Employee Involvement & Communication

Employee participation is the involvement of employees in organisations by means of communication. Employee participation allows employees to have some input in the decision making process within business's. Employee involvement, however, is the process of managers encouraging employees to be committed to the business in which they work. This can be done by sharing information, consultation and financial participation.

The difference between employee participation and employee involvement is that employee participation is more formal than employee involvement. For example, in employee participation, employees input their views and opinions on matters that concern the business e.g. whether or not to merge with another company while employee involvement involves matters that may not be directly concerned with the running of the business e.g. getting employees more active in the local community.

Organisations can involve employees in decision-making by:

1. Empowering them - Empowering employees gives them extra power and responsibility in the business, which would give them a greater say in the decision making process.

2. Working in teams - This would give employees an opportunity to discuss in teams the best course of action, which may involve making decisions agreed upon the group e.g. choosing a certain supply of goods.

3. Carry out staff opinion surveys - These can be given to employees within the company, allowing employees to give their views and opinions on the business. The results of the survey may determine how the business is run e.g. if the survey shows that 100% of employees dislike the autocratic leadership style in the business currently, the business may change its leadership style to a laissez faire leadership style.

Ernest & Young use Facebook as a social service, which allows potential recruits to inquire about any positions in the company that are available that they might be interested in under the "discussions" tab. This is done through online posts. Responses are then given by people that work at Ernest & Young about whether any positions are available and how to apply for a position in the company. For existing staff, employees can inquire about relocating to a different country but still work for Ernest & Young. Information is then given from users who work at the company that know which countries Ernest & Young support with available jobs going and respond with suitable answers.

Zappos use Twitter as a social service, which allows employees to communicate with each other on topics of their own choosing. Typical topics include how work is going, what training is like at Zappos and how the different Zappos branches compare. This is also done through online posts. Users reply to each other on topics that are currently active. Zappos' Twitter page isn't private however, which allows people that aren't employed by Zappos to post on the page. As a result, potential recruits can ask questions regarding Zappos that current Zappos employees can answer e.g. questions regarding the work environment in which Zappos employees work and the culture of the organisation.

In conclusion, I've enjoyed this topic because it is a topic that I'm relatively unfamiliar with. As a result, I've found the topic interesting having learnt a lot from it. It is also a topic that relates to the world of work, which is also why I enjoyed it to such a large extent as it will be relevant information to me once I finish University and find a job.

References:

Employee communication image [online]. [n.d.] [s.n.] Available from: http://www.powersbenefits.com/AA001354.jpg [Accessed 22 March 2010].

Reward

John Lewis rewards their staff by distributing a proportion of the company's profits to its employees (John Lewis Partnership, 2010). No groups in the company are exempt from receiving a proportion of the company's profits. The reason for this is that it would be unfair for certain employees working in the organisation to receive a share of the profits while others don't receive anything, taking into account that everyone has contributed to the company. In this respect, John Lewis ensures fairness and equality. On the other hand, the company's profits are distributed as a percentage of the employee's salary (John Lewis Partnership, 2010). As a result, the higher paid employees are more likely to receive a greater share of the profits than the lower paid employees. In this respect, fairness and equality isn't fully ensured as certain employee groups e.g. Managers are more likely to receive a greater share of the profits than other groups e.g. Checkout staff because they earn more.

Having said that, the reason why the share of the profits are distributed as a percentage of one's salary is because the employees that earn more have greater responsibilities and more difficult jobs to carry out. Based on this, you could argue that the higher paid earners in John Lewis receiving a greater share of the profits is perfectly fair. In addition, it is also arguable that employees earning the most have a bigger influence in generating the profits that are shared in the company than the employees that earn less, so it would make sense that they receive a greater share of the profits. In this respect, fairness and equality are ensured as the employees that have a bigger effect on the company receive a greater share of the profits.

Arguments for Chief Executives to receive bonuses even if the organisation that they have led has underperformed:

1. Receiving bonuses even if the organisation underperforms would encourage Chief Executives to stay in the company instead of leaving the organisation for a position in another company that gives bonuses to Chief Executives regardless of whether the company underperforms or not.

2. Receiving bonuses even if the organisation underperforms may make the Chief Executives feel valued in the business. This may motivate them into working more effectively which may improve the company's overall performance.

