The benefits of job analysis are:
- It clarifies posts for which new recruits are sought
- It produces job descriptions which can provide essential evidence for selection interviewers
- It enables personnel or role specifications to be drawn up for the purpose of selection or training
- It can provide the basic material on which performance assessment can be based
- It is a prerequisite for any analytical attempt at job evaluation
- It can aid the review of organisation structures by clarifying the basic units of the organisation like jobs.
The steps to Job Analysis are:
- Identify the job to be analyzed
- Develop a job analysis questionnaire , interview or observation
- Collect job analysis information
The product of Job Analysis is a job description. The job description and associated person specification is a key element in the recruitment and selection procedures and its preparation forms the basis of the whole selection process. Its purpose is to make clear what the person is expected to do and skills, qualifications, knowledge, experience and personal attributes which are required to perform the role effectively. The personnel specification , advertisement, interview, testing and assessment procedures are normally derived from it. An example of job description can be seen in Appendix 1 .
Job description
A job description has four main uses:
Organisation - it defines where the job is positioned in the organisation structure. Who reports to who.
Recruitment - it provides essential information to potential recruits (and the recruiting team) so that they can determine the right kind of person to do the job (see person specification)
Legal - the job description forms an important part of the legally-binding contract of employment
Appraisal of performance - individual objectives can be set based on the job description
Contents of a Job Description
Within a firm, all the job descriptions should fallow the same format, but in different firms this could vary. One approach is to write a narrative description in a few paragraphs. Another way is to brake down the description into several subparts
The main contents of a job description are:
- Job Title: this indicates the role/function that the job plays within an organisation, and the level of job within that function (e.g. Finance Director would be a more senior position than Financial Accountant - although both jobs are in the "finance department")
- Reporting responsibilities: who is the immediate boss of the job holder?
- Subordinates; who reports directly to the job holder?
- Main purpose - who is involved in the job overall?
- Main tasks and accountabilities: description of the main activities to be undertaken and what the job holder is expected to achieve
Job description is a very important part in M&N PLC recruitment process because is one of the main premises in starting an effective and organised work force system. It needs to be clearly stated and integrated in the organisation structure.
For a better understanding of Job descriptions , an example was provided in
Appendix 1.
Personnel Specification
A personnel specification describes the requirements a jobholder needs to be able to perform the job satisfactorily. These are likely to include:
- Education and qualifications
- Training and experience
- Personal attributes / qualities
The most common approach now used by recruiters and the one that I suggest for M&M is to use what are known as "competencies" to design the person specification. These are then classified as "essential" or "desired" to determine which are most important.
Competencies might include some or all of the following:
- Physical attributes (e.g. state of health, aged, speech)
- Attainments (e.g. highest level of education completed, relevant market experience, ability to supervise/manage)
- Aptitudes (e.g. verbal reasoning; numerical aptitude)
- Interests (social activities; sporting activities)
- Personal circumstances (e.g. ability to work shifts; full or part time)
Person specifications have to be prepared and used with great care. In particular, it is important to ensure that the list of essential or desired competencies does not lead to unlawful discrimination against potential employees.
An example of person specification is provided in Appendix 2
Recruitment sources
The ways of finding recruits are sometimes referred to as sources or channels. Recruiters and applicants historically use a limited number of channels through which they pursue one another. They could choose internal recruitment and where is the possibility that the vacancy will not be filled within the company ,they could orientate on external recruitment .The recruiters from M&M PLC must be aware of the constraints in each approach and the need for creativity if the recruiting effort is to be effective and efficient.
The most used external recruitment sources are: newspapers/ journal advertising; recruitment agencies; job centres; educational establishments; executive search consultants
Newspaper/journal advertising
The objective of newspaper/journal advertising is to
- Attract suitable candidates, and
- Deter unsuitable candidates
Whilst there are no hard and fast rules about the contents of a job advert, the following features are likely to be in an effective advertisement:
Accurate - describes the job and its requirements accurately
Short - not too long-winded; covers just the important ground
Honest - does not make claims about the job or the business that will later prove false to applicants
Positive - gives the potential applicant a positive feel about joining the business
Relevant - provides details that prospective applicants need to know at the application stage (e.g. is shift-working required; are there any qualifications required)
Content of a job advert
Most job adverts contain:
- Details of the business/organisation (name, brand, location, type of business)
- Outline details of the job (title, main duties)
- Conditions (special factors affecting the job)
- Experience / qualifications required (e.g. minimum qualifications, amount of experience)
- Rewards (financial and non-financial; the financial rewards may be grouped together under a total valued "package2 - e.g. total package circa £50,000)
- Application process (how should applicants apply, how to; deadlines)
M&M PLC should consider what kind of advertising medium should be chosen.
