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ASSIGNMENT

Course Code

:
MS-02
Course Title

: Management of Human Resources

Assignment Code

:
MS - 02/TMA/SEM-
II/2013 Coverage

:
All Blocks

1)
What are the primary objectives, focus, and purpose of Selection Tests and
Interview in the whole process of Hiring in organisational set up? Critically
examine their usefulness, and importance in the short term and long term
functioning and culture of the organisation. Draw from the experiences you
are familiar with. Describe the organisation and the situation you are
referring to.

Solution : The Hire In order to comply with Federal regulations and to monitor
progress toward
affirmative action goals, each department is required to document all recruitment
activities.
Recruitment Closure Once the job offer has been extended and accepted by the
candidate, the hiring
supervisor must complete the Post Offer Form on line and submit it back to the CSR or
Staffing &
Compensation Analyst in Human Resources. In addition, all Candidate Disposition forms
need to be
submitted on line to reflect the entire candidate pool. It is the responsibility of the hiring
supervisor to notify other finalists of the outcome. Recruitment Files Departments are required
to maintain all
recruitment files, which include all resumes of applicant's referred and appropriate forms.
This
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information must be maintained for a minimum of three years Background Checks

Positions that have
been designated as "critical" require that the candidate be fingerprinted and a background
check
conducted. For further information, please contact the campus Police Department.
Immigration Reform
& Control Act (IRCA) Departments are responsible for ensuring that all applicants
have the legal right to work in the United States. Contact your Staffing & Compensation
Analyst if you have questions. Fair
Labor Standards Act (FLSA) All applicants for non-exempt positions not covered by
Collective Bargaining
Agreements must be informed of the FLSA policy that any overtime worked will be
compensated either
by cash or compensatory time off at the University's option. Return to top

Personnel Files

The proper handling of personnel records or personnel files in departments often

raises questions. The
campus keeps only personnel records that are relevant and necessary to the administration
of personnel
programs. These records should be maintained with accuracy, relevance, timeliness, and
completeness,
and appropriate and reasonable safeguards should be established to ensure security
and confidentiality.
Properly keeping personnel records matters because if you don't, the result can be a loss
of privacy for
the employee and a grievance or lawsuit for the University.

2)
What are the problems usually encountered in the Performance Appraisal in
organisations? How are and whether these problems taken care of at the
ground level reality in organisational set up? Critically examine and
substantiate your answers with examples you are familiar with. Briefly
explain the situation, you are referring to.

Solution : Problems usually encountered in the Performance Appraisal in

organisations are:

Problems With Performance Appraisals: Where Do Managers Go Wrong?

Managers go wrong with performance appraisals in so many ways, it‟s difficult to

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identify all of them.

Here are four big problems managers and employees experience with
performance appraisals.

Performance Appraisals Are Annual

Start with the fact that performance appraisals are usually annual. Employees
need feedback and goal
planning much more frequently than annually. Employees need weekly, even daily,
performance
feedback to keep them focused on their most important goals, to provide them
developmental coaching
to help them increase their ability to contribute, and to recognize them for
their contributions.
Managers, who don't know any better, make performance appraisals into a one-way
lecture about how
the employee did well this year and how the employee can improve. Once a manager
tells an employee
about problems with their work or a failure in their performance, employees tend to “not
hear”
anything else the manager has to say that is positive about their performance. So, it‟s
a combination
problem. The best performance appraisals are a two-way discussion and focus on the
employee
assessing his or her own performance and setting his or her own goals for improvement.
Performance appraisals rarely focus on developing the employee‟s skills and
abilities with commitments
from the organization about how they will be encouraged to develop their skills in areas
of interest to
the employee.
Performance appraisals are usually connected with the amount of pay raise an
employee will receive.
Don‟t ever expect an honest discussion about improving performance if the outcome
is the employee‟s
income. Let your employees know that raises will be based on a wide range of factors –
and tell them
what the factors are.
The problem with subjective measure is the rating which is not verifiable by others and
has the
opportunity for bias. The rate biases include: (a) halo effect (b) the error of central
tendency, (c) the
leniency and strictness biases (d) personal prejudice, and (e) the recent performance
effect

(a) Halo Effect: It is the tendency of the raters to depend excessively on the rating of one
trait or
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behavioral consideration in rating all others traits or behavioral considerations. One way
of minimizing
the halo effect is appraising all the employees by one trait before going to rate on
the basis of another
trait.

