UNIT 2

Human Resource Planning

• Human resources undoubtedly play the most important part in the
functioning of an organization.
• Organizational productivity, growth of companies, and economic
development are to a large extent contingent upon the effective
utilization of human capacities.
• Hence, it is essential for an organization to take steps for effective
utilization of these resources.
• In the various stages in the growth of an organization, effective
planning of human resources plays a key role. Matching the
requirements of the job with the individual is important at all stages,
including the recruitment procedures, in this endeavour.
Meaning:
• E.W. Vetter viewed human resource planning as “a process by which an
organisation should move from its current manpower position to its
desired manpower position. Through planning, management strives to
have the right number and right kind of people at the right places at the
right time, doing things which result in both the organisation and the
individual receiving maximum long-run benefit.”
• HRP translates the organization’s objectives and plans into the number of
workers needed to meet those objectives. The actual HRM process starts
with the estimation of the number and kind of people required by the
organization for the coming period.
• HRP is also known by other names such as ‘Manpower Planning’,
‘Employment Planning’, ‘Labour Planning’, ‘Personnel Planning’, etc.
• HRP is simply not a process of matching the supply of people (existing
employees and those to be hired or searched for) with openings the
organisation expects over a given timeframe. It goes a step further in
order to reach out to right kind of people at right time, spending
time, resources and energies. Without careful planning, advance
thinking and prompt actions, it is next to impossible to get competent
and talented people into the organisation.
Objectives:
(i) Proper assessment of human resources needs in future.
(ii) Anticipation of deficient or surplus manpower and taking the
corrective action.
(iii) To create a highly talented workforce in the organization.
(iv) To protect the weaker sections of the society.
(v) To manage the challenges in the organization due to modernization,
restructuring and re-engineering.
(vi) To facilitate the realization of the organization’s objectives by
providing right number and types of personnel.
(vii) To reduce the costs associated with personnel by proper planning.
(viii) To determine the future skill requirements of the organization.
(ix) To plan careers for the individual employee.
(x) Providing a better view of HR dimensions to top management.
(xi) Determining the training and development needs of employees.
Need & Importance:
I. Assessing Future Personnel Needs:
• Whether it is surplus labour or labour shortage, it gives a picture of
defective planning or absence of planning in an organization. A
number of organizations, especially public sector units (PSUs) in India
are facing the problem of surplus labour.
• It is the result of surplus labour that the companies later on offer
schemes like Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) to eliminate surplus
staff. Thus, it is better to plan well about employees in advance.
Through HRP, one can ensure the employment of proper number and
type of personnel.
II. Foundation for Other HRM Functions:
• HRP is the first step in all HRM functions. So, HRP provides the essential
information needed for the other HRM functions like recruitment,
selection, training and development, promotion, etc.
III. Coping with Change:
• Changes in the business environment like competition, technology,
government guidelines, global market, etc. bring changes in the nature of
the job. This means changes in the demand of personnel, content of job,
qualification and experience needed. HRP helps the organization in
adjusting to new changes.
IV. Investment Perspective:
• As a result of change in the mindset of management, investment in human
resources is viewed as a better concept in the long run success of the
enterprise. Human assets can increase in value as opposed to physical
assets. Thus, HRP is considered important for the proper planning of future
employees.
V. Expansion and Diversification Plans:
• During the expansion and diversification drives, more employees at various
levels are needed. Through proper HRP, an organization comes to know
about the exact requirement of personnel in future plans.
VI. Employee Turnover:
• Every organization suffers from the small turnover of labour, sometime or
the other. This is high among young graduates in the private sector. This
necessitates again doing manpower planning for further recruiting and
hiring.
VII. Conformity with Government Guidelines:
• In order to protect the weaker sections of the society, the Indian
Government has prescribed some norms for organizations to follow. For
example, reservations for SC/ST, OBC, physically handicapped, ex-
servicemen, etc. in the jobs. While planning for fresh candidates, HR
manager takes into consideration all the Government guidelines.
VIII. International Expansion Strategies:
• International expansion strategies of an organization depend upon
HRP. Under International Human Resource Management (IHRM), HRP
becomes more challenging. An organization may want to fill the
foreign subsidiary’s key positions from its home country employees or
from host-country or from a third country. All this demands very
effective HRP.
IX. Having Highly Talented Manpower Inventory:
• Due to changing business environment, jobs have become more
challenging and there is an increasing need for dynamic and
ambitious employees to fill the positions. Efficient HRP is needed for
attracting and retaining well qualified, highly skilled and talented
employees.
HRP Process:
1. Determining the Objectives of Human Resource Planning: The
foremost step in every process is the determination of the objectives
for which the process is to be carried on. The objective for which the
manpower planning is to be done should be defined precisely, so as to
ensure that a right number of people for the right kind of job are
selected.
The objectives can vary across the several departments in the
organization such as the personnel demand may differ in marketing,
finance, production, HR department, based on their roles or functions.
2. Analyzing Current Manpower Inventory: The next step is to analyze
the current manpower supply in the organization through the stored
information about the employees in terms of their experience,
proficiency, skills, etc. required to perform a particular job.
Also, the future vacancies can be estimated, so as to plan for the
manpower from both the internal (within the current employees) and
the external (hiring candidates from outside) sources. Thus, it is to be
ensured that reservoir of talent is maintained to meet any vacancy
arising in the near future.
3. Forecasting Demand and Supply of Human Resources: Once the
inventory of talented manpower is maintained; the next step is to
match the demand for the manpower arising in the future with the
supply or available resources with the organization.
Here, the required skills of personnel for a particular job are matched
with the job description and specification.
4. Analyzing the Manpower Gaps: After forecasting the demand and
supply, the manpower gaps can be easily evaluated. In case the
demand is more than the supply of human resources, that means there
is a deficit, and thus, new candidates are to be hired.
Whereas, if the Demand is less than supply, there arises a surplus in the
human resources, and hence, the employees have to be removed
either in the form of termination, retirement, layoff, transfer, etc.
5. Employment Plan/Action Plan: Once the manpower gaps are
evaluated, the action plan is to be formulated accordingly. In a case of a
deficit, the firm may go either for recruitment, training,
interdepartmental transfer plans whereas in the case of a surplus, the
voluntary retirement schemes, redeployment, transfer, layoff, could be
followed.
6. Training and Development: The training is not only for the new
joiners but also for the existing employees who are required to update
their skills from time to time. After the employment plan, the training
programmes are conducted to equip the new employees as well as the
old ones with the requisite skills to be performed on a particular job.
7. Appraisal of Manpower Planning: Finally, the effectiveness of the
manpower planning process is to be evaluated. Here the human
resource plan is compared with its actual implementation to ensure the
availability of a number of employees for several jobs. At this stage, the
firm has to decide the success of the plan and control the deficiencies,
if any.
Succession planning
Succession planning is the process of identifying the critical positions within
your organization and developing action plans for individuals to assume
those positions. Taking a holistic view of current and future goals, this type
of preparation ensures that you have the right people in the right jobs today
and in the years to come.
In the long term, succession planning strengthens the overall capability of
the organization by:
• Identifying critical positions and highlighting potential vacancies;
• Selecting key competencies and skills necessary for business continuity;
• Focusing development of individuals to meet future business needs.
A succession plan identifies future staffing needs and the people with the
skills and potential to perform in these future roles.
• The purpose of succession planning is to identify and develop people
to replace current incumbents in key positions in cases of resignation,
retirement, promotions, growth, expansion and creation of new
positions
• An absence of succession planning should be a red flag, since
the competitive advantage of a growing percentage of firms is
predicated on their stock of human capital and ability to manage
such capital in the future.