3. The performance of the company may not always be the fault of the Chief Executive/s or at least not totally. As a result, the Chief Executives may have actually performed well in reality even if the company as a whole hasn't. In this case, bonuses for Chief Executives even if an organisation is performing badly is justified.

Arguments against Chief Executives to receive bonuses even if the organisation that they have led has unperformed:

1. Company's that are underperforming are generally short of income. As a result, bonuses for Chief Executives aren't justified in underperforming business's considering that they are largely responsible for the lack of income in the first place.

2. Company's that are paying Chief Executives bonuses when they are underperforming are encouraging poor performance on the behalf of the company. This is because its part of the responsibility of the Chief Executives for the company to perform well. This may encourage subordinates in the company to work less efficiently and effectively with the expectation of receiving bonuses.

3. Company's that are paying Chief Executives bonuses when they are underperforming may damage or harm the morale in certain organisations. This is because it's unlikely that any other employees in the underperforming companies are receiving bonuses. As a result, it may create a "them and us" type divide in company's, which may further worsen the company's performance.

Three financial ways of rewarding a teacher at a primary school are:

1. Wages - Teachers are paid based on the number of hours worked, usually each week e.g. the number of hours a teacher teaches his/her classes in total.

2. Salaries - Teachers are paid at the end of each month for their work. Salaries are annual.

3. Performance related pay - Teachers are paid based on meeting or failing to meet certain targets. A typical target might be to have 60% of a teacher's class to be averaging a "C" grade in Maths.

Three non-financial ways of rewarding a teacher at a primary school are:

1. Job enrichment - a teacher may be given more interesting, challenging and complex jobs to carry out e.g. becoming more involved in solving any bullying issues that may exist in a primary school.

2. Job enlargement - a teacher may be given more tasks to carry out that they are familiar with e.g. teaching more classes than before and or marking more pieces of homework.

3. Empowerment - a teacher may be given greater power and control in a primary school e.g. have the authority to decide on punishments for misbehaved children.

Out of the financial/non-financial ways of rewarding a teacher stated above, one of the ways of rewarding a teacher that would motivate me the most would be to empower me through empowerment. This is because it would make me feel like I'm an asset to the school because I'm given extra responsibilities that I otherwise wouldn't have. I would therefore feel valued as an employee. Another way of rewarding a teacher that would motivate me would be to give me more interesting, challenging and complex tasks to carry out through job enrichment. This is because it would involve carrying out jobs that are more challenging than what I would usually carry out. It would therefore test my skills as an employee, which would motivate me to work harder than I usually would.

In conclusion I've enjoyed this topic on rewards greatly. This is largely because this topic is relatively unfamiliar to me. As a result, I've learned a lot on the subject. In addition, this topic is relevant to me once I finish University and seek employment so I've found the topic particularly interesting and insightful.

References:

John Lewis Partnership (2010) Pay and benefits [online]. John Lewis. Available from: http://www.johnlewispartnership.co.uk/Display.aspx?&MasterId=68408a6d-eee2-4873-a2fb-420aad32e547&NavigationId=556 [Accessed 20 April 2010].

Reward image [online]. [n.d.] [s.n.] Available from: http://customerservicevoodoo.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/incentiverecognition.jpg [Accessed 22 March 2010].

Training and Development

In the one-week induction training programme for graduates, I would firstly include a session which involves gathering personal information from the trainees. This would include information regarding their age and any disabilities the graduates may have so that the training programme can be modified accordingly if certain individuals require it. This would also help avoid discriminating against individuals that may need to be accustomed for with certain tasks. This first stage of the induction programme would take place within the business but outside the workplace itself. This is because this process would be distracting to customers in the workplace but too expensive to pay a specialised training company to handle such a task. Its effectiveness would be evaluated in it's ability to accommodate for graduates that have disabilities. Feedback can also be given via a Questionnaire which would also evaluate its effectiveness based on the number of complaints/compliments given.

The second stage of the induction programme would involve E-learning. The content of this E-learning stage would be accessible both in and outside the workplace, requiring a PC, Internet connection and a valid username/password. The E-learning stage gives the graduates information on how to effectively:

• Communicate to both employees and customers
• Work in a team
• Manage time
• Solve problems

Its effectiveness is evaluated in it's ability for graduates to learn the material without any questions, queries or problems in general.