(b) The error of Central Tendency: Some raters follow play safe policy in rating by rating
all the
employees around the middle point of the rating scale and they avoid rating the people at
both the
extremes of the scale. They follow play safe policy because of answerability to
management or lack of
knowledge about the job and person he is rating or least interest in his job.

(c) The Leniency and Strictness: The leniency bias crops when some raters have
a tendency to be liberal
in their rating by assigning higher rates consistently. Such ratings do not serve any
purpose. Equally
damaging one is assigning consistently low rates.

(d) Personal Prejudice: If the rater dislikes any employee or any group, he may rate
them at the lower
end, which may distort the rating purpose and affect the career of these employees.

(e) The Recent performance Effect: The raters generally remember the recent actions,
of the employee
at the time of rating and rate on the basis of these recent actions favorable or
unfavorable than on the
whole activities.

Other factors that are considered as problems are

· Failure of the superiors in conducting performance appraisal and post

performance appraisal interview.

· Most part of the appraisal is based on subjectivity.

· Less reliability and validity of the performance appraisal techniques.

· Negative ratings affect interpersonal relations and industrial relations system.

· Influence of external environmental factors and uncontrollable internal factors.

· Feedback and post appraisal interview may have a setback on production.

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· Management emphasizes on punishment rather than development of an employee in

performance
appraisal.

· Some ratings particularly about the potential appraisal are purely based on guess work.

The other problems of performance appraisal reported by various studies are:

Relationship between appraisal rates and performances after promotions was not
significant.
Some superiors completed appraisal reports within a few minutes.
Absence of inter-rater reliability.
The situation was unpleasant in feedback interview.
Superiors lack that tact of offering the suggestions constructively to subordinates.
Supervisors were often confused due to too many objectives of performance
appraisal. Advantages of Performance Appraisal through Computers:

There will be an objective analysis of traits of both the superior and subordinate and
a chance to
subordinate to express his views even after performance appraisal.

An employee shall express his emotional needs and his value system which may not be
possible direct face to face with superior. Communication through computer
overcomes the communication barrier between the superior and subordinate.

Computer based appraisal will remove the inherent weakness of the appraisal system that
is
subjective assessment of vague and abstract performance targets, unclear guidelines
for appraisal etc.

3)
Do you agree with the statement that “Training is not fulfilling its proper role
in various organisations”? Briefly describing the roles the Training is expected
to play, substantiate your answer with suitable examples. Critically examine
the expected contribution of training and its status at the ground level in the
corporate Sector, referring to credible information sources and findings in
Indian context.

Solution : As we know training is provided for improving the skills in the employee or
new
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comer. It helps to increase the working status as well as it helps to provide comfortable
enviornment to the new comer or fresher and helps to increase the satisfaction of the
employees in all organizations the entry level people need proper training to know their
line
of work and the environment of friendly nature and work culture of the organizations.
The
training for entry level people it posses well knowledge on work life and they get an idea
about their job profile how to work in the organizations it also posses and creates healthy
and friendly environment to learn the things and easy to understand by the employee and
we
may expect quality assurance in his work. The training assures that what is
the organizations
objective and what is his role of participation in that, and it makes them with out
prolonging
the time consuming. This section has guidance on carrying out a Training Needs
Analysis of your organisation and promoting learning across the whole organisation.

Training will boost the morale of your staff, increase their productivity and give
your
organisation the competitive advantage it needs in these tough economic conditions.

Improve Staff Morale

Training is a commitment towards developing the skills of your staff and cements their
importance to your organisation, which improves staff morale and loyalty.

Increase Productivity & Motivation

Training provides the structures, techniques and awareness to manage time and
workload efficiently, which increases productivity and motivates staff to achieve more.

Competitive Advantage

People buy from people. Training gives staff the skills to handle your customers
professionally and increase customer satisfaction. Training also improves
internal efficiency, which will keep you ahead of the competition.