The following factors are relevant:
Type of job: senior management jobs merit adverts in the national newspapers and/or specialist management magazines (e.g. The Times, Financial Times, the Economist, BusinessWeek). Many semi-skilled jobs need only be advertised locally to attract sufficient good quality candidates( Daily Mail , The Herald , Northern Scot , Press & Journal , Foress Gazette )
Cost of advertising: National newspapers and television cost significantly more than local newspapers etc
Readership and circulation: how many relevant people does the medium reach? How frequently (e.g. weekly, monthly, annually! Is the target audience actually only a small fraction of the total readership or Viewer ship?
Frequency: how often does the business want to advertise the post?
Recruitment agencies
These businesses specialise in recruitment and selection. They often specialise in recruitment for specific sectors . They usually provide a shortlist of candidates based on the people registered with the agency. They also supply temporary or interim employees.
M&M PLC should consider this alternative because the main advantages with using an agency are the specialist skills they bring and the speed with which they normally provide candidates. They also reduce the administrative burden of recruitment. The cost is the high agency fees charged - often up to 30% of the first year wages of anyone employed so it will be an impediment for the business especially now at the beginning when is necessary to recruit all the staff (depends on how many workers the company needs)
Job Centres
Government run agency - good for identifying local candidates for relatively straightforward jobs. The job centre service is free to employers and is most useful for advertising semi-skilled, clerical and manual jobs. M&M PLC should consider the employment market and the trends in hiring foreign workers as Polish, Lithuanians, Czech, very well known for their work ethic that is said to be better than the local’s one in semi skilled jobs.
Educational establishments
Many universities, colleges and vocational schools offer placement assistance to their current students. Most of the employers are looking at recruits experience and this is a big discrepancy between graduates and companies. The success of recruiters at educational may depend very heavily on the recruiters style. Educational institutions also offer an excellent source of hiring foreign nationals. Foreign students in domestic schools offer the advantage of being bilingual and bicultural. Some foreign students actually desire jobs with domestic firms to gain experience in addition to their degree or to secure citizenship.
Executive search consultants
Executive search consultants are much more specialised than placement agencies. They tend to "approach" individuals with a good reputation rather than rely on long lists of registered applicants - often using privileged industry contacts to draw up a short list. The cost of using a headhunter or recruitment consultant is high.
Is recommended in the process of recruiting the top managers or persons that will have a crucial role in leading the new manufacturing plant.
Selection techniques
A number of valid , reliable and practicable techniques are used by organisations for selection purposes depending on requirements , company policies and expertise in utilising these techniques.
The most used techniques are: interviews; psychometric testing; group selection methods assessment centres; competence assessment.
Most employees will wish to interview a number of applicants before offering a position. In most instances , however , a successful recruitment campaign will attract more applicants than it would be possible to interview. The first step is therefore shortlisting to reduce the applications to a manageable number. This is a selection procedure that is usually performed purely on the basis of the written information that applicants have supplied.
Interviews
The interviewing continues to be the most popular and frequently used method of selection. Almost every employer includes a face to face interview as part of the selection process. The initial selection could be delegated to a recruitment agency or a local job centre , but the M&M PLC recruiter should personally meet the employees.
The purpose of the interview is to obtain and assess information about a candidate that will enable a valid prediction to be made as to his/her suitability for the job in relation to any other candidates
The planning and organisation of the interview should take place after shortlisting meeting. The main things that need to be prepared are: the dates for interviews the length of the interview, the questions for the interview (the same for every candidate and must give the same opportunity to answer),the place where the interview will be taken place(without interruption or noise), any facilities considered for disabled people and interpreters, the interviewers , all the relevant documents(application form, CV, accompanying letter)etc.
