Based on your case study, discuss selection testing by focusing on the advantages and disadvantages of using testing and specific techniques for ensuring the reliability and validity of selection testing devices.
- Describe HR support positions.
Discuss the support positions you have proposed for the HR department. Present the Bona Fide Occupational Qualifications (BFOQs) needed in each position, and determine the selection tests, if any, that are needed for each position. Provide a description and the requirements of the following certifications: PHR, SPHR, and GPHR, what is the value of HR certification (PHR, SPHR, and GPHR) to employers and to HR professionals? Be sure to include a rationale for requiring or not requiring HR certifications (consult the Human Resources Certification Institute Web site for a description of the various certifications and the eligibility requirements for each).
- Describe the HR director position.
Present the BFOQs needed in the HR director position, the selection tests, if any, needed for the position, and the rationale for requiring or not requiring certification. Discuss whether the PHR, SPHR or GPHR designation is most appropriate for this position. Use the information on the Human Resources Certification Institute Web site to assist you.
- Discuss the reporting structure.
Discuss the reporting relationships between the positions in the new HR department and how work will be allocated. Will this be done in a modular fashion or some other way? The six functional areas of HR identified by the Human Resources Certification Institute may prove useful in this section; those functional areas are also found on the HRCI website. Be sure to build some functional overlap into the structure to cover contingencies and emergencies. A matrix structure is acceptable if reporting relationships are carefully documented.
Case Study:
Consolidated Landscaping, Inc.
Consolidated Landscaping, Inc. (CLI or "the company") is the largest commercial landscaping company in the state, having more than doubled in size during, and following the construction of a major resort and residential development. The company currently employs approximately 160 people.
Founded in 1960, CLI was owned by the Ackerman family until John Ackerman retired in 1995. Since none of the younger Ackermans were interested in taking over the business, the company was sold in 1996 to Bill Orwell, who incorporated CLI and embarked on an ambitious growth scheme for the company. CLI operates primarily within a 40-mile radius of the city, out of a wholly owned 700,000 square-foot warehouse purchased by Bill Orwell in 1998. The company also runs a small ancillary operation in a nearby county, about 150 miles north of the company’s base of operations.
Operations:
CLI provides commercial landscaping services to commercial businesses and residential condominium properties. These services include landscape construction, renovation services, and tree trimming. Additionally, the company is regularly involved in a significant number of unique, custom projects. CLI also maintains its own commercial nursery.
Commercial roving. Roving crews visit up to six clients per day, according to a contracted schedule. These crews provide basic maintenance services (raking, mowing, weeding, and basic fertilizer, herbicide, and pesticide spraying) for small commercial and residential properties. A roving crew typically visits a property one to three times weekly. There are six roving crews, each of which consists of a crew leader and two or three landscape gardeners. Additionally, complicated services are frequently provided for additional charges. Each crew travels with a fully stocked van with all of the tools and equipment required to provide contracted services. The roving crews are overseen by a roving supervisor, who is trained to handle special services and performs quality control on a monthly basis. Each customer property is visited at least monthly, but may be visited more often if the need arises. Roving crews report to the shop at the start of each workday. Roving crews work primarily in the spring, summer, and fall.
Stationary crews. Stationary crews are permanently assigned to larger, more complex client properties. The largest stationary crew consists of five landscape gardeners caring for about 15 acres of private park facilities for a residential gated community. More typically, stationary assignments tend to involve one or two landscape gardeners. Currently, 20 stationary crews are supervised by one manager, who visits each crew at least weekly. Stationary crews have access to locked storage areas where their tools and supplies are kept.
Tree trimming. The tree trimming division handles contracted regular maintenance of large trees for public and private properties, as well as special projects for special, historical trees. They can also plant, remove and transplant trees, and have special contracts with the county, state, and federal governments to handle large debris removal in the event of large storms. Two certified arborists supervise the work of eight tree trimmers—four certified climbers and four ground workers. Because of the large trucks used by the tree crew, all crewmembers must have commercial driver’s licenses and be certified to operate vehicles with gross vehicle weight of
26,000 lbs. The tree crew works year-round.
Landscape construction and renovation. The landscape construction and renovation crews work mostly installing new landscaping for new construction projects, as well as renovating landscaping for properties undergoing upgrades and remodeling. There are two construction and renovation crews with six members each. Positions on these crews are highly sought after because most construction and renovation jobs are contracted by the state or federal government and therefore, they are subject to the Davis-Bacon Act. Accordingly, wages and benefits are significantly higher for these positions than for positions on similar crews that work exclusively for private sector clients. In some cases, construction and renovation work are subject to project labor agreements, which require all workers to join and maintain membership in one of the local construction trade unions. Landscape work is covered by the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA, commonly referred to as the Laborers) Local 96817. Construction work normally takes place in spring, summer, and fall.
In addition to the construction crews in the city, there is a crew of 8–12 workers and one supervisor working in the nearby county, about 150 miles to the north of the city. The crew for the neighboring county operates out of a house owned by Bill Orwell, which is inhabited by the crew supervisor and his family, located approximately 4 miles from the county seat. This crew is under contract to the county to build and maintain the county’s 200 miles of bike paths and rooftop gardens. Like the rest of the construction crews, this independent crew works in spring, summer, and fall. Landscape construction and renovation work generates over 50% of CLI’s
yearly revenues.