Introduce Change

Some staff members may not welcome the opportunity to learn new skills and introduce
change for the benefit of the organisation. Hamilton Mercer Training offers expertise to
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guide and support staff in to new ways of improving their skills and attitude
towards professional communication and exceptional customer service.

Lower Recruitment and Training Costs

Effective training lowers staff turnover, which reduces recruitment and training costs.
Training provides the opportunity to gain or improve relevant skills or knowledge.
Health and safety training, for example, in the safe use of equipment and pesticides.
Regular refresher training is required under health and safety laws
Technical skills, such as how to handle and work safely with powerful machines
Other skills such as communication and leadership. These are required, for example,
by
employees in both logging areas and tourism roles
Customer care skills necessary for working with the public, other organisations
and internal customers.

There are some things you can put in place that will make it easier to carry out a Training
Needs Analysis. Here are some questions you can ask to help you identify what those are.
Do we have a strategic and operational
plan? Do we have an appraisal system?
Do all staff have up to date job descriptions?
Do all staff have written objectives?
Do we have a competency framework or use National Occupational Standards?
Do we have a training strategy or statement of committment supporting training and
learning?
Do we have effective formal and informal consultation processes across
the organisation?
The more questions you can answer „yes‟ to the easier it will be to carry out,
implement and evaluate a
Training Needs Analysis.

We have developed a diagnostic tool to help you identify and meet organisational
training
needs. This identifies the organisational processes that support training and learning
and signposts you to external resources that can help you plug any gaps.

Strategy and objectives

If you don‟t already have a strategy in place then your Training Needs Analysis needs to
start with defining your organisational strategy and objectives. NCVO has information on
how to define your organisational strategy and develop a strategic plan.
Once you have a clear picture of the organisation‟s strategy you can review
the knowledge
and skills needed for the organisation to acheive its objectives and address
any weaknesses.
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Use a SWOT analysis to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats
facing your organisation. Then ask the following questions about the skills, knowledge
and behaviours in your organisation. You can do this exercise with your
senior
management team. You may also want to include other staff and volunteers and / or
your Board depending on the size of your organisation. When thinking about the
knowledge within your organisation, remember to include staff, volunteers and trustees.

Strengths
How can you capture the good practice and expertise that already exists?
How can you build on the strengths, skills and knowledge already in the organisation?

Weaknesses
What skills, knowledge or behaviours could help address the identified weaknesses?

Opportunities
What skills, knowledge or behaviours that could help your organisation make the most of
the
opportunities?

Threats
What skills, knowledge or behaviours that could help your organisation manage and
overcome the
identified threats?
The answers you come up with in response to these questions will help you identify
the knowledge already in your organisation. You can then make plans to address any
knowledge and skills gaps.

Creating a learning culture

A learning culture is one in which learning is valued and is embedded across an
organisation. It takes time and commitment to establish a learning culture. However,
there
are a number of practices and tools you can use to promote and encourage learning.
People learn a lot from teaching others. Most people have a range of skills and
knowledge,
some of which may not be visible in their daily jobs but that is still useful to the
organisation. You can encourage people to share what they know with others – in writing,
at
team meetings, at staff conferences and events, either informally or more formally. You
may want to set up staff mentoring schemes whereby staff and volunteers are supported
to
share particular skills across different teams or levels of seniority.
There are initiatives such as Learning at Work day which encourage people to participate
in
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taster sessions on topics which may be unrelated to their daily work .

Investors in People is a quality standard which encourages good practice in developing

people‟s skills. As an externally assessed standard, Investors in People also means your
work in this area is recognised and they will help you to identify areas where you can
improve. There is more information on the Investors in People website or in Not for
Profit,
Fully Professional.

Skilled managers
Line managers need to have the necessary skills to work with staff and volunteers to
help them identify their training needs and the knowledge about how to meet them.
Having managers with the core competencies to carry out a training needs analysis of
their
team is partly about recruiting managers with those competencies and partly about
supporting your managers to develop these skills, including providing training for them.
The core competencies for a number of roles in third sector organisations, including
leaders
and managers, are outlined in our National Occupational Standards guides. These set
out
the competencies that people need to have to be able to do their jobs well and
the additional
skills they can develop to progress their career.

