Staffing: Human Resources Management

• Staffing matches people with jobs, and is the management process which defines human resource needs, hires, selects, trains, and develops human resources for jobs generated by the organization
• Staffing promotes the realization of an organization's objectives
• Staffing helps organizations find employees who best fit job requirements to maximize their abilities
• Placing the wrong person in a specialized role can harm the firm

Staffing Procedure

• Human Resource Planning
• Recruitment
• Selection
• Induction and Orientation
• Training and Development
• Performance Appraisal
• Employee Decisions
• Separations

Human Resource Planning

• Human resource planning determines the competencies an organization requires to achieve goals
• Human resource planning involves acquiring the necessary personnel
• Effective human resource planning involves managers working with human resource officers

Methods of Forecasting Manpower Needs

• Forecasting assesses future human resource needs relative to current organizational capabilities
• Programming translates forecasted human resource needs into personnel objectives and goals
• Evaluation and Control refers to monitoring human resource action plans and evaluating their success

Quantitative Forecasting Method

• Quantitative forecasting methods identify major variables related to specific past conditions
• Quantitative forecasting methods then use current measures of these variables to predict future conditions
• Quantitative forecasting includes explanatory/casual models, time series methods, and monitoring methods

Explanatory or Casual Models

• Leading Indicators refer to time series that anticipate business cycle turns
• Econometric Models are systems of regression equations estimating the effect of independent variables on various dependent variables using past time series data
• Regression Models include methods used to predict future values of a variable using information about other variables

Time Series Methods

• Time Series methods utilize historical data to develop forecasts

Monitoring Methods

• Monitoring methods provide early warning signals of significant changes in established patterns and relationships
• Monitoring methods help managers assess the likely impact of those changes and plan responses if required

Recruitment

• Recruitment attracts eligible individuals to apply for open positions within a company
• The aim of recruitment is to choose the most suitable candidates to represent the company

Sources of Applicants

• Internal: Current employees
• External: Newspaper and Advertising, Schools, Referrals from Employees, Recruitment firms and Competitors

Selection

• Selection is the process of choosing the individuals most likely to succeed on the job from the available applicant pool
• Effective selection requires preparing a list indicating an adequate pool of candidates
• The aim of selection is to assess each applicant and select the most suitable for the available position
• Selecting the wrong employee is destructive for the company

Ways of Determining Job Candidate Qualifications

• Application blanks provide data about a person's characteristics, like age, marital status, address, educational background, experience, and interests
• Aptitude tests measure a person's capacity or potential ability to learn
• Psychological tests are an objective, standard measure of sample behavior
• Physical tests assess an applicant's physical health to ensure they meet job requirements
• Performance tests measure a person's current knowledge of a subject
• Personality tests measure personality traits such as dominance, sociability, and conformity
• Interest tests evaluates interests in various fields of work
• References are provided by previous employers, co-workers, teachers, club officers, etc.
• Interviews gather information by asking job candidates relevant questions

Induction and Orientation

• Induction gives new employees essential company details, including duties, responsibilities, and benefits
• Personnel and health staff are assigned, and employee passes are issued
• The company's history, products, services, and structure are explained

Orientation

• Orientation welcomes new employees in the work environment and introduces them to co-workers
• Orientation covers venue, rules, equipment, procedures, and training plans
• Orientation includes discussion about success goals
• New employees go through a "socialization process" by being matched with an existing employee and having a one-on-one conversation with the manager

Training and Development

• Training is required if a newly employed or promoted employee lacks needed expertise
• Training enhances the efficiency of an employee's current job
• Training programs are split into categories for non-managers and for executives

Training Programs for Non-managers

• On-the-job Training puts the trainee under the guidance of their immediate supervisor, who serves as the trainer, in an work setting
• Vestibule School puts the trainee in almost the exact situation as the actual workplace, with the same machines, materials, and time constraints
• Apprenticeship programs include a mix of on-the-job training and classroom teaching
• Special Courses focus on education instead of training

Training Programs for Managers

• In-basket training involves the trainee receiving notes, messages, telephone calls, letters, and reports related to the company's situation
• Management Games are a training approach where “trainees face a realistic scenario and are expected to make a series of decisions on the scenario
• Case Studies show how the presenting actual organizational situations and makes it possible to examine successful and unsuccessful operations.
• Role-playing assigns trainees to perform roles in a given situation to develop their human relations, supervision, and leadership skills
• Behavior Modeling influences trainees by showing successful actions of model people in a difficult situation
• Sensitivity Training creates understanding and sensitivity to one's own and others' behavioral patterns
• Transactional Analysis helps individuals understand themselves and others, improving their interpersonal communication skills
• On-the-job Experience gives trainees opportunities to learn new skills while engaging in production
• Coaching allows a senior manager to teach a lower-level manager the skills required for their job
• Understudy is where a manager serves as an assistant to a higher-level manager, taking part in planning and administration until prepared to take on the same role
• Position Rotation assigns managers to a variety of departments to familiarize them with various organizational functions
• Multiple Management trains junior executives for higher management roles by forming a junior board of directors

Performance Appraisal

• Performance appraisal measures employee performance
• Performance appraisal influences performance and development of employees positively
• Performance appraisal helps to determine merit pay increases
• Performance appraisal aids planning for future performance targets
• Performance appraisal sets training and development needs
• Performance appraisal appraises a worker's motivational ability

