Taguig City University- Graduate School

BA 206 – Human Resource Management

Master’s in Business Administration
Midterm Examination, Second Semester, SY 2023-2024

March 23, 2024

Name: Daniella Mariz G. Lamptey Date: March 23, 2024

1. First operative function is Recruitment and Selection, this function involves

recruiting, talent acquisition, sourcing and hiring candidates for a job position.
Example of this is posting job openings in different job boards such as linkedIn,
jobstreet, social media, etc. Second, is training and development after a
candidate is onboarded a hire should undergo training to learn about the
company, their job description and the scope of work they need to do and
accomplish. Training also includes enhancement of skills and developing the
current skill an employee already has. Examples of this is, leadership training,
upscaling, reskilling etc. Third is, compensation and benefits, this includes the
salary packages an employee is entitled to, this is the monetary value a
employee is entitled to in exchange of work or service. It may also include
incentives they may receive and other perks to attract employees and motivate
them. Examples of this are health insurance, monthly or annual incentives,
retirement plans and many more.

2. a. Training and Development Programs

Benefits of training and development programs are it improves employee
performance with this employees can acquire new skills that they can use in their
everyday corporate life and also they can enhance the skills that they already
have by retaining and acquiring an advanced skill set. Also, training and
development programs motivates employees and makes the team form a bond of
familiarity with each member. Examples of this are the activities in the training
like getting to know each other employees can share some facts about
themselves and share their hobbies and talents with each other that can make
the team more close. The challenges with this is that not all companies can
provide training and development programs for it is expensive with hiring a
trainer from the venue and transportation the employees will need if needed be. It
is also a time constraint because employees are working 5 days a week and their
free time is only on weekends and some are allocating this time for their families.
Examples of the challenges are employees having to do house chores like
laundry, taking care of the house, doing grocery and such.
b. Establishing Employee Relations
The benefits of establishing employee relations is that this can help improve the
work environment in the company. Employees feel more secure when they feel
they are well taken care of and the company is considerate of their employees.
This can increase employee morale, improve productivity, it can also improve
communication and conflict inside the work environment will reduce there for
employee turnover will lessen. Example is when the manager is more
approachable employees can easily express their worries and feelings that are
affecting the work and find ways to work around it or deal with it. However, the
challenges that may arise is that with communication there can also be
miscommunication, also some employees may be overwhelmed with change that
they can react negatively that can affect the team. Also, it is also a challenge
because there is a diverse workforce in a company and everyone has their own
background and differences that may later on hinder communication with the
team. Example of this is just like when the national election happened all my
co-workers have different opinions on who to vote I was team BBM at that time
and almost all my team members are team LENI and because of their strong will
to advocate other they were able to say some negative comments that I did not
like and that left a negative effect on me, and resulted to a coaching session with
my manager just to vent out how I felt, so that are is just one example.

c. Equality and Diversity

Equality and diversity brings people together despite individual differences. With
this some benefits are increased innovation and productivity with different
creative minds together a team can bring out best results. Also, it can help
enhance decision-making because it comes from all perspectives and when it
comes to the work environment it can help make the work environment more
inclusive. The challenges that equality and diversity may face is resistance to
change. Most companies are open to change but some companies that are
owned, for example by religious groups, have difficulty adapting to this. Also, lack
of representation is a challenge when it comes to equality and diversity as well as
retention and career development. The most common example is the disability
issue. There are no designated ramps for persons using wheelchairs or no
elevator working in the company building knowing that there are some
employees with disabilities.
 d. Grievance and Discipline
The benefits of grievance and discipline is that employees have a formal process
to raise concerns, complaints, and feedback related to anything that involves
their employment and the company. It can also benefit in terms of employee
satisfaction because if an employee feels that all raised concerns, complaints,
and feedback are being addressed it can increase an employees trust in the
company as well as their morale and job satisfaction that may lead to a positive
environment.
The challenges however are time consuming because the process may take time
to investigate as well as confidentiality purposes because employees are afraid
to voice out their concerns, complaints, and feedback knowing that if the HR
finds out this may lead to termination or other disciplinary action or more internal
conflict with the people involved. Example is when you notify the HR manager
that there is a manipulation of task and you raise it anonymously but later on the
people involved found out it was you and internal conflict occurs that leads to
your resignation because you cannot handle the negative effect it has on you so
this is one challenge that can occur.

