Augustine Coley Induction
B120 TMA 02
Contents
Page 3………………………………. Executive Summary Page 4…………………………………….....Part I Part (a) Page 5……………………………………….Part I Part (b) Page 7……………………………………….Part I Part (c) Page 9……………………………………….Part I Part (d) Page 10……………………………….…….Part II Part (b) Page 11……………………………………..….References
Executive Summary
This report outlines a problem I faced a few years ago in my present employment.
Identified that there was a lack of communication between management and staff, resulting in de-motivated staff, …show more content…
outdated skills and no formal measure of performance.
I analyse the problem using the concept of ‘Assessing and Developing People at Work’ and find the main problem is no formal HRM structure of assessing employees’ performance and training needs, and also no feedback from staff about management performance resulting in almost an ‘us versus them’ mentality.
I suggest how to solve the issue of communication and how it benefitted the business as it does in other companies.
Part I Part (a)
I commenced my employment at my present company 14 years ago. Within my first two years as a receptionist I began to notice that I did not receive any feedback on my performance, only got told when I has done something wrong and did not formally meet with my manager to discuss my progress. This was the case with all employees and we found that there was a clear divide between management and staff and at times a lot of communication issues between departments. There were no management meeting with employees to discuss general issues and to put timescales in place to deal with them.
After returning from maternity leave in my third year, I was lucky enough to be moved to accounts but also tasked with formalising Health and Safety Procedures and policies and also dealing with manufacturer audits of the company. It was at this point where it was clear there was a big lack of Human Resources Management and some staff were not skilled in some areas they were required to be skilled in. Part I Part (b)
I am analyzing the problem using the concept of ‘Assessing and Developing people at work’
Unlike the South African Breweries (Johnson 2006) example mentioned in B120 Book 2, the company had no formal training and development policy. There were no performance appraisals or departmental meetings therefore employees were not getting feedback on their performance. Management were not measuring performance and identifying training needs and were as the South African Breweries example describes ‘conventionally Hierarchical’
The concept of setting standards was not applied in full. There was a quality management policy in place but there was no measure of employee attendance, organisation rules, production timescales for completing work and interdepartmental communication. And the only emphasis was put on Quality of work, this was easily measure by eye (the company is a vehicle paint and body repairer) in the case of skilled technicians and by customer feedback for office staff.
The company did not perform Performance Appraisals, therefore there was not meeting between management and employees unless requested specifically by the respective parties. This tended to be only if there was a problem or if a pay rise was required., pay rises were difficult to justify by both parties as there were no performance measure. Employees would become disgruntled with not being given an opportunity to be ‘appraised’
The company also suffered due to not recognizing training needs of staff. This in turn meant staff were not necessarily up to date with certain repair methods which could ultimately affect quality of work. It also affected the type of work the company could undertake due to manufacturer requirements of certain skills.
I agree with Smith and Hyson (1999) whereby they found that training activity tended to be triggered by operational factors. In our case, this was for example when manufactures began producing aluminum vehicles, we have to train staff in aluminum repair methods. This was also ‘event triggered’ training as described by Becherman et al (1997)
Conducting a performance appraisal could give management and staff an opportunity to discuss strengths and weaknesses and therefore analyse training needs as a strategy rather than an event triggered occurrence.
Part I Part (c)
My solution to the situation was to implement more of a structure to Human Resources Management
Whilst preparing the company for an audit buy a manufacturer, some of the manufacturers standards stipulated that certain procedures with regards to HRM should be put into place
Therefore, along with other things, one of the policies I put in place was a yearly performance appraisal. I also implemented monthly meetings between departments to improve the flow of information and how it was discussed carried out,
Within the management meetings we had an agenda, outcome and timeframe to complete the resolution in. this aided communication and in turn allowed staff to discuss each other’s needs including training.
I drew up appraisal form which the employee would fill in prior to interview, and the manager could rear prior to interview. This in turn allowed the appraisal to start with both parties aware of what needed to be discussed. I drew up a training needs analysis which was filled in at appraisal and a time frame was given as to when the manager had to arrange training to be completed by.
So within the appraisal, staff could discuss their position, their career Aims and small niggles. The manager could appraise good work, discuss efficiency (with the aid of newly installed reporting software!), award pay rises accordingly and also receive feedback from the member of staff on their own performance.
The problem of lack of communication was soon solved. Employees were happy with a chance to talk one-on-one in a formal manner. They felt motivated as they were being listened to, rewarded and progressing with the aid of relevant training. They also took on board criticism well as they had more time to discuss it in private and also on occasion, be presented with evidence in the form of figures etc.
The manager learned from the process as he could take on board suggestions from staff, and benefit form extra skill s received from the training they had as a result of their training needs analysis. He could also plan succession more efficiently but also had more job specification for future recruitment purposes.
I can see why performance appraisals benefit all companies. I would like to increase the frequency of appraisals at my company as I still see waiting a whole year to discuss performance is a bit too long. I feel six monthly would benefit more.
