Case Study for ABC Inc.
Introduction
There were a number of problems encountered during the recent hiring process. This case study is an attempt to identify and recommend ways to improvement this process. From the information that has been obtained I believe that a combination of a lack of employee experience, and a lack of prior planning and follow up resulted in a failure to accomplish all the tasks necessary to hire the new employees in a timely fashion.
Background
Carl Robins is a new recruiter for the company. In early April he was able to hire 15 new trainees who were destined to work for Monica Carrolls, the operations supervisor. From the interviews which I conducted it appears Carl was unable to accomplish all of the things necessary so that the new hires could begin work. These things included documentation, drug testing, material preparation for orientation, and facility scheduling.
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Carl Sagan photo in 'Contact'
J.J. Hill & Carl Gray (LOC)Monica Carrolls did contact Carl on May 15 concerning his progress with the hiring process.
It appears that other employees had failed to keep the paper copy of the master orientation manual current so that it can be quickly copied. Another factor involved in this situation appears to be the rapid expansion of the company.
Alternatives
Because there was more than one problem we must focus on a number of different solutions.
Prior planning by Carl could have eliminated some of the issues; however, Carl's inexperience would probably still have resulted in there being some problems. I believe the major source of these problems is systemic. The company has failed to provide relatively inexperienced employees, like Carl, with comprehensive procedures and job practices. Under the topic of supervision, Monica Carrolls could have made contact more often with Carl: but her job, as operations manager, does not include his supervision.
Another solution to the supervision problem could be to increase the staff in the Human Resources Department. However, on examination this does not appear to be the most efficient solution due to its increased costs.
One alternative could be to institute a "New Employee Checklist". This checklist would be used to ensure that each new employee has fulfilled the required steps for employment. This list could have been used, by employees like Carl, as a planning tool. Since the company is expanding, we are going to continue to face the task of hiring new people in the future. However, this list is only a partial solution to the problems.
Another solution would be to maintain the master "New Employee Orientation" manual in electronic format, as opposed to the current paper format. Having the manual in electronic form allows for easy updating of the policy and procedures, and prevents inadvertent loss or damage to that document. This method is cost effective and easily implemented.
A potential fix to the supervisory problems encountered with Carl Robins could be the requirement for a weekly report concerning the status of all potential new employees. We need to discuss to whom these reports would be sent. This would ensure that if there is a problem or omission that the supervisor could take action to correct it.
Some of the responsibility for the completion of the new employee tasks could be placed on the new employees themselves. When a person is notified that they are being offered the job, they should be given a checklist of tasks to perform. As each of the tasks is completed a member of the Human Resources staff should record it on the employees form, and a master form kept in the H.R. office. An additional benefit of this process could be to assist us in identifying those potential new employees who may not be capable or motivated to following through on tasks. This could assist in preventing some supervisory problems in the future.
Proposed Solutions
I am going to propose several solutions to this problem:
1. A "New Employee Checklist" will be created with all pre-employment tasks listed on it.
2. The "New Employee Orientation" manual will be maintained in an electronic format.
3. Some of the pre-employment tasks will become the responsibility of the potential employees to accomplish. Potential employees will report when the tasks have been completed. A member of the HR staff will confirm that the task has been completed correctly.
4. Employees like, Carl Robins, will be required to submit weekly reports detailing the current status of all potential employees.
Recommendations
The importance of the process to hire new employees can not be overstated. New employees are the only way the work of this organization gets accomplished. Their efforts to sustain the continued growth and profits of this company cannot be ignored. With the continued growth of the company the proposed solutions that I make today may need to be modified as the company becomes larger. I recommend that we conduct a periodic review of the hiring process; looking for ways to improve it. I suggest this review be done on an annual basis.