Graduate HRM Course: Final Research Learning Assignment On HR Plan

Graduate Human Resource Management (HRM) Course

Final Research Learning Assignment On HR Plan:

 

APUS-HRMT600 1001 Spr 12 Week 8 – Final Assignment

Valerian B-K. Masao II

Human Resources Management, Spring 2012

Dr. Jill

July 1^st, 2012

This HR Plan, final project paper is focused on the role of HRM in the organization that I currently work for as Project Manager, one of the crucial dependent of HRM Division for operational and achieving the organizational goals’ purposes. The organization was established 1800, as the Benevolent Society of the New York’s greater Capital District/Region and surroundings to assist local indigent women and children as an orphan asylum.

Currently, the organization is a multi-service agency that provides, cares and services to children, adults and families with special developmental/disabilities, emotional, and behavioral needs, i.e. skill building, day habilitation, special needs community advocacy and support, planned respite, family/care giver supports and services, crisis avoidance, management and training, immediate crisis response services, intensive in-home and out-home supports, crisis respite and overall Activities of Daily Living (ADL) to our clients. Although over duration of time the faces of my organization and programs have changed since its establishment the needs of the youth, adults and families remain constant to feel saved, to receive comfort to grow and thrive. This duration of time, my organization has transformed due to the reformed laws and technology development (societal reformations) that have changed the way we interact, socialize, and carry out our daily business; thus HRM is also forced to change and cope with the intensely mass-changes (DeCenzo & Robbins, 2010, p. 4).

The organization is designed and structured to operate and render service care to its population/client/residents under divisions/departments. The organization’s management starts with CEO for organizational leadership. Community Service Division Director is responsible for assisting the CEO to administer a comprehensive network of services; families with children at risk for out of home placement receive in-home assistance from trained professionals with specific services in-home and out-of-home respite, parent training, skill building and family advocacy. The business Office division Director is responsible for assisting the CEO to administer the organization’s overall financial dealings. Human Resource Division Director is responsible in assisting the CEO to administer employees’ relations, career training and development, recruitment and hiring, policy and goals enforcement, organizational compliance to the laws, union provisions matters, benefits and compensations, job descriptions and overall human resources and affairs of the organization in conjunction with meeting the organizational strategic goals. Information Technology (IT) Director is responsible assisting CEO to administer overall organizational information system is set to meet the demands and challenges of today’s deliverance of care and services that organization offers, likewise to meet the demands and challenges that the organization may face tomorrow. The Residential Treatment Center (RTC) Director is responsible assisting the CEO to administer the main campus 78 wooded acres with ponds, nature trails, an adventure course, and a gymnasium features so that they can offer opportunities for growth and development in a safe, nurturing, and therapeutic atmosphere to the peoples that organization serves. Finally, the Educational Facility (School Program) Director, is located in the RTC, is responsible assisting the CEO to administer and fosters cooperative learning and individual instruction to prepare students for community schools as registered secondary school with the set goal of student-to-computer ratio of 2:1.

Organizational tasks/work projects are accomplished through the above divisions working interdependently. Above all, Human Resources Management under the HRM Division Director is the sole important division within the organization operating as the center channel to link functions and demands of these other organizations. Normally, HRM does this through available and/or sought resources, such as, skilled and trained employees/professional, solutions to the divisional problems, projection of performance toward organizational strategic goals, benefits and compensations, employees and career development and standardized employees recreational, socialization, empowerment and interpersonal activities for the employees’ well-being and organizational growth. As an HRM, supporting employees of my organization include assisting these divisions and my program which is under CS Division by staffing through the hiring process toward filling the positions needed. Training and developmental skill building prepare the hired employees to be ready for the organization’s jobs, motivating employees by stimulating them to feel enthusiastic about the job and the organization, and maintaining employees by creating the environment of keeping the staff within the organization (DeCenzo & Robbins, 2010, p. 33).

The organization is successful to meet its tasks as pointed out above through the divisions by collaborating with the HRM division. This is testimony that technological advancement and evolution of laws in society as we have experienced throughout the century has changed HRM on a number of issues, such as, the way to recruit, employee selection, train and develop employees, discipline employees, ethics and employees’ rights, motivating knowledge employees, compensate and reward employees-market value, communicate with employees, decentralized work sites, employees skill levels, and legal concerns (DeCenzo & Robins, 2010, p. 6- 8).  

Major competitors of my organization are New Visions, Rensselear County New York Area Resources Center (ARC), Center For Disability Services (CDS), Parsons, New York State Office of People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) and Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), Schenectady County New York Area Resources Center (ARC) and Saratoga County New York Area Resources Center (ARC). In New York, completion is prevalent for individuals that are hard-to-place because every organization would prefer the higher function individuals because they are less demanding in terms of staffing and level of 24/4 care. Therefore, state agencies tend to incentivize distribution of individual placement by using appointed special committee that oversee placement, it is somewhat standardized and fair fiscally also, Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement regulations plays big role on placement. The difference between organizations is family members and guarding involvement, of which one of manager’s roles in my organization is to build a bridge of good and mutual relationships with the individuals’ families by having a say on care and advocacy for their love ones, as they are always involved in decision making processes fervently, such as major medical procedure consents and reportable incidents as per New York State Jonathan’s Act.

