Assignment: Planning an Organization's Staffing Needs
Write a 2-3 page memo analyzing a U.S. state of your choice as a possible location for a new manufacturing plant.
• Chapters 1-2. in book
Multiple demographic changes within the American labor force are impacting employee-employer relationships and cultures within companies. Planning to meet workforce demands requires both a labor market analysis and statistical information.
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:
• Competency 1: Describe how hiring practices support an organization's strategy.
o Assess elements of CapraTek's workplace culture that could be developed such that it becomes an employer of choice.
• Competency 2: Assess approaches for recruiting, selecting, and retaining talent.
o Identify the number of production employees to recruit and hire for CapraTek.
o Describe how employment and demographic trends for a selected state impact CapraTek's workforce planning.
• Competency 5: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly and professional.
o Communicate in a professional manner that is appropriate for the intended audience
Preparation
To prepare for this assessment, complete the following:
• Read Chapters 1 and 2 of Arthur's Recruiting, Interviewing, Selecting, and Orienting New Employees e-book, linked in the Resources.
• Browse Fortune.com's "100 Best Companies to Work For" list, linked in the Resources.
• Read the scenario below.
Scenario
CapraTek, a fictitious technology company, has a long history as a leader in the design and manufacture of computer server components and continues to provide innovative solutions to industry needs. They are currently leveraging this culture of innovation to expand into emerging wireless technologies. As part of that diversification, CapraTek is developing advanced smart-home technology.
Last month, CapraTek announced that it will begin developing a wireless system providing seamless integration of newer home electronics and appliances capable of being controlled electronically. Security, heating and cooling, lights, locks, telephone, home entertainment, computers, and gaming devices all controlled through a single wireless device and a simple Web-based interface-"It's better than a butler, it's Alfred!" Alfred! will be produced in a new manufacturing facility currently in the planning phase. Groundbreaking on the new facility is planned within the next six months with full operations to be accomplished in three phases over the next two years. Distribution of the Alfred! device and components will be through existing distributors and retail outlets.
As part of the human resources team, you have been asked to support locating and staffing this new manufacturing facility in order to meet CapraTek's strategic growth needs. The plan is for Phase 1 to be needed in one year and Phases 2 and 3 at one-year intervals after that. Here is some data you have uncovered when looking at similar CapraTek facilities opened within the past five years:
• Phase 1 = 140 production employees.
• Phase 2 = An additional 80 production employees.
• Phase 3 = An additional 120 production employees.
CapraTek's facilities management has informed you that the initial training will take place on-site, and staff from other CapraTek locations will conduct the training over approximately a six-week period. Past experiences suggest that only one in five employees interviewed will be both qualified and willing to accept the job, and 20 percent of those hired will not complete the training.
Requirements
Select a U.S. state to analyze as a possible location that will support CapraTek's hiring projections for the new facility. (Normally, this duty is not an HR function.) Using the described CapraTek hiring scenario, write a 2-3 page memo to CapraTek's VP of operations in which you include the following:
• Identify the number of production employees to recruit and hire. Note: This is to include the number of applicants needed to meet Phases 1, 2, and 3 as well as the number of hirings needed to meet production of the new product.
• Describe how employment and demographic trends for your selected state impact CapraTek's future workforce planning.
• Assess elements of CapraTek's workplace culture that could be developed for it to become an employer of choice. Include at least three elements, and support your answer from readings and other credible sources.
Use the following transcipts for assignment 1-5
A key question in workforce planning is whether the organization has the right people in the right place at the right time doing the right thing at the right price. Workforce planning is the process organizations use to analyze their talent needs and determine steps to prepare for future requirements. Common questions used to analyze planning in the organization's workforce include:
• What are the HR talent requirements for the next one, two, or five years?
• Will the organization's future managers come from internal or external sources?
• What changes does the organization see impacting its workforce needs?
• Are there any specific local issues such as very high housing costs or long commutes to consider?
• What about national or international events, such as impending war, a high or low stock market, a recession, or consumer confidence in organizations?