The third stage of the induction programme would involve coaching of the graduates. Graduates would be coached on topics regarding managing retail chains, motivating staff and problem solving in addition to any legislative laws and regulations that are relevant to store managers. This would take place within the organisation with the current store managers in the business being the mentors. Its effectiveness would be evaluated by the extent to which the trainees understand what they are being taught. If the coaching is proving to be effective, the trainees should perform well in the on the job training stage of the training programme as the two stages are linked.

The fourth stage of the induction programme would involve on the job training. This would include the store managers demonstrating how to carry out tasks and activities a typical store manager would e.g. how to deal with customer complaints/queries. This stage would take place within the work environment of the business. The effectiveness of the stage would be evaluated by the responses given by graduates when the store managers ask questions at random regarding the on the job training. If all of the graduates respond with the answers that the store managers are looking for, it would appear the stage is too easy. Conversely, if all of the responses from the graduates aren't what the store managers are looking for, it would appear the stage is too difficult for the graduates.

In conclusion, I have enjoyed this topic on Training and Development. This is because the information that I've learnt from this topic will be of use to me once I leave University and seek employment. I've also found the material of the topic interesting. This is because a lot of the information on this topic is new to me as I wasn't very knowledgeable with regards to Training and Development before I had read into this topic.

References:

Training and Development image. [n.d.] [s.n.] Available from: http://www.through-the-maze.org.uk/symbols_x2/training.gif [Accessed 17 March 2010].

Managing Performance

Bucks New University measure my performance by using assignment percentages that I receive from the assignments that I hand in. The higher the percentage, the better I am performing. My lecturers play a big role in the process of giving me the assignment percentages because they are the ones that mark my assignments and decide on the percentage of marks that I get. As a result, the lecturers are directly involved in interpreting and measuring my performance. Over time, my lecturer's look at all of the assignment percentages and work out an average percentage that I am working at for each module in order to get a good overview of my progress and how I'm performing in general. This also applies to my personal tutor who looks at all of my assignment percentages for all of the modules, giving her a definitive overview of my overall performance.

The university also measure my performance through feedback. After the lecturers have marked my work, they give me my assignment/s back with feedback on what I've done well and what I could have done to improve the assignment/s. The lecturers use the feedback that they give to students like myself to measure my performance because they will be able to identify if I'm taking into account the feedback given in the assignments that follow. For example, if I have poor spelling and grammar in one assignment, the lecturer will have expected me to have improved my spelling and grammar for the next assignment if that was stated in the feedback given. The lecturers therefore play a huge role in the process of giving feedback because they are the ones that are directly stating how well I'm performing in each assignment, assessing whether I'm using the feedback to my advantage in improving the quality of the following assignments.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/entrepreneur/article3778514.ece

Skills required to be an effective mentor:

• Communication skills - it is important that mentors have good communication skills because if a mentor can't communicate with his or her learner properly, the learners won't be able understand the knowledge and advice that the mentor is trying to communicate to them, making the mentor as good as useless.
• Listening skills - mentors needs good listening skills so that they can listen and understand any problems that their learners may have and from that, reply back with any useful or necessary advice.
• Delegating skills - it is vital that mentors have good delegating skills so that they can delegate responsibility to their learners when it is necessary or appropriate. This is so that the learners can carry out activities on their own without the mentors doing the job for them.
• Problem-solving skills - mentors need good problem-solving skills so that they can teach their learners how to fix certain problems or offer solutions to any issues that may be present.
• Knowledge skills - it is crucial that mentors are knowledgeable because their would be no need in having a mentor if the learner already knew what the mentor does and nothing else. If this was the case, the learner couldn't be "mentored" as he/she wouldn't be learning any new material.

My father is someone that I consider to be a mentor to me. He has affected my life because he's always been someone that I've looked up to. As a result, I've tried to emulate a lot of his best characteristics such as his work ethic and professionalism with a reasonable amount of success. He has also taught me a great deal. For example, he has shown me right from wrong on many occasions, a lot of which I still apply to certain situations to this day. In addition, he has been a massive encouragement particularly with regards to education for me so I give a lot of credit to my success in school and now university to him.