• In some professionally managed corporations every key
executive is usually asked to identify three or four best juniors
who could replace him in his job should the need arise.
Complete dependence on internal sources may however cause
stagnation in the organisation. Similarly, complete dependence
on outside talent may cause stagnation in the career prospects
of present employees which may in turn lead to a sense of
frustration.
Succession Planning – Need
• 1. Ensures Business Continuity:
• Succession planning ensures business continuity. It means the
organization does not cease to exist when the key positions
become vacant due to sudden death, resignation or retirement.
• 2. Develops Potential Employees:
• Succession planning is important for grooming and developing
competency of the next possible successor. The right training
helps the potential successor to improve his strengths and
overcome weaknesses. It also prepares him for various duties,
challenges that he might face in future if he fills up the position.
• 3. Identifies Next Successor:
• The process helps to identify next possible successor in advance.
Identification of successor in advance (before
retirement/resignation/death of person on the key position) helps
the organization to plan for future. Every business organization must
invest in identifying the next successor for the organization.
• 4. Smooth Functioning:
• Succession planning ensures smooth functioning of the organization.
There is supply of competent and skilled employees to take up the
role or responsibility of key manager whenever the need arises.
Hence, temporary or sudden absence of key manager does not halt
the activities of the organization.
• 5. Reduces Cost of the Organization:
• With succession planning, the demand for human resources is met
within the organization. It lowers the cost of organization as the time,
money, energy required to recruit employee from external source is
saved.
• 6. Developing Career Paths:
• Succession planning helps the HR department to set up career
advancement plans for competent employees. The assessment of skills and
interest helps in providing right training to employees. It also helps to
select suitable employee for specific job roles.
• 7. Corporate Image:
• Organization invests in identifying and grooming employees. It also
provides varied growth opportunities within the organization. This
increases job satisfaction of employees, which results in increased
performance and productivity. This ultimately improves image of the
organization in market and attracts competent workforce towards the
organization.
• 8. Reduces Employee Turnover:
• Succession planning provides growth opportunities to employees within
the organization itself. It offers varied job roles to prepare employees to
take up higher roles in future. The employees feel important and valuable
as the organization takes interest in their career and personal
development. Thus, it reduces rate of employee turnover and helps to
retain competent workforce.
Human Resources Information System (HRIS)
• Advancements in the field of IT has opened up newer avenues for the
organizations and provided a competitive advantage by using
innovative and customized solutions.
• It has become an integral part of the organizational functioning and
all the departments depend on integrated systems for organizing,
storing, retrieving and reviewing data.
• Human Resource Management function is fast evolving and the
application of Information Technology has revolutionized the way in
which organizations operate.
• The HRM functions in an organization deals with people related issues
like Recruitment & Selection, Compensation, General Administration,
Employee Welfare and Involvement, Communication, Organizational
Development, Performance Management, Employee Motivation,
Rewards & Recognitions and Training & Development.
• HRIS or Human Resource Information System, is a customized
software solution designed for helping the organizations to
automate and manage their HR, payroll, management and
accounting activities.
What is HRMS/HRIS ?
• HR software mechanizes the day to day general and administrative
functions performed by the HR department, enhances overall employee
productivity and performance. HRM applications can be used for updating
and recording employee information, its usage can make the recruitment
process more robust and effective.
• HRMS facilitates applicant tracking, interviewing and confirmation process.
Apart from this, the workforce administration strategies can be streamlined
and it can generate various cost advantages to the organizations by
streamlining various functional operations.
• In a nutshell, HRMS offers distinctive advantages to the organizations by
automating various functions of HRM, thereby reducing the workload of
the HR department and increasing the efficiency of the department by
standardizing key HR processes.
• According to Parry (2010), HRIS can serve as a vital strategic tool as it
shares crucial data with the management related with recruitment
and retention strategies which can be aligned with the overall
corporate strategy for realizing the organizational objectives of
growth. Additionally, by using HR applications, a company can
calculate the overall costs incurred per employee and it’s effects on
the business as a whole (DeSanctis, 1986).
Essential Features:
§ Employee Database is the most important feature in any human resource
software. This involves filling in all the employee details and relevant data.
It can be revised or updated as per the requirements.
§ A robust HR software must include Salary related details as well and the
software that supports this reduces half of the burden of the HR
professionals. The features might vary but nowadays a lot of software are
adding time tracking and attendance too into this feature.
§ The option of self service in the software saves a lot of time of the human
resource personnel in big organizations where most of their time is spent
on several HR tasks. With the help of this feature, the staff members may
have an access to the software for updating their own details, without
interrupting with the work of the HR employees.
§ Any HR software should have a module on Performance Management. The software includes
certain parameters and scoring system for evaluating the performance against certain criterions
or parameters and shares the complete performance report. Good HRIS software also tracks
training status and professional development; which may help the HR professionals in
implementing strategic initiatives for boosting employee performance and developing their skills
through T& D initiatives.
§ Administrative benefits are also availed from the software, as it generates reports across various
levels and equally of individual employees.
§ HR software should also have provisions for publishing the jobs, listing of job and should support
the overall hiring process by producing quick user friendly reports about various applicants and
job descriptions, etc.
§ Any HR software should have a module on Performance Management. The software includes
certain parameters and scoring system for evaluating the performance against certain criterions
or parameters and shares the complete performance report. Good HRIS software also tracks
training status and professional development; which may help the HR professionals in
implementing strategic initiatives for boosting employee performance and developing their skills
through T& D initiatives.
§ Administrative benefits are also availed from the software, as it generates reports across various
levels and equally of individual employees.
§ HR software should also have provisions for publishing the jobs, listing of job and should support
the overall hiring process by producing quick user friendly reports about various applicants and
job descriptions, etc.
Functions:
Personnel administration:
• It includes an employee’s personal data. This may include name, address,
date of birth, marital status and date of entry into the organization. It also
contains the name and address of the company’s next-of-kin. This
information describes the employee.
Salary management:
• One of the functions of the HRIS is to provide a report with information
such as current salary, benefits, last salary increase, and proposed future
increase.
Leave or absence increment:
• HRIS is also used to monitor employee absences. To do this, you maintain a
left history for each employee. Each employee can be issued an identity
card that records the token number of each employee. The entry and exit
of the employee from the organization must be noted on the identity card.
Inventory of skills:
• The recording of employee skills and the tracking of a qualification
database is another application of HRIS. Such a competency order
identifies employees who have the necessary skills to occupy certain
positions or jobs in a company.
Medical history:
• HRIS is also used for the management of occupational health data required
for occupational safety, accident monitoring, etc.
Performance evaluation:
• To get a complete overview of an employee, HRIS manages performance
assessment data such as due date of assessment, promotion potential,
scores for each performance criterion and the like. Textual information can
be combined with factual data from HRIS, and the combination of
information can be used for training and affect employee mobility in terms
of transfer and promotion.
Workforce planning:
• HRIS is also used for workforce planning. It stores information about
organizational requirements in the form of positions. HRIS links employees
to the required positions in the enterprise. It is also used to identify job
vacancies and to determine the corresponding employees. HRIS can also
help to identify a logical progress path and the steps for employee
development.
Recruitment:
• Recruitment is the most important function of HRM. HRIS greatly simplifies
the recruitment process by capturing details of recruitment activities. This
can include, for example, the costs and type of recruitment, as well as the
time required to fill positions at the appropriate level.
Career Planning:
• By providing the necessary information, such as which employees are
assigned to which positions, HRIS facilitates the professional development
of employees. In other words, HRIS helps with succession planning. This
reduces the risk of misconduct or omission in the calculation of each
employee’s pay.