The process of workforce planning includes the following steps:
• Forecasting the composition of the workforce in the future.
• Conducting a gap analysis to estimate the difference between the current staffing need and the projected future staffing need.
• Deciding how to close any gaps that have been discovered.
• Determining whether the staffing needs will be met by recruiting new employees, training and developing current employees, or outsourcing workers.
Job design and job analysis are instrumental in ensuring that employees will be doing the right thing, in the right way, to achieve overall company goals. A well-written job description ensures that an organization is legally compliant in all employment characteristics. This compliance is especially important in terms of the Americans with Disabilities (ADA) Act and can be a protection from charges of discrimination for the company. Job analysis is fundamental to many human resources (HR) functions because job requirements are used in all aspects of employment including recruitment, selection, orientation, compensation management, training and career development, promotions, and performance reviews.
The future of an organization depends on its talent. Workforce planning ensures an organization has the right numbers of employees at each level. Basing HR practices on an effective job description will contribute to the quality of a company's employees.
• Examining the Legal Environment
Write a 4-5 page report in which you analyze data concerning CapraTek's hiring and promotion practices.
Note: Complete the assessments in this course in the order in which they are presented, beginning with Assessment 1.
• Chapter 6. in book
Many U.S. laws, ordinances, and guidelines directly impact the hiring and selection process.
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:
• Competency 1: Describe how hiring practices support an organization's strategy.
o Assess CapraTek's hiring and promotion practices to support growth strategy.
• Competency 4: Analyze the impact of legal and regulatory issues on staffing management.
o Analyze the data for evidence of adverse impact using the 4/5ths rule.
o Analyze the data for evidence of adverse impact on employee utilization based on the relevant labor market.
o Analyze the data for evidence of adverse impact on any protected class concentrated in lower-paying jobs.
• Competency 5: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly and professional.
o Communicate in a professional manner that is appropriate for the intended audience.
Preparation
To prepare for this assessment, complete the following:
• Read Chapter 6 of Arthur's Recruiting, Interviewing, Selecting, and Orienting New Employees e-book, linked in the Resources.
• Read the scenario below.
Scenario
While planning for expansion, CapraTek is also concerned about its hiring and promotion practices at existing facilities. Management has asked for an analysis of the workforce in its flagship manufacturing facility. As the Recruiting Director for CapraTek's major manufacturing facility you are concerned about the company's hiring posture relative to women and minorities. Your manufacturing plant in a nearby major city especially worries you. You recently checked the latest statistics for the SMSA the plant is in and found the following:
• Females in the labor force: 35%
• Blacks in the labor force: 10%
• Hispanics in the labor force: 5%
• All other groups are 0%
To address your concerns you first looked at the selection statistics for the past 12 months. Note: This plant hires mostly unskilled laborers and then trains them. Here is what you found:
Hiring Statistics TotalFemalesBlacksHispanicsNumber applied8020105Number hired20631
Next you looked at your existing work force and found the following:
• Total: 450
• Females: 50
• Blacks: 22
• Hispanics: 20
Finally, you looked at how protected classes are being moved up in the plant. While workers are hired as unskilled laborers, that is not the whole story. There are two higher paying options open to them: they can become skilled machine operators (by passing an in-depth company run training program) and from there they can become line supervisors (this pays even more than the skilled jobs). You are concerned about how that program works also; the statistics are as follows:
Positions Within the Company TotalFemalesBlacksHispanicsUnskilled workers350452015Skilled operators50123Line supervisors25211
Note: The above totals do not add up to 450 or the work force totals because there are other jobs in the plant not used in this analysis.
Requirements
Using what you know about CapraTek's hiring and promotion practices, prepare a report for top management addressing the following:
• Analyze the data for evidence of adverse impact using the 4/5ths rule. Consider the applicant flow.
• Analyze the data for evidence of adverse impact of employee utilization based on the relevant labor market for the state you chose in Assessment 1.
• Analyze the data for evidence of adverse impact on any protected class concentrated in lower-paying jobs.
