Assignment on Workforce Management

Author: Iloka Benneth Chiemelie
Published: 17th April 2017

Assessment Task 1

Part 1 – Workforce requirements

Critical analysis of pre-amalgamation data

Before amalgamation, the both councils features a decreasing economic growth, due to a number of issues. As such, unemployment rate was also very high. In any case, they both feature similar business industries (agriculture and trade). One thing that is unique about these councils is that they both feature masculine working culture in the sense that majority of their workforce (especially those that occupy top positions) are male staffs. Ethnicism was also highlighted as 85% of male staffs from the autumn council are from the anglos-saxon heritage. This is to say that there could be an issue of ethnic racism of preferentialism (which is bad to any given organization) as such will result to organizational conflict. In any case, the good news is that the number of women entering the workforce is slowly but surely increasing, with some of these women now able to attain higher positions in these councils. However, women have higher rate of turnover in both councils when compare with men, which is also an issue that should be looked into as such will reduce the volume of women that are entering the workforce and overall impact of women on the council’s designated objectives (as gender equity is considered critical).

Three possible reasons for staffs’ turnover in the councils

Gender inequality – the most feature issue in the case is that the number of men outnumber that of women by a significantly higher rate, while women have higher rate of turnover and women also occupy the miniature job positions. Thus, it is a clear sign that there could be an issue of gender inequality (where women are considered inferior).

Ethnical preferentialism – in autumn council, over 85% of men come from the same ethnical group or background, which is a force they can utilize to maltreat other staffs. This is a big issue as it does create the right room for organizational conflict.

Job dissatisfaction – the high rate of turnover (in both genders) in the two councils is a clear sign there is a big issue going on in either job setting or the tasks they are designated to undertake. Thus, this is something that must be looked into.

In general, the level of staff’s turnover are not acceptable. For instance, the volume of women in spring council is over 40% turnover rate. This is a serious issue as it is a clear sign that there is something strongly wrong with the work sphere.

Strategies that can be used by the council to reduce turnover

Gender equality – the council should be able to create the right room for gender quality by giving everybody equal right in order to ensure that they can attain their desired level of self-actualization.

Ethnical equality – just like gender equality, there is a need to give equal opportunity for everybody irrespective of their ethnicity. This will also enhance innovation and creativity as numerous cultures come to work together for a common goal.

Higher level of job satisfaction – only a satisfied staff will be willing to stay in the company. Thus, this is important and the council need to ensure that the staffs are satisfied by providing them with necessary motivational and loyalty packages.

Summer Council’s workforce profile and requirements

Their employment process are based purely on merit basis, which gives equal opportunity to everybody. This is entirely different from what was obtainable in autumn and spring workforce profile it will bring about high level of motivation and reduced turnover rate.

Assessment Task 1

Part 2 – Workforce objectives and strategies

Three strategies that can be used to retain the existing skilled labour at the councils

Training and development – there is nothing greater than enhancing employees’ skills as such brings about higher level of efficiency and effectiveness. Therefore, training and development programs are the most common method adopted by companies in the course of retaining existing skills. It not only allow them to enhance quality of competent workers, but also ensure that these competent workers are able to transfer their skills to other staffs – bring about high productive output from the entire workforce.

Promotional packages – staffs that are given the opportunity to move from their present position to a high position are more or less certain to remain with the company. This is based on the understanding that it will enhance their feel of self-actualization. As such, they will consider it that they are growing in the company and less likely to leave a company that provides them with desired growth.

Motivational packages – even if employees are not put through necessary trainings or promoted, they will still be willing to remain in the company is they are offered necessary motivational packages (such as higher salaries and wages, commission on jobs done etc.).

These measures if properly adopted, will bring about the company retaining its talented workforce.

Three (3) objectives that Summer Council can engage to help ensure workforce diversity and that cross – cultural management

·         Employment based on merit is one of the measures as it will ensure that all applicants (irrespective of their ethnicity) are provided with equal opportunity to be employed.

·         Additionally, they can have designated quota for employment based on ethnicity, which will mean that a given ethnic group will not be able to exceed designated quota (and as such, will not be able to occupy the position that has been reserved for another ethnic group).

·         Finally, the company can adopt specified training and development programs designed to enhance overall cross-cultural program by teaching staffs how to function best in a cross-cultural setting like the council.

Three (3) strategies that Summer Council can engage to source skilled labour

·         The employment of workforce agencies is one of the strategies. This involves the company employing the service of agents to source for skilled labour for its outlined job positions.

·         Job fair is another package and it involves going to university, colleges and other important institutions to communicate their outline job positions for applicants with the best of skills to apply.

