Ethics and Personal Responsibilities of the Workplace - Term Paper Example

? CASE STUDY ANALYSIS and SOLUTIONS CASE: CARL ROBINS Executive Summary ABC Inc. is facing a serious problem due to the professional negligence towards the job requirements on behalf of the newly hired recruiter Carl Robins. There are various issues like insufficient data of the new trainees hired by Robins, missing training manuals, and mismanagement in the preparations of upcoming orientation. A thorough analysis of the situation reveals that the problems are far deeper than it seems, and the overall mechanism of ABC Inc. has to be blamed for the current troubling scenario. This paper is an attempt to evaluate the key problems, suggests some handy solutions as well as propose suitable recommendations for the company and employees. Analysis of Carl Robins Case Study Introduction: The knowledge of workplace ethics and personal responsibilities is an integral duty of any employee. When such duties are neglected then wide-ranged problems occur. It is also true that first impressions are always the last ones, most specifically in a workplace setting. Carl Robins’ case is an important example in this regard since he forgot these basic rules and ignored many significant requirements of his post. He is a six-month old recruiter in ABC Inc. and due to his extreme professional negligence, the company is facing several drastic problems, and the newly hired employees are not properly being trained as well. Through his ignorance, Robins has proved himself incapable for this post. This paper accumulates the key issues that are threatening the organization, provides useful suggestions and alternate solutions that might help Carl Robins and ABC Inc. in eliminating this challenging situation. Situation Background: Carl Robins was hired as a recruiter in ABC Inc. only six months back, and so far he has recruited 15 new employees who are supposed to work under the Operations' Supervisor Monica Carrolls. Carrolls has made him in-charge for the orientation so that the new trainees are formally welcomed and could start work from July. Robins has scheduled the orientation date on June 15, and has selected the training hall as the venue without double checking if it is available or not. On 15th May, Carrolls inquires Robins about the basic procedures needed to be fulfilled while recruiting new employees such as their training, orientation preparations, manual's distribution, policy booklets, medical inspection, and drug screening tests. Robins assure her confidently that he has taken care of everything, and preparations have already been instigated for the orientation. However, post the Memorial Day holidays, he realizes that the application process is still half remaining, new employees have not filled out their forms completely, and transcripts are also not present. Moreover, they are yet to undergo the compulsory physical and drugs’ screening test and professional training. Another painful discovery was that only three copies of the orientation manual are available, and many pages containing important information are missing from the files. To add more depth to his misery, he later learns that the room has also been booked by the technology services department, for the whole month to conduct seminars. This is a very disturbing situation for Robins, because time is running out, and he is ill-prepared. Main Problems and challenges There are several significant problems that can be analyzed from the situation for this case. First, pointing out of the most obvious issues is important because there is not much time left and problems are too many. Currently, Robins needs to find a new venue for holding the orientation, and then organize it perfectly. He needs to make sure that the 15 employees complete their forms, and that transcripts are attached to their respective files. In addition, they must go through all the official requirements, including medical examination and drug's test and training before 15th June. Orientation manual also requires proper completion before the scheduled event. A careful analysis in this situation provides information that there are other areas within the organization that require improvement. The company’s hiring criteria have several loopholes, which need to be brought to light and tackled. It can be easily determined that Robins is at fault because of his ignorant behavior or rather over-confident attitude. However, it must also be noted that his own hiring may be was not on merit. It is apparent that Robins is still not completely trained and, thus, unsuitable for this kind of a post. This situation places a question mark on the credibility of the higher authorities involved in Robins's employment and their management competence as well. Therefore, an important problem the ABC Inc. company is facing is the hiring of inexperienced personnel. Carl Robins being an inexpert himself, hired more such candidates who did not care to fill out their forms completely further prove this point. Bad planning mechanism is another issue at ABC Inc. Proper planning and management are crucial for successfully conducting any task. Edwards and Gosling suggest that “at the planning stage of a project or program, information about the main issues, and about the context