In conclusion, all companies should have some form of appraisal system too as they can benefit from employee feedback and be content in knowing their staff happy and up to date with policies, procedures and training.
436 words
Part I Part (d)
The first website I looked at was (WWW.CIPD.CO.UK) This website is very reliable as they are the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. They have been active for over 100 years.
I read their factsheet on Performance Appraisals. I found this sheet did not give me any additional information, in fact the B120 Book 2 expanded on the Performance Appraisal theory more by describing it as a three way benefit, whereby the employee, manager AND the business all benefit from appraisal (Evenden and Anderson 1992 pp220-1)
The second website was WWW.ACAS.ORG. ACAS is an advisory service with over 30 years’ experience working with organisations to improve working life. I read through their advisory booklet – how to manage performance. The advice is for employees and managers alike, and as ACAS is the body people go to settle disputed at work, I would find their information trustworthy and reliable.
147 words
Part II Part (b)
Discussion about Company Inductions
Within this discussion I learned that most companies attempt some form of induction but they all vary in length, content and even importance (ie.
Leaving the company induction several months in Kristine Coley’s case)
Most inductions seemed to include mandatory information such as company history, Health and Safety policy and procedures, fire training and then job specific information.
Ryan Fryer touched upon the point ‘As I work for a small company, there isn’t really a very structured induction’. I work for a small company myself but still introduced the formal induction some time ago to enable informal information to be relayed to all new staff, and also to have a record of their induction for outside auditors.
Another common theme seemed to be the ‘buddy’ or mentoring system. This appeared to be a positive element of induction as it was in my experience. Having an experienced person to shadow for a length of time can often give insight into some things that a formal induction may not cover. Maybe in Daniel Coughlin’s case where he felt that he needed more help with how to deal with rude and aggressive customers, a buddy may have benefited him. He could see them in action and learned from their experience.
207
words
References
Becherman et al. (1997) Survey mentioned in Book 2, An Introduction to Human Resource Management in Business page 54
Evenden and Anderson . (1992). Performance Appraisal table . Book 2, An Introduction to Human Resource Management in Business page 53
Johnson (2006). Example South African Breweries. Book 2, An Introduction to Human Resource Management in Business page 50.
Preston, Diane (2012) Section 4 Book 2, An Introduction to Human Resource Management in Business 49-58
Smith and Hyton (1999). Survey mentioned in Book 2, An Introduction to Human Resource Management in Business page 56
www.cipd.co.uk
www.acas.org.uk
Contents
Page 3………………………………. Executive Summary Page 4…………………………………….....Part I Part (a) Page 5……………………………………….Part I Part (b) Page 7……………………………………….Part I Part (c) Page 9……………………………………….Part I Part (d) Page 10……………………………….…….Part II Part (b) Page 11……………………………………..….References
Executive Summary
This report outlines a problem I faced a few years ago in my present employment.
Identified that there was a lack of communication between management and staff, resulting in de-motivated staff, …show more content…
outdated skills and no formal measure of performance.
I analyse the problem using the concept of ‘Assessing and Developing People at Work’ and find the main problem is no formal HRM structure of assessing employees’ performance and training needs, and also no feedback from staff about management performance resulting in almost an ‘us versus them’ mentality.
I suggest how to solve the issue of communication and how it benefitted the business as it does in other companies.
Part I Part (a)
I commenced my employment at my present company 14 years ago. Within my first two years as a receptionist I began to notice that I did not receive any feedback on my performance, only got told when I has done something wrong and did not formally meet with my manager to discuss my progress. This was the case with all employees and we found that there was a clear divide between management and staff and at times a lot of communication issues between departments. There were no management meeting with employees to discuss general issues and to put timescales in place to deal with them.
After returning from maternity leave in my third year, I was lucky enough to be moved to accounts but also tasked with formalising Health and Safety Procedures and policies and also dealing with manufacturer audits of the company. It was at this point where it was clear there was a big lack of Human Resources Management and some staff were not skilled in some areas they were required to be skilled in. Part I Part (b)
I am analyzing the problem using the concept of ‘Assessing and Developing people at work’
Unlike the South African Breweries (Johnson 2006) example mentioned in B120 Book 2, the company had no formal training and development policy. There were no performance appraisals or departmental meetings therefore employees were not getting feedback on their performance. Management were not measuring performance and identifying training needs and were as the South African Breweries example describes ‘conventionally Hierarchical’
The concept of setting standards was not applied in full. There was a quality management policy in place but there was no measure of employee attendance, organisation rules, production timescales for completing work and interdepartmental communication. And the only emphasis was put on Quality of work, this was easily measure by eye (the company is a vehicle paint and body repairer) in the case of skilled technicians and by customer feedback for office staff.