• Assess CapraTek's hiring and promotion practices to support its growth strategy.
Conducting a Job Analysis
Write a 3-4 page memo outlining O*Net findings used to prepare a CapraTek regional sales representative job description.
The hiring process starts with a job analysis. Individuals tasked with writing job descriptions must include qualifications and requirements that are specific and measurable. They must also identify the unique characteristics and relationships associated with a position.
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:
• Competency 1: Describe how hiring practices support an organization's strategy.
o Articulate the components of a job description for a position.
• Competency 2: Assess approaches for recruiting, selecting, and retaining talent.
o Identify the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for this position.
• Competency 3: Explore technology tools that support recruiting and staffing management.
o Identify wage information and employment trends for this position in a selected state.
• Competency 4: Analyze the impact of legal and regulatory issues on staffing management.
o Explain why a job analysis is a requirement for any recruiting and selecting process.
• Competency 5: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly and professional.
o Communicate in a professional manner that is appropriate for the intended audience
• Chapters 5-7. in book
Preparation
To prepare for this assessment, complete the following:
• Read Chapters 5 and 7 and review Chapter 6 in Arthur's Recruiting, Interviewing, Selecting, and Orienting New Employees e-book, linked in the Resources.
• Read the scenario below.
Scenario
Alfred! will be produced in a new manufacturing facility. Groundbreaking on the new facility will begin this summer with full operations to be accomplished in three phases over the next two years. Distribution of the Alfred! device and components will be through existing distributors and retail outlets. While most of the new hires associated with this product line will be at the new manufacturing facility, four regional sales representatives will be hired to support the new product line.
Requirements
You have been asked to develop a job analysis, job specifications, and a job description for the four regional sales representative positions. To develop the initial information for this assessment, use O*Net OnLine, a U.S. Department of Labor-sponsored Web site of occupational information containing a database of both standardized and occupation-specific descriptors, linked in the Resources.
Hint: Begin your search by clicking Find Occupations. Then, under the Career Cluster heading, go to Marketing, Sales, and Service. From there, you can search for a sales representative in any of the technical fields.
Write a memo to your supervisor outlining your findings, and explain why a job analysis is required for any recruiting and selection process. In addition, address the following:
1. A tentative wage plan and the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for this job.
2. The job duties, qualifications, education, work experience, and job competencies required.
3. Wage information and employment trends for this position in your chosen state.
Recruiting
Create a 10-12 slide presentation that includes your findings about Internet recruiting and a job posting for a sales representative position.
How organizations begin transitioning from recruiting a large pool of qualified applicants to selecting the best applicant for the position is a complex process that changes over time.
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:
• Competency 1: Describe how hiring practices support an organization's strategy.
o Develop a CapraTek job description for use in a job posting.
• Competency 2: Assess approaches for recruiting, selecting, and retaining talent.
o Compare the quality of the job information for each employer and Web site from an applicant's and employer's point-of-view.
• Competency 3: Explore technology tools that support recruiting and staffing management.
o Articulate the user-friendliness of the online application process for the selected employers.
o Articulate the user-friendliness of the general job search Web sites.
o Summarize findings for or against CapraTek using these selected Web sites for posting positions and searching for applicants.
• Competency 5: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly and professional.
o Design slides that are uncrowded, visually appealing, and easy to read.
o Communicate in a professional manner that is appropriate for the intended audience.
Preparation
To prepare for this assessment, complete the following:
• Read Chapters 3 and 4 and review Chapters 1 and 2 in Arthur's Recruiting, Interviewing, Selecting, and Orienting New Employees e-book, linked in the Resources.
• Read the scenario below.
Scenario
As part of CapraTek's human resources team, you have been asked to research other employers and their Internet recruiting practices. This assessment has three parts:
1. Evaluate two employers' online application processes.
2. Evaluate two general online job search sites for ease of use and information available.
3. Develop a job description for the CapraTek regional sales representative posting.
Present your information in the form of a PowerPoint presentation deck of 10-12 slides. Ensure your slides are uncrowded, visually appealing, and easy to read.