Having said that, while he has had a positive affect on my life, he's also disciplined me when it was appropriate to do so. While this may have initially seemed like a negative affect, I feel like it has changed my attitude and behaviour for the better. For example, I used to be quite loud and obnoxious when I was a small child. Today I'm a quiet individual that is a lot more considerate of people around me. My father has therefore single-handedly carved my personality into what it is today.

In conclusion, I have enjoyed this topic greatly. This is because the topic as a whole applies and is relevant to me e.g. my progress at university is being monitored regularly, and my father is most definitely a mentor to me. I have also found this topic interesting because once I leave university and find a job, I'll be monitored in similar ways such as those mentioned in this topic. As a result, I will have a greater understanding of how I'm monitored in the workplace.

References:

Managing performance image. [n.d.] [s.n.] Available from: http://makingendsmeet.idea.gov.uk/idk/aio/5222355 [Accessed 05 March 2010].

Equal Opportunities and Diversity

Equality - is the principle that all people regardless of certain attributes e.g. sexual preference are treated equally.

Diversity - is the principle of recognising people's differences and applying it to or in a certain environment e.g. the workplace. A reason for encouraging diversity would be to have different skills amongst a company's employees.

Difference - "The distinction between equality of opportunity and the management of diversity has often been described in terms of equal opportunity being driven by legislation and applying it to specific groups whereas diversity refers to all differences among people (e.g. Kandola and Fullerton, 1998)" (Farmer and Yellowley, 2009, p.61). In the example of older people being employed for instance, legislation protecting the rights and equal opportunity of older people is equality while a business employing an older person because of his/her experience to compliment the business's younger employees is diversity.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/career_and_jobs/article6830916.ece

3 arguments for Margaret Mountford's views:

• Objective - It is objective to appoint women based only on merit. This is because it doesn't take into account subjective characteristics such as personality.
• Fair - Women shouldn't be treated any differently from men because men are appointed based on merit as well.
• Sympathetic - Her views aren't sympathetic to women that have / may have children.

3 arguments against Margaret Mountford's views:

• Mountford's views don't take into consideration the bigger picture. For example, for certain jobs, personality may be just as important as merit if not more.
• Women are different from men - Women are different from men e.g. have different responsibilities and should therefore be treated differently, regardless of equality.
• Discriminatory - It is unfair for women to be appointed on different grounds from men just because they are women.

The impact age legislation may have on employers:

• Employers may have to invest more money into accommodating extra training/equipment for older people.
• Employers may have to change its current employment program if its currently breaching the age legislation.
• Employers may have to take into account the benefits of employing an older person more considering the age legislation put in place.
• The age legislation will result in business's employing more older people which may change the culture of certain organisations.

Stereotypes we tend to hold about younger people:

• Younger people are inexperienced.
• Younger people are inconsiderate.
• Younger people are immature.
• Younger people are fast learners.

Stereotypes we tend to hold about older people:

• Older people are unproductive/inefficient.
• Older people are reluctant to change / conservative.
• Older people all have disabilities.
• Older people are slow learners.

Two ideas how organisations can attempt to change attitudes regarding old/young people:

1. Directly compare the performance of both the younger and older people in the workplace. This may help prove/disprove any stereotypes that may exist regarding job performance of younger and older people e.g. old people work inefficiently and young people work efficiently.

2. Try and encourage team working between the younger and older people in the workplace. This may help change any preconceived views or attitudes that may have existed before the teamworking had taken place. This is because the younger and older people are working intimately, possibly demonstrating characteristics different from any existing stereotypes.

Practise in relation to equal opportunities (Sainsbury's):

Sainsbury's (2010) state on their website that:

"We are committed to championing equality, diversity, inclusion and flexible working options for our colleagues. We remain committed to recruiting, retaining and engaging the best people, from backgrounds that reflect the communities we serve."

The last sentence from the quote above shows that Sainsbury's encourage equal opportunities of people from different racial backgrounds, assuming they apply into practice what they are stating. Despite the fact that the quote states that Sainsbury's are "committed to championing equality", they make no specific references to certain groups that are / aren't included in such "equality" excluding race. For example, they make no references to sexual preference, age or disability and if they are included or excluded in such "equality". As a result, the broadness of equality in Sainsbury's isn't clear. This may mean that Sainsbury's aren't promoting equal opportunities to a large extent in the respect of certain groups e.g. age.