The company did not perform Performance Appraisals, therefore there was not meeting between management and employees unless requested specifically by the respective parties. This tended to be only if there was a problem or if a pay rise was required., pay rises were difficult to justify by both parties as there were no performance measure. Employees would become disgruntled with not being given an opportunity to be ‘appraised’
The company also suffered due to not recognizing training needs of staff. This in turn meant staff were not necessarily up to date with certain repair methods which could ultimately affect quality of work. It also affected the type of work the company could undertake due to manufacturer requirements of certain skills.
I agree with Smith and Hyson (1999) whereby they found that training activity tended to be triggered by operational factors. In our case, this was for example when manufactures began producing aluminum vehicles, we have to train staff in aluminum repair methods. This was also ‘event triggered’ training as described by Becherman et al (1997)
Conducting a performance appraisal could give management and staff an opportunity to discuss strengths and weaknesses and therefore analyse training needs as a strategy rather than an event triggered occurrence.
Part I Part (c)
My solution to the situation was to implement more of a structure to Human Resources Management
Whilst preparing the company for an audit buy a manufacturer, some of the manufacturers standards stipulated that certain procedures with regards to HRM should be put into place
Therefore, along with other things, one of the policies I put in place was a yearly performance appraisal. I also implemented monthly meetings between departments to improve the flow of information and how it was discussed carried out,
Within the management meetings we had an agenda, outcome and timeframe to complete the resolution in. this aided communication and in turn allowed staff to discuss each other’s needs including training.
I drew up appraisal form which the employee would fill in prior to interview, and the manager could rear prior to interview. This in turn allowed the appraisal to start with both parties aware of what needed to be discussed. I drew up a training needs analysis which was filled in at appraisal and a time frame was given as to when the manager had to arrange training to be completed by.
So within the appraisal, staff could discuss their position, their career Aims and small niggles. The manager could appraise good work, discuss efficiency (with the aid of newly installed reporting software!), award pay rises accordingly and also receive feedback from the member of staff on their own performance.
The problem of lack of communication was soon solved. Employees were happy with a chance to talk one-on-one in a formal manner. They felt motivated as they were being listened to, rewarded and progressing with the aid of relevant training. They also took on board criticism well as they had more time to discuss it in private and also on occasion, be presented with evidence in the form of figures etc.
The manager learned from the process as he could take on board suggestions from staff, and benefit form extra skill s received from the training they had as a result of their training needs analysis. He could also plan succession more efficiently but also had more job specification for future recruitment purposes.
I can see why performance appraisals benefit all companies. I would like to increase the frequency of appraisals at my company as I still see waiting a whole year to discuss performance is a bit too long. I feel six monthly would benefit more.
In conclusion, all companies should have some form of appraisal system too as they can benefit from employee feedback and be content in knowing their staff happy and up to date with policies, procedures and training.
436 words
Part I Part (d)
The first website I looked at was (WWW.CIPD.CO.UK) This website is very reliable as they are the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. They have been active for over 100 years.
I read their factsheet on Performance Appraisals. I found this sheet did not give me any additional information, in fact the B120 Book 2 expanded on the Performance Appraisal theory more by describing it as a three way benefit, whereby the employee, manager AND the business all benefit from appraisal (Evenden and Anderson 1992 pp220-1)
The second website was WWW.ACAS.ORG. ACAS is an advisory service with over 30 years’ experience working with organisations to improve working life. I read through their advisory booklet – how to manage performance. The advice is for employees and managers alike, and as ACAS is the body people go to settle disputed at work, I would find their information trustworthy and reliable.
147 words
Part II Part (b)
Discussion about Company Inductions
Within this discussion I learned that most companies attempt some form of induction but they all vary in length, content and even importance (ie.
Leaving the company induction several months in Kristine Coley’s case)
Most inductions seemed to include mandatory information such as company history, Health and Safety policy and procedures, fire training and then job specific information.
Ryan Fryer touched upon the point ‘As I work for a small company, there isn’t really a very structured induction’. I work for a small company myself but still introduced the formal induction some time ago to enable informal information to be relayed to all new staff, and also to have a record of their induction for outside auditors.
Another common theme seemed to be the ‘buddy’ or mentoring system. This appeared to be a positive element of induction as it was in my experience. Having an experienced person to shadow for a length of time can often give insight into some things that a formal induction may not cover. Maybe in Daniel Coughlin’s case where he felt that he needed more help with how to deal with rude and aggressive customers, a buddy may have benefited him. He could see them in action and learned from their experience.
207
words
References
Becherman et al. (1997) Survey mentioned in Book 2, An Introduction to Human Resource Management in Business page 54
Evenden and Anderson . (1992). Performance Appraisal table . Book 2, An Introduction to Human Resource Management in Business page 53
Johnson (2006). Example South African Breweries. Book 2, An Introduction to Human Resource Management in Business page 50.
Preston, Diane (2012) Section 4 Book 2, An Introduction to Human Resource Management in Business 49-58
Smith and Hyton (1999). Survey mentioned in Book 2, An Introduction to Human Resource Management in Business page 56
www.cipd.co.uk
www.acas.org.uk