Running Head: Human Resources Interview and Strategic Alignment

Module 8
Portfolio Project #2: Human Resources Interview and Strategic Alignment
Nicole Eddy
HRM 400 Human Resources and Management
Colorado State University Global Campus
Michael Campo
January 18, 2017

Running Head: Human Resources Interview and Strategic Alignment

Introduction
The department inside a successful business that takes care of looking after the labor side
of the company is the human resources department. The human resources department used to be
called the personnel department. They dealt with all of the training of the workforce, selection,
appraisal, recruitment, and structure. The grievance and complaints, appraisals, disputes, health
and safety legislations, and the general welfare of the employees are other things that the human
resource department is responsible for. The management of the labor inside a business is the
human resource management. They assist the human resource department to be efficient and
organized (Iveta, 2012).
MetroHealth Medical Center
I decided to sit down and interview the nurse manager at MetroHealth Medical Center,
Robin Murphy. She has been working with MetroHealth Medical Center for almost 11 years. She
attended Baldwin Wallace University. She is also an instructor for a fitness club. I wanted to see
her insight on the human resources department in her clinic. She started out as the Assistant
Senior Nurse Executive. She was very successful and eventually got the position of nurse
manager. Before getting right into the interview questions, I wanted to know a little bit more
about MetroHealth Medical Center. MetroHealth Medical Center is leading the way to a
healthier you and a healthier community through service, teaching, discovery and teamwork.
MetroHealth is the most admired public health system in the nation, renowned for our
innovation, outcomes, service and financial strength.

Running Head: Human Resources Interview and Strategic Alignment

At the clinic, there are 7 other people working there. I was wondering about the past
candidates of the position nurse manager so I asked Why do you think that you were the best fit
for the position you have now? With my background and skill set, I thought that I could be most
qualified. I would never say I was honestly the best person for the job but I agree with the
decision of hiring me. I thought about her answer to this specific question and I started to think
about the different strategies that could assist the human resource department. A great strategy to
use would be organizational strategy.
This strategy makes sure the human resource department is efficient and going the right
path with the strategy of the company. It is important to make sure the human resource
department is keeping in contact with the company so it is human resource manager
responsibility to talk to the other departments of the company. Another strategy is human
resources planning. This is similar to the staffing strategy that meets the companys future needs.
It is important to make sure they are hiring the right people at the right time and the right
positions (ANYIM, 2008).
There are also other parts that came to my mind after she answered my interview
question. Selection is sustaining the recruitment policy so that the needs of labor are met that are
caused by business expansion, promotions, resignations, maternity leave, and retirement.
Performance appraisal is checking to make sure the employee is keeping up with the needs that
the company wants by their performance. To keep track of their performance, the human
resource department needs to set goals for each employee. An employee will be motivated if the
goals are related to benefits like bonuses or pay raises.
It is very important to have personal development programs and training to keep the
motivation and interests of the employee positive. The employee will stay on track if the goals

Running Head: Human Resources Interview and Strategic Alignment

they are assigned are realistic and attainable. Product development, competition, and technology
are the things that may require some training so that the employee can meet the demands of the
company (Marchington, 2015). The human resources department is responsible for the safety of
each employee at their company. Any legal action taken by the employees is another
responsibility. Contractors clean up any spillages and notices for accident log books or hand
washing (Schroeder, 2012).
The next question I had for Mrs. Murphy was What have been the differences when
going from Assistant Senior Nurse Executive to Nurse Manager? I have learned a lot about
taking the time to listen to my employees about how they can better the clinic even though I have
so much more work to do. It is important for me to have an open mind and encourage
communication with my employees now. I was thinking about who to hire for the front desk
receptionist so after listening to my employees, I came to a conclusion. It was nice that I could
do my own observation but also get the input of my other employees and their ideas about who
should be hired.
The manager in human resource needs to be aware of the in and out of the company and
labor market so that they can plan ahead and know what is going on. They need to know about
the past, present, and future trends of the employment in each section of specialization. They
need to be aware if there are certain skills needed. They need to know the competition for
employees like if the demand for labor is increasing or if labor is available because of
redundancies. Human resource planning is all about getting the correct people to do the job and
making them meet the companys requirements (Schroeder, 2012).
When the human resources department starts to plan things out, challenges may arise so I
asked What challenges do you look for every day? I wouldnt say that I actually look for