Sainsbury's are also encouraging graduates to apply with them despite the economic crisis, having a whole subsection of there website dedicated to graduates. Sainsbury's offer many perks to graduates applying for a role at Sainsbury's including gym membership and an interest free loan of up to £2000. It is therefore clear that Sainsbury's are keen in promoting opportunities for graduates, possibly more so than other groups. In this respect, Sainsbury's aren't promoting equality as it appears they are looking for a certain type of employee in particular for jobs i.e. graduates.

Sainsbury's most innovative practice is in offering an interest free loan up to £2000 for graduates. This is because it appears that Sainsbury's are aware of the debts that students get into while at University so it's a nice opportunity for them to possibly make a clean slate, paying back any existing debts they may have with the loan. In addition, it avoids getting the students into further debt as much as possible as the loans are interest free.

In respect of benchmarking equal opportunities into practice, B&Q is a company that takes equal opportunities very seriously. For example, B&Q removed the retirement age more than 15 years ago (B&Q, 2010). It is therefore clear that B&Q are trying to promote equal opportunities for older employees that are currently working at B&Q as this is encouraging older peoples to stay employed within the company. In addition, B&Q has "been listed in The Times 'top 50 places where women want to work' for four consecutive years" (B&Q, 2010). As a result, B&Q are evidently doing their bit in treating women appropriately and fairly as B&Q wouldn't be receiving such accolades from a major Newspaper if they weren't. This also proves that B&Q are without a doubt adhering to equal opportunities legislation with regards to women. In this respect, it is very clear that equal opportunities are something that B&Q take seriously in practise.

B&Q's most innovative practice is in removing the retirement age over 15 years ago. This is innovative because many business's today still have a retirement age e.g. The Post Office, while B&Q does not. Removing the retirement age gives older people greater opportunities in terms of employment than they usually would with business's that have a retirement age as they can keep their position/s within the company instead of being replaced by younger employees. As a result, older people aren't discriminated against at B&Q because of their age in this respect.

In conclusion, I have enjoyed this topic a lot. This is because equal opportunities and diversity relate to me now in terms of how I'm treated and if it's fair how I'm treated. In addition, this topic has made me more considerate of people's differences e.g. in terms of age, disability, race which would prove to be a good charicteristic if I decide to set-up my own business in the future because I would have to conform to equal opportunities legislation.

References:

B&Q (2010) Our ethics [online]. [s.n.] Available from: http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/corporate/content/environment_ethics/ethics/index.jsp [Accessed 10 March 2010].

Equal opportunities image. [n.d.] [s.n.] Available from: http://www.hometutoring.org.uk/images/equalopportunities.jpg [Accessed 03 March 2010].

Farmer, M. Yellowley, W. (2009) People and Organisations 2nd ed. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited

J Sainsbury plc (2010) A great place to work [online]. [s.n.] Available from: http://www.jsainsbury.co.uk/cr/index.asp?pageid=10 [Accessed 03 March 2010].

Selection

Microsoft is an organisation that I am familiar with. I can therefore identify three different selection methods that Microsoft use, when they are used and why, along with the pros and cons for each.

Three different selection methods that Microsoft use are:

• Interview
• Test
• Assessment Centre

When they are used:

• Interview - Interviews are used at Microsoft after the candidate's written applications have been assessed successfully. This is at the beginning of the selection process.
• Test - Tests are used at Microsoft after the candidates have been interviewed on camera by recruitment consultants. This is during the middle of the selection process.
• Assessment Centre - Assessment centres are used at Microsoft after the candidates have been interviewed on camera by the recruitment consultants successfully. This is at the end of the selection process.

Why they are used:

• Interview - Interviews are used at Microsoft because they give the employers a good idea of who the individual is and what skills they have. For example, interviews are useful in identifying a candidate's verbal fluency which may be important in the role that they are applying for at Microsoft e.g. a marketing position.
• Test - Tests are used at Microsoft because it shows the employers how effectively the candidates apply there knowledge and experience to tasks/activities that may be the same or similar to the one/s that they are applying for. Tests are therefore a good way of identifying candidates that have potential in the role/s that they have applied for.
• Assessment Centre - Assessment centres are used at Microsoft because they are standardised. This means that all the candidates involved have an equal opportunity to showcase why they think they are suitable for the role that they are applying for from a skills and abilities standpoint. This is a good way of directly comparing candidate's from the employers point of view.