·         Finally, the council can be able to do this by advertising open position for interested employees to apply and providing equal employment opportunities (which will ensure that only the brightest of applicants are employed).

Essentially, the measures will help the company to source for the brightest of workforce, upgrading and enhancing its human resource capital in the process.

Three (3) communication strategies that could be engaged to communicate the workforce changes to the council’s staff

Clear and honest – the strategy must be communicated in a clear and honest way, which will allow the staffs to clearly understand the changes that will be effect.

Consider emotional impact of such changes – based on the communicated strategy, the council will also need to weigh up the emotional impact of their decision on the staff, ensuring that it does not bring about negative emotional impact on the staffs, which is a good way towards making sure that their overall commitment is not reduced in the process.

Tell employees what they will benefit – employees knowing what is in the change for them is also another way that the council can be able to ensure successful implementation of such changes. If the employees perceive the change as being positive, their commitment level will be enhanced.

What actions should the HR Council Managers take to secure the agreement of the staff to the workforce changes?

In order to ensure that the staffs agree with the changes, the HR need to seek their opinion about the changes and amend as necessary based on findings.

Action to take when staff spread rumours of current staffs being about to be sacked

This is a serious issue because it will directly impact on the staff’s commitment level and overall productivity, as well as that of other staffs (especially in cases where they work as a grou). Thus, I will:

·         Release an immediate memo to discredit such rumour.

·         Call on the staffs spreading such rumour and effective remedy actions as necessary.

·         Call on the staffs that are victimized by the rumour and communicate with them the overall commitment of the management to secure their work, and the fact that they are very important to the company.

Assessment Task 1

Part 3 – Workforce initiatives and implementation

Outline and discuss the core HR stages and activities associated with the restructuring, redeployment and redundancy of staff in an organisation

Consultation – at this stage, the council communicates with the affected staffs to tell them the restructuring, redeployment and redundancy changes that will be effected. This this stage, it is important to listen attentively to the comment and views of the affected staffs, and the company should do whatever is possible within its reach to ensure that the approaches adopted does reflect what the staffs want. This will effectively enhance or at least maintain their commitment level irrespective of such changes.

Assimilation – for staffs to perform well in new positions (following the effected changes), it is important that they know what to do and how to do it. Once they have been clearly communicated on the expected changes, the next step is to put them through such change process, correcting them where necessary and effectively enhancing their performance skills. One of the activities that is mainly features in this case is training and development programs that equip them with the skills to undertake their new roles effectively and efficiently.

Actions to take for the recruitment and training of new employees

Assess their CV – the first thing to do when it comes to recruitment and training new staffs is to actually assess their CV in order to ensure that they meet the specified contents of the job position advertised.

Analyse their skills – in the course of assessing their CV, it is also important to analyse their skills in order to ensure that they can actually undertake the job designation effectively and efficiently.

Align their skills with the skills required in the job – once the analysis has been done, the identified skills need to be aligned with their designated job for proper testing.

Put them through necessary tests – based on the understanding gathered from the analysed skills, the next stage is to put the staffs through the rigorous training process to better visualize their competence level in the real wold setting.

Training them as necessary – from the test, necessary areas where they need to be trained can easily be identified, which the council also do in order to ensure that they meet desired competence level when it comes to effecting effective and efficient job delivery.

Evaluate and conclude – based on the test and training, their competence level should be evaluated in order to ensure that they are capable of effecting desired outcome in their job process.

Three (3) strategies that you would engage to assist the council’s staff deal with the organisational change.

Counselling – the staffs will be counselled on the new change and the importance of the change on the council’s growth. As such, the need for them to continue contributing greatly towards such desired change.

Interview and review – after counselling the staffs, it is also important to interview them in order to understand their opinions and effect a review of these opinions in order to ensure that they reflect what the company actually want, enacting necessary changes that will keep the employees motivated.

Training and development – the staffs also need to be trained on the new skills that are important for effecting the change process successfully. As such, training and developing them on the necessary skills will go a long way towards ensuring that they can handle the change effectively.

What is meant by the term ‘workforce diversity’?  

Simply put, this a workforce that features different people with different demographic variables (e.g. people of both genders, people from different races and ethnic groups, different educational levels etc.)

Identify three (3) HR strategies to encourage workforce diversity goals at Summer Council.

Workplace appraisal – once people do what is right, they should be appreciated and made to feel as part of the company. This will directly attract others to come and work in the same company, enhancing diversity in the process.

