Answer 1

Performance appraisal methods are used to review performance of the employees.

This helps in identifying the efficiency of the employee and find out whether his performance
was upto the expectations of the employer. Appraisals are given to the employees in order to
rewards them and get the best out of the employees that would in turn be beneficial to both
employees and employer. There are various types of performance appraisal methods used by
the companies to appraise their employees. The following are some of the appraisal methods.

Past oriented Methods- In this type of method the HR review performance of the employee
based on certain standard or merit of the employee. This is the traditional method used by
some organisations. Some of the traits used to evaluate the employee include knowledge,
versatility, punctuality, leadership etc.

Future oriented method- In this type of method the HR assess the employees based on his
qualities, skills possessed by him and his likely performance in the future. It can be done
using various techniques such as Psychological appraisal technique, Assessment centres etc

Different appraisal methods are used for different types of employees.

For hourly based employees Result based method can be very effective. Since hourly
employees are paid for per hour, thus the company expects them to deliver result as per their
wages. Result based methods are more focused on the outcome of the employee rather than
their traits. This type of method can be used for employees hired for specific purpose or for
workers working in a factory. Some of the result oriented appraisal method include KPIs
(Key Performance Indicators), MBO (Management by Objective), BSC (Balanced Scorecard)
etc. KPI can be the most effective method for hourly based employees. In this type of
method, the company sets certain goals that are require to be achieved at the end of the month
or designated period. The employee is required to achieve the goals inorder to be qualified for
the appraisal. For example, the goals can writing a certain amount of business, working
designated hours, getting agreed net profit for the company, calling certain no of clients etc.
This is a very simple method to assess the performance of the employee. It is purely result
oriented and requires no brainstorming to assess the performance of the employee. This type
of method is quantifiable in nature. In order to use this type of method for appraisal the
company should be keep track of the employees performance and simultaneously keep the
records of the same since it is purely performance oriented. KPIs can set according to the job
assigned to employee. Certain types of KPIs include, Strategic, operational, functional,
leading vs lagging etc.

A delivery driver’s job is to deliver various products to the desired destination in time and
without causing any type of damage to the product while it is in transit. Since the delivery
driver’s job is a field job, the following past oriented appraisal methods can be used.

- Critical Incident Method: The name itself suggest that the appraisal method is based on
the certain incident or event related to the job. In this method the employee is appraised
on the basis of performance of the employee in critical incidents that could be non
 recurring in nature. Many a times employees face difficult/tricky situation when they are
on the job. In such situations it is important on part of the employee to show presence of
mind and behave accordingly. The employer keeps record of such situations and reaction
of the employee. It could be either negative or positive. Delivery driver’s job is a field
job. He must be facing various situation while delivering the product to its destination.
For example, situations such as road block, recent lockdown due to Covid -19 pandemic,
when fellow worker is unable to attend his duties then taking up his job without casuing
any kind of delay etc. The performance of the employee in such tricky situations is
recorded and accordingly they are appraised.
- Paired Comparison Method
In this type of method the employer compares the performance of two employees at a
time and records the performance of two employee. For example the appraiser compare
the performance of A with B, Then A with C, A with D and so on. Then they record who
performs better among those pairs. This process is repeated for all the employees. In this
case the appraiser will record the performance of driver i.e how much deliveries he
makes compared to other driver in a particular time frame. They may also test the
performance in the same manner for any other desired parameter. After comparing the
performance the appraiser records who performed best among the pair and ranks them
accordingly. This makes the assessment easy and fair as all the employees are assessed.

The appraisal method mentioned above can be effective in appraising for the position of
driver because it is performance based. The job of driver is to ensure delivery of the
consignment. His performance can be measured more effectively by the above stated past
performance oriented method. They can give fair insight on his performance while he is
on the job. Instead of assessing his performance using theory based methods, he can be
assessed more efficiently by using practical based methods, since his job involves field
work.