Advantages of using these methods as selection tools:


- Interview:

• "Provide opportunities for interviewers t0 ask probing questions about the candidate's experience and to explore the extent to which the candidate's competences match those specified for the job" (Armstrong, 2003, p.442).
• Interview questions can be changed at any time. This can be useful to Interviewers if certain interviews go in a direction that wasn't expected or predicted.
• Interviews can be useful in identifying how skilled candidates are at communicating verbally. This may be useful for interviewers who are looking for good communication skills.

- Test:

• Test's are almost always reliable, particularly on-the-job tests. This is because many of the tasks / activities involved in the on-the-job tests are the same or similar to the actual tasks / activities in the jobs themselves.
• On-the-job tests identify the skills that candidates have in carrying out tasks that relate to the actual job that they are applying for. As a result, it is difficult for candidates to "fake" performing well because they are likely to be doing the same or similar tasks/activities in the job itself.
• Considering the relationship that on-the-job tests have with the job itself, "these tests are typically viewed more favourable by examinees than aptitude or personality tests" [Anon 1.] (2001).

- Assessment Centre:

• "The organisation is forced to develop a pre-defined and articulated set of measurable criteria that is related to job performance" [Anon 2.] [n.d.].
• Assessment centres are fair because a candidate's performance is measured using a set criteria. As a result, bias is avoided.
• Since assessment centres usually consist of practical work, candidates often enjoy themselves. This is a sharp contrast to other forms of selection e.g. interviews.

Disadvantages of using these methods as selection tools:


- Interview:

• Interviews are open to subjectivity (Marquis and Huston, 2009, p.344).
• Interviews can be time consuming if many candidates are selected for interviewing. In business, time is money which means interviews can be expensive.
• Interviewers often create stereotypes of what a good candidate is like e.g. a particular sex, race or age. This can lead to discrimination of certain groups.

- Test:

• On-the-job test's can be expensive to oversee and control. This is because in a lot of cases, candidate's are monitored individually.
• On-the-job test's usually take a short period of time to complete i.e. no longer than a day's worth of work. As a result, on-the-job test's aren't very useful in predicting job performance for tasks that take days, weeks, months or longer to finish.
• It's difficult to measure a candidate's aptitude with on-the-job test's as training may not be given to the candidate.

- Assessment Centre:

• Assessment centre's are very expensive for employers. "Typically, the assessment centre will cost at least $500 to $1000 per candidate" (LaRue, 1989). This may not even include staff costs.
• The assessor's and candidate's don't directly communicate with each other at assessment centre's. As a result, it may be difficult for the assessor's to assess the candidate's verbal and communication skills in general.
• Assessment centre's "can be perceived more as an assessment of your ability to 'act' or 'perform' to an audience than a true reflection of your abilities" [Anon 3.] [n.d.].

An interview that I have taken part in was for a placement at my secondary school's sixth form. Overall, I think the interview went well although it could have been better. For example, I don't think I gave enough eye contact to my interviewer which may have indicated from there point of view that what I was saying wasn't sincere. In addition, it may have given the impression that I wasn't very confident which is obviously an attribute that probably didn't reflect well on myself. Furthermore, I spoke quite calmy during the whole interview which may have made it seem like I wasn't enthusiastic about the interview or the prospect of joining the school's sixth form.

I interviewed my Mother and discussed with her whether she feels personality tests used within a selection procedure are advantageous. She believed that they are in fact advantageous. My Mother believed that they are advantageous because personality tests may help reduce the labour turnover rate as the employees in the work environment may all share the same or similar personalities provided that they are selected in this way. She stated that this would prove to be advantageous because it would mean that their would be more agreements and fewer conflicts in the workplace which may result in a more efficient and productive workforce, particularly in teamworking because their is decision making and interaction involved between different people. If they all share the same or similar personalities, they can avoid wasting time arguing over disagreemeents but instead collectively agree on decisions and work cohesively together, according to her.

In addition, she also felt that personality tests are advantageous because they may help bring to light information regarding the candidate's interests. She felt that this would be advantageous because the candidate's interests may be useful in the job that they are applying for if they relate in any signficiant way. For example, if a candidate's interest is going to the gym and keeping fit and the job that they are applying for is very physical, the candidate may prove to be suitable for the position that they are applying for and vice versa thanks to the personality test/s.