Collective bargaining:
• HRIS via a computer terminal can provide the up-to-date, relevant
and necessary information, facts and figures to facilitate collective
bargaining. He may refer to collective bargaining as “what if” rather
than “feelings and fictions”. Similarly, HRIS can also help to maintain
better human relations within the organization.
Job Analysis
• Job analysis is a systematic and detailed examination of jobs. It is a
procedure for determining the duties and skill requirements of a job
and the kind of person who should be hired for it.
• It provides to write job descriptions and job specifications,
which are utilized in recruitment and selection, compensation,
performance appraisal, and training.
• It is a complete study of job, embodying every known and
determinable factor, including the duties and responsibilities
involved in its performance, the conditions under which the
performance is carried on, the nature of the task, the qualities
required in the worker and such conditions of employment as pay,
hour, opportunities and privileges. It also emphasizes the relation of
one job to others in the organization.
• Job analysis is a process of studying, examining and collecting
detailed information relating to the components and various
operations of job.
• It is a process of collecting and analysing data relating to a job.
It is defined as the process of studying and collecting
information relating to the operations and responsibilities of the
specific job.
• The immediate products, of this analysis, are Job description
and Job specification.
Important Concepts in Job Analysis:
1. Job:
• In simple language, a job may be understood as a division of total work into
packages/positions. According to Dale Yoder, “A job is a collection or aggregation of tasks,
duties and responsibilities as a whole, is regarded as a regular assignment to individual
employees and which is different from other assignments”.
• Thus, a job may be explained as a group of positions involving some duties,
responsibilities, knowledge and skills. A job may include many positions. A position is a
particular set of duties and responsibilities regularly assigned to an individual.
2. Job Description:
• Job descriptions are written statements that describe the:
• (a) Duties,
• (b) Responsibilities,
• (c) Most important contributions and outcomes needed from a position,
• (d) Required qualification of candidates, and
• (e) Reporting relationship and co-workers of a particular job.
• Job descriptions are based on objective information obtained
through job analysis, an understanding of the competencies and
skills required to accomplish needed tasks, and the needs of the
organization to produce work.
• Job description clearly identifies and spells out the
responsibilities of a specific job. Job descriptions also include
information about working conditions, tools, equipment used,
knowledge and skills needed, and relationships with other
positions.
• The best job descriptions are living, breathing documents that
are updated as responsibilities change. The best job descriptions
do not limit employees, but rather, cause them to stretch their
experience, grow their skills, and develop their ability to
contribute within their organization.
• 3. Position Description:
• The Human Resource Director Guide and managers the overall provision of
Human Resources services, policies and programs for the entire company.
• The major areas directed are:
• (a) Recruiting and staffing;
• (b) Organizational and space planning;
• (c) Performance management and improvement systems;
• (d) Organization development;
• (e) Employment and compliance to regulatory concerns;
• (f) Employee orientation, development, and training;
• (g) Policy development and documentation;
• (h) Employee relations;
• (i) Company-wide committee facilitation;
• (j) Company employee and community communication;
• (k) Compensation and benefits administration;
• (l) Employee safety, welfare, wellness and health;
• (m)Charitable giving; and
• (n) Employee services and counselling.
• The Human Resources Director originates and leads Human Resources
practices and objectives that will provide an employee-oriented, high
performance culture that emphasizes empowerment, quality, productivity
and standards, goal attainment, and the recruitment and on-going
development of a superior workforce.
• The Human Resource Director coordinates implementation of services,
policies, and programs through Human Resources staff; reports to the CEO
and serves on the executive management team; and assists and advises
company managers about Human Resources issues.
• 4. Job Specification:
• It is a standard of personnel and designates the qualities required for an
acceptable performance. It is written record of the requirements sought in
an individual worker for a given job. It refers to a summary of the
personnel characteristics required for a job. It is a statement of the
minimum acceptable human qualities necessary for the proper
performance of a job.
5. Job Design:
• Job design is the division of the total task to be performed into
the manageable and efficient units- positions, departments and
divisions-and to provide for their proper integration. The sub-
division of work is both on a horizontal scale with different tasks
across the organization being performed by different people and
on the vertical scale, in which higher levels of the organization
are responsible for the supervision of more people, the co-
ordination of sub-groups, more
Importance of Job Analysis
Job analysis is so important to HR managers that it has been called the
building block of everything that personnel does.
The fact is that almost every human resource management
program requires some type of information that is gleaned from
job analysis:
1. Work Redesign:
• Often an organization seeks to redesign work to make it more efficient or
to improve quality. The redesign requires detailed information about the
existing job(s). In addition, preparing the redesign is similar to analyzing a
job that does not yet exist.
2. Human Resource Planning:
• As planners analyze human resource needs and how to meet those needs,
they must have accurate information about the levels of skill required in
various jobs, so that they can tell what kinds of human resources will be
needed
3. Selection:
• To identify the most qualified applicants for various positions,
decision makers need to know what tasks the individuals must
perform, as well as the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities.
4. Training:
• Almost every employee hired by an organization will require training.
Any training program requires knowledge of the tasks performed in a
job, so that the training is related to the necessary knowledge and
skills.
5. Performance Appraisal:
• An accurate performance appraisal requires information about how
well each employee is performing in order to reward employees who
perform well and to improve their performance if it is below
standard. Job analysis helps in identifying the behaviours and the
results associated with effective performance.
6. Career Planning:
• Matching an individual’s skills and aspirations with career oppor-
tunities requires that those in charge of career planning know the
skill requirements of the various jobs. This allows them to guide
individuals into jobs in which they will succeed and be satisfied.
7. Job Evaluation:
• The process of job evaluation involves assessing the relative dollar
value of each job to the organization in order to set up fair pay
structures. If employees do not believe pay structures are fair, they
will become dissatisfied and may quit, or they will not see much
benefit in striving for promotions. To put dollar values on jobs, it is
necessary to get information about different jobs and compare them.
• Job analysis is also important from a legal standpoint. The
government imposes requirements related to equal employment
opportunity. Detailed, accurate, objective job specifications help
decision makers comply with these regulations by keeping the focus
on tasks and abilities. These documents also provide evidence of
efforts made to engage in fair employment practices.
• For example, to enforce the Americans with Disabilities Act, the
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission may look at job
descriptions to identify the essential functions of a job and
determine whether a disabled person could have performed
those functions with reasonable accommodations.
• Likewise, lists of duties in different jobs could be compared to
evaluate claims under the Equal Pay Act. However, job
descriptions and job specifications are not a substitute for fair
employment practices.
• Besides helping human resource professionals, job analysis
helps supervisors and other managers carry out their duties.
Data from job analysis can help managers identify the types of
work in their units, as well as provide information about the
work flow process, so that managers can evaluate whether work
is done in the most efficient way.
Methods Used for Job Analysis:
• There are a number of methods used for job analysis. These methods are
meant to collect data about job.
Observation Method: A job analyst observes an employee and records all his performed and
non-performed task, fulfilled and un-fulfilled responsibilities and duties, methods, ways and
skills used by him or her to perform various duties and his or her mental or emotional ability
to handle challenges and risks. However, it seems one of the easiest methods to analyze a
specific job but truth is that it is the most difficult one. Why? Let’s Discover.
It is due to the fact that every person has his own way of observing things. Different people
think different and interpret the findings in different ways. Therefore, the process may involve
personal biasness or likes and dislikes and may not produce genuine results. This error can
be avoided by proper training of job analyst or whoever will be conducting the job analysis
process.
