Case_Study_Analysis

Case Study Analysis Com 215/University of Phoenix Case Study Analysis The exorbitant cost of replacing personnel creates the need to recruit, hire, and train new employees properly the first time. A case study analysis can assist an employer with choosing the right solutions for working through challenges and roadblocks in the new hire process. A case study analysis must begin by first providing the background information on the issues or challenges. Addressing the key problems followed by alternatives to resolve the concern will lead to a proposed solution and recommendation. Case study analyses cannot only assist with working through current issues but it can help to prevent challenges for future new hires. ABC, Inc. has encountered several roadblocks with the hiring of 15 new employees. Performing a case study analysis will help the organization and the recruiter, Carl Robins, work through the problems, and ultimately assist with making the difficult decision of delaying the start date of the new employees by 15 days. Background ABC Inc. extended the offer of employment to 15 individuals. The orientation for the new employees is set for June 15, which gives the recruiter, Carl, two weeks to ensure everything is prepared and ready for their arrival. Carl discovered several major roadblocks barring the individuals from beginning work. To identify the key problems and establish potential solutions, Carl must begin by analyzing what must be done, what date it must be done by, and who will be responsible for completing the task. To obtain employment with ABC Inc., the new associates must have proper applications and transcripts, a successfully completed drug test and physical examination, and a full company orientation. If the employees are to begin orientation on June 15 as scheduled, all documentation and medical examinations must be completed prior to or no later than the 15th. As the recruiter, Carl is responsible for ensuring these steps are completed. With the stipulations of what, when, and by whom each requirement of employment is to be completed, the key problems are next to be analyzed. Key Problems Carl and the new employees face a short amount of time to correct four categories of key problems. The key problems Carl needs a solution to include the following: • documentation • medical examinations • orientation • time management The company must have proper record of the new hire’s applications and transcripts. For the 15 new associates, some applications were incomplete and some transcripts were missing. Carl has an obligation to the company to ensure the documents are complete because they provide critical information regarding the individual’s ability to be hired. An application and transcript provide the legal residency information, prior employment history, educational experience, and any prior criminal offenses for the person seeking employment. The company should be aware of this vital data before hiring anyone. Documentation With the high cost of replacing workers, extra time should be given to ensure the right individuals are hired the first time. If criminal records or other undesirable information is discovered after the individual has been hired, the company may not have the legal authority to terminate the employee without repercussions (HR Works, 2012). Before the employees begin orientation, the missing data needs to be identified, collected, analyzed, verified, and presented to the hiring manager for approval. A minimum of 20 business days should be set aside for the completion and review of the applications and transcripts. Medical Examinations In additional to proper documentation, the new employees are required to pass a drug test and physical examination. Just as the application and transcript provide the company with vital information to prevent offering employment to individuals with an undesirable history or status, the drug test and physical examination also provide crucial information for the employer to choose the right candidate. The key problem is scheduling the 15 new hires for their drug tests and medical examination and obtaining the results within 13 days. The new employees may have current jobs or scheduling conflicts preventing them from going to the clinic on a certain day or time. To ensure that the company receives all results prior to orientation, the tests for the new hires must occur within the next seven business days. Orientatation If the required paperwork and examinations are completed and the orientation moves forward as scheduled, manuals, policy booklets, and a room for the orientation must be obtained and ready for the new hires. Currently, ABC Inc. only has three manuals available with several pages missing from each and the training room is not available on June 15. New employees must sign and acknowledge that they have received and read the company’s polices prior to beginning work. A few examples of critical company polices are: At Will Employment, Harassment, Equal Employment Opportunity, Ethics, Antitrust Compliance, Information Security Responsibilities, and Time Off (FindLaw, 2012).Without the written acknowledgement of agreement from the employee, the company is liable for potential lawsuits in the future should the employee not abide by the policy. Depending on the complex nature of the company’s employee manual and policy booklets, it will take approximately three weeks to locate the missing documents, review them for accuracy, and reprint copies for each new hire. In addition to the manual and booklets, a room for the orientation must also be available. The training room at ABC Inc. is reserved by another associate on June 15, and therefore, is not available for new hire orientation. The training must be held in a room that is conducive to learning. It cannot be held in an area that allows for interruptions or provides distractions. The training room is the only room on the ABC Inc. premises that provides a beneficial learning environment. Without the availability of the training room on June 15, the orientation cannot be conducted properly. Time Management The final key problem is time management. Carl’s time management and poor planning skills have left Carl unprepared and unable to complete the hiring process on time. Carl is unorganized and unable to keep track of what applications were complete and what information is needed. In addition he encountered a schedule conflict with the training room for the new hires orientation. To avoid future problems Carl needs to develop this skill. In addition he needs to establish a set hiring process to follow. To improve time management skills at work Carl needs to seek guidance from management for possible solutions, and establish training procedures with managements input. Carl needs to make to do lists and prioritize, set goals, identify his time wasters, delegate if necessary, use a calendar for daily, weekly, and monthly itineraries, and