Requirements
Part 1: Identify two employers whose Web sites permit candidates to apply for positions online. You may choose any employer but preferably ones you might work for. Select only employers that allow online applications. Evaluate the user-friendliness of the application process and the value of the general job information found online. Consider whether the posted job information provides candidates with what they would want to know regarding the organization.
Using information from your research, create a PowerPoint slide presentation with bulleted points highlighting your key findings. Include the sites' links. Add information in the slides' notes section addressing the following:
• Articulate the user-friendliness of the Web sites.
• Compare the quality of the job information for each Web site from an employer's point-of-view.
Part 2: Select two general job search Web sites (such as CareerBuilder, Indeed, SimplyHired, Monster). You may choose local or specific job sites. Look at the ease of use and the value of the general information provided on these Web sites.
Create additional slides for your presentation in which you include the links to the two Web sites and highlight your findings about them. Add information in the slides' notes sections that includes the following:
• Articulate the user-friendliness of these Web sites. Would you use them to search for a job? Why or why not?
• Compare the quality of the job information for each Web site from an employer's point-of-view.
• Summarize findings for or against CapraTek using these selected Web sites for posting positions and searching for applicants.
Part 3: Using your job analysis information for CapraTek's regional sales representatives, develop a job posting for this position. Make location, salary, and working conditions assumptions as needed. Finish the presentation with slides outlining the essentials for the regional sales representative job description as follows:
• List the necessary qualifications, including educational background, technical experience, skills, and abilities.
• Describe the physical environment and working conditions.
• List the most important duties and responsibilities, with percentage of time spent on each, classifying each duty as essential or non-essential.
Screening and Interviewing External Candidates
In a 13-slide presentation deck, develop a variety of interview questions based on the KSAs and required experience for CapraTek's regional sales representative positions.
Organizations may have differing plans for hiring outside applicants, but they often follow a common pattern when screening those candidates.
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:
• Competency 1: Describe how hiring practices support an organization's strategy.
o Identify which question types relate to the KSAs or required experiences for CapraTek's position.
• Competency 2: Assess approaches for recruiting, selecting, and retaining talent.
o Explain why the questions are appropriate for CapraTek's position.
• Competency 4: Analyze the impact of legal and regulatory issues on staffing management.
o Explain why interview questions do not request illegal information.
• Competency 5: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly and professional.
o Design slides that are uncrowded, visually appealing, and easy to read.
o Communicate in a manner that is appropriate for the intended audience
• Chapters 5-14. in book
Note: Complete the assessments in this course in the order in which they are presented, beginning with Assessment 1.
Preparation
To prepare for this assessment, complete the following:
• Familiarize yourself with Chapters 5-14 of Arthur's Recruiting, Interviewing, Selecting, and Orienting New Employees e-book, linked in the Resources.
• Read Baur, Buckley, Bagdasarov, and Dharmasiri's 2014 article, "A Historical Approach to Realistic Job Previews: An Exploration Into Their Origins, Evolution, and Recommendations for the Future," in Journal of Management History, volume 20, issue 2, pages 200-223. This article is linked in the Resources.
• Read the scenario below.
Scenario
In Assessment 4, you developed a job analysis for CapraTek's regional sales representative positions. Based on that job analysis, you will interview candidates. Before you can do so, you must develop interview questions based on the required knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) and required experience for the CapraTek position.
Requirements
As a member of CapraTek's human resources team, you believe the best way to develop the interview plan and select the best candidate is to include a variety of question types. Create a PowerPoint presentation deck containing the following elements, one question per slide. Ensure that your slides are uncrowded, visually appealing, and easy to read.
• 4 structured interview questions.
• 3 semi-structured interview questions.
• 2 behavioral interview questions.
• 2 situational interview questions.
In addition, include the following:
• Explain why the questions are appropriate for CapraTek's position and do not request illegal information. Place your explanation in the slides' notes area.
• Describe which question type(s) relates to the KSAs or required experience for CapraTek's position.