§ This particular method includes three techniques: direct observation, Work Methods
Analysis and Critical Incident Technique. The first method includes direct observation and
recording of behaviour of an employee in different situations. The second involves the study
of time and motion and is specially used for assembly-line or factory workers. The third one
is about identifying the work behaviours that result in performance.
§ Interview Method: In this method, an employee is interviewed so that he or she comes up
with their own working styles, problems faced by them, use of particular skills and
techniques while performing their job and insecurities and fears about their careers.
§ This method helps interviewer know what exactly an employee thinks about his or her own
job and responsibilities involved in it. It involves analysis of job by employee himself. In
order to generate honest and true feedback or collect genuine data, questions asked
during the interview should be carefully decided. And to avoid errors, it is always good to
interview more than one individual to get a pool of responses. Then it can be generalized
and used for the whole group.
§Questionnaire Method: Another commonly used job analysis method is
getting the questionnaires filled from employees, their superiors and
managers. However, this method also suffers from personal biasness. A great
care should be takes while framing questions for different grades of
employees.
§In order to get the true job-related info, management should effectively
communicate it to the staff that data collected will be used for their own good.
It is very important to ensure them that it won’t be used against them in
anyway. If it is not done properly, it will be a sheer wastage of time, money and
human resources.
Uses of Job Analysis
• (i) It is helpful in forecasting of human resources of the organization.
• (ii) For recruiting purposes, job analysis must provide information on personal
qualifications necessary to perform job related behaviour.
• (iii) It helps for placing right person on the right job at the right time.
• (iv) It is used as a foundation for job evaluation.
• (v) It provides necessary information to the management for training and
development programmes of employees.
• (vi) It helps in establishing clear-cut standards for the development of
performance appraisal system of the organization.
• (vii) It helps management to look objectively at the hazards associated with the
machinery and tools required to be handled as well as with the work environment.
• (viii) It provides helps in redesigning jobs to match with mental make-up of the
employees.
Advantages
• 1. Job analysis facilitates the selection and placement, of right personnel in each job.
• 2. Management can provide adequate training to the needy employees.
• 3. Reasonable wage rate is fixed with the help of job analysis.
• 4. Job analysis helps in job evaluation and merit rating.
• 5. Job analysis helps the superiors to take timely decisions. The decision may be related to
promotion, transfer, selection, etc.
• 6. Industrial disputes may be put an end to with the help of job analysis.
• 7. Adequate disciplinary action may be taken by the management.
• 8. The selection of right personnel ensures job satisfaction and morale among the
employees.
• 9. Job analysis helps in reducing labour turnover, absenteeism and removing inequalities
in pay fixation.
• 10. It provides a basis of performance appraisal and facilitates the control function of the
management.
Two components of Job Analysis:
• Job Description
• Job Specification
Job Description
• Job description is an informative documentation of the scope,
duties, tasks, responsibilities and working conditions related to
the job listing in the organization through the process of job
analysis . Job description also details the skills and
qualifications that an individual applying for the job needs to
possess. It basically gives all the details which might be good
for both the company and the applicant so that both parties are
on the same page regarding the job posting.
• The job description is used in the recruitment process to inform
the applicants of the job profile and requirements, and used at
the performance management process to evaluate the
employee’s performance against the description.
A Job description will include the following components:
• - Roles and responsibilities of the job.
• - Goals of the organization as well the goals to be achieved as a
part of the profile are mentioned in the job description.
• - Qualifications in terms of education and work experience
required have to be clearly mentioned.
• - Skill sets like leadership, team management, time
management, communication management etc required to fulfill
the job
• - Salary range of the job are mentioned in the job description
Importance of Job Description
• Job description is the most important thing which a candidate
gets about a job listing. It gives all the relevant and necessary
details about a job. The details which can help one decide
whether the job is relevant or not. Qualifications, roles,
responsibilities etc are included in the job description document
which paints a clear picture of what is expected from the
particular role. It gives an opportunity for a candidate to prepare
well for a job interview. It also helps companies identify all skills
required by a right candidate.
Advantages of Job Description
There are many advantages of having a comprehensive job
description given by a company. Some of the advantages are
mentioned below:
• 1. Helps companies understand the type of candidate they should
search for based on title, position and location
• 2. Employees are well aware about their job roles & duties
• 3. Job description helps in understanding the workplace
environment, benefits etc for a prospective employee
• 4. Helps in better recruitment & selection
• 5. Job description clearly highlights all the requirements, objectives &
goals that it wants an employee to perform
Disadvantages of Job Description
Despite being a thorough documentation related to the job, there
are certain limitation of job description:
• 1. They are time bound and can change with organization
structure, industry policies, company requirements etc
• 2. It can only highlight the macro criteria of a job but cannot fully
explain the obstacles, emotional requirements etc related to the
job
• 3. Incomplete job description lacking quality information can
misguide both the HR manager as well as the employee
Job specification
• A job specification is the list of recommended qualities for a
person to qualify for and succeed in a position. While the job
description includes the title position, responsibilities and
summary, the specification identifies the skills, traits, education
and experience a candidate might need to qualify for that job.
This helps outline a candidate's capabilities to perform what's
listed in the job description.
Why is a job specification important?
• A job specification is important because it can help provide
more insight into what skills a candidate will use in a role rather
than what tasks they will do. Hiring managers write these to
help encourage the most qualified candidates to apply for a job.
Often, recruiters or other human resources employees use the
job specification to understand what qualifications, education
and skills the hiring manager seeks as they help to fill the
position. An effective job specification can help a company find
and hire the most qualified person.
Elements of a job specification
Although the job specification might vary from position to position, there are a few
common elements you can expect to see in many of them, including:
• Required experience
This job specification is where an employer might include the required experience
in an exact role or relevant experience in similar roles. Entry-level positions, for
example, might specify they don't require any experience, but a director job might
want seven years of experience in managerial roles.
• Required education
A job specification can indicate the level of education required to qualify. Education
requirements may include general accomplishments like a high school diploma,
associate or bachelor's degree, several years completed towards a degree or one in
a specific area of study. You might include this to ensure the employee has the
proper context and knowledge to perform their job duties successfully.
• Required certification or credentials
In addition to education, some positions require certification or licensure.
This might align with responsibilities in the job description because a
company might have you get certain credentials before you perform some
tasks. For example, a mechanic job description might list working on heavy
machinery or trucks as a responsibility, or it could require a candidate to
have a certification to provide the services in the job specification. Credential
requirements also could vary based on location to account for local laws. For
example, substitute teachers could require state-level certification to qualify
for a job even if they earned a bachelor's degree and a state certification
elsewhere.
• Required skills
Hiring managers, employees and human resources professionals may work
together to establish the skills they want candidates to have. Skills can be
what people might need to complete their job tasks, and they can center on
how the candidate may fit on a team or reflect a company's culture. Skills
included in a job specification can also vary based on job level. For example,
entry-level jobs might have fewer required skills because hiring managers
may expect new employees can develop them while working.
• Personality traits
While skills can be technical or job-specific relating to how a person
does their job, personality traits are qualities that reflect a candidate's
character. For example, professionalism is a trait that describes a
person who understands workplace etiquette and is helpful and
respectful to their coworkers. You might need this trait for a job in a
formal office setting. Matching every trait might not be a requirement,
but they can explain what characteristics may make it easier to perform
well.
• Demands
Jobs might specify if there are physical demands. For example, if a
warehouse job description says you will carry packages from one
location to another, the job specification might want you to be able to
lift boxes up to 50 pounds. In this case, the specification identifies how
much weight the candidate might need to carry to ensure they can
fulfill the requirement. Similarly, an office job might require long hours
at a computer, and the specification can identify this to ensure the
candidate's vision allows them to perform their duties.