The interview should include:
- the opening –introductions and procedures
- the middle- collecting information, probe detail, clarify inconsistencies
- the close-questions from applicant, terms and conditions aid what happens next.
The interview is supplemented by other selection techniques like psychometric tests, group selection methods, assessment centres competence assessment etc.
Employment tests are devices that assess the probable match between applicants and job requirements. There are different types of tests like intelligence tests, psychological tests , ability tests, knowledge tests, performance tests , graphic response test, attitude tests, competence tests etc. The tests should be chosen according with the job requirements. At M&M PLC, for blue collar workers in a manufacturing plant, could be assess the skills ,the ability for different tasks or medical situation.
Group selection methods are used to assess leadership qualities that cannot easily be judge from application forms. The assessors should be looking for evidence of negative and positive behaviours: domination of the discussion , assertiveness, who has good ideas , ability to get people discussing a arrange of ideas, sensitivity to conflicting ideas , ability to incorporate conflicting views.
Assessment centres
An assessment centre could include activities like : work simulations( work samples, in-tray exercises, role plays) , group exercises and discussions, psychological tests, interviews peer assessment and self assessment etc.
Induction
Once the recruitment and selection process ended with employing the suitable candidates , the induction is the next stage in integrating new people within an organisation.
It is important for the organisation to recognise that this initial period of the first days, weeks ,and months often determinates whether someone will remain with the organisation or decide to leave.
M&M PLC should have a well considered induction programme. The induction programme has to provide all the information that new employees and others need, and are able to assimilate about: the organisation itself , terms and conditions of employment, including pay, holidays, the job itself , company rules and regulations , health and safety and employee benefits and services without providing too much too soon . Also an orientation, both physical and organisational must be made.
The sooner the new employees feel comfortable in the job, more likely she/he is to be an effective member of the staff and that has to be the main objective.
Report on employee remuneration systems
Remuneration systems
Remuneration systems provide the bases on which an organisation rewards workers for their individual contribution, skill and performance.
When the remuneration systems are set, the organisations have in mind the competition within the labour market, the cost of labour, their prestige and the way they motivate employees and improve performance.
The employee objectives usually are: the buying power of their wages , the rights within the firm, recognition of their efforts and more benefits in their payment schemes.
Pay structures are different - they are used to determine specific pay rates for particular jobs, usually based on the nature of the job, its content and requirements. A pay structure provides the framework within which the organisation places the pay rates for its various jobs or groups of jobs.
The textile industry , especially in UK , has long been regarded as both unfashionable and expendable by successive governments .The Government has little real interest in textile future; but nonetheless the industry employs a considerable number of people, situating itself on the firsts places within the employment statistics .
The textile industry is one of the lowest paid industry so therefore M&M PLC will have this small advantage. In the same time greatest threat just now is a shortage of young trainees in the industry and this should make the textile firm M&M attract the existent ones with different payment schemes.
Pay systems fall into two main categories:
- those where pay does not vary in relation to achievements or performance, (basic rate systems), and
- those where pay, or part pay, does vary in relation to results/profits/performance (including the acquisition of skills).
1.Basic rates- timework
Basic rate systems are the easiest to operate, and apply to many workers in the UK. The worker receives a fixed rate per hour, week or month.
There are two forms of time rate. The first is a flat rate period of time, while the second incorporates fixed scales, with increases based on length of service. Such schemes are simple and cheap to administer, are easily understood by employees and are unlikely to cause disputes in themselves. Time rates are often found in managerial and while- collar work, although many managers put in more than their contractual hours, or in complex and process industries where it is difficult to measure individual contributions to performance. With time – based systems, work effort and work quality has to be guaranteed by supervisory control or through well- established systems of custom and practice.
2. Payment by results schemes- Incentive schemes
The payment by results schemes establishes a link between reward and effort as a motivational factor.
