What is Job Description?

Job description is a written statement that defines the duties, relationships and results expected of anyone in the job. It is an overall view of what is to be done in the job. Typically it includes is a written statement that defines the duties, relationships and results expected of anyone in the job. It is an overall view of what is to be done in the job. Typically it includes:

• Job Title
• Date
• Title of immediate supervisor
• Statement of the Purpose of the Job
• Primary Responsibilities
• List of Typical Duties and Responsibilities
• General Information related to the job
• Training requirements
• Signature of the person who has prepared the job description

The Most Effective Methodologies of Organizational Culture Change – Part 1

If you are planning to introduce cultural change in your organization and yet to identity the most suitable and effective one for your organization, this blog can help you a lot. Without further analysis you can jump into the execution level and concentrate on other important issues because I have already done all the analysis you might need before adopting a process.

Few months back when I joined in the Human Resources department of one of the leading engineering companies in our country, I was relay proud to be a part of such a winning team. The company has more than thousand employees who work really hard. This is one of the top ranked companies as far as revenue generation is concerned. Everything was going well for me as I was getting involved in my duties and planning to give my best possible effort for the organization. But it didn’t take too long for me to get surprised. While going through the statistics, I found that this company is maintaining a stable position rather than having any upward growth. The company has made approximately same amount of money in the last few years. Yet it has managed to hold the leading position in the market without giving much effort due to the reputation it has made so far.

As days progressed I realized few negative things of my new organization.  Despite of having very attractive compensation & benefits package employees are not happy. They don’t have any motivation. They only work because their supervisors tell them to do so. They hardly know what they are working for. The top management keeps the managers in extreme pressure to get the things done in time. The managers apply the same strategy to their subordinates. All these negative things result in a frustration among employees and high iteration rate. The management is aware of these things but doesn’t seem much bothered as they are still making money.  When I addressed these issues to my CEO for the first time, he replied with a little smile on his face, “This is how we have been managing for the last three decades and now we are among the top three engineering companies in our country”. I tried my best to make him understand that if we can bring some changes to our existing organizational culture, we can still reach our goals with the spontaneous contribution of our employees.

Perhaps my points were not strong enough to make the top management convinced in favor of organizational change. Instead of giving up, I decided to gather more up to date knowledge and some real life examples on change management. So, I started searching internet, asking questions in various HR forums and discussing with the seniors. Finally, I could equip myself with information I needed.

I would specially mention three of the most popular organizational culture change methodologies of recent times:

1. Kotter’s Eight Stage Process
2. Directive Communication Psychology by Arthur Carmazzi
3. Gung Ho! Process by Blanchard and Bowles

I’ll try to describe these methods in brief in my following post.

(Continued in Part 2)

HR Management Activities

HR management must be focusing on contributing to organizational success. The key to enhancing organizational performance is ensuring that human resources activities support organizational efforts focusing on productivity, service, and quality.

• Productivity: As measured by the amount of output per employee, continuous improvement of productivity has become even more important as global competition has increased. The productivity of the human resources in an organization is affected significantly by management efforts, programs, and systems.

• Quality: The quality of products and services delivered significantly affects organizational success over the long term. If an organization gains a reputation for providing poor-quality products and services, it reduces its organizational growth and performance. An emphasis on quality requires continuous changes aimed at improving work processes. That need opens the door for reengineering the organizational work done by people. Customer value received and satisfaction become the bases for judging success, along with more traditional HR measures of performance and efficiency.

• Service: Because people frequently produce the products or services offered by an organization, HR management considerations must be included when identifying service blockages and redesigning operational processes. Involving all employees, not just managers, in problem solving often requires changes in corporate culture, leadership styles, and HR policies and practices.

To accomplish these goals, HR management is composed of several groups of interlinked activities. However, the performance of the HR activities must be done in the context of the organization. Additionally, all managers with HR responsibilities must consider external environmental forces such as legal, political, economic, social, cultural, and technological ones when addressing these activities. These external considerations are especially important when HR activities must be managed internationally. The HR activities for which a brief overview follows are:

• HR Planning and Analysis
• Equal Employment Opportunity
• Staffing
• HR Development
• Compensation and Benefits
• Health, Safety, and Security
• Employee and Labor/Management Relations

HR Planning and Analysis:

HR planning and analysis activities have several facets. Through HR planning, managers attempt to anticipate forces that will influence the future supply of and demand for employees. Having adequate human resource information systems (HRIS) to provide accurate and timely information for HR planning is crucial. The importance of human resources in organizational competitiveness must be addressed as well. As part of maintaining organizational competitiveness, HR analysis and assessment of HR effectiveness must occur. The internationalization of organizations has resulted in greater emphasis on global HR management.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

Compliance with equal employment opportunity (EEO) laws and regulations affects all other HR activities and is integral to HR management. For instance, strategic HR plans must ensure sufficient availability of a diversity of individuals to meet affirmative action requirements. In addition, when recruiting, selecting, and training individuals, all managers must be aware of EEO requirements.