One recommendation that I would make to improve the selection process at Microsoft would be to use more selection processes. Despite the fact that Microsoft use interviews, tests and assessment centres as selection processes, I think they could use one or two more selection processes in order to make sure that they are selecting suitable candidates. For example, currently Microsoft don't use references for recruitment. I think that they should use references because employers may be able to consider employing someone that they know work well (as they may already work in the same company) which gives the employers a greater range of candidates to select from.

In addition, I also recommend that Microsoft should only use selection processes that are appropriate for selecting people for certain jobs. For example, if using an assessment centre for finding and selecting a Marketing executive isn't appropriate, then Microsoft shouldn't use an assessment centre for finding Marketing executives. I think that this is important because certain selection processes may be more useful in selecting for certain jobs than others. As a result, a selection process's usefulness may vary from job to job.

In conclusion, I have enjoyed this topic very much. This is because the topic relates to me once I finish University and apply for a job in the future. Learning about the different selection methods and their advantages/disadvantages I have found particularly interesting. This is also a topic that I'm not familiar with which therefore means that I've learnt quite a lot from this topic on selection.

References:


[Anon 1.] (2001) HR Guide to the Internet: Personnel Selection: Methods: Work Sample Tests[online]. [s.n.] Available from: http://www.hr-guide.com/data/G316.htm [Accessed 17 February 2010].


[Anon 2.] [n.d.] Assessment Centres [online]. [s.n.] Available from: http://www.graduatecareers.com.au/content/view/full/1081 [Accessed 17 February 2010].


[Anon 3.] [n.d.] Assessment Centre [online]. [s.n.] Available from: http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:5fR4YbJCbEMJ:www.braintree.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/30633AE4-AAE1-433D-9EB6-EF1DF952D8E0/0/AssessmentCentre.doc+disadvantages+of+assessment+centres&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk [Accessed 19 February 2010].


Armstrong, M. (2003) A handbook of human resource management practise. 9th edition. London: Kogan Page Limited.

Cow image - Available from: http://www.miniaturedextercattle.com.au/images/services_01.jpg [Accessed 05 February 2010].


LaRue, J. (1989) Assessing the Assessment Centre. [online]. [s.n.] Available from: http://www.jlarue.com/assessment_center.html [Accessed 19 February 2010].


Marquis, B. Huston, C. (2009) Leadership Roles and Management Functions in Nursing: Theory and Application. 6th edition. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Recruitment

I have chosen www.monster.co.uk as an online recruitment site to review.

Use of the site - Monster's website proved to be very useful in the time I used it. This is because I found various job roles in areas that I was specifically looking for using the two search bars at the top of the home page.

Layout - The layout of Monster's website is very good overall. This is because there are two search box's at the top-centre of the page that allow people to search for jobs that they are interested in, in a certain location. The position of these search box's are easy to find which is important as they are pivotal features to the website. In addition, there is also a drop down menu at the top-centre of the page that is also easy to find which is crucial as the drop down menu allows viewers to access specific sections from any page e.g. "Forums".

Accessibility - All of the links on Monster's website worked that I clicked on and linked to the correct pages. This shows that the accessibility part of Monster's website is very good as employers and employees can navigate around Monster's website quickly and easily. In addition, typing "Monster" into Google generates Monster.co.uk as the first result so the website can be easily accessed even if the URL isn't typed into the address bar.

Efficiency - All of the web pages within Monster.co.uk load quickly without delay. On average, each page took two seconds to load. This means that Monster.co.uk is a very efficient website.

Fit for purpose - Monster.co.uk is fit for purpose i.e. is suitable for people looking for jobs / employers as the website looks stylish yet professional, all the links work properly including the drop down menu, the search bar works and all the content necessary for people looking for jobs / employers is available.

Content - Monster's content is very good. This is because all of the information is given in a professional manner. For example, the content has a serious tone and avoids giving unnecessary and inappropriate information e.g. jokes which is appropriate given the nature of the site. In addition, the site doesn't contain advertisements. This is good because it the viewer won't be distracted from finding the information that he/she is looking for. Their are also no pop-ups on Monster which is good as they can be frustrating to keep closing for users that want to simply browse the website without any sort of interruption.

