Human Resources Management 02

1.      Prepare a memorandum to the new manager outlining the procedures you would recommend to prepare for the arrival of a candidate for a recruitment interview.

Good morning Dian, In view of the arrival of a potential new recruit I would like to make a few suggestions: ·         Spend time reviewing the job description and specific skills that are required to perform the job. That will help you focus on the information you need to obtain. ·         Put the candidate at ease. Interviewing can be stressful, so do your best to help candidates relax. Make sure he is greeted and escorted, if necessary, to the interview location. ·         Study the candidate’s application and resume so you can ask specific questions about work history and job skills. ·         Tell the candidate a little about the job, a brief summary of the position, including the prime responsibilities, reporting structure, key challenges and performance criteria. This will help the candidate provide relevant examples and responses. ·         Take notes. Write down important points, key accomplishments, good examples and other information that will help you remember and fairly evaluate the candidate. ·         Invite candidates to ask questions. That will help you understand what the candidate expects and wants from this company. I hope I was helpful. Kind Regards Maria Dellaporta

2.      Discuss the main points that management should consider when organizing internal training for their employees.

Internal training offers employers and employees advantages that are not found when you send an employee to an external training program or seminar. Training transfer occurs more naturally and employees cement learning through training other employees. On-the-job training that enhances an employee's skills and ensures her readiness for the next promotion, is generally far superior to a public seminar. Employees appreciate the chance to develop knowledge and skills without ever leaving work. And, you can customize the on-the-job training employees receive to your workplace needs, norms, and culture. Internal job training and employee development bring a special plus. Unlike external job training, examples, terminology, and opportunities can reflect the culture, environment, and needs of your workplace. Another reason the company might opt for internal training is that it has more control over the actual space and time of the process. The company has complete control over the curriculum that will be specified for the needs of the particular enterprise. Also the participants will be able to have a saying in the whole planning and executing of the course. That has double value because that way (a) employees are more likely to be motivated if it is ‘their project’ rather than something they are forced to do and (b) they can customize it timewise and spacewise to better suit their needs and therefore make the most out of it.     The company has a few options when it comes to training methods and should consider what would suit their needs best. ·         Hire a professional. The company might decide to hire a qualified trainer that will visit the office or place of employment and share his experience and knowledge with the staff ·         Require Employees Who Attend External Training to Do Job Training. If a member of staff has external training (example attends a seminar or has a university degree etc) then that member can train other employees. ·         Lateral Move. The employee moves to an equivalent role in an organization for job training and career development. Though the new role usually provides a similar salary range it is very important for the personal development of the individual and long term for the company. ·         Job Shadowing can provide job training as well. Job shadowing is also an excellent approach to the job training of employees who provide back up for jobs such as payroll. ·         Provide Internet, Intranet, and Webinar Training Classes and Resources.

3.      What do you understand by the expression the morale of the worker? What are the indicators of low morale? Describe how morale may be improved.

Employee morale is the emotions, attitude, satisfaction, and overall outlook of employees during their time in a workplace environment. Employees that are happy and positive at work are said to have positive or high employee morale. Companies that maintain employees who are dissatisfied and negative about their work environment are said to have negative or low employee morale. Some of the signs of low morale include uncooperative attitudes and lack of enthusiasm. Simply put people are bored. Then there is fault-finding. People can find fault in anything, but when they do work they believe in with co-workers they trust, it doesn’t happen. Fault - finding leads to increasing complaints that are always an indicator of something wrong. Growing tardiness and absenteeism as well as breakdown in discipline are grounds for disciplinary action, but they also trigger an alarm for the astute manager. Also deterioration in the appearance of the work area. Some people are naturally neat or messy, but when morale is low it gets worse. Another warning sign is chronic long faces. You know your people enough to know when individual situations are different from unhappy looks on everyone every day. The real serious problems start when low morale becomes a rallying point. If people form a consensus about how lousy their employer is and discuss it openly, you’ve got serious trouble. There are many simple ways and tricks to boost morale: (1) treating employees with respect, (2) providing regular employee recognition, (3) empowering employees, (4) offering open and regular communication about factors important to employees, (5) providing feedback and coaching, (6) offering above industry-average benefits and compensation, (7) providing employee perks and company activities, and (8) positively managing employees within a success framework of goals, measurements, and clear expectations.

4.      Why would a HR manager promote group working practices?

Group work enables people accomplish tasks faster and more efficiently. Cooperating together on various tasks reduces workloads for all employees by sharing responsibilities or ideas. Group work also reduces the work pressure on every worker, which allows him to be thorough in the completion of the assigned roles. Working as a group is important in an organization because it provides employees with an opportunity to bond with one another, which improves relations among them. A situation in which all of them find a chance to contribute towards the tasks improves relations within the group and enhances their respect and trust for each other. Group increases the accountability of every member of the group, especially when working under people who command a lot of respect within the business. Group members do not want to let each other down and hence do their best to contribute to the successes of their groups. In contrast to working solo, peer pressure is usually high within groups such that cases of low morale are less likely to impact individuals. Cooperating is an opportunity for new workers to learn from more experienced employees. Groups often consist of members who differ from one another in terms of skills or talents. Working together is a great opportunity to acquire skills that an employee never had beforehand. Group work affords people the opportunity to challenge the ideas of each other and come up with more creative and effective solutions. Hospitality is by its nature a group effort. It takes a lot of planning and cooperation between different departments to produce results and the overall quality of the services provided depends not just on individual efforts from various teams but by coordination. After all the best reservation team cannot keep a hotel fully booked if housekeeping is not able to provide clean rooms on time and the best breakfast staff cannot keep guest returning if the front office is not up to standards. In small and medium hotels reception is the key that liaises between departments so that everything runs smoothly. They are responsible for providing information between departments to help prioritize their workload and keep the guests happy. But apart from cooperation between departments it is necessary for groups like housekeeping or reservations to work as teams to achieve their goals. In order for that to happen there must be clear communications between members of the same team and a specific chain of command that will establish discipline and efficiency.

5.      The health and safety at work act 1974 applies to: a. All employers with more than 5 employees b. Only employers in the Office, Shops and Factories c.       All employers d. Only employers with employees over the age of 18

The health and safety at work act 1974 applies to (a) all employers with more than 5 employees. Section 2 states that "It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his/her employees" and in particular that such a duty extends to: ·         Maintenance of equipment so as to be safe to use ·         Arrangements for ensuring, safety and absence of risks to health when using, handling, storing and transporting articles and substances ·         Training of employees to ensure their health and safety at work ·         Maintenance of any place of work as well as any means of access to it (within reason) in such a condition that it is safe and without risks to health   ·         It is the employer’s duty to provide a working environment for his employees that is reasonably safe and without risks to their welfare.