Staffing

The aim of staffing is to provide an adequate supply of qualified individuals to fill the jobs in an organization. By studying what workers do, job analysis is the foundation for the staffing function. From this, job descriptions and job specifications can be prepared to recruit applicants for job openings. The selection process is concerned with choosing the most qualified individuals to fill jobs in the organization.

HR Development

Beginning with the orientation of new employees, HR training and development also includes job-skill training. As jobs evolve and change, ongoing retraining is necessary to accommodate technological changes. Encouraging development of all employees, including supervisors and managers, is necessary to prepare organizations for future challenges. Career planning identifies paths and activities for individual employees as they develop within the organization. Assessing how employees perform their jobs is the focus of performance management.

Compensation and Benefits

Compensation rewards people for performing organizational work through pay, incentives, and benefits. Employers must develop and refine their basic wage and salary systems. Also, incentive programs such as gainsharing and productivity rewards are growing in usage. The rapid increase in the costs of benefits, especially health-care benefits, will continue to be a major issue.

Health, Safety, and Security

The physical and mental health and safety of employees are vital concerns. The traditional concern for safety has focused on eliminating accidents and injuries at work. Additional concerns are health issues arising from hazardous work with certain chemicals and newer technologies. Through a broader focus on health, HR management can assist employees with substance abuse and other problems through employee assistance programs (EAP) in order to retain otherwise satisfactory employees. Employee wellness programs to promote good health and exercise are becoming more widespread.

Workplace security has grown in importance, in response to the increasing number of acts of workplace violence. HR management must ensure that managers and employees can work in a safe environment.

Employee and Labor/Management Relations

The relationship between managers and their employees must be handled effectively if both the employees and the organization are to prosper together. Whether or not some of the employees are represented by a union, employee rights must be addressed. It is important to develop, communicate, and update HR policies and rules so that managers and employees alike know what is expected. In some organizations, union/management relations must be addressed as well.

201 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview

Getting a job has become more treacherous for a job seeker today than at any time in recent memory. In other words, if you want a job today, you may actually have to work for it.

Few years ago, the job interview was an opportunity for candidates to present their demands and screen the best offers. Today the tide has turned and employers are running the show again. It’s no longer enough to be qualified. If you want a job in today’s business environment, you have to shine in the job interview.

There is a very effective and proven way to really shine is by asking questions. Questions are the best way for you to demonstrate that you understand the company’s challenges, emphasize how you can help the company meet them, and show your interest in the most unmistakable manner possible—by actually asking for the position. The book ” 201 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview” will help arm you with new interview questions and techniques for selling yourself and getting the job you want. You can download it from the following link:

201 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview

 

 

 

Job Description of Sr. Officer, HR (Recruitment)

Key Role:

Responsible for coordination of the recruitment and selection process to achieve the hiring requirements of the organization.

Principle Duties:

•  Contact concerned departments to solicit their manpower requirements, determine required qualifications of the employee to be recruited at the vacant position and record relevant data such as job descriptions.
• Initiate the recruitment activities after confirmation from proper approving authority.
• Draft job advertisements and make arrangements to publish the finalized advertisement in suitable media.
• Perform searches for qualified candidates according to relevant job criteria, using computer databases, networking, job sites, head hunting companies, media and employee referrals
• Conduct primary short-listing of candidates in coordination with the concerned department and refer applicants to the recruitment board of the organization.
• Facilitate the interviewing through coordinating with the short-listed candidates and concerned interviewers
• Coordinate with the concerned department and HR functional head to finalize the selected candidates
• Draft employment contract and communicate the signed contract to the selected candidates.
• Coordinate the joining process of all new employees, ensure all required forms are filled and necessary documents are provided by the employees
• Prepare and maintain employment records.
• Conduct reference and background checks on applicants
• Inform potential applicants about duties and responsibilities, facilities, operations, benefits, schedules, working conditions and job or career opportunities in organizations.
• Screen employment applications based on the job advertisements recording and evaluating applicant experience, education, training, and skills.
• Maintain CV Bank.
• Instruct job applicants in presenting a positive image by providing help with resume writing, personal appearance, and interview techniques.
• Maintain and update personal files of all employees.

Other Duties

• Coordination of employee induction program
• Maintain strong liaisons with other colleagues and update the HR functional head regarding employee motivation status