set deadlines. A yearly calendar or online daily planner is used to identify tasks to be accomplished and assist Carl in being accountable and organized. If needed he can reschedule tasks to a later date. Learning how to prioritize, time management, and planning will give Carl skills to avoid future problems. Alternative Solutions Carl and ABC Inc. have several potential solutions to work through the key problems. The first issue is the missing and incomplete applications and transcripts. Carl can enlist the support of management to designate resources to assist with contacting the applicants. With the assistance of two ABC employees, they can distribute the paperwork and each take five applicants to review and contact for missing information. While this approach allows the documents to be quickly completed, it takes ABC Inc. employees away from their regular duties. A potential issue with using other employees to review applications is the breach of confidentiality. Applications are confidential because of the information they contain. If the applications are available to anyone other than the individuals designated to review them, the company maybe open for a lawsuit by the applicant. Completing the drug test and physical examination is the next potential roadblock. Sending written notification of the required testing, the locations available for testing, and a deadline for completing the examinations along with a follow up phone call will not take an exorbitant amount of time and can be beneficial in confirming each applicant is tested. With over 500 locations in 40 states, Concentra Inc. can return results from drug tests and medical examinations within 48 hours after the appointment, but they are only open on weekdays from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM (Concentra, 2012). A local industry leader in the pre-employment screening is Texas Med Clinic. They are open seven days a week; however, it takes up to five days to receive the results of the drug test and medical examination (Texas Med Clinic, 2012). Orientation is the final challenge. To save time, copies of only the critical company policies can be distributed to the new employees during orientation. After the employee manuals are completed, Carl can schedule a follow up meeting to review the full manual and receive employee acknowledgement. To avoid confusion, Carl can verbally review the missing policies in orientation so the new hires are aware of the company’s expectations. Room availability is the second challenge with orientation and is not as simple to solve. One alternative is to move the other training class set for June 15 to another location; however, computers required for the training have been setup in that room. A second alternative is to work with the trainer from the other class to reschedule his or her training to another day. Proposed Solution ABC Inc. is at risk of unknowingly hiring the wrong individuals due to missing vital information and potentially creating an opportunity for employee misconduct by not providing a thorough orientation. To allow ample time for the pre-employment screening and orientation preparation, the proposed solution is to move the new hire’s start date from June 15, to July 1. The additional 15 days will allow the recruiter, Carl, the time required to correct the applications, ensure everyone has completed the drug and physical tests, and prepare the orientation. The estimated time needed to review and complete the missing paperwork for 15 new hires is 20 business days. A minimum of 14 business days is required for individuals to schedule and complete the drug test and physical examination. Extending the start date to July 1, will also allow time for the three weeks required to prepare the orientation documents and reserve the training room. Recommendations With the time and money invested in hiring 15 employees, spending the additional 15 days to hire the right individuals is prudent. It will take much more than 15 days to terminate and hire a replacement should the company discover the individual is not a good fit for the organization. Therefore it is more cost effective to delay the hiring process. The alternative solutions, such as bringing in additional help, may work in some environments, but for ABC Inc., it creates more challenges than resolutions. The case analysis provided the background and key problems faced by ABC Inc. and the recruiter, which lead to alternative solutions and the final proposed solution of delaying the start date by 15 days. Besides delaying the hiring process, Carl needs to develop time management skills. To avoid future problems it is recommended Carl be sent to a one day seminar on Time Management and Organization. The seminar is hosted by National Seminars Training and a one year pass costs only $299. The pass allows unlimited one and two day seminars, unlimited live webinars, and archived webinars and audio conferences. That way the management staff at ABC Inc. can share the pass and each one attend a seminar at different dates to save on costs while reducing the number of employees away from work. The seminar will also provide the employees with the necessary skills to improve their planning and scheduling. In addition to the seminar it is recommended a set hiring process with check lists be established to avoid future problems and make the process more streamlined and efficient. Conclusion The problems addressed in this case analysis are ubiquitous. They are not unique to ABC Inc., and they exist in many forms throughout other organizations. ABC Inc. can use the case analysis to determine a course of action to address their current issues and other organizations can use the analysis to audit their recruitment process. Armed with a thorough analysis, ABC Inc. can now make an informed decision on how to proceed with the 15 new hires. By implementing the proposed solution to extend the hire date, ABC Inc. will succeed in hiring the right individuals for the growth of the company. The proposed solution will overcome the immediate hiring problems, as well as address the broader problem Carl’s time management. References Concentra Inc. (2012).Our locations. Retrieved from http://www.concentra.com/Our-Locations/ Concentra Inc. (2012). Drug testing and screening. Retrieved from http://www.http://www.concentra.com/employers/occupational-health/pre-placement-service/drug-testing.aspx Findlaw (2012). Employment Contract Provisions. Retrieved from http: //smallbusiness.findlaw.com/employment-law-and-human-resources/employment-contract-provisions.html HR Works (2012). The costs of not firing a mediocre employee Retrieved from http://www.hrworks-inc.com/our-solutions/human-resources-outsourcing/staffing-articles/104-the-costs National Seminars Training (2012). Retrieved from www.nationalseminarstraining.com/STAR12/index.cfm Texas Med Clinic (2012). Locations. Retrieved from http://www.texasmedclinic.com/locations/index.php