• Include a title slide and (if needed) a resources slide.
Screening and Selecting Internal Candidates
Write a 5-6 page report describing the process you used to select the best three candidates for CapraTek's regional sales representative positions.
Note: Complete the assessments in this course in the order in which they are presented, beginning with Assessment 1.
Recruiting candidates and selecting hires are two steps in a process of orienting people to new jobs. After the organization has trained a new hire, issues of retention, engagement, and development are considered.
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:
• Competency 2: Assess approaches for recruiting, selecting, and retaining talent.
o Design a final candidate selection process for the CapraTek position being recruited.
o Identify pre-employment screening tests for a position being recruited.
o Explain the purpose of performing candidate background checks for a position being recruited.
o Explain why and when candidate background checks will be authorized.
o Select assessment methods to use based on the job being recruited and the budget available.
o Develop the sequence in which methods will be used to screen applicants.
o Describe the method chosen to make the final hiring decision.
o Determine which candidates meet the basic job requirements.
o Identify the top three candidates to interview for the position.
o Explain rationale for why the selected candidates should be interviewed.
• Competency 3: Explore technology tools that support recruiting and staffing management.
o Explain how technology will impact choice of screening and selection methods.
• Competency 4:Analyze the impact of legal and regulatory issues on staffing management.
o Articulate possible legal issues associated with screening candidates.
• Competency 5: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly and professional.
o Communicate in a professional manner that is appropriate for the intended audience.
Note: Complete the assessments in this course in the order in which they are presented, beginning with Assessment 1.
Preparation
To prepare for this assessment, complete the following:
• Read Chapter 15 in Arthur's Recruiting, Interviewing, Selecting, and Orienting New Employees e-book, linked in the Resources.
• Complete the Candidate Selection interactive media piece, linked in the Resources.
• Read the scenario below.
Scenario
You have written a job description for CapraTek's regional sales representative positions and determined job requirements. Now it is time to determine testing methods and choose the top three candidates to interview.
Requirements
After reviewing the CapraTek regional sales representative job description and requirements you developed for Assessment 5, use the Candidate Selection media piece to review the candidates' resumes. In a 5-6 page report, include the following in your explanation of the candidate selection process:
• Explain why and when candidate background checks will be authorized.
o Identify pre-employment screening tests for the position being recruited.
o Articulate possible legal issues associated with candidate screenings.
• Select assessment methods to use based on the job being recruited and the budget available.
o Develop the sequence in which methods will be used to screen applicants.
o Explain how technology will impact choice of screening and selection methods.
• Design a final candidate selection process for the position being recruited.
o Describe the method you would use to make your final hiring decision (compensatory, hurdles, weighted, et cetera).
o Determine which candidates meet the basic job requirements.
o Identify the top three candidates to interview for the position.
o Explain your rationale for why the selected candidates should be interviewed.
Introduction
CapraTek has a long history as a leader in the design and manufacture of computer server components and continues to provide innovative solutions to industry needs. Now, CapraTek is leveraging this culture of innovation to expand into emerging wireless technologies. As part of that diversification, CapraTek is developing advanced smart-home technology.
Last month, CapraTek announced that it will begin development of an integrated wireless system that will provide seamless integration of virtually all home electronics and appliances. Security, heating and cooling, lights, locks, telephone, home entertainment, computers, and gaming devices all controlled through a single, wireless device and a simple web-based interface - it's better than a butler; it's Alfred!
Distribution of the Alfred! device and components will be through existing distributors and retail outlets. The current sales force will begin training on the new product line very soon. While the company is trying to develop an overarching Recruiting and Staffing Plan for the Sales Representative role, there is an immediate need to hire four regional sales representatives to support the new product line.
• Be able to analyze and apply initial screening methods for selecting candidates.
• Be able to analyze and apply additional methods for selecting candidates.
• Be able to discuss validity, ROI, and other factors that impact assessment method choices.
Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
1. The answer should be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
2. The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
3. Also include a reference page. The Citations and references should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.