Week_Review

Staffing and Training Systems

Staffing Systems( see last week’s guidance on strategic staffing choices)

Xerox Manages Worker Diversity Case

This case describes the proactive stance that Xerox has taken concerning the increased diversity in the workplace. Xerox actively recruits and promotes women and minorities in order to gain competitive advantages. Xerox management believes that ignoring women and minorities not only limits your applicant pool, but limits the new ideas and ways of thinking that these employees bring to the job. The company feels that, in the competitive market in which most U.S. firms now operate, it is foolish to choose not to listen to new ideas and methods. Xerox remains well above the national average in terms of the percentage of women and minorities in its managerial positions. Instead of dismantling the "old boy" network within the company, Xerox encouraged the development of minority networks designed to help these groups move up through the company faster.

Utilizing Recruiting Sources

1. A yield ratio is the percentage of candidates who pass a particular recruitment hurdle divided by this number of candidates who attempt the hurdle.

A. Retaining Employees

1. Be a company that people want to work for. Be a market leader so that those who leave will be forced to take a step down.

2. Select the right person for the right job in the first place and the turnover rate will decrease. To select the best candidate requires a prescreening telephone application and have each candidate go through at least four interviews with department heads, personality tests, a drug test and participation in five hours of orientation.

3. Manage the joining-up process try to make employees feel at home right from the start and have everything they need from day one to make them welcome.

4. Coaching to maintain commitment. Teach employees how to grow and develop. Employees are encouraged to manage their careers and acquiring new skills.

B. Alternatives to Recruitment

Temporary workers, found through a temporary help agency, and leased workers, leased from an employee leasing agency, help firms cut down considerably on many direct benefit costs, recruitment costs, and outplacement or severance costs. There are various staffing options to accommodate almost every need in a company.

F. Recruiting and the Legal Environment

Specific questions about gender, religion, or race arc not permitted in interviews.

G. Evaluating Recruiting Methods

Any recruiting method should be evaluated frequently to warrant its continued use.

TRAINING SYSTEMS

Bellagio Case

The orientation program implemented at Bellagio’s Resort in Las Vegas is quite encompassing. The strength of this orientation program is to minimize the anxiety for each new employee starting to work at this resort. This would include such factors as the introduction of new employees to others they will be working with. A relaxed atmosphere has been created to feature a free lunch for each employee to promote the interaction of this work group. Another benefit is the use of resort uniforms and the dry cleaning and pressing of this apparel. Finally, strength of the orientation given to recruits is a new employee handbook, a name badge and a photo identification card for the employee. A unique feature incorporates a personal bag for ones belongings and has tight security to protect these valuables while on the job. All of these are pluses in the creation of a sound orientation program.

A weakness of the orientation program is there should be a checklist that would include every facet of the job. This checklist would include everything from A to Z and not one item would be left untouched. Human resource specialists should work closely with each supervisor.

Strategic Choices

1. The Firm must decide if it wants employees who conform to the organization or who are creative and show innovation.

The issue is not if the firm should have any conformity, but rather to what degree does it expect conformity. Conformity reduces uncertainty and variation. However, when there is too much uncertainty and variation, creativity and innovation are stifled. This makes it hard for organizations to come up with new ideas and approaches.

2. Should the organization develop its own human resources (grow its own) or focus on hiring employees who are already developed (buy its own)? Some firms expend a great deal of time, effort, and money to train employees as to the company's way. IBM and Proctor & Gamble are two examples. Size is a factor in that larger firms can afford to spend money on extensive training. Hiring untrained and inexperienced people lowers wage costs and aids in trainability.

3. Should the organization try to improve poor performers or simply replace them? Several issues must be considered: the probability of improving performance, the cost of improving performance, legal considerations, replacement costs, and top management philosophy.

4. How well does the organization's development strategy match the organization's overall strategy?

An organization's strategy and its culture are closely related. Both concepts affect the other. The bloated bureaucracy at Chrysler was a barrier to the changes Iacocca needed to make. He was forced to change the culture to effectively change the strategy.