Staff development issues at Natural Knibbles - Essay Example

Staff development issues at Natural Knibbles Identify the key characteristics of “Natural Knibbles” orientation program and how it supports the goals of the organisation. The main goals of Natural Knibbles are successful market penetration hence growth while managing and maintaining the well being of its employees. The company aims to focus on both quality and cost cutting while at the same time pays attention to the details of both its products and employees and ensures that they are competent and committed. To ensure this, Natural Knibbles orientation program, which was designed to retain their interest and maintain their job satisfaction revolved around on-job training. This provided the new employees with hands-on experience of the different types of jobs they were supposed to do. The orientation program also paired the new employees with old ones which was called the buddy system. This helped them develop relationships with staff members and also aided them in understanding the cordial work environment at Natural Knibbles. Besides that on-job training is the most cost effective and one of the cheapest forms of training which can be deployed to staff members, thus it was congruent with natural Knibbles cost control goals. The orientation program also rotated the new employees into different positions which also was very likely of the company. Not only did it gave the employees insight into different processes at Natural Knibbles but as it is a small company and employees are employees often cover up for other employees, it gave them a flavor of both multi-tasking and work variation which is common at the company and essential for its growth. 2) What forms of training and development have been beneficial to (a)Kane and (b)Lisa following their initial experiences at Natural Knibbles? a) Kane As Kane is having difficulty acclimatizing in the new environment, he should also be provided with off-job training. Besides that Kane should have been given clear directions regarding work and a clear list of expectations from the company which he has to fulfill. (Bernardin) Specific training and pairing for a longer time with a peer would have been beneficial for Kane. b) Lisa Though Lisa is well settled now, she should have been provided with specific training regarding her new work position that is in the sales department rather than just a complete overview. Off job training like a relevant course prior to joining the new position would also have been beneficial to Lisa as it would boost her confidence. 3) What are the advantages and disadvantages of peer evaluation and why would Natural Knibbles choose this approach as a part of its performance management process? Firstly peer evaluation is used in Natural Knibbles because of the cordial and family like atmosphere in the company. It is unanimously believed in the organization that the employees are all working for the common good and thus there are no apparent biases or prejudices. From the performance management’s point of view, peer evaluation is used because a diverse group of people will be able to look from an impartial point of view and find a range of weaknesses to address rather than a single person reviewing the new employees. Besides that since both the new employees were in contact with a range of employees, the responses and the evaluation from all supervisors can result in a distinct evaluation. Peer evaluation is also used because using this system of evaluation ensures that certain evaluation errors such as stereotyping and the halo error are avoided and a just and unbiased evaluation of the employees can take place. 4) What HR strategies could Natural Knibbles use to develop effective career planning processes? The effective HR strategies for career planning include both motivating and retaining the employees. Effective training and development should be deployed to employees in all work and employment stages whether they are old or new. Training and development should be made mandatory for both new and old employees to polish their skills and thus value will be created for both the company and the employees. On job trainings and identification of relevant training programs for employees, also work to increase employee productivity and skills. Performance reviews and work analysis should also be performed on a routine basis and appropriate rewards and incentives should be given where applicable. This will motivate the employees and also result in them working more responsibly. The company should also encourage employees to explore more work opportunities around them in the company and rotate them in different positions if the employees are willing. This will help employees identify their career path where they are mpre satisfied. 5) Do you believe that Cherrie should have hired an HRD consultant to design and deliver the programs needed at Natural Knibbles? Why or why not? I think that Cherrie should have hired an HRD consultant to help with the programs at Natural Knibbles in case her budget allows her to do so. This is the case because Natural Knibbles is a company which needs employees which fit a certain mould and are flexible in their work approach. At the same time the employees have to be fast learners. This means that new employee selection at natural Knibbles has to be done with great care as the company does not want to invest a lot in training and development. When it comes to Kane’s selection, there was a mistake involved and an HRD consultant could have rectified it. Besides this it is evident that though work programs at Natural Knibbles are efficient and effective, they are not stream lined. Thus in order to stream line those programs and identify clear job descriptions and specifications, the help of a consultant would be greatly beneficial. The company is also a growing company and has immense growth potential. With its increasing size and the rising number of employees, it will also get Cherrie to handle things on her own and function efficiently without a well-managed and clear program design and delivery. Thus ultimately the need for a consultant is evident. References Bernardin. Human Resource Management 4E. Tata McGraw-Hill Education. Read More