Assessment method depend widely on the type of job the employee undertakes. Same
assessment method cannot be applied to all kind of jobs. For Example Jobs which
include planning, organizing etc cannot be assessed using traditional appraisal methods.
These jobs are done using more of skill, brainstorming, planning etc. These jobs can be
assessed using appraisal methods that focus more on the skill and outcome rather than
mere comparison with fellow employees.
Answer 2
Realistic Job Preview is a tool that is used by the employers to give insight of the job to the
potential candidate. This helps in understanding the actual job the potential employee would
be undertaking. A candidate applies for a job looking at the job description provided by the
HR of the company. This job description does not include entire job responsibilities. Many a
times employers expect their employees to complete their job in a certain manner, or work
overtime as per requirement. These expectations cannot be included in the job description
since they do not form part of the routine work. RJP is a tool used by HR manager to give
overview of the job before making a decision to join the company. In other words, it is used o
show candidates the reality position of the job. It is not a theory based presentation but, this
tool shows the candidate what a typical day at the job would look like. It includes daily
duties, working environment, challenges faced by the employees etc. It helps in finding the
right candidate that would stick to the company for a good period of time. Businesses
nowadays have started to use this tool in order to reduce the turnover of the employees.

RPJ can be created through the following elements.

1. Job Description- The HR should prepare Job description in such a way that is
provides through information about the duties to be undertaken by the candidate.
Before the candidate applies for particular position he should be well aware about the
responsibilities he is expected to undertake. Through job description he will be able to
self assessment before applying. When he has clarity about the job, he can decide
whether his experience, skills, knowledge can be used for that job. Job description
should be crisp and to the point. If the company requires an employee to put in extra
hours in order to complete the work, the same should be mentioned in the job
description. Job description should realistic in nature, and should showcase actual
tasks to be undertaken.
2. Day or week in the life of an employee- This can be called and extension of Job
Description. HR provides an in depth description of how an employee spends his day
at work. Description is given about how the day starts and ends for an employee. For
example it can include, a typical day for this position starts with attending team
meeting and allocating work to the subordinates, thereafter responding to emails of
the clients, making cold calls to potential clients, set meetings, go out to meet clients
etc. Similarly preview can be described a typical week. This give a candidate an
overview about how to work for that position.
3. Explaining company’s values and culture- The company should give clear picture
of the company to the candidates. This would enable the candidate to self evaluate
and understand whether they would be able to adapt to the company’s environment.
The company’s environment is made up of its core values and culture. For example
some companies have zero tolerance policy against any kind of fraud, sexual
harassment etc. Some companies hire employees who have the will and ability to put
in extra efforts towards achieving goal and thereby they are accordingly rewarded.
Such core values should be communicated to the candidate beforehand.
 4. Employee Interview: Employee interview is another tool used by HR to give
overview of the job or company. The candidates are given an opportunity to interview
the current employees who are working for the same position or department. This way
the candidate asks question related to the company and job to the employee to get an
idea about how is the working culture of the company. The expectation the companies
has from its employees, is the working condition favourable, are the goals given by
the company to individual employees realistic, whether the employees are rewarded
for the extra work etc. This way the candidate gets a chance to know about the job and
make a decision accordingly.
5. Multi-media presentation- The company provide multimedia presentation to the
employees in the form of videography, audio etc. The presentation contains overview
of the company including its short history, hardwork of certain extraordinary
employees shaped the company, overview of the job etc. The candidate can get
certain idea about the job with the help of multi media presentation. If the information
contained is not date sensitive it can be used for a long period of time. However this
type of RPJ is an expensive tool , thus it is used only for jobs which are not subject to
frequent changes.

RPJs can be used considering some of the following advantages:

- Lower employee turnover: High employee turnover is a huge problem faced by the
company. RPJ’s reduces the chances of employees leaving too soon, as they already have
a fair idea about the job and company before they join the company.
- Job Satisfaction: Job satisfaction is important as a dissatisfied employee is unable to
give his 100%. When the employee feel content with respect to work and benefits they
can contribute more the success of the company.
- Increasing Self-selection: When the employer posts to the point job description, the
candidates are able to self-evaluate thereby reducing irrelevant applications received by
the company.

As a manager or a business owner RPJ form a great tool to ensure that the right
candidates are hired for the desired job. During an interview, the interviewer gets a
chance to ask questions to the candidate and decide whether he could be a good fit for the
company, however by using RPJ’s not only the interviewer but also the candidate can self
evaluate whether he can be a good fit for the job. RPJ’s creates more transparency in the
hiring process. As the candidates are well aware about the Job, culture, values,
expectation of the company there are less chances of employees leaving the job midway.
Even though RPJ’s are can be sometimes expensive or time consuming but they help in
filtering the right candidate.
Answer 3a
Sakshi being a Harvard graduate and also having a good amount of experience in HR,
she used her experience and expertise in the right direction. She joined at a time when the
company was struggling with its reputation because of some unfavourable events that too
place and resulted in top management leaving the company. The following corrective
measures was taken by Sakshi inorder to bring the Turbo International back on track.

