Assignment: HRM Programs Audit – Staffing/Training/Compensation/Benefits Functions

Students will select an organization and conduct a review of the HRM programs that support the organization’s staffing, training, compensation, performance appraisal, and benefits functions.  Students can conduct research using the Internet, library resources and/or they can interview an employee of this organization.  A primary source of information may be the organization’s employment web page, brochures, or annual report.  All parts of this assignment should focus upon the same organization.  Students may use their current or former employers.

 

Part I of the assignment consists of a 3-4-page description of the organization and one job.  This summary will answer Questions A-B listed below.

Part II of the assignment focuses on summarizing the internal and external recruiting, selection and the training and development practices of the organization, as well as, the benefits, performance appraisal, and compensation programs offered by the organization.

Part III of the assignment consists of a 2-3-page description comparing the organization under study to other organizations utilizing “best practices” in HRM programs.

 

The entire assignment must be typed; no handwritten templates will be accepted.

PART I: DESCRIBING THE ORGANIZATION AND ITS JOBS

Answer the following questions and provide a 3-page description of the organization and its jobs:

1. Describe the Organization
2. What are the mission statement, goals and objectives of the organization? What is the current strategy of the company?
3. Describe the industry or service sector in which this organization competes. What products or services does it produce or provide?
4. What is the size of the organization; how many employees does it have and where are they located?
5. Briefly describe the history of this organization.
6. Identify your information source(s) for this report.

 

1. Describe a Job

Write up a brief job description for one job in the company. Use O*Net, publicly available information, and potentially an interviewee to identify relevant information. This job description serves as a reference point for Part III.

 

PART II: DESCRIBING THE STAFFING, TRAINING FUNCTIONS & BENEFITS/PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL/COMPENSATION FUNCTIONS

Please use the table template provided by the instructor to summarize the answers to the following questions about this organization’s staffing and training functions.

 

 

1. Internal & External Recruiting
2. Does this organization follow a formal or informal policy of recruiting from within?
   If it is a formal policy, please include the statement/policy that is listed in the organization’s recruiting materials, application materials, manual or any additional source.
3. Does this organization have a job posting and bidding program?
   a) If so, describe briefly how employees can view information about job openings and how they can apply.
   b) If the organization does not have a formal program, describe how current employees learn about and apply for other job openings.

 

1. Identify 3 sources that this organization uses to recruit from the external labor market and for which job(s) they use this source.
2. Selection
3. Does this organization conduct any employee testing, background investigation or medical exam/drug test during its selection process? If so, describe the type of test(s) it conducts.

 

1. Training & Development
2. Does this organization have a training policy or goal that specifies the number of hours, type or amount of training employees receive? If so, please describe the policy or goal.
3. Does this organization have a structured training program for new hires? (e.g. Management training program, teller-training program)?  If so, provide a description of the length of the program and the types of training program modules/courses.
4. Does this organization offer a tuition reimbursement program? If so, provide a 2-3 sentence description of the program:
   a) The minimum length of employment required to qualify for this benefit
   b) The types of courses reimbursed and any course grade requirements
   c) The maximum reimbursement

 

 

 

1. Describe the Company’s Benefits Package
2. Describe the benefits package according to the categories and questions for each category that are summarized in the table template.
3. Identify your information source(s) for this report.

 

1. Describe the Performance Appraisal Process
2. Describe according to the categories and questions that are summarized in the table template.

 

1. Describe the Compensation Function
2. a) Describe according to the categories and questions that are summarized in the table template.

 

 

 

PART III: Analyzing the Organization Studied in Terms of Becoming a “Best Company to Work For”

 

Please address the following requirements and provide a 3-page response:

 

For this part, students will research the criteria for the Fortune “Best Companies to Work For” or Working Woman’s “100 Best Companies for Working Mothers”.  Students must present a summary of the factors used to evaluate these organizations as the “best to work for.” For the organization researched in Parts I and II of the above assignment, students will identify a single HRM programs or practices that the organization can modify in order to provide programs that are comparable to organizations ranked in these “best practices” lists.  Discuss the level of benefit or program that the organization currently offers and identify how the organization needs to modify.  Also discuss the new level or type of benefit or program that the organization must adopt in order to offer comparable programs.

 

Part III consists of an essay question with multiple components, all of which must be addressed in some form. The minimum length for this essay is 3 pages, double-spaced. You should use size-12 Times New Roman, Cambria, Arial, (or a similar font type/size). There should be 1” margins all around with your name in the header (NOT the body) of the document. Failing to meet the length requirement will result in an automatic 10-point grade reduction. I will still take the deduction if the font size, spacing, margin size, etc. has been altered to make the document look longer.

 

You will need to use outside sources as support in your document and they must be cited within the document. You must use AT LEAST 10 REFERENCES. I do NOT have a preference for the format of your citations (APA vs. MLA vs. Chicago-style). I recommend citing the author’s last name and year of publication, with page numbers included for direct quotations; your citation can look like this: (last name, year). If you have a thought that is not your own, you must give credit to the original source. I will run all essays through a software that checks for plagiarism; this is a form of cheating! Further, you must work on this on your own. Violations of these rules will fail to receive credit on for the essay. You may use academic journals, but also practitioner sources for the 10 references, including HR Magazine or Harvard Business Review

 

You will use the references to discuss the history of the HR program or practice that you identify that the organization can improve. Questions that you need to consider are:

 

1). What is the current state of the chosen business practice(s)?

2). How did this area of management develop/ What are its historical roots?

3). How is it likely to change in the future?

4). How can my chosen organization adopt a similar best practice? What does implementation look like?