Recruitment
• Recruitment or Hiring is the process of searching and attracting the
right candidates for hiring them for vacant jobs in an organization.
• Recruitment refers to the process of identifying, attracting,
interviewing, selecting, hiring and onboarding employees. In other
words, it involves everything from the identification of a staffing need
to filling it.
• Depending on the size of an organization, recruitment is the
responsibility of a range of workers. Larger organizations may have
entire teams of recruiters, while others only a single recruiter. In
small outfits, the hiring manager may be responsible for recruiting. In
addition, many organizations outsource recruiting to outside firms.
Companies almost always recruit candidates for new positions via
advertisements, job boards, social media sites, and others. Many
companies utilize recruiting software to more effectively and
efficiently source top candidates. Regardless, recruitment typically
works in conjunction with, or as a part of Human Resources.
• Edwin B. Flippo defined the recruitment process –
‘Recruitment is the process of searching the candidates for
employment and stimulating them to apply for jobs in the
organization.’
• In the words of Dale S. Beach ‘Recruitment is the development
and maintenance of adequate manpower resources. It involves
the creation of a pool of available labor upon whom the
organization can draw when it needs additional employees.’
The recruitment process leads to a collection of candidates for
any vacancies an organization might have.
Step 1: Recruitment Planning
• Recruitment planning is the first step of the recruitment process,
where the vacant positions are analyzed and described. It
includes job specifications and its nature, experience,
qualifications and skills required for the job, etc.
• A structured recruitment plan is mandatory to attract potential
candidates from a pool of candidates. The potential candidates
should be qualified, experienced with a capability to take the
responsibilities required to achieve the objectives of the
organization.
Identifying Vacancy
The first and foremost process of recruitment plan is identifying the
vacancy. This process begins with receiving the requisition for
recruitments from different department of the organization to the HR
Department, which contains −
• Number of posts to be filled
• Number of positions
• Duties and responsibilities to be performed
• Qualification and experience required
When a vacancy is identified, it the responsibility of the sourcing
manager to ascertain whether the position is required or not,
permanent or temporary, full-time or part-time, etc. These parameters
should be evaluated before commencing recruitment. Proper
identifying, planning and evaluating leads to hiring of the right
resource for the team and the organization.
Job Analysis
Job analysis is a process of identifying, analyzing, and determining the
duties, responsibilities, skills, abilities, and work environment of a
specific job. These factors help in identifying what a job demands and
what an employee must possess in performing a job productively.
• Job analysis helps in understanding what tasks are important and
how to perform them. Its purpose is to establish and document
the job relatedness of employment procedures such as selection,
training, compensation, and performance appraisal.
• The following steps are important in analyzing a job −
• Recording and collecting job information
• Accuracy in checking the job information
• Generating job description based on the information
• Determining the skills, knowledge and skills, which are required for
the job
The immediate products of job analysis are job descriptions and job
specifications.
Job Description
Job description is an important document, which is descriptive in
nature and contains the final statement of the job analysis. This
description is very important for a successful recruitment process.
Job description provides information about the scope of job roles,
responsibilities and the positioning of the job in the organization. And
this data gives the employer and the organization a clear idea of what
an employee must do to meet the requirement of his job
responsibilities.
• Job description is generated for fulfilling the following processes −
• Classification and ranking of jobs
• Placing and orientation of new resources
• Promotions and transfers
• Describing the career path
• Future development of work standards
A job description provides information on the following elements:
• Job Title / Job Identification / Organization Position
• Job Location
• Summary of Job
• Job Duties
• Machines, Materials and Equipment
• Process of Supervision
• Working Conditions
• Health Hazards
Job Specification
Job specification focuses on the specifications of the candidate, whom the HR team is going to hire.
The first step in job specification is preparing the list of all jobs in the organization and its locations.
The second step is to generate the information of each job.
This information about each job in an organization is as follows:
• Physical specifications
• Mental specifications
• Physical features
• Emotional specifications
• Behavioral specifications
A job specification document provides information on the following elements −
• Qualification
• Experiences
• Training and development
• Skills requirements
• Work responsibilities
• Emotional characteristics
• Planning of career
Job Evaluation
• Job evaluation is a comparative process of analyzing,
assessing, and determining the relative value/worth of a job in
relation to the other jobs in an organization.
• The main objective of job evaluation is to analyze and
determine which job commands how much pay. There are
several methods such as job grading, job classifications, job
ranking, etc., which are involved in job evaluation. Job
evaluation forms the basis for salary and wage negotiations.
Step 2: Recruitment Strategy
Recruitment strategy is the second step of the recruitment process, where a
strategy is prepared for hiring the resources. After completing the preparation of job
descriptions and job specifications, the next step is to decide which strategy to
adopt for recruiting the potential candidates for the organization.
While preparing a recruitment strategy, the HR team considers the following points
−
• Make or buy employees
• Types of recruitment
• Geographical area
• Recruitment sources
The development of a recruitment strategy is a long process, but having a right
strategy is mandatory to attract the right candidates. The steps involved in
developing a recruitment strategy include −
• Setting up a board team
• Analyzing HR strategy
• Collection of available data
• Analyzing the collected data
• Setting the recruitment strategy
Step 3: Searching the Right Candidates
Searching is the process of recruitment where the resources are
sourced depending upon the requirement of the job. After the
recruitment strategy is done, the searching of candidates will be
initialized. This process consists of two steps −
• Source activation − Once the line manager verifies and permits the
existence of the vacancy, the search for candidates starts.
• Selling − Here, the organization selects the media through which the
communication of vacancies reaches the prospective candidates.
Searching involves attracting the job seekers to the vacancies. The
sources are broadly divided into two categories: Internal
Sources and External Sources.
Internal Sources
Internal sources of recruitment refer to hiring employees within
the organization through −
• Promotions
• Transfers
• Former Employees
• Internal Advertisements (Job Posting)
• Employee Referrals
• Previous Applicants
External Sources
External sources of recruitment refer to hiring employees outside
the organization through −
• Direct Recruitment
• Employment Exchanges
• Employment Agencies
• Advertisements
• Professional Associations
• Campus Recruitment
• Word of Mouth
Step 4: Screening / Shortlisting
• Screening starts after completion of the process of sourcing the candidates. Screening is
the process of filtering the applications of the candidates for further selection process.
• Screening is an integral part of recruitment process that helps in removing unqualified or
irrelevant candidates, which were received through sourcing. The screening process of
recruitment consists of three steps −
Reviewing of Resumes and Cover Letters
Reviewing is the first step of screening candidates. In this process, the resumes of the
candidates are reviewed and checked for the candidates’ education, work experience, and
overall background matching the requirement of the job
While reviewing the resumes, an HR executive must keep the following points in mind, to
ensure better screening of the potential candidates −
• Reason for change of job
• Longevity with each organization
• Long gaps in employment
• Job-hopping
• Lack of career progression
Conducting Telephonic or Video Interview
Conducting telephonic or video interviews is the second step of screening
candidates. In this process, after the resumes are screened, the candidates
are contacted through phone or video by the hiring manager. This screening
process has two outcomes −
• It helps in verifying the candidates, whether they are active and available.
• It also helps in giving a quick insight about the candidate’s attitude, ability
to answer interview questions, and communication skills.
Identifying the top candidates
Identifying the top candidates is the final step of screening the
resumes/candidates. In this process, the cream/top layer of resumes are
shortlisted, which makes it easy for the hiring manager to take a decision.