They may involve payment of a fixed sum on the achievement of a particular level of output. Most schemes have fallback rates and guarantee payments for downtime. The principal advantage of individual payment by results schemes is that the incentive effect should be strong as workers can see a direct link between individual effort and earnings. Incentive schemes may be short- or long-term. Schemes based on individual performance, such as weekly or monthly production bonuses or commission on sales, generally offer a short-term incentive. Longer-term schemes such as profit sharing and share option schemes may not provide as much incentive to individual workers as schemes based on personal performance. They can, however, help to generate in workers a long-term interest in the success of the organisation.
By way of contrast, the major disadvantages of individual payment by results are that they are expensive to install and maintain, often requiring a dedicated team to establish the system. Moreover, standards are often disputed and considerable effort is spent on both sides to apply the appropriate standards are often renegotiate in the light of any changes, such as new technology or problems with components supplied.
The most popular form of individual payment by result scheme is piecework . Such schemes have a long tradition in British industry, in particular in the textiles, footwear and engineering upon work- study methods whereby the employee is simply paid a specific rate or price per unit ( e.g. piece) of output.
Profit sharing is a form of payment scheme where the focus is on the group rather than the individual. Employees all receive a bonus whose size depends on the profits made by the organisation that year. Sometimes , bonus payments are made in shares rather than cash. There is a risk to both shares and job if the organisation doesn’t do as well in the future.
Skill based schemes incorporates the bonuses given for suitable skills and abilities. Is more popular within the manual work. There are potential problems because of the future skill requirements. This could lead now at high and unfulfilled expectations among employees.
Performance –related pay-is designed on an individual and personal basis and favours rewarding people differently according to level of performance or competence. It aims to motivate all employees.
Harmonised status schemes: offer opportunities to organisations to evaluate and harmonise their pay systems. Harmonisation/single-status agreements are those that give the same terms and conditions to all workers in the organisation. They often include integrated job evaluation schemes and may have elements of competency/skill-based incentives. They can help to break down barriers, increase flexibility, and help the organisation realise equality in pay issues.
Job evaluation schemes
There are two types of job evaluation schemes: non-analytical schemes and analytical schemes.
Non-analytical job evaluation schemes
Compare whole jobs rather than analysing the components of each job and assessing them factor by factor.
There are three types of non-analytical scheme: whole job ranking; paired comparisons and job classifications
Analytical methods of job evaluation
- Points rating-is probably the most commonly used type of job evaluation scheme and is regarded as analytical because instead of comparing whole jobs, the jobs are broken down into a number of factors such as skills, responsibility, physical requirements, mental requirements, working conditions
- Proprietary schemes- a scheme designed for one organisation that has the advantage of giving access to extensive comparative data on job markets and rates of pay which designers of proprietary schemes also collect.
Advise managers on the appraisal of employee performance
Performance appraisal is the process by which organisations evaluate job performance.
The objectives of the appraisal scheme should be determined before the system is designed in detail. The objectives will to a large extent dictate the methods and performance criteria for appraisal so they should be discussed with employees, managers and trade unions to obtain their views and commitment. The main objectives of an appraisal system are usually to review performance, potential and identify training and career planning needs. In addition the appraisal system may be used to determine whether employees should receive an element of financial reward for their performance.
Important challenges include legal constraints (See Appendix 3) , rater biases and appraisal acceptance.
M&M PLC can certainly benefit from having appropriate appraisal systems. Indeed, the task of appraising employees is usually easier because managers are more likely to know each employee well. It is important however that the appraisal system is designed to meet the particular needs of the company and is not over elaborate. An appraisal system does not need to generate a lot of paper to be effective; on the contrary the most effective systems are often the simplest.
An example of an appraisal scheme for manual workers was provided to guide the M&M PLC- see appendix 4.
A formal appraisal system it must be fully committed to its success and clear about its objectives. A scheme will involve the investment of time and money. Managers will need to be trained to carry out appraisal properly; employees will need to be fully and carefully informed about how it will affect them.
A badly designed appraisal system operated by untrained and poorly motivated managers, and hastily introduced, will damage relationships and provide no benefits.