Factors that I believe are critical and/or dire to success in my organization are such as fiscal uncertainty, suspended employer contribution to the employees’ retirement (benefits), understaffing and tool less management. All these underline factors causes what I call an organizational core-problem, which is the “employees’ morale”, because they affect staff/employees and in effect their morale goes down almost like domino-effect. In the duration of this course, to my surprise, the solutions are intertwining in coordination with the leadership, management and employees. As outlined above, the HRM Director is responsible assisting the CEO to administer employees’ relations, career training and development, recruitment and hiring, policy and goals enforcement, organizational compliance to the laws, union provisions matters, benefits and compensations, job descriptions and overall human resources and affairs of the organization in conjunction with meeting the organizational strategic goals. The decision maker is solemnly the CEO’s, and in my organization the CEO is having conflicting strategies. To my knowledge, the CEO needs to know that the fiscal problem starts with the leadership, management and then employees; likewise, fixing it will need to start with leadership, management then employees. Instead, she/he is adopting a backward strategy by fixing the fiscal messy starting with employees on issues like staffing, compensations, reward. She/he want more from employees for less, and she is keeping her/his leadership inner-cycle with more for doing less so that they can be loyal and advance enforcement the CEO’s policies, this is contrary to what Morgan, (1998), urged the organizations’ leadership to reward and motivate its employees so that they can see themselves as winners (p. 120).

If staffs are not happy, utilized to function to the organization’s strategic goals and not well connected, then production goes down and fiscal messy persists; thus, HRM is to assist leadership in decision making process toward utilizing what Fitz-Enz, (1997), called the Best Human Asset Management (BHAM) practice as benchmarks to an enduring organizational commitment in achieving its strategic goals effectively and efficiently (p. 13). However, HRM can do so much to connect the employees and enforce the policies, but if leadership is not taking any advice, and adopts his/her ways or high-way, HRM is stuck to watch the messy unfolding. In two years we have had the entire HRM gone and we’ve hired new HRM staffs, in the last 3 months. The issue is not HRM, rather the leadership that HRM answers to, and when HRM staffs can’t crack the leadership and may be told to do things contrary to their professions, they tend to resign in just a month, that is the catastrophic failure and organizational problem by design and structure. Hence, leadership ought to support and utilize skills and knowledge of HRM professionals to achieve its goals and not rather to handicap them through top leadership agenda; because HRM professionals are trained in psychology, sociology, organization and work design and law and are regulated by multiple laws and regulations that their profession has to function under (DeCenzo & Robbins, 2010, p. 31).

The culture of my organization is to empower youth, adults and families to build a brighter future. Its value is to continue the work of providing life-changing care to the developmental disabled youth, adults and families in the communities it serves; this in and itself is the culture of organization and the mentality of its people as employees. Historically, the cultural phenomenon has changed as that of its society caused by developments. The Employees, affiliates, kids, individuals, families and the greater Capital District/Region communities that we serve are the proof that my organization is vastly diversified serving as one culture yet with countless sub-cultures. My organizational culture as a host culture is generally not uniform, Morgan, (1998), illustrated that is due to organization been made up with people who often have different backgrounds, personalities, beliefs, traits and sometimes languages, are often becoming sub-cultures but do share much in common with the organization (p. 112).

Information at the organization is communicated through multiple forms, electronically through digital devices, manually through old fashion inter-department envelop and face-to-face communication. However, advance technology under the IT department cellphones, email and access to centralized intranet-network database throughout multiple workstation locations where organization operates has grown faster and made things easier, programs effective and efficient, compare to the use of regular phone, fax and mailing systems. The changes in communication and technology helps the organization to see that the world is changing thus, organization is able to withstand the future through managing approaches and manage information systems; Laudon & Laudon, (2008), put these overtime communication and technological changes in two categories i.e. behavioral approach and technical approach (p. 28).

The organization recruitment and hiring process is highly regulated by the state and federal laws, especially to the Direct Care Worker (DCW) who is directly entrusted to advocate, care and serve the individuals who are the most vulnerable population. The selection process is a bit cumbersome, but with relief from students and graduates who are ready for an entry level position and to obtain profession credentials; of which my agency has very good reputation for career development to high school, college and graduate students, entry level hiring process. As manager, I do participate in the hiring process if a recruited employee is for my program, my division’s director does the first interview, then I do the second interview, which is followed by orientation; during the interview I conduct, I always strive to find as much information as possible before offering a job because I assist the HRM process and hiring process is the strategic goal for HRM in achieving organizational goals (DeCenzo and Robbins, (2012), p. 167).

The hiring process at my organization include the selection and recruitment process designed to produce qualified employees, who meet the requirements as per job description, through the internal and external advertisements i.e. job fairs, internet, walk-in and employee referral program-$200 reward to employees who refers a new hire and stay with the organization past the 6 month probation period.  The HRM office here focuses on selection activities because the hiring process can easily predict which applicants will perform satisfactorily on the job(s) needed to be filled, thus the hiring process starts with recruitment, selection, conditional job offer, orientation, finger printing and FBI clearance check the permanent job offer (DeCenzo and Robbins, 2010, p. 171).