Equal employment opportunities – providing applicants with equal opportunities to get employed will ensure that different people with different demographic variables are employed, making the workforce very much diverse.

Employment quota for different demographic variables – a quota that provide room for different people with different demographic variables (e.g. gender differences, race etc.), will also ensure that the workforce features varied elements of diversity.

Factors to take into account when implementing a succession plan at the Summer Council

Skills of the successor – the skill of the successor must at least match that of the predecessor in order to ensure that the successor will be able to effect the desired outcome in the position (as least to the level of the predecessor).

Production capacity of the successor – the production capacity of the successor also need to match that of the processor in order output.

Unfulfilled / incomplete tasks done by the predecessor -  all jobs that are left incomplete by the predecessor (either due to lack of competence or on purpose) also need to be taken into consideration to ensure that the company will continue to meet it desired production

What is meant by the term ‘Employer of choice?’

This means that the company is where most employees (if not all), will desired to work. An organization that people will love working for.

Prepare some preliminary advice to assist the HR manager with some strategies on how to encourage the Summer Council to become an employer of choice.

·         Provide equal opportunity for all staffs.

·         Appraise works done in order to keep them motivated.

·         Make staffs part of the decision making process by listening to their contributions and adopting them where necessary.

·         Promote them as necessary to make them feel they are moving forward in life.

·         Put them through necessary training and development programs to enhance their productivity and performance.

·         Understand them like a family and ensure to keep them motivated constantly.

Assessment Task 1

Part 4 – Workforce monitoring and evaluation

Outline and discuss how you would go about monitoring Spring Councils staffing requirements and the effectiveness of change processes over a twelve (12) month period

Age profile – this will entail reviewing the employees age profile to ensure that they still fall in within the age profile for employment in the council. This is very important as it has direct influence on employment and productivity.

Gender profile – it is important to ensure that gender equity is maintained in the council as discussed above and this will be by constantly reviewing the gender aspects of the employees’ profile.

Turnover rate – this is important to determine the positions that need to be filled in order to ensure that the council’s business process are made sustainable. This will be done by identifying staffs that have left the council and employing their replacements.

Competence level based on productivity – in order to ensure that the council is able to deliver set business objective, it is important for each staff to be assigned a target. This target will be continually monitored and the ability of the staff to meet these targets will be used as a reflection of their competence levels.

1.        a) Prepare a fifteen (15) question survey aimed at surveying the Spring Council's worker satisfaction twelve (12) months after the amalgamation has been completed.

Questions	Answers 1 = totally agree, 2 = agree, 3 = neutral, 4 = disagree, 5 = totally disagree
	1	2	3	4	5
The present management is better than the previous one
The amalgamation has enhanced equality in gender
The amalgamation has provide employment equality
I am less likely to leave the council after the amalgamation
The amalgamation has created more job and employment opportunities
The staffs are now part of the council and consulted in decision making
Promotional opportunities are now available and stable
Employees are being put through necessary training and development programs to enhance their skills
Organizational changes are clearly communicated
The view of employees are considered in organizational changes
Necessary measures are constantly undertaken to make sure employees enjoy a good working environment
All races are equally served now, following the amalgamation
The management adopt necessary appraisal measures to thank the staffs for work well done.
Female staffs now get employed in top positions based on their competence levels.
Restructuring process are done with the staffs in mind.

Detail how you would administer the survey and encourage staff member participation and feedback.

The survey will be administered through a face-to-face random sampling method. That is to say, the employees will be selected at random to address the questionnaire within the council. The essence of this is to ensure that all employees are given equal opportunity to participating (in line with the established need for equity in the company).

Employees will be encouraged to participate by communicating to them that the purpose of the study is to find new ways to make them happy in the council. Thus, they need to voice out their own views.

2.        a) Research current labour trends on demand for labour in regional areas of Australia.  As part of your research include the following factors:

·         Changes in technology – virtual workforce is increasingly becoming part of the Australian culture with numerous work-from-home freelancers.

·         Competition for workers – competition has pushed the need for consultation.

·         economic conditions – economic conditions have made labor more affordable as people are interested in any form of job in order to meet their daily needs

·         Industry changes – change in the industry has increased the demand for new skills and competence level (mainly computer related).

·         Market trends – change in market trend also changes in the form of workforce (expertise) needed.

·         Skills and labour shortages - this has forced companies to outsource their services (both locally and abroad).

·         Unemployment rates – this has made labor cheap.

Government response to these trends

The government has enacted numerous policies to allow companies need their desired workforce needs. This includes ways and conditions for outsourcing their services and necessary protection for both the services outsourced and the service pro