This process has the following three outcomes −
• Shortlisting 5 to 10 resumes for review by the hiring managers
• Providing insights and recommendations to the hiring manager
• Helps the hiring managers to take a decision in hiring the right candidate
Step 5: Evaluation and Control
Evaluation and control is the last stage in the process of recruitment. In this
process, the effectiveness and the validity of the process and methods are
assessed. Recruitment is a costly process, hence it is important that the
performance of the recruitment process is thoroughly evaluated.
The costs incurred in the recruitment process are to be evaluated and controlled
effectively. These include the following −
• Salaries to the Recruiters
• Advertisements cost and other costs incurred in recruitment methods, i.e.,
agency fees.
• Administrative expenses and Recruitment overheads
• Overtime and Outstanding costs, while the vacancies remain unfilled
• Cost incurred in recruiting suitable candidates for the final selection process
• Time spent by the Management and the Professionals in preparing job
description, job specifications, and conducting interviews.
Sources of Recruitment
SELECTION
• Selection is the process of putting right men on the right job.
• It is a procedure of matching organisational requirements with the skills
and qualifications of people.
• Effective selection can be done only when there is effective matching.
• By selecting best candidate for the required job, the organisation will get
quality performance of employees.
• A systematic selection should be done in the organization to avoid wrong
candidate’s selection and loss of time and money incurred on this process.
• Wrong selection also leads to absenteeism and retrenchment.
• Selection is the process of carefully screening the candidates who offer
themselves for appointment so as choose the most suitable persons for the
jobs that are to be filled. It is the process of weeding out unsuitable
candidates.
• But selection must be differentiated from recruitment, though
these are two phases of employment process. Recruitment is
considered to be a positive process as it motivates more of
candidates to apply for the job. It creates a pool of applicants. It
is just sourcing of data. While selection is a negative process as
the inappropriate candidates are rejected here. Recruitment
precedes selection in staffing process. Selection involves
choosing the best candidate with best abilities, skills and
knowledge for the required job.
• Once an adequate number of applicants have been sourced, the
process of selection begins. Selection is the second step in the
staffing process. This process involves choosing the candidates
who best meet the qualification and have the greatest aptitude
for the job. The main objective of this process is to match
individual characteristics such as ability, experience and so on
with the requirements of the job.
Selection Process in HRM – Need
• Selection, being the most crucial phase of human resource
management, should be systematic and scientific, based on
certain pre-determined criteria. Traditional methods of
selection, though may provide base for judging the suitability of
a candidate, do not provide satisfactory fit between the
candidates and jobs.
• Therefore, there is a need for developing scientific methods for
selection. A scientific method uses well-established, reliable,
and valid tools for selection.
• These tools are based on a fit among three categories of
variables:
• 1. Candidate’s own personality predispositions and
characteristics such as need patterns, tolerance for ambiguity,
locus of control, work ethic, values, abilities, and skills;
• 2. Characteristics of the job such as the amount of challenge it
offers, the skills used in performing the job, and the like; and
• 3. Characteristics of facilitating structures at the workplace such
as work layout, reward systems, extent of training and
development facilities offered, and organizational culture and
values.
The need for a fit between the candidate and other
variables arises to ensure the following features in the
selection:
• 1. To Reduce Margin of Errors:
• No matter whatever method of selection is used, some margin of errors will
always prevail. Scientific selection tries to reduce this margin though it
cannot remove it completely at selecting those who will, by and large,
perform well in the organization and reject those who will not. However, in
doing so, some errors invariably occur.
Based on the combination of two criteria — performance criteria
and selection criteria, candidates may be divided into four
categories:
• A- refers to those who were not selected on the selection criteria cut-off but
who have been successful had they been selected. This error is known as
false negative.
• B- refers to those who were rejected; had they been selected, their
performance would not have been positive. In this case, there is no error
and the situation is known as true negative.
• C- refers to those who have been selected and whose performance
would be positive. The situation is true positive; there is no error.
• D- refers to those who have been selected on the selection cut-off
criteria but their performance is not positive. This error is known as
false positive.
Scientific selection aims at increasing the size of rectangles B and C
and, consequently, decreasing the size of rectangles A and D by using
proper tools and techniques of selection
2. To Minimize Cost of Personnel:
• A wrong selection results in enormous cost to the organization as
well as to the society. For the organization, cost of a wrong selection
is in two forms. First, it will have to pay higher remuneration to the
person wrongly selected in comparison to his contributions to the
organization thereby affecting organizational effectiveness adversely.
Second, selection of a wrong person has a telling effect on the morale
of existing personnel in the organization.
• It may send a wrong signal and the personnel may feel that
nepotism is the way of life in the organization. From the social
point of view, a wrong selection means the wastage of precious
human resources of the society. By scientific selection, such
costs can be minimized.
3. To Meet Environmental Requirements:
• No organization operates in isolation but it operates in the
context of a given set of environmental factors. Therefore, it has
to abide by socio-cultural norms and one of the norms is that
every organization will treat all people fairly. This applies in the
context of employment of people.
Important Qualities of Selection
Instrument (Validity and Reliability)
• Once the criteria or objectives of selection have been decided, one
should look for an instrument that can be used to discriminate and
distinguish between candidates possessing those characteristics and
those who do not. In other words an instrument, e.g., a test, an
interview, or a certificate of high educational qualification could be
used to make selection if its administration yield different results for
different candidates. This instrument or the device is called selection
device.
A chosen selection instrument must have two very important
qualities:
• 1. It should be valid and
• 2. It should be reliable.
1. Validity:
• A valid selection device would be one that when administered on a group of
candidates generates results that are related well with the specific criteria
or objectives of selection. Example – If the criterion of selection of a hotel
manager is his/her ability to work with room boys, then we can use a
behavioural test to select a hotel manager only if behavioural test scores of
a group of hotel managers are correlated well with their measured ability
to work with the room boys.
• If a hotel’s objective is to select a manager with aptitude to work with room
boys, then obviously it cannot use a meter stick to make the choice as there
is no proven relation between the height of a manager and his/her ability
to work with room boys!
• In the context of strategic selection, the issue of validity assumes special
significance. This is because many of the strategy-related skill
requirements for a key manager are based on inadequate analysis and
incomplete information. Many a time these requirements are presented
based on what worked in another organization and/or in another time in
the same organization without considering their current relevance.
• As a result many a time, some of the strategy-related selection
objectives that are used for making selection may turn out to be
faulty at a later date. It is because of such doubts and potential faux
pass that some authors and practicing managers believe that there is
no need for a strategic selection at all or at least in the entry career
stages of managers.
• Human quality and characteristics are flexible and adaptable enough
to meet any future requirements provided one is committed to the
organization and the organizational environment is supportive
enough to take the trouble.
• 2. Reliability:
• Through the process of selection, the selection committee members
try to assess those qualities and characteristics of a candidate that are
normally not visible from the objective information provided by
him/her. Many of these qualities and characteristics are intangible in
nature and their assessments are open to varying degree of subjective
errors.
• Naturally, the application of a device may yield results that
depend on other extraneous factors, e.g., who administered it, at
what time it was administered, or how it was administered.
Unless an instrument gives results that are stable both over time
and over different administrators, it cannot be very useful and
acceptable to an organization. Sometimes, the use of an
instalment of low reliability may invite legal sanction for being
unfair and discriminatory.
• Thus, the reliability of a selection device is another important
characteristic which indicates consistency in results from its
application on the same group of candidates at different times
or from the administration by different administrators on the
same group of candidates.