3. A job analysis support the various Human Resources Management functions:

Recruitment and Selection job analysis can provide an accurate job description
of what exactly we are looking for an employee to hire, it includes the skills,
qualifications and experiences that we need to know if an applicant is a suitable
candidate. This can help the HR in effective hiring and decision-making.

Training and Development analysis helps HR to know or gauge the skills the
employee already has and what skills an employee should be taught and acquire
during the training that can be later be used in performing the task he needs to
do in the company. This helps HR set the standard and clarify job expectations
and can later be used to identify areas that need improvement.

Performance Appraisal analysis is the basis for performance of an employee.

This helps the HR identify performance standards and can help in setting
expectations for employee performance and guiding performance evaluations.

Compensation Management this analysis is when your job is evaluated and if

you pay is set to the standard. Companies compare pay to different jobs within
the organization based on factors such as skills required, responsibilities, and
working conditions.
 Legal Compliance analysis is the fair process that an employee should be
entitled to. It may be in the recruitment and selection process training, and
performance appraisal, employee pay and other benefits that should all be
conducted based on the legal compliance or legal standard. It should all be
documented to avoid or reduce the risk of legal challenges related to
discrimination or unfair treatment.

4. To improve the quality of their interviewing, first, the hiring process should be
standardized. All interviewers should have a standardized process, questions
and criteria for all candidates, this helps with the fairness in the evaluation
process.

Second, to train the interviewer, they should have hiring techniques and skills like
attention to detail, active listening and good decision making.

Third, ask behavioral questions to gauge their skills.

Fourth, have 2 sets of interview one with the interviewer to gather all the criteria
set for the job qualification and the second is with the manager that the candidate
will be endorsed to if she or he passes because they will be the one to know if
the candidate is really fit to the position they will be assigning him because they
are the ones who know and work the job.

Fifth, utilize assessment tools like the personality test, cognitive test, critical
thinking test and many more. This can further give you insights and can help with
the evaluation if the candidate has the skills you need to perform the said job.

Sixth, document interview notes, this can later be used in evaluations. Also,
provide feedback and also ask for feedback for each end (candidates and
interviewers).

Part 2: Problem Solving/Caselet Analysis

1. a. Is Bob's system legal? Why or not?

No, Bob's hiring system is not legal. EEO Laws is the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces laws that prohibit discrimination in
hiring based on factors like race, religion, national origin, sex (including
pregnancy), age (40 or older), disability, or genetic information.
 Bob's system is a form of discriminatory basis where it relies on "sizing up"
applicants based on personal judgment, which can easily lead to discrimination
based on protected characteristics. There's no objective criteria to assess skills
or qualifications.

b. What defense options exist for Bob's company in the event that his
system of selection is challenged for being discriminatory?
The company may defend Bob by stating that their hiring process includes
reading people. But as a call center agent all skills should be gauge technically
and objectively. Bona Fide Occupational Qualification (BFOQ) are laws
prohibiting discrimination in employment. Bob’s system is a form of discrimination
and can have legal punishments if the candidate tends to report it.

The company’s defense is weak because it lacks objective criteria. The company
has no proof that this system is effective and it lacks data that a candidate is fit
to be a call center agent by just looking at or "sizing up" applicants. If in any
chance many applicants have been rejected using this system it can be
considered as bias or discrimination.

2. The result of Paula’s file for claim of sex and pregnancy discrimination with the
EEOC will be likely to be successful because based on the law, Violation of
Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA): The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978
amended Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit sex discrimination on
the basis of pregnancy. If Paula can demonstrate that her termination was
motivated by her pregnancy, she would have a strong case for a violation of the
PDA.

Paula needs to provide evidence that her termination at the school was due to
her pregnancy, this may include a letter of termination, any form of
communication with her direct supervisor informing her of her termination and
other forms of evidence.

Also, this will likely push through with legal proceedings the school might argue
that St. Joseph's Day School is a religious institution and as a Catholic school,
they have the right to make employment decisions based on religious beliefs.
Also because they strongly uphold the moral conduct policy, they could claim a
policy against premarital sex justifies termination.
Hence, this is more favorable in Paula’s situation because the argument the
school raised is a form of discrimination. Firing Paula solely because she's
pregnant and unmarried discriminates based on sex, regardless of a moral
conduct policy. Also, based on the EEOC Precedent, The EEOC has ruled
against schools firing unmarried pregnant teachers, stating such policies unfairly
target women.

Therefore, while the pastoral or sacred rule exception exists, it likely wouldn't
apply to Paula's situation. Courts are more likely to find in her favor due to sex
and pregnancy discrimination.