The National Occupational Standards for managers and leaders have information about
the competencies that good managers should have. You can use these to write job
descriptions and guide annual appraisals for your managers. They can also guide your
managers about the things they can do to support learning within their teams,
particularly the unit on Providing learning opportunities for colleagues.

If senior management and line managers can appreciate and become enthusiastic about
the
value of learning and development for both themselves and others, this sets the tone for
the
organisations. The Governance and Leadership team at NCVO can help with ideas and
opportunities for developing leadership.

4)
How is the function of Reward Management being applied/used/effectively used/
by the organised sector and other organisations in Indian context? Explain with
suitable examples, and base your answer on the credible studies
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and findings available in this regard. Give proper references and details
wherefrom you draw your answers.

Solution :

Introduction

The reward system emphasizes a core facet of the employment relationship: it

constitutes an economic exchange or relationship. Global forces impact on pay
systems. Changes in reward systems mirror changes in work design and organizations,
and the emphasis on individual performance.

The nature of reward management

There are two types of rewards: Extrinsic and Intrinsic

Pay or reward strategy is a plan and actions pertaining to the mix of direct & indirect
pay. Objectives of reward system are to attract and retain high performing employees,
maximize employee
performance, and satisfy legal standards.
All reward systems contain two elements that are in contradiction with each
other: cooperation and
tensions and conflict between employer and employee.

A model of reward management

Reward model contains five basic elements: strategic, reward objectives, reward options,
reward
techniques, and reward competitiveness.

Strategic perspective focuses on reward choices which support strategic goals.

Reward objectives emphasize the linkage between a reward system and human
behaviour. The
psychological contract emphasizes the importance of reward management.

Reward options for the organization include: base pay, performance pay, and indirect pay
(benefits).

2. Reward techniques examined include job analysis, job evaluation and performance
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appraisal. These
techniques are used to achieve, internal equity, which refers to the pay relationships
among jobs within
a single organization.

3. Reward competitiveness refers to comparisons between the organization‟s pay and that
of its
strategic competitors. External competitiveness depends upon, in part, labour market and
product
markets conditions and management‟s strategy.

Reward management is about the design, implementation, maintenance, communication

and
evolution of reward processes which help organizations to improve performance
and achieve their objectives.

Reward processes are based on reward philosophies and strategies and contain
arrangements in the shape of policies and strategies and contain arrangements in the
shape
of policies, guiding principles, practices, structures and procedures which are devised
and managed to provide and maintain appropriate types and levels of pay, benefits and
other forms of reward. This constitutes the financial reward aspect of the process which
incorporates processes and procedures for tracking market rates, measuring job values,
designing and maintaining pay structures, paying for performance, competence and skill,
and providing employee benefits. However, reward management is not just about money.
It
is also concerned with those non-financial rewards which
provide intrinsic or extrinsic motivation.

The key issues facing reward management are:

How to ensure that reward management strategies support the achievement of the
organization‟s
business strategies and satisfy the needs and aspirations of employees for
security, stability and career
development?
How to achieve internal equity and external competitiveness?
How to respond to a fragmenting pay market and maintain a reasonably coherent pay
structure?
How to concentrate on rewarding for output and maintain, indeed enhance
quality standards?
How can we reward individual performance and contribution and promote teamwork?
How to introduce sophisticated performance management process and ensure that
managers are committed and have the skills required to get the best out of them?
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How can we give high rewards to high achievers and motivate the core of the
employees upon whom
we ultimately have to rely?
How to achieve consistency in managing reward processes and provide for the
flexibility needed in ever-
changing circumstances?
How can we devolve power to the line managers to manage their own reward
processes and retain
sufficient control to ensure that corporate policies are implemented?
How to continue to provide motivation for those who have reached the top of their
pay range and
maintain the integrity of the grading system and contain costs?
How to introduce more powerful pay-for-performance schemes and ensure to get value
of money from
them?