Running Head: Human Resources Interview and Strategic Alignment

challenges every day because I know every day there could be some type of issue that I need to
deal with. I try not to focus on the bad. Theres going to be issues and I come into work every
day with the same mind frame. I then started to wonder what a regular day in the clinic would
be for Robin so I asked What do you usually do during the week? I go to the clinic very early
every day. I usually go this early so that I can receive the charges that were posted from the day
before so that I can get things done and organized for that day. Once I get all those things done in
time, my day will go really well.
Human resources manager needs to be aware of how, why, and when to recruit new
employees. Recruiting is important because it helps expand companies and change up different
roles from different employees in the company because of new technology and skills. New
employees can be hired because of resignation of an employee, internal promotion, death, or
dismissal. Recruiting can be expensive so it is important that the company gets it right. Human
resources managers do not want to get the wrong people so they need to pick the right ones
(Voorde, 2015).
After thinking about this, I decided to ask Robin What would you say your biggest
weakness is? I get distracted easily. Sometimes if Im working on something Ill find myself
working on a completely different project. I guess I get sidetracked but this is an issue because it
is disorganized on my part. I need to start something and finish it.
It is important to have training and development programs in any company but it is way
more critical when the company is a medical clinic. Having training and development programs
adds competitive success to the company. Employees will be successful in the company if they
look at training as learning experiences and activities that are aimed to make a positive change to
their performance. Management training, apprenticeships, induction, and education are all

Running Head: Human Resources Interview and Strategic Alignment

options for training. Development is when the employee has the option to develop themselves as
a person but training helps the employee meet goals and objectives for the company (ANYIM,
2008).
Of course, development and recruitment are critical but so is performance management.
This made me want to ask Robin When you are managing the clinic, what is your main goal?
My main goal is make sure the patients that come to my clinic leave satisfied and happy. I also
want my employees to know that they can count on me to help them and their concerns or wants
matter to me. Then I asked, Do you usually take on all the tasks in the clinic or do you give out
the tasks to others? I usually start my tasks by myself which is unproductive because I will get
side tracked and start something else and nothing gets done sometimes. Thats when I will give
others some tasks so Im not as overwhelmed and stressed out. I need to start giving them tasks
to do in the beginning so we dont have this problem.
Effective Performance
A company must effectively keep track of the performance of their employees in order to
be competitive. Companies keep track of their employees performance by performance reviews.
They will also make a mission statement which shows the objectives and goals. They will create
a value statement which will be evaluated and monitored for improvement using the goals and
objectives of the business. Performance appraisal is a feedback that is given to analyze the
companys performance and create room for improvements (Marchington, 2015).
Self-evaluation is when employees are motivated to make their own goals and analyze
their performance in those goals. When they are checking their own performance, it helps them
take responsibility for their results. They will then understand what is required of them for their

Running Head: Human Resources Interview and Strategic Alignment

job and they will develop interpersonal relations. Peer evaluation is when team work is being
evaluated which assists the team to effectively work together. The companys success is very
important so this will help the employees value each others attributions.
When a company is target setting for individuals or groups, they are setting targets in
alignment with the goals of the department. When a company measures individual or group
output they are measuring their employees performance by how competent an employee or group
is. Based on performances, an employee could be rewarded by increments or bonuses in salary
(Schroeder, 2012).
I asked Robin, Where do you see your clinic in the future? I know this clinic is going to
be amazing in the future. I know it will be better and bigger than it has ever been. Every day we
do things to improve our clinic so I know in the future its going so much better. It is possible
for the human resource department to guide their company into the future by understand what
business strategy is. They must also understand recruiting and training future executives,
communicating verbally well, how to deal with difficult people, future problems and work
solutions, plans and policies, and corporate culture.
The human resources department has to deal with issues across the human resource
spectrum. If planned correctly, they can assist these challenges and make their company address
emerging and current human resource needs. Human resources want to take a long-term
approach to management by developing strategic human resources plans that assist meeting
expanding mission requirements. I wanted to ask Robin something important, What do you
think a successful manager is? I think a successful manager is someone who listens to their
employees and makes sure they work with them so they feel comfortable and supported.

Running Head: Human Resources Interview and Strategic Alignment

There is a lot of stress that Robin has to deal with being in her position. She goes through
trials and tribulations so I decided to ask, What about your career motivates you? My patients
definitely motivate me to do my job but also my employees. They are the reason this clinic is
doing as well as it is and I wouldnt be able to do it without them. They are the reason my
patients leave satisfied. Employees would have no motivation to stay in their current positions
at their jobs if there wasnt a human resources department.
A companys employee effectiveness has a relationship with the companys market
value. Increases in a companys profitability and productivity happen because of a strong human
resource department. They are focusing on the people which will always pay off. Human
resources deal with a lot of issues that are really big and affect an employees job. Training and
education, retirement, vacation, occupational health and safety, leaves of absence, job evaluation,
hiring, harassment, benefits, and compensation are some of the topics that human resources deals
with every day (Iveta, 2012).
I asked Robin, What would you do if you were being harassed at work and there wasnt
a human resources department to help you? I would feel helpless. How would you feel if your
company didnt have a people you could ask about job career paths? I would feel awful. That is
super important. From her answers to my questions, it is very clear that employees feel
discouraged and unimportant without human resources in the company.
There are many disadvantages that employees would face without human resources
because of practices and policies that are in order to benefit and protect employees. Employee
benefits and human resources management, time and labor management, and payroll are the four
principal areas of human resources that are affected by the Human Resource Information System