Nursery. The commercial nursery allows CLI to practice significant economies of scale. The nursery maintains plant stock of standard ground cover, sod, and indigenous plants common to landscaping schemes in the area. Once construction contracts have been granted, the nursery manager obtains stock and embarks on propagation work to ensure that all plant material necessary to complete the project will be ready and available for installation on time for project completion. The nursery manager is a certified horticulturist and works with four assistants. When more labor is necessary, additional workers are assigned from the roving crews. Nursery
operations are a year-round activity, although fewer work hours are required in winter, when only cold frames and the greenhouse require maintenance and upkeep.
Irrigation. The irrigation crew is a three-season crew consisting of one supervisor and betweenfour and six workers. The crew installs, maintains, and replaces landscape irrigation systems, primarily for commercial, residential, and recreation facilities such as parks and golf courses.
The irrigation manager works in the winter to ensure that CLI’s greenhouse irrigation system is operational throughout the winter months.
Warehouse. The 70,000 square-foot warehouse is managed by a warehouse manager, assisted by three mechanics. The warehouse is used primarily to house the company’s fleet of 69 vehicles, including panel vans, commercial pick-up trucks, two cherry pickers, and other rolling inventory. CLI owns all its vehicles outright. In addition, the mechanics maintain all the power tools, mowers, and earth-moving equipment required for company operations.
Administration. Administrative support is provided by the following individuals.
- Bill Orwell, CEO. Purchased CLI in 1998 after retiring from a 25-year career as a US Navy Officer. Holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in hydraulic engineering, and a Ph.D. in oceanography from the University of the Virgin Islands.
- Boyd Redmond, Vice President, Operations. Worked for John Ackerman. Holds general contractor’s license necessary to bid for new projects. A former community college teacher (Philosophy), Boyd has a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Chicago. Handles new business acquisition, creating bids and overall management of daily operations.
- Jennifer Jerome, Executive Vice President. Currently working on an MBA in Management at the University of Phoenix. Joined CLI as an office clerk immediately after graduating high school (she was a friend of John Ackerman’s daughter). Handles work scheduling and purchasing.
- Carin Imahara, Office Manager. Supervises day-to-day administrative functions, assists Boyd Redmond with bid creation. Supervises two administrative assistants. Joined CLI just 6 months ago. Carin has a bachelor’s degree in Communications from Asuza Pacific University.
- Wilma Del Rose, CPA, Comptroller. Master’s degree in accounting from the University of the Philippines completed US CPA in 1995. Joined CLI in 2001. Responsible for all cash flow issues, accounts payables and receivables, billings, payroll, and reconciling accounts. Works with auditors during yearly audits. Assisted by John Edmonds (accountant), and Wendy Albertson (full-charge bookkeeper). Before joining CLI in 2007, both John and Wendy were in the military. John was a US Marine Corps Finance Specialist; Wendy was a US Army paymaster. John and Wendy are both graduates of the University of Maryland’s extension program, with bachelor’s degrees in accounting.
- Brian Gross, Landscape Construction Supervisor. Bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Michigan. Brian was head gardener at the Doris Duke estate, Shangri-La, until Mrs. Duke’s death. Supervises the roving and stationary operations.
Valerie Aichman and John Maloney, certified arborists. Valerie has a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from the University of South Dakota. Valerie is in charge of new business acquisition for the tree trimming operation. Formerly she was an arborist at Mt. Rushmore—her specialty is trimming operations on historic trees. Hands-on supervision of the tree crewis provided by John Maloney, who is the former head climber and trimmer for the Presidio in California. John’s specialty is weatherproofing large trees to prevent wind damage and limb loss.
- Michelle Burnside, ASID, Architect. Michelle produces designs, draws blueprints for bids, and assists renovation clients with drawings. She is a graduate of the San Francisco School of Design and the Art Institute of Savannah.
- Bill Spellman, Ph.D., CIO, and Bill Fielding, Network Manager. Bill Spellman is a professor of management information systems at State College. Bill Fielding is a self-taught programmer and game designer. The two keep CLI’s internal computer and VOIP phone system operational.
- Brian Cordwell, Nursery Manager. Bachelor’s degree in agriculture from University of the Siskiyous, California. Brian grew up in his family’s vineyard in Napa Valley, where he learned the arts and sciences of propagation.
The Situation:
CLI has grown faster than its infrastructure. Because it is a federal and state subcontractor, its reporting requirements have skyrocketed. Bill Orwell has received requests from the government for reports, data, and other information, but he has no idea where to find and how to format this information. Personnel functions are scattered throughout the company. There is no central repository of records, and no one with the knowledge of labor law to ensure the company is in compliance. In yesterday’s mail, Orwell received the following letters from federal and state agencies:
- The US Department of Labor, asking why the EEO-1 report has not been filed.
- The US Veterans Administration, containing the form for this year’s Vets-100 report.
- The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration, reminding him to post the OSHA-300 report on February 1st of each year.
- The local Laborer’s union, stating that they have received enough authorization cards to hold an election.
Bill Orwell does not have the slightest clue on what any of these reports were, and he is worried about the union’s letter. He thinks to himself, “I think I need someone who knows something about this stuff. Maybe it’s time to hire someone to handle personnel.”