Appraisal Methods

• Work Standards Method evaluates worker output
• Assessment Center Method evaluates someone by realistic standards set for the method, other than the immediate supervisor
• Checklist Method uses a list of statements to characterize employee behavior or performance
• Rating Scale Method uses a line or scale to represent each trait or characteristic to be rated by the rater
• Essay Method composes statements that best describe the person evaluated
• Ranking Method arranges employees in rank order from best to poorest
• Management by Objectives (MBO) sets specific goals collaboratively for the organization, its subunits, and each individual member
• Critical-Incident Method recalls and writes down specific incidents indicating successes and failures

Employment Decisions

• Monetary Rewards are granted when employee performance exceeds minimum criteria or is above them
• Promotion applies to a person's movement into a higher-paying position with greater responsibilities
• Transfer is someone moving to a different job at the same or similar level of organizational responsibility to give concerned individuals development or get rid of a low-performance employee
• Demotion is a move to a position with less pay/responsibility, either as punishment or temporarily

Separation

• Separation can be voluntary or involuntary termination of an employee.
• When voluntary, the organization's management must find out the real reason
• Involuntary separation (or termination) is a last option when performance is weak or rules are violated
• Involuntary separation usually occurs after other efforts have failed

Communication

• Morris Philip Wolf and Shirley Kuiper described communication as “a process of sharing information through symbols, including words and message.”
• Communication may be between superior and subordinate, between peers, between a manager and a client or customer, between an employee and a representative of the government, face-to-face, via printed materials, or through an electronic device

Communication Functions

• Information: Provides decision-making data at work levels
• Emotive: Decreases internal pressure affecting worker through emotional understanding (satisfaction, etc)
• Control: Define roles, authorities and responsibilities when communications are properly transferred
• Motivation: Communication can motivate to commit to their objectives

Communication Process

• The sender develops the idea
• Sender encodes the idea
• Encoded idea which becomes the message, transmitted to the receiver
• Receiver decodes the message
• Receiver then provides feedback indicating acceptance or rejection

Communication Forms

• Verbal communication transmitted through hearing and sight
• Nonverbal communication transmits messages through body language

Verbal Communication Types

• Oral communication involves listening to the sender's words and observing their body language, facial expressions, gestures, and eye contact
• Written communication attempts communication via the written word, but has time, cost, and limitations

Nonverbal Communication

• Nonverbal communication transmits messages through body language
• Nonverbal communication uses time, space, touch, clothing, appearance, and aesthetics

Communication Barriers

• Personal barriers result from characteristics such as gender, age, race, socioeconomic status, etc.
• Physical barriers refer to environmental interferences
• Semantics is the study of meaning in communication

Overcoming Barriers

• Use feedback to simplify and improve communication
• Repeat messages to ensure correct interpretation
• Use multiple channels to improve information accuracy
• Use simple and understandable language

Communication Techniques in Organizations

• Downward communication is messages that refer from same organizational levels of higher authority to lower levels
• Horizontal communication refers communications between the same message level and/or position
• Upward communication refers to messages flowing from lower-level positions to those in higher level

Downward Communication

• To give instructions
• To provide information on progress, problems, and procedures
• To give feedback about personal feelings

Horizontal Communication

• To facilitate coordination between departments
• To persuade
• To pass on information improving output, and
• To indoctrinate or motivate

Upward Communication

• To provide information on policies and organization of work
• To communicate about feeling
• To pass on activities information the individual encounters, including feedback, suggestions
• Techniques memos, meetings, telephones, picnics, dinners, and other social affairs
• Letters are appropriate for complex/specific actions when directives are necessary
• Meetings provide personal interchange when orders are simple but depend on employee morale
• Manuals are sources of policy, procedures and organizational information, available as necessary
• Handbooks are more specific regarding worker’s duties/ privileges, accessible as necessary
• Newsletters personal, social and work which contains articles on new hiring, promotions, employee birthdays and work related answers
• Formal grievances are the way for an employee to raise a concern
• Employee attitude provides tools for management to learn about the worker's views and perspectives

Suggestion System

• Employee opinions/ideas for cost saving, bettering production as well clear and well standing means improve morals
• Management gives deals with the difficulties issues using open door policies
• Gripe is a method where management listens to worker concerns and issues and is understanding of the situation while penalizing workers
• When a problem, that team will come up and fix that issue (as an example of using a task force)
• Allows insight towards working on the management in different areas such is in other words on what is going on (exit interviews), how to help implement goals better and achieve objectives more

Upward Communication Concerns

• Problems and exceptions
• Strategy/objective suggestions
• Performances
• Grievances
• Accountants

Downward Communication Concerns

• Implementation is very important towards the working environment/atmosphere
• Practicing the right procedures
• Performance feedback

Horizontal Communication Concerns

• Interdepartmental
• Staff advice
• Management Information Systems (MIS) is described by Boone and Kurtz as a past, present, and intelligence for use in decision-making.
• In-depth reports electronically include Memos and Bulletins
• Purpose ensure early monitoring in order to organize early to avoid any failures
• Automating clerical such as inventory and payroll and other reports
• Helps managers make good decisions by providing information and schedules