Security - Monster appears to be a secure website. This is because users with Monster accounts have unique email-addresses and passwords to use in order to sign in. As a result, it is difficult for people to hack into other people's accounts without knowing their email address and password. Any job postings that look questionable can also be reported to Monster to ensure the users safety.

Design - The background of Monster's website is white which is very clean looking but also very professional looking. The background is therefore suitable for Monster given the subject matter of the site. In addition, the font colour of the text on Monster's website is black which is appropriate as it looks professional and is easy to read given that the background is white.

Advantages of on-line recruitment:

1. Cost - It's free to put job vacancies on your own website and costs only a few hundred pounds to put job vacancies on a recruitment website. On-line recruitment is therefore very cheap overall, especially in comparison with off-line recruitment.

2. Quick - Job vacancies can be uploaded in seconds, with applicants applying and interviews taking place within a space of a few hours. Suitable candidates can therefore be identified and recruited very quickly.

3. Easy - Uploading job vacancies is a very simple task even for people that aren't very IT literate. As a result, both novice and experienced computer users can upload job vacancies with ease.

4. 24/7 - Websites are accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. As a result, candidates can apply for job vacancies at any time giving them the convenience of being able to apply when it's most convenient for them.

5. Audience - On-line recruitment is considered to be not only a standard part of job hunting for young people but also older people too. As a result, their is a wide range of different types of people applying for jobs whether they are young and have potential or old and have years of experience.

Disadvantages of on-line recruitment

1. Not everyone has access to the Internet - Despite the fact that on-line recruitment is very popular, not everyone is connected to the Internet. As a result, certain demographics that are less likely to be connected to the Internet will be somewhat discriminated against.

2. Too many candidates - Despite the fact that it may appear that having many candidates is a positive thing, on-line recruitment can attract too many candidates that aren't suitable for certain roles. As a result, it can be time consuming to manage and separate poor candidates from good candidates.

3. Doesn't always work - Not all job vacancies can be filled online with on-line recruitment. This is the case particularly with more senior roles that may require headhunters. As a result, on-line recruitment is limited in it's ability to fulfil certain positions.

4. Process is impersonal - On-line recruitment is impersonal as the process is automated. This may put off candidates from applying that may be suitable for particular positions.

5. Groups that can't use certain technologies will be discriminated against - Groups that can't use technologies such as the Internet will be discriminated against as it will be physically impossible for them to apply for a certain role online.

A recruitment campaign that really interested me was a IT web designer role for The Cookehouse. The campaign really interested me as I did ICT at A level and GCSE levels respectively so I knew I had enough qualifications and experience in IT to be considered seriously as an applicant. This is because the campaign clearly stated in the paper that I was reading the campaign from that they are looking for candidates with qualifications and experience in IT, which I have. In addition, the campaign had a slick and clean background which caught my eye immediately. Having read that I had the qualifications that they were looking for, the stylish background of the campaign gave me the impression that this is a company that would value an employee such as myself if I were to get a position at The Cookehouse.

http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/empreltns/psycntrct/psycontr.htm

I understand that a physcological contract is a contract that exists psychologically or mentally as opposed to a legal contract that is physical. As a result, a physcological contracts exist from verbal agreements while legal contracts exist from written and signed agreements. From reading the link above, the recession of the 1990's and the effect of globalisation are largely responsible for why the term has become so popular although the term dates back as early as the 1960's. The recession of the early 1990's is responsible for popularising the term because during that period, the number of employees that were getting laid off was very high as job security was uncertain and not guaranteed. Globalisation is also responsible for popularising the term because foreign workers would do the jobs of others for less money and in some cases, more efficiently. This resulted in employees being made redundant in favour of the foreign workers, increasing the unemployment rate.

Recently, employees are becoming increasingly concerned about their job security which is why it is very important that employers communicate with their employees regularly regarding their performance and role in the company and negotiate accordingly i.e. the "physcological contract" as it helps to restore confidence in the employees and therefore motivate them into working more productively and efficiently.

In conclusion, I have learnt quite a lot from this topic on Recruitment. This is because this is a topic that I'm not particularly familiar with or have much knowledge of. It is also a subject that I've found interesting as it is something that would be of relevance to myself once I leave University and apply for a full time job.

References

Recruitment image - Available from: http://www.jobquest.com.sg/website_picture/recruitment-handshake.jpg [Accessed 01 February 2010].