Problem Identification
Executive Summary
Notably, this project proposal provides viable solutions to human resource problems facing ABC Inc. Canada. It is prepared for the Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO) at ABC Inc. head office at Markham, Canada. The company’s cooperative training (coop) program has numerous human resource management issues that affect the ability of the involved students to benefit maximally from the program. Also, the issues keep the organization from promoting its productivity by taking advantage of the skills, knowledge, and talents of these students as they conduct their coop program. The main problems associated with the coop program include poor recruitment and selection procedures, the absence of orientation and other employee training programs, and the absence of performance assessment programs. An analysis of the problems leads to the conclusion that ABC Inc. does not have a formal cooperative training program. Thus, it provides solutions to the problems and suggests that they should be institutionalized, to transform them into a formal cooperative training program for ABC Inc.
There are four main types of programs that affect the effectiveness of the cooperative training program at ABC Inc. They are recruitment, selection, training, and performance management issues. First, the company does not have an elaborate student recruitment program. It has not invested in creating a robust coop program that is attractive to students from different institutions of higher learning. Notably, this is illustrated by the fact that the students in different institutions are not familiar with the company. Those who end up choosing the company’s coop program do so as a last resort. Critically, this may imply that the company’s program is so poor that those who take it are not willing to recommend it to their peers. Significantly, this is a problem since the problems mentioned above keep the company from attracting talented students who might be potential employees.
Further, the company’s selection process for the identification of qualified students who will join its coop program has several flaws. The company has not formulated an appropriate selection program to facilitate the creation of interviewing standards. Therefore, the human resource personnel who have a responsibility of interviewing candidates for the program fail at their job. They do not utilize relevant tests to determine the suitability of the applicants. Critically, this hinders the company from identifying the most suitable applicants. Further, there are delays concerning communication to selected candidates concerning the fact that they passed the selection process. These delays cause students who have selected this company to opt for other companies, causing the company to miss out on potentially talented students who might have made exceptional employees in the future.
Additionally, the company does not have a training program to assist students in settling down after joining the company. Students are left on their own after they report at the company, and it takes the organization a few days to determine which department they will be sent to. Such issues are associated with the absence of an orientation program in the organization. Further, the company does not have a performance assessment method that can be utilized to determine the student’s performance. Therefore, some students keep on requesting for a performance evaluation without receiving feedback. Notably, this can be a source of frustration to them, and the absence of performance evaluation may cause them to feel lost and that they are not benefiting from the company.
Significantly, all these problems arise from the fact that the company is yet to develop a formal coop program. Thus, students who choose this company are handled in a casual way because there are no established guidelines concerning what they should do and how their supervisors should assist them. There is a need to address this problem since it hinders both parties from benefiting maximally.
Solutions Based on Performance Management
Notably, this section focuses on providing suitable solutions to the performance management issues associated with the coop program at ABC Inc. There are several strategies that the company can utilize in assessing the performance of students participating in this program. These are:
Job description: The designing of a performance management program should commence with the designing of a job description. Such will assist the company in designing appropriate job titles, responsibilities, and duties for students who will enroll in the coop program to be attached to different departments. Such makes it easy for the company to establish performance standards.
Identification of Supervisors and other individuals involved in the assessment: The second step entails the identification of employees who will be involved in the implementation of the coop program. The most important group thereof will include the supervisors to whom the students will be reporting. Also, they will be the primary party involved in assessing the students’ performance. Further, the program should identify other employees who will provide peer assessment.
Establishment of performance standards: The company should establish the numerical and non-numerical metrics that will be utilized whether the students will be operating optimally in the fulfillment of their work responsibilities. The establishment of these metrics will facilitate the creation of performance appraisal forms that managers can utilize to evaluate employee performance.
Goal setting: Once students report for work, and are oriented to their jobs and assigned supervisors, they should be expected to set career and personal goals that they intend to realize by the end of the program. The activity should be done at the end of the first week after reporting. Supervisors have a responsibility of assisting students in setting SMART goals. Also, they should set timelines that they will utilize to track the achievement of the goals. Further, supervisors should take this opportunity to ensure that the students understand the performance standards expected of them by the company.
Suitable tools that the company can utilize in assessing the performance of the students include:
Personal Scorecards: The company should design personal scorecards that students can use to carry out self-evaluation. Such should aim at assisting them in determining their personal progress in the work environment with respect to issues such as their effectiveness in fulfilling their work responsibilities and duties, their relationship with other employees, and personal development in the workplace, among other issues. Students can share their filled personal scorecards with their supervisors after every two months. Such will give the two a chance to discuss the student’s view about their performance.
Use of Appraisal Forms: Are employee performance assessment forms that aim at providing graded results to estimate whether one is operating optimally. Supervisors will be expected to fill these forms at the middle and the end of the coop program and share a copy of the results with the students under their oversight.
Essay Method: It can be defined as a non-numerical method of assessing performance. Supervisors should be required to provide the HR department with a written document that contains their professional opinion about the student’s performance and career development. This should be done at the end of the coop program. Also, such reports should be written by two employees who worked in close contact with the students throughout the coop programs.
Behavioral Observation Skills Method: It is a non-statistical method of assessing employee performance. Managers use them to assess employee behavior. Here, the managers are expected to act as observers and not judges of employee behavior. In this context, the assessment should be done by the supervisors at the end of the coop program.
Notably, the HR department should analyze each student’s performance by evaluating their score in each of the four assessment tools mentioned above. The analysis will assist it in determining whether the student should be given another opportunity to participate in the coop program in the future. Notably, students should be informed about their overall performance within three weeks after the completion of the coop program.
Measures of Success for All Solutions
One of the most effective ways of preventing the recurrence of these problems entails an evaluation of their effectiveness and institutionalization. The suggestions brought forth concerning each of the problems facing ABC’s coop program are not fault-free. One cannot determine their effectiveness without testing whether they are applicable in real life. There are numerous tools that can be utilized to determine their applicability. One of the simplest and most practical methods involves several steps. The two steps are already covered in this proposal since they involve problem identification and the proposal of viable solutions. The third step thereof involves the implementation of the proposed solutions. This will give the company an opportunity to test their applicability in real-life situations. Notably, this will give the parties involved in the implementation process the opportunity to identify problems associated with these solutions and provide suggestions concerning how they can be improved. Next, the company will revise the proposed solutions, taking the feedback from various parties into consideration. The fifth step involves the production of the final version of the solutions. The end product will be a set of high-quality standards that can be utilized to establish a robust coop program that is attractive to students from various institutions.
The final step involves institutionalization, which entails the application of various strategies to ensure that the developed program becomes a part of ABC’s culture. For illustration, the company should begin this process by documenting the established program and posting it on the company’s website that contains other operating procedures. Also, copies of the final document should be provided to every employee that will be involved in the implementation of the coop program. Additionally, these parties should be engaged in employee training to ensure that they internalize the procedures and policies associated with the coop program. Notably, the company should note that the needs of students who will be involved in the coop program will evolve with time. Thus, there is a need to set specific time intervals within which the procedures and policies of the coop program will be revised through the repetition of the process described above but skipping the first three steps. The process will assist it in ensuring the program is always updated and relevant to the involved students. This project proposes that the established procedures should be revised every two years.