Running Head: Human Resources Interview and Strategic Alignment

(HRIS). HRIS allows a user to see online a history in chronological order of an employee from
their position, payroll records, benefits, and personal data (Marchington, 2015).
Motivation
I understood that Robins days are probably very hectic and crazy so she must not have a
ton of time on her hands to focus on her own happiness since shes busy worrying about
everyone else. I decided to ask her What about your career motivates you? My patients
definitely motivate me to do my job but also my employees do. They are the reason this clinic is
doing well as it is and I wouldnt be able to do it without them. They are the reason my patients
leave very satisfied and happy. It is very important for Robin to stay motivated because then her
employees will continue to be motivated. It can be a very draining day if all the employees are
complaining about work or moping around. The best thing to do is go to work with a big smile
on your face and have a great attitude that the day is going to go well.
These are the areas that the human resources department should be concentrating on. The
human resources department should be assisting a company figure out where it wants to go. They
would not be able to compete with the competition of the other companies without a strategic
HRM so that the plan can be getting the company from point A to point B. The human resources
function makes a solid value in the company by concentrating mostly on the delivery of human
resources practices like frequently research based principles, labor relations based on profession,
compensation, development, and staffing. If these practices are done well, the company will gain
a lot of solid value because these practices are important.
Motivation for employees is divided into two categories: purpose and momentum. When
this research is applied to organizational environment, it is clear that the motivation is similar to

Running Head: Human Resources Interview and Strategic Alignment

self-realization. This would be the paths and goals that are being taken for each person.
Administration is the key to motivate employees. The behavior that administration shows will
affect the employees behavior and emotions. If a company understands this, they will be
successful and exceed their goals. For increased productivity, motivation is the way to go
(Marchington, 2015).
I wanted to ask a particular question from Robin since motivation is the key to managing
a successful company. What would you say is your biggest failure and what did you learn from
it? I dont think Ive had any failures at this clinic but I would say that I have huge fear. My fear
is not being able to help a patient at our clinic that needs my help. The patients here are our
number one priority so we put our patients before anything else and I would be devastated if I
couldnt help them. In the work environment, motivation is everything. Recognition is also
important so employees feel valuable and accomplished. Showing this recognition can be done
through wages or other ways (Voorde, 2015).
If an employee is not happy or feels pressured at his job, that person will not use their full
potential which will result in the company not improving in production. I asked Robin, When
you are managing the clinic, what is your main goal? My main goal is make sure the patients that
come to my clinic leave satisfied and happy. I also want my employees to know that they can
count on me to help them and their concerns or wants matter to me.
An important question is how a leaders relationship is with subordinates. Over time, the
concept of leadership has evolved and has been put aside regarding the simplistic view of
dimensions. The effectiveness of a leader is complementary in a complex social process and the
styles are not antagonistic. A leaders behavior is divided into two categories: authorization/task,

Running Head: Human Resources Interview and Strategic Alignment

and democratic/people. When tasks are performed, satisfaction at the workplace will be complex
because is related to the behavior of employees (ANYIM, 2008).
In any company, the true value is the people in the economy. I asked, If the clinic lost all
its equipment etc., could it survive? I honestly believe the clinic would still survive because of
the employees working here. They would do everything in their power to make sure everything
was taken care of. Then I asked, If your clinic lost all its employees, could it survive? No,
because they are the reason the clinic runs. The business would not be able to function without
the people in the business because of the necessity and importance of them.
Conclusion
Most incentive programs are coordinated through the human resources department in a
lot of companies. The importance of these programs is high because they motivate the
employees attendance and performance. For attendance, a popular incentive program would be
rewarding the employee for meeting attendance goals and not using their sick days in a year. If
this is the case, some employees may want an extra vacation day for their success. So this would
motivate the employees to work to their fullest potential and they would feel appreciated as well.
Employees will do well because the human resources department cares about their wellbeing by
giving access to workplace morale, career planning, and healthcare benefits. My interview with
Robin went great and it gave me insight to the human resource management. It is not an easy
task and it takes more than one amazing person to run the business, you need your amazing
employees too.

Running Head: Human Resources Interview and Strategic Alignment

References
ANYIM, F. C. (2008). THE ROLE OF HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNING IN
RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION PROCESS. British Journal of Humanities and
Social Sciences, 68-78.
Helm, J. (2015, December 15). Practice Manager. (A. Imerito, Interviewer)
Iveta, G. (2012). Human Resources Key Performance Indicators. Journal of Competitiveness,
117-128.
Marchington, M. (2015). Analysing the forces shaping employee involvement and participation
(EIP) at organisation level in liberal market economies (LMEs). Human Resource
Management Journal, 1-18.
Schroeder, H. (2012). The Importance of Human Resource Management in Strategic
Sustainability: An Art and Science Perspective. Journal of Environmental Sustainability,
75-80.
Voorde, K. V. (2015). The role of employee HR attributions in the relationship between highperformance work systems and employee outcomes. Human Resource Management
Journal, 62-78.