines their placement in the pay scale.

The tiered system is easy to implement and transparent. It accommodates specialized skills, experience and longevity by rewarding them through promotions to higher tiers. For this reason, the system helps the organization attract and retain employees. In addition, bands can be added in each tier to take care of employee exemplary performance or skills. For example, employees with similar academic qualifications but different skills can be placed in the same tier but at different steps (bands), with the most skilled joining a higher band.

References

Culpepper & Associates, C. and. (2010, November 24). Salary structures: Creating competitive and equitable pay levels. SHRM. https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/compensation/pages/salarystructures.aspx

Dessler, G. (2018). Human resources management (16th ed.). Pearsons.

Elearn Limited (Great Britain). (2009). Business environment. Amsterdam: Elsevier/Pergamon Flexible Learning.

FederalPay. (2021). General schedule (Gs) pay scale table for 2021. Retrieved from: https://www.federalpay.org/gs/2021

 

 

 

 

Solution

 

Written and Oral Communication Skills

Administration jobs is a website that hires business administrators for organizations and business firms (Administration Jobs, 2021). Besides the technical skills, the organization also checks for writing and communication skills from candidates applying for the jobs. Writing and communication skills refer to the ability to get your point across with maximum comprehension from the other party.

The organization emphasizes that job seeking candidates must have a combination of organizational ability, financial expertise, and people skills necessary to direct business operations especially in today’s fast-paced business environment. These skills are necessary in the coordinating the activities, resources and staff to keep the business on track. In addition, they are important in ensuring effective and accurate communication amongst all stakeholders. Candidates must also demonstrate quality leadership and management skills since they are responsible for major decisions impacting their organizations.

Other written and oral skills that would give the candidates a competitive advantage are presentation skills (Summers & Smith, 2014). These skills assist one in demonstrating their knowledge and expertise clearly. A good example is when business administrators are required to present case reports. Another critical skill is the ability to work in a fast-paced environment Business administrators must also have good goal setting, motivational and strategic planning skills. This ensures that the staff remains focused on the main goal; which is success for the business. Lastly the candidates must have great analytical, problem solving and decision-making skills so that they can always be relied on to make the best decisions for the organization.

Effective Writing Teams

Writing team refers to group work where individuals collaborate and communicate either in written form or orally to plan, draft or revise a document (Alred, Brusaw & Oliu, 2020). In project-based teams, a dedicated team is assigned to tackle a single project from the start to the end. People with various skills are required for the project to be a success. Types of projects that require collaboration include: developing a new product or service, implementing a new business process, construction of a facility or a building, organizing a meeting and acquiring a new or modified data system. Writing teams in nursing might be required when working on shared documents and tasks.

There are four primary attributes of an effective writing team. The first one is planning which refers to coming up with a detailed all-round plan that includes an outline with strict target dates for each breakthrough (Alred, Brusaw & Oliu, 2020). Planning should also clearly state each team member’s specific assignment and task. Planning is important as it allows for setting of goals and stipulates processes to be followed to attain them. For example, in the case of a class group presentation, the group should make a plan on what needs to be covered in their question, what part each member will tackle and how they will present their discussion.

The second attribute is arranging. It can be described as placing the work steps in order of importance, priority and necessity (Alred, Brusaw & Oliu, 2020). For instance, during a class presentation, the group should start with the main points, later followed by the weaker points. The third attribute is writing which combines the final outline that will be presented as the final document. At this stage, all team members come together and make sure their final outline has addressed all issues. For example, in a class group presentation, every group member hands in their individual assignment so as to make one document. Fourth is revising which involves checking for distortions in the final document such as checking if the final work covered all areas (Alred, Brusaw & Oliu, 2020). For instance, in a class group presentation, one member will take the work, go through it to see if they have covered all areas of the question.

Internet Source Distortion/Misrepresentation

A Study with Questionable Sponsorship or Motives: This refers to when a study has been supported by a person who has something to gain from it. One person or organization stands to gain from this by either sabotaging the other or by having a study just representing a one-sided stand. For instance, a friend once drafted a proposal against dress code guidelines in school arguing it was sexist so that she could get to wear what she wants.

Reliance on Insufficient Evidence/Hasty Generalization: This refers to conclusions mainly drawn from insufficient evidence. It involves making claims based on little evidence. An example of this is the case of George Floyd, where the police officer pinned him down based on the assumption that all blacks are violent.

Unbalanced or Biased Presentation: This is when a researcher draws conclusions that are unwarranted by the research. A good example is the unbalanced media coverage during the 2004 presidential election.

Unexamined Assumptions: It refers to facts that are taken for granted that drives a belief hereby creating an opening for consequences to show up. An example is when one says “I don’t have what it takes to do this.”

Faulty Causal Reasoning: This source of distortion assumes that one event causes the other to happen. For instance, when one says “Every time I do laundry, it rains.”

 

 

References

Administration Jobs. (2021). Business Administration Jobs. Retrieved from:    https://administrationjobs.com/business-administration-jobs/

Alred, G. J., Brusaw, C. T., & Oliu, W. E. (2020). Handbook of technical writing. Boston, MA           Bedford/St. Martin’s.

Summers, J., & Smith, B. (2014). Communication skills handbook. Milton, Qld.: John Wiley        and Sons Australia, Ltd.