Carter Management Case Study

This lists the standards the employee is expected to achieve under each of the Job description’s main duties and responsibilities, and would address the robber of employees not understanding company policies, procedures, and expectations. In addition, students may recommend that Jennifer instead take a competency-based approach which describes the Job in terms of the measurable, Observable, behavioral competencies that an employee doing that Job must exhibit. Because competency analysis focuses more on “how’ the worker meets the Job’s objectives or actually accomplishes the work, it is more worker focused.

Was it practical to specify standards and procedures in the body of the Job description, or should these be kept separately?

Answer: They do not need to be kept separately, and in fact both Jean and the employees would be better served by incorporating standards and procedures into the body of the description. The exception to this would be if the standards and procedures are so complex or involved that it becomes more pragmatic to maintain a separate procedures manual.

How should Jean go about collecting the information required for the standards, procedures, and Job description?

Answer: She should first go about conducting the Job analysis, collecting information bout the work activities, human behaviors, machines, tools, equipment, and work aids, performance standards, Job context, and human requirements. The best methods for collecting this information in this case are through interview, questionnaires, observation, diaries/logs maintained by employees. In addition, she should ensure that she is identifying the essential functions of the Job, and that the descriptions comply with the law.

Human resource planning and recruiting

Continuing Case: ere carter cleaning company: Getting better applicants

1. First, how would you recommend we go about reducing the turnover in our stores? Answer: Jennifer can do a quick analysis on what it costs her to recruit and train a new employee Every reduction in employee turnover can be translated to dollars. In fact, Jennifer can improve working conditions without any change in her profit if she pays for improvements from savings in employee turnover costs. The best source of ideas from improvement may come from exit interviews, and from existing employees.

   Students are also likely to suggest some of the following; air-conditioned Nor space, more employees, longer or more frequent breaks. Other students will consider more complicate solutions like Job rotation. Still others might suggest the use of deferred compensation or profit sharing to keep employees a full year.

2. Provide a detailed list of recommendations concerning how we should go about increasing our pool of acceptable Job applicants, so we no longer have to hire almost anyone who walks in the door. Answer: The students should review the section on external sources of candidates, and their responses should include advertising and the possible use of employment and/or temp agencies. Or Specifically, my recommendations should include: a.

   Completely worded classified ads. Students will vary in their creative approaches. A good teaching method is to have them email their ads to each other and have the students rank order which ad they would apply to. Determine what made the ad attractive and ask the other students to modify the ad according to what they Just learned. B.

   Recommendations concerning any other recruiting strategies you suggest they use. Students will offer a wide variety of suggestions. Among the likely responses are: radio ads, flyers/handbills, and direct mail to former employees. Some students will consider target marketing. For example, Jennifer could re-engineer the ebb to fewer hours and recruit part time workers, greatly increasing the pool of potential employees.

Employee testing and selection

Continuing Case: ere carter cleaning company: Honesty testing lemonier and her father are considering methods for screening applicants for their dry cleaning business. In particular, the Carter management team is considering honesty tests, especially for employees who handle cash.

What would be the advantages and disadvantages to Snifter’s company of dotingly administering honest tests to all its employees? Answer: Polygraph testing raises a large number of legal and moral issues; issues Carter Cleaning would best avoid. Use some of the available “paper and pencil” honesty tests may be a possibility. In general, these nave been shown to be reasonably reliable and valid.

They are still controversial. The costs associated with these tests may also make them prohibitive to a small operation like Snifter’s.

Specifically, what other screening techniques could the company use to screen out toothpaste employees? How exactly could these techniques be used? Answer: More thorough make background checks are a recommend technique to eliminate potential thieves. Some firms chose to contract this out to a private security agency. However, the company can quickly check to see if savings from reduced theft would offset the cost of an outside agency. As part of the Job preview, Carter must communicate that Jobs in her company are worth keeping; dishonesty and theft will not be tolerated.

Further company policies regarding theft should be clearly communicated to new and existing employees.

How should her company terminate employees caught stealing and what kind of procedure should be set up for handling reference calls about these employees “hen they go to other companies looking for Jobs? Answer: Terminating employees for theft should include the involvement of proper authorities and should only be done when there is absolute proof of the theft and “ho committed it. Such an action will also send a message to the other employees that you will not tolerate theft of company resources. While many employers are reluctant to prosecute employees for theft, developing evidence with police and wrought the courts can be beneficial in providing future employers of the individual Ninth truthful and factual information.

Interviewing Candidates

Continuing Case: ere carter cleaning company: The better interview

1. In general, what can Jean do to improve her employee interviewing practices? Should she develop interview forms that list questions for management and non- management Jobs, and if so what form should these take and what questions should be included? Should she initiate a computer-based interview approach, and if so why and specifically, how? Answer: The Company has an inadequate, unstructured way of interviewing and hiring. One solution students could suggest is to utilize a structured interview guide as a tool that managers could use to improve their interviewing practices.

   Have students brainstorm a list of questions to be included in the structured interview guide. A computer-based approach is also a possibility, students should explore the pros and cons of this given the nature of the organization and Neigh the cost/benefit of utilization of this technology.

2. If she implements a training program for her managers, and if so, specifically what would be the content of such an interview training program? In other words, if she did decide to start training her management people to be better interviewers, what should she tell them and how should she tell it to them? Answer: The obvious answer to this question is yes, a training program should be designed and delivered. Students should include suggestions from the section on designing and conducting interview effective interviews, including training in preparation, utilization tot a structured interview process, and interviewing techniques discussed in this chapter. She should educate managers in the potential pitfalls that come up in the interviewing process as outlined in the text, and provide opportunity for practice with mock interviews in the training session so that managers get an opportunity to use the skills they learn and become comfortable Math the process.

Arranging and Developing Employees

Continuing Case: ere carter cleaning company: The new Training program

1. Specifically, what should the company cover in its new employee orientation program, and how should it convey this information? Answer: The students should refer to the orientation checklist in Figure 7.

   1 and the section on orienting employees in the chapter.

2. In the HER management course Jean took, the book suggested using a task analysis record form to identify tasks performed by an employee. Should we use a form like this for the counterpoint’s Job, and if so what would the filled-in form look like? Answer: The students should refer to the section on the training needs of new employees. This section discusses a task analysis form, which includes: task analysis record form can also be used. It contains the following information: task list; when and how often performed; quantity, quality performance standards; conditions under Inch performed; skills or knowledge required; and where best learned.
3. Which specific training techniques should the company use to train its pressers, coelenterates, managers, and counter people, and why? Answer: The students should review the training techniques discussed in chapter and conduct research on the Internet to review the various training resources offered for each of these positions.