SELECTION PROCESS
• Preliminary Interview
• This is a very general and basic interview conducted so as to eliminate the
candidates who are completely unfit to work in the organisation. This
leaves the organisation with a pool of potentially fit employees to fill their
vacancies.
• Receiving Applications
• Potential employees apply for a job by sending applications to the
organisation. The application gives the interviewers information about the
candidates like their bio-data, work experience, hobbies and interests.
• Screening Applications
• Once the applications are received, they are screened by a special
screening committee who choose candidates from the applications to call
for an interview. Applicants may be selected on special criteria like
qualifications, work experience etc.
• Employment Tests
• Before an organisation decides a suitable job for any individual, they have
to gauge their talents and skills. This is done through various employment
tests like intelligence tests, aptitude tests, proficiency tests, personality
tests etc.
• Employment Interview
• The next step in the selection process is the employee interview.
Employment interviews are done to identify a candidate’s skill set and
ability to work in an organisation in detail. Purpose of an employment
interview is to find out the suitability of the candidate and to give him an
idea about the work profile and what is expected of the potential
employee. An employment interview is critical for the selection of the right
people for the right jobs.
• Checking References
• The person who gives the reference of a potential employee is also a very
important source of information. The referee can provide info about the
person’s capabilities, experience in the previous companies
and leadership and managerial skills. The information provided by the
referee is meant to kept confidential with the HR department.
• Medical Examination
• The medical exam is also a very important step in the selection
process. Medical exams help the employers know if any of the
potential candidates are physically and mentally fit to perform their
duties in their jobs. A good system of medical checkups ensures that
the employee standards of health are higher and there are
fewer cases of absenteeism, accidents and employee turnover.
• Final Selection and Appointment Letter
• This is the final step in the selection process. After the candidate has
successfully passed all written tests, interviews and medical
examination, the employee is sent or emailed an appointment letter,
confirming his selection to the job. The appointment letter contains
all the details of the job like working hours, salary, leave allowance
etc. Often, employees are hired on a conditional basis where they
are hired permanently after the employees are satisfied with their
performance.
Selection Tests
• The selection tests aim at measuring such skills and abilities in a
worker that are decided by job analysis to be essential for
successful job performance. A test is an instrument designed to
measure selected psychological factors.
• The basic assumption underlies the use of tests in personnel
selection is that the individuals are different in their job-related
abilities and skills and that these skills can be adequately and
accurately measured for comparison. A great number of human
abilities are complex and interrelated. Hence, these have to be
understood in association with each other.
• All the tests so far developed for the selection of
employees can broadly be divided into two categories:
(i) Ability Tests and
(ii) Personality Tests.
Ability Tests:
• 1. Aptitude Tests:
• Aptitude tests measure ability and skills of the testee. These tests measure
and indicate how well a person would be able to perform after training and
not what he/she has done^. Thus, aptitude tests are used to predict the
future ability/performance of a person.
• There are two objectives of the aptitude tests. One to advise youth or
jobseekers regarding field of activities in which they are likely to succeed.
This is called ‘vocational guidance’. Second, to select best persons for jobs
where, they may succeed. This test is called ‘vocational selection’.
• Specific aptitude tests have been designed to measure special abilities to
perform a job. Examples of such tests are Mechanical Aptitude Test,
Clerical Aptitude Test, Artistic Aptitude Test, Musical Aptitude Test,
Management Aptitude Test, Differential Aptitude Test, etc
• 2. Achievement Tests:
• Achievement tests measure a person’s potential in a given area/job. In
other words, these tests measure what a person can do based on skill or
knowledge already acquired by him/her. Achievement tests are usually
used for admission to specific courses in the academic institutions.
• In these tests, grades in previous examinations are often used as indicators
of achievement and potential for learning. Indian industries have now
started conducting these tests to judge for themselves the level of
proficiency attained rather than believing their scores in academic
examinations. Achievement tests are also known by the names, proficiency
tests, performance, occupational or trade tests.
• Achievement tests resemble those of aptitude tests. However, the
difference lies in the usage of results. The line of difference between
achievement and aptitude is very thin in the sense of past achievement and
performance. This difference between the two can be exemplified with an
example.
• When we ask a person, or say, a student to study the paper human
resource management, then what he learns is ‘achievement’. But if we test
the student to see if he would profit from certain training to the subject, it
is ‘aptitude’.
• 3. Intelligence Tests:
• Intelligence tests measure general ability for intellectual
performance. The core concept underlying in intelligence test is
mental age. It is presumed that with physical age, intelligence also
grows. Exceptions to this may be there. So to say, if a five year old
child does the test, for six years or above his/her mental age would be
determined accordingly.
• Mental age is generally indexed in terms of Intelligence
Quotient (IQ) and calculated by using the following
formula:
• IQ = Mental Age/Actual Age × 100
• It means that the intelligence quotient is a ratio of mental age to
actual age multiplying by 100(to remove decimal).
• IQ levels may vary because of culture and exposure. Saiyadain has
qualitatively described various levels of IQs as below:
• Intelligence testing in industry is based on the assumption that if the
organisation can get bright, alert employees quick at learning, it can
train them faster than those who are fewer well- endowed.
• 4. Judgment Tests:
• These tests are designed to know the ability to apply knowledge
in solving a problem.
Personality Tests:
• Personality tests are also called personality inventories. These tests measure
predispositions, motivations and lasting interests of the people.
• Personality tests are subsumed under four broad categories as given
below:
• 1. Interest Tests:
• These tests are designed to discover a person’s area of interest, and to identify the
kind of work that will satisfy him. Interest is a prerequisite to successfully
perform some task. These tests owe their origin to the vocational efforts. The most
widely used interest test is Kuder Reference Record. It consists of three forms.
• The first form measures vocational interest such as mechanical, computational,
artistic, literary, musical and clerical interest. Interests in personal areas such as
group activities, avoiding conflicts etc., are measured by the second form of
interest tests. The third form of interest test measures preference reactions to
particular occupations like accountant, salesman, farmer, etc. The best known
among these three forms of interest test is the Kuder Preference Record i.e.
vocational test.
• 2. Personality Tests:
• These tests are also known as ‘personality inventories’. These
tests are designed to measure the dimensions of personality i.e.,
personality traits such as interpersonal competence,
dominance- submission, extroversions-introversions, self-
confidence, ability to lead and ambition. The most well known
names of personality tests are the Minnesota Multiphasic
Personality Inventory (MMPI), FIRO, and California Personality
Inventory.
• As reported by Morgan and King, the MMPI measures
the following ten personality dimensions:
• Under the MMPI, as many as 495 items need to be answered as
‘True’, ‘false’ and ‘Cannot Say’.
• The following are the examples of some representative
items:
• (a) I am easily awakened by noise.
• (b) I get all the support I should.
• (c) I do not bother for my look.
• (d) I do not experience day-dream.
• (e) My teachers made me obey elders even when they may
advise wrong.
• 3. Projective tests:
• These tests are based on pictures or incomplete items. The
testee is asked to narrate or project his own interpretation on
these. The way the testee responds reflects his /her own values,
motives, attitude, apprehensions, personality, etc. These tests
are called projective because they induce the testee to put
himself/herself into the situation to project or narrate the test
situation.
• The most widely used tests of this type are the Rorschach Blot
Test (RBT) and the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT). The
RBT consists of an ink blot and the testee is asked to describe
what he/she sees in it. In case of TAT which is considered as the
most well-known structured projective test, the testee is shown
pictures and, then, is asked to make-up a story based on the
pictures.