-Hire new management: Since most the top management executives left the company to due
various allegation faced by them for the wrong doings in the company. For a company to
function smoothly, it is important to hire the decision makers first i.e the top executives.
When the management is in place, the company can take important corrective steps for its
smooth functioning. She had to hire the right executive that could help in taking the right
decisions for the company.

-Formulate right compensation plan for top management: Executive compensation plan
include monetary and non- monetary benefits. It should be based on the experience,
accountability and analytical capacity of the individual. As the previous executive were
accused of using the company for their own monetary benefits, being a senior vice president
of human resource she had make the compensation plan attractive as well as beneficial for the
company. The above mentioned three aspects help in formulating the right compensation
plan. A) Experience- Experience plays an important role in decision making. Executive with
industry specific expertise helps in taking better strategic decisions. B) Accountability- The
person with more responsibility and accountability was rewarded more benefits than the other
ones. Accountability comes with a lot of responsibility as the person is directly held
accountable for the decision taken by him on behalf of the company C) Analytical capacity-
It refers to the problem solving ability of the executives. Executives with good analytical
skills are given higher compensation.

-Take HR related strategic decisions: The image of the company was tarnished due to
wrong doings in the company. The executives were accused of using the company for their
personal benefits. When such events take place in the company it directly affects the business
and business relations of the company. Business tie ups gets affected and a lot of monetary
and image damage takes place. In order to deal with this situation Sakshi had to take certain
strategic decision that would help in image building amongst the employees and business
fraternity.

Being an experienced HR personnel Sakshi had strong background in working as an HR, thus
her expertise helped in getting the company back on track. She emphasized on the above
mentioned strategic decisions that focused on the real issues of the company took right
corrective action that helped in smooth functioning of the company. Every company has good
and bad days and it is part of the business, however overcoming such tough situations
strategically and taking right decisions at at the right time is the key to any successful
business.
Answer 3b
Apart from the measures taken by Sakshi to tackle the unusual situation, being an HR the
following corrective actions can be taken to repair the damages caused by previous
executives.

-Carry out HR investigation: Even though the top executives left the company after
committing the wrong doings. As a newly appointed HR, I would have set up an investigation
team to look into matter and carry out thorough investigation of the incident. The
investigation team helps in finding the loopholes and modus operandi of the previous
executives. This information can be used to take further corrective measures.

-Create a clear and progressive disciplinary policy: In order to avoid any such incidents in
the future it is important to pass on the message to the rest of teams in entire hierarchy of the
company. By creating strict disciplinary policy, the employees will have a clear picture of the
consequences, they could face if such incidents are repeated. The disciplinary policy should
communicate clear consequences of such actions i.e some unethical behavior may direct for
straight termination and further legal action while one actions of soft nature may lead to
suspension for a certain period of time etc.

-Communication of disciplinary action policy: All employees must be aware of the

disciplinary action policy and the consequences they will suffer if they commit any unethical
act. It should be made available in the HR system of the company or it should be circulated
among employees during training sessions or seminar.

-Explain how to appeal the decision: The employees must be made well aware about how
the decision of management in such cases can be appealed. If the employee feels that he has
been framed and want to put forward his side of story, he should be able to appeal the
decision to prove his innocence. It is the duty of the decision makers to conduct thorough
investigation and hear both sides of the story before coming to any conclusion.

-Document the disciplinary action: Disciplinary action against any employee should be
well documented for future reference in the employee’s record book. It will also help in
managing progressive actions and create legally defensible process.

-Keeping the policy updated: Updating the policy from time to time is important. With
changing time and advancement in technology, the modus operandi also changes. Similarly
the company should frame it’s policy in a certain way the such incidents do not occur in the
future. Also the company should build it’s IT infrastructure in such a way that such incidents
can be tracked at its initial stage to prevent any further damages. For e.g. Auto scanning of
Email communications, prohibition of outside sharing of company’s sensitive information
etc.

Taking disciplinary action has domino effect for company as well as the employees. It is
always an unpleasant scenario because it causes bilateral damage to the company and its
employees. However, the above mentioned additional measures could be taken to safeguard
the company’s as well as it’s employees interest.