The appraisal forms can be classified as :
- Self Appraisal- the individual has responsibility for assessing his/her own performance;
- Peer Appraisal-the individual is appraised by those who work near him/her;
- The Line Manager- the individual is appraised by the immediate line manager;
- The Manager’s Manager-the “grandfather model” where the individual is appraised by the manager twice removed
- Upward Appraisal –the employee appraise the manager above
- 360 degree Appraisal- combines elements of the above options
Most employee appraisal schemes include interviews to relieve uncertainty that all the employees have and to identify areas of unsatisfactory performances. The interview is therefore regarded as a central feature of any formal appraisal scheme.
It has 3 stages: preparation , conduct and follow up.
The interview success will depend to a large extend on the evolution of these 3 stages.
The interview itself, should be conducted in private, relaxed and comfortable environment free from interruptions. If the interview(see appendix 5) is to be successful, appraisers and appraisees must have the skills and abilities required. It is particularly important for the credibility and operations of the system that appraisers have the necessary skills to conduct the interview and to allocate adequate time to record the interview outcomes.
Provide advice on the health, safety and welfare of employees
The health, safety and welfare are important for every organisation because of three reasons: Employees security ,Legal requirements, Differentiation from the competitors in labour market.
Health is defined as being physically and mentally well with body and mind in excellent working order.
Safety is defined as absence from danger and avoidance of injury. Legislation has developed over a number of years to protect workers. The act that covers this area of employment is ‘The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974’ (HASAWA)
Both employees and employers have responsibilities under this Act .
The employer is given responsibilities for:
- the provision and maintenance of plant and systems at work are reasonably practicable, safe and without risk to health
- arrangements for ensuring the safety and absence of risks to health in connection with the use, handling , storage and transport of articles and substances
- the provision of information, instruction, training and supervision as is necessary to ensure the health and safety at work of employees
- the maintenance of any place of work under the employer’s control, in a condition that is safe and without risks to health and the provision and maintenance of means of access to and egress from it that are safe and without such risks
- the provision and maintenance of a working environment for his employees that is without risks to health, and adequate a regards facilities and arrangements for their welfare at work.
The general duties for employees at work :
- to take reasonable care for the health and safety of himself and other persons who may be affected by his acts or omissions at work
- as regards any duty or requirement imposed on his employer or any other person by or under the relevant statutory provisions, to cooperate with him so far as is necessary to enable that duty or requirement to be performed or complied with
In a manufacturing plant as the one wanted build ,these duties and responsibilities must be respected and followed as such. The complexity of the textile manufacturing process requires very strict procedures and tasks. The general manager should take the responsibility for ensuring that all company personnel are made fully aware of the company policy.
If these policies are not respected, accidents may occur. The areas where the accidents are likely to take place are: workers handling/lifting goods and materials; working with machinery; falls; falling objects ; workers bumping into or stepping on objects; workers using hand tools ; workers coming into contact with moving works vehicles.
All these situations must be prevented and in case of happening must be immediately reported to the superiors.
Ergonomics (or human factors) is” the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of the organisation, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data, and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance” (definition adopted by the in ).
The costs and benefits of adopting ergonomic approaches can only be considered by careful analysis of the of tasks, jobs, products, environments and systems in order to make them compatible with the needs, abilities and limitations of people.
Stress at work
The stress can be an important factor that can alterate the efficiency of workers. It is said that in regions without too much sun as Moray area , the people are likely to be more stressed and with more health problems.
According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 60 percent of the workplace illnesses reported each year are associated with repetitive stress injuries (RSI).
M&M PLC should set clear objectives like: Create safety consciousness ,
Making people safe , Making the job safe, Making the environment safe to create a positive climate to health and safety matters throughout the organisation.
Also the involvement of all staff, their commitment and implementation of health and safety systems and procedures will contribute at achieving the set objectives.
Main causes of stress are : Demands; Control; Support; Relationships; Role; Change and in Appendix 6 there are some useful strategies for M&M PLC to cope with the stress.
Bibliography
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Foot , M& Hook, C.(1999) Introducing human resource management (2nd edition)Edinburgh , UK, Longman
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Werther, William ,B& Davis, K(1993) Human resources and personnel management(4th edition) ,New Caledonia, McGraw-Hill Book Co.
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Cole, G. A (1986) Personnel Management- Theory and Practice (1st edition), Great Britain , The Guernsey Press Company