• 4. Attitude Tests:
• These tests are designed to know the testee’s tendencies towards
favouring or otherwise to people, situations, actions, and a host
of such other things. Attitudes are known from the responses of
the testees / respondents because emotional overtones involved
make it difficult to directly observe or measure attitude of the
testee. Test of social desirability, authoritarianism, study of
values, Machiavellianism and employees morale are the well-
known examples of attitude tests.
Other Tests:
• Graphology:
• The origin of graphology is traced back to the eleventh century when
the Chinese drew attention to the relationship between handwriting
and personality. It has been said that an individual’s handwriting can
suggest the degree of energy, inhibitions, and spontaneity to be
found in the writer, disclosing idiosyncrasies and elements of balance
and control from which many personality characteristics can be
inferred.
• For example, big letters and emphasis on capital letters indicate a
tendency towards domination and competitiveness. A slant to the
right, moderate pressure and good legibility show leadership
potential. Although the validity of handwriting analysis is not fool-
proof, some companies use graphology tests to supplement their
usual selection procedure.
• Polygraph Tests:
• This test is designed to confirm the accuracy of information given on the
application blank. Hence, it is considered as a form of employment test.
Polygraph is a lie detector. Polygraph tests are found useful for the
organisations that are highly vulnerable to theft or swindling. Examples of
such organisations are departmental stores, banks, jewellery shops, etc.
• Physiognomy Tests:
• These tests suggest a definite correlation between facial features and
physiological functions and behaviour. According to these tests, structures
of features are reflective of personality traits and characteristics. For
example, thin lips indicate determination; broad jaws signify tenacity, and
so on and so forth.
• Similarly, physignes indicate the following three kinds of
temperament:
• 1. An overly-fat person enjoys eating and also loves good life.
• 2. As regards muscular built, it reflects toughness.
• 3. Whereas a slight built indicates an introverted, shy, and oversensitive
person.
Employee Orientation
• Employee orientation is the process of introducing
new hires to their jobs, co-workers,
responsibilities, and workplace. It allows
employees the chance to feel comfortable within
their new teams, departments, and roles within the
company. Effective employee orientation answers
any questions or concerns a new colleague may
have, makes them aware of company policies and
expectations, and eases them comfortably into
their new positions.
• Employee orientation gives ideas, philosophy, and information
about the organization to the newly appointed employees to
adjust themselves to the organization. Orientation helps with
new employee assimilation and a part of his or her continuous
socialization process in the organization.
Objectives of orientation are to;
1.gain employee commitment,
2.reduce his or her anxiety,
3.help him, or she understands the organization’s expectations,
and
4.convey what he or she can expect from the job and the
organization.
• According to Gary Dessler, “Employee orientation is a procedure for
providing new employees with basic background information about
the firm.”.
• According to Biswanath Ghosh, “Employee orientation is the
process by which new employees are introduced to the
organization’s practices, policies, and purposes.”
• Decenzo and S. P. Robbins said, “An orientation program should
familiarize the new member with the organization’s objectives,
history, philosophy, procedures, and rules, communicate relevant
personnel policies such as hours of work, payment procedures, and
quintiles, fringe benefits, etc.”
• The introduction of an employee to the job is also known as
induction. It is a welcoming process. Induction follows placement and
consists of the task of orienting or introducing the new employee to
the company.
• Orientation may be done by the supervisor, the HRM staff, or some
combination.
• It may be formal or informal, depending on the size of the organization.
• It Covers such things as:
• The organization’s objectives
• History.
• Philosophy.
• Procedures.
• Rules.
• HRM policies and benefits
• Fellow employees.
• Learning the Organization’s Culture
• Culture includes long-standing, often unwritten rules about what is appropriate
behavior.
• Socialized employees know how things are done, what matters, and which behaviors
and perspectives are acceptable.
Topics Covered in the Employee
Orientation program:
• The following topics are covered in the orientation or socialization
process.
1.Introduction: Regarding the organization, supervisor, trainers, and
coworkers and to
2.Job Duties: It provides job-related information like job location, job
tasks, job safety requirements, an overview of the job, job objectives,
relationship to other jobs, etc.
3.Organizational Issues: This provides the information about the
overall organization it may include; the history of the employer,
organization or employer, name & titles of a key executive,
employee’s titles and departments, the layout of physical facilities,
probationary period, an overview of the production process,
company policies and rules, disciplinary regulations, employee
handbook, safety procedures, etc
• Employee Benefits: This part provides information about the
benefits offered by the organization like; Pay scales & paydays,
vacations, rest breaks, training & education, benefits,
counseling, housing facilities, insurance benefits, retirement
program, employer-provided services for employees,
rehabilitation program.
Importance of Employee Orientation
• Ingrains Loyalty
• The positive first impression of the organization fills the new employee
with pride and enthusiasm, jump-starting the sense of loyalty towards the
organization. The company’s orientation should start with an upbeat tone,
with introductions, vision statement, the mission statement, company
goals, culture, profits, and a brief outline of the plans for growth, rather
than with the strict rules of the company or the firing policies.
• Accelerates Learning
• On the very first day of the job, nothing is more important than a session
that outlines the organization in effortlessly digestible pieces. It helps in
reducing confusion. Making initial information easy and simple to
understand, assists streamline, and quicken the learning method, allowing
everyone involved to get on with the company sooner rather than later.
• Promotes Communication
• An ideal orientation process makes the new employee feel
welcomed, supported, comfortable, and able to interact easily. By
encouraging queries and gracefully acknowledging them, develops
affinity and nurtures communication abilities from the get-go. There
is no secret in the fact that the better an organization communicates
on every level, the better is its victory.
• Improves Performance
• The orientation day of the new employee normally covers some
heavy policies. That is why it is better to post the rules and guidance
in a convenient location, guiding the new employee to connect to
them as required.
• An orientation handbook is a source of information to build a solid
foundation, build confidence, boost efficiency, and improve
performance through the onboarding program and beyond.
• Reduces Turnover Rate
• No organization wishes to lose employees because of a lack of
direction or connection, especially after spending a lot of time
handpicking them from the long list of interviewees. The ideal
employee orientation program assists all new hires, by making
them feel confident, understood, loyal, and enthusiastic to stay
with the organization for the long-term. The employees’
orientation program may last for half a day or so, but the
positive impact copulated with upbeat organization culture
assists to retain an organization’s turnover rate low through
keeping morale high.
Steps in Employee Orientation:
• Reception: At first organization receives the new employees with
cordiality. As the new employees feel they come here to achieve a
specific goal and organization give them appropriate respect. By this
way, the organization inspired the new employees for better
performance.
• Acceptance stage: Acceptance is the second stage of orientation. In
this stage, employees feel positive attitude to their colleagues. An
important role is that the colleagues have to make assure them that
the working place is suitable to work properly.
• Executive’s personal interest: Executive’s personal interest means executives
show personal interest to know about the new employees. So that new
employees feel that they are important people in the organization.
• Introducing with colleagues: Organization introduces the new employees with
their colleagues to whom they will work. By doing this, an organization is
successful to create friendly and cordial relationship among the new employees
and the old employees.
• Introducing with supervisors: This is the important stage of orientation. In this
stage, new employees get the opportunities for introducing themselves with
senior executives.
• Introduce with service and regulation: In this stage, employees are introduced to
rules and regulations of the service. If they have idea rule and regulations they
are all to as their activities carefully.
• Understanding the facilities: In this stage employees, the organization provides
an idea, about the benefits and facilities to new employees. By getting these
facilities employees to get an opportunity of standard living. So they try to give
their effect to make the work successful.
• Follow-up: On the analysis of steps, if any mistake has occurred those steps are to
be corrected. This process is known as a follow-up.