How to deliver the message that improved performance brings increased reward and cap
bonus
earnings to cater for windfall situations or a particularly loose incentive scheme?
How to operate enterprise-wide bonus scheme and ensure that they increase motivation
and
commitment?
How to reward people for their outputs and their inputs?
How to operate job evaluation schemes as a means of allocating and controlling
gradings in a formal
hierarchy and cater for the role flexibility which is increasingly required in the
organization?

Key Reward Management Trends

Following are the key reward management trend in today’s scenario.

Greater sensitivity to sector and functional market practice to enable more effective
market positioning
to help with attracting and retaining high caliber employees.
The implementation of increasingly focused performance awards starting at the top
and working down
through organizations as performance orientation increases.
Pay increases linked to market worth and individual or team performance-not service
and/or cost of
living.
More attention given to achievement or success-oriented individual bonuses rather than
payment
increases in base pay.
A move towards team pay as the importance of teamwork increases.
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More flexible pay structures based on job families and using broader pay bands or pay
curves.
More integrated pay structures covering all categories of employees.
A growing linkage between pay practice and training and development initiatives through
the design
and implementation of skills and competency based pay processes which reward
the acquisition and use
of new skills and behaviors.
The development of integrated performance management systems with the emphasis
on coaching
development, motivation and recognition through the identification of opportunities to
succeed.
A search for simpler and more flexible approaches to job evaluation which enable a
move away from the
control of uniformity to the management of diversity. This will make use of techniques
such as job
family modeling and computer assisted job evaluation.
Increased awareness of the need to treat job measurement as a process for
managing relativities which,
as necessary, has to adapt to new organizational environments and much greater
role flexibility and can
no longer be applied rigidly as a system for preserving existing hierarchies.
More emphasis on the choice of benefits and „clean cash‟ rather than a multiplicity
of perquisites.
Greater creativity and sensitivity in benefit practice.

Purpose and Aim

The purpose of a pay structure is to provide a fair and consistent basis for motivating and
rewarding employees.
The aim is to further the objectives of the organization by having a logically designed
framework within which internally equitable and extremely competitive reward policies
can
be implemented, although the difficulty of reconciling often conflicting requirements
for equity and competitiveness has to be recognized.

The structure should help in the management of relativities and enable the organization to
recognize and reward people appropriately according to their job role size, performance,
contribution, skill and competence. It should be possible to communicate with the aid of
the
structure the pay opportunities available to all employees.
The pay structure should also help the organization to control the implementation of pay

policies and budgets.

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Criteria for Pay Structures

Pay structure should:

Be appropriate to the characteristic and needs of the organization: its culture, size
and complexity, the
degree to which it is subjected to change and the type and level of the people employed. Be
flexible in response to internal and external pressures, especially those related to
market rates and
skills shortages.
Facilitate operational and role flexibility so that employees can be moved around
the organization
between jobs of slightly different sizes without the need to reflect that size variation by
changing rates
of pay.
Give scope for rewarding high level performance and significant contributions while still
providing
appropriate rewards and recognition for the effective and reliable core employees
who form majority in
most organizations.
Facilitate rewards for performance and achievement.
Help to ensure that consistent decisions are made on pay in relation to job size,
contribution, skill and
competence.
Clarify pay opportunities, development pathways and career ladders.
Be constructed logically and clearly so that the basis upon which they operate can readily
be
communicated to employees.
Enable the organization to exercise control over the implementation of pay policies and
budgets.

Reward management has an important part to play in the development of cultures in

which
individuals and teams take responsibility for continuous improvement. It affects
organizational performance because of the impact it has on people‟s expectations as to
how
they will be rewarded

Organization must reward employees because in return, they are looking for certain kind
of
behavior; they need competent individuals who agree to work with a high level of
performance and loyalty. Individual employees, in return for their commitment, expect
certain extrinsic rewards in the form of salary, promotion, fringe benefits, perquisites,
bonuses or stock options. Individuals also seek intrinsic rewards such as feelings of
competence, achievement, responsibility, significance, influence, personal growth, and
meaningful contribution. Employees judge the adequacy of their exchange with the
organization by assessing both set of rewards.
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