The organization uses standardized metrics to evaluate the costs with statistical data that measures cut scores that are enticed in the employees’ performance appraisal in meeting organizational goals (DeCenzo and Robbins, 2010, p. 174). As manager, I use the performance management system that is related to organization’s strategic goals and its needs to evaluate my employees’ performance appraisal that assists HRM to increase pay, promotion or assistance in personal development area for which certain employees may need some training. The organization is not perfect, and is working progress on Leniency Error, Hello Error and Similarity Error as factors that can affect performance appraisal and raise ethical issues. However, to avoid that the organization, is in line with  DeCenzo & Robbins, 2010, on the performance appraisal as it must convey to employees how well they have done on the set of established goals; likewise reflecting employee development by point out the areas that employees has deficiency and need improvement (p. 232).

Currently, the organization compensates employees monetarily directly through wages, tuition reimbursements, mileage reimbursements, salary, bonuses and or profit sharing, and compensation indirectly through employer backed benefits, such as, retirement plans, paid vocation, paid bereavement, paid sick leaves and purchase discounts. As a HRM professional, I will use the monetary and none monetary compensation as incentives to rewards and attract employees’ expectations and deign such reward system to seek cost effectiveness through employee pay structure that may attract, motivate and or retain competent employees and it is something that will seem fair to them at the same time (DeCenzo & Robbins, 2010, p. 279-298). The experience shows that employees are happier when they have choices of benefits and get rewarded for good performance, thus, this will be a good incentive to in my plan. Also, my plan will include renegotiation with the union contract to put an incentive of good of compensation based on performance, production and profit, not to just agree to employee raise without consider these three major growth aspects.

Also, it is effective to use employees’ performances as a compensation incentive by composing their performance into organizational expectations directly into its goal planning through evaluation that continuous performance and feedback will help HRM to decide compensation offers selectively i.e. monetary and non-monetary rewards through a standardized system for ethics reasons. It is also, however, for HRM professionals to remember that we have code of ethics and a legal obligation when hiring promoting, evaluating, developing job descriptions and compensating employees. The laws expects HRM professionals to adhere to requirements for minimum wages, child labor laws, overtime pay, discriminating, and record keeping to protect employees, of which organizations are bound to follow i.e. the Civil Right Acts, Equal Pay Act, Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO).

Finally, thanks to this course and Dr. Jill’s teaching methodology that helped us to understand and grasp its objectives. I learned a great deal of HRM practices and strategic goals, including diversification, socialization, knowledge on multiple disciplines, understanding interpretation of laws and regulation that directly affect HRM profession and the human psychology as whole. In this instance, I have benefited a lot, I just did a performance appraisal last week and my supervisor and the employees I meet with in the process were happy and satisfied. I believe that I was fair and I use constructive criticism. The employee that I sent to training because of the deficit in the needed compliance issues was happy and took it as an intention to develop his career in the field. This is a positive achievement to me because I have seen fellow managers in my agency fall into a full blown conflict crisis with employees because of dissatisfaction of rating of their performance appraisals. As part of HRM, when conflict between employees arises, based on the union contract, my organization uses physical separation, limited interaction, integrators, third-party consultants, negotiations without consultants, enchasing members and multilevel interaction tactics as methods of conflict resolution (Morgan, 1989, p. 202-206). 

Reference:

DeCenzo, D. A., & Robbins, S. P. (2010).  Fundamentals of human resource management (10th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons. P. 4, 6-8, 31, 33, 167, 171, 174, 232, 262 and 279-290.

Fitz-Enz, J. (1997). The 8 practices of exceptional companies: How great organizations make the most of their human assets. New York: AMACOM. P. 13,118.

Laudon, K. C. & Laudon J. P., (2008). Management information systems (12^th ed.). Managing the digital firm. Boston, MA: Prentice Hall. p. 28.

Morgan, G., (1998).  Images of organization:The executive edition.  San Francisco, CA:  Berrett-Koehler publishers.  ISBN:  1-576750388. p.112, 120 and 121

Morgan, G., (1989).  Creative organization theory: A resource book.Thousand Oaks, CA:  Sage Publications. P. 202-206.

 


 The Fatherhood Life Reader(s) Signature and Disclaimer. Content of this Blog (The Fatherhood Life) is intended for reading use only and may contain privileged, confidential, or proprietary information that is exempt from disclosure under law. Reader(s) discretion is required of essence. If you have received this link in error, please close the window and inform us promptly by profile e-mail and or comment line. Content of this blog are protected under the privacy, 1st amendment and private property laws. Do not distribute, print, download and or copy content of this Blog without Blog Administrator’s permission or proper academic references to Fatherhood Life Blog. Also contents of this Blog are personal opinion, views, perception and private or Public observations of the Blogger(s). Thank you and may God bless you and The United States Of America. "In God we Trust" and "United We Stand".