is vital for a good understanding on which to base the work” (2003, p.4). Robins did not pay attention to the intricacies involved in the recruiting procedures and the preparation of orientation, which has created problems for other employees as well. The organization should be blamed too, because there is only one room available for organizing events, and that also gets booked for a whole month, which is inappropriate and unprofessional. There seems to be a serious lack of interest and efficiency involved in the technology and printing departments. There are insufficient manual copies available for employees, which is clearly the fault of printing department. It also becomes obvious that this department is not technically advanced. Then the reservation of the training hall for the whole month is another fault, because not only orientation, there may be any other important event from another department that can suffer due to this problem. Key alternatives to solve the situation Here are some alternatives that will help Robins overcome the current issues: Positive approach and Brainstorming: One significant point that must be understood by Carl is that his own perception, attitude and approach can play a prominent role in determining the success or failure of his endeavors. He is clearly getting stressed and confused, which will only worsen the situation. He has to come up with applicable and productive solutions with a clear head and positive attitude. Positivity and hopefulness are very important to a worker (Snyder & Lopez, 2009, p.581). Similarly; a thorough brainstorming session is definitely an integral requirement. Laton simplifies the importance of brainstorming as “the philosophy behind brainstorming is that the more ideas there are on the table, the more likely a suitable solution will emerge” (2006 p.95). If he can ignite his thought process in the right direction, then he can surely sort out the solutions (Laton, 2006, p.96). Assessment of preferences and finishing paperwork: Assessment and proper planning are indeed the most probable solution to overcome any problematic situation. Robins need to “give an overall focus to the work, and give direction to programme planning and design” (Edwards & Gosling, 2003, P.4). Completing the hiring process must be his preference, because if he asks Carrolls to delay the orientation, then this can cause troubles for him, and may not be received well by the authorities too. Hence, he needs to call all the 15 employees for a meeting as soon as possible, and ask them to bring the transcripts. If they fill out the application forms, complete the unfinished data, and attach the transcripts, then one major issue can be resolved. Completion of procedural medical requirements: The physical and drugs' screening test is still to be undergone, and this must be addressed after finishing the paper work. Robins need to contact the clinical staff and take appointment for every employee on the nearest possible date. This is important because employees cannot start their jobs, unless they are through with the physical and drugs' test. Co-ordination with Technology services and printing department: It is important to ensure that every employee has a copy of orientation manual, and for this task to be achieved Robins needs to co-ordinate with the printing department. If he can get enough copies before the orientation date, then he can breathe a sigh of relief. He must also contact the technology services department about the conflicting dates. Robins have to ensure that he utilize all his resources and think of a better solution. There is a possibility that he reaches an understanding of the department of technology services, or as a short-term remedy, he can try to get hold of another room for the sake of completing the training demands and holding orientation. Consulting Operations Supervisor as a last resort: Orientation is an important event, and if the company has only one room for holding such events, then it should be their job to guarantee that it is free. Robins have discussed the date of orientation with Carrolls, so it should have been booked for the scheduled date. If Robins has not been able to sort it out on his own, then he must not waste time and inform Carrolls about the issue of the hall. It is the company’s responsibility to hold orientation every year, so there must be proper planning involved when the time for recruiting comes. Thus, he should discuss the matter openly with Carolls and together they might figure out what can be done. Recommendations for ABC Inc. and Carl Robins From the analysis of the problems, ABC Inc. and mainly Carl Robins are facing; it seems that a number of long-term solutions are required. Below listed are some proposals that must be considered by the personnel and the organization to eradicate any such situations in the future. Propositions for ABC Inc: There is a dire need for some immediate yet long-term changes in the managing processes of this organization. A harmonious culture must be observed within the workplace to avoid similar conflicting situations. Working as a unit will ensure that no such co-ordination problems will occur in the future since “teams and not individual employees, are the fundamental units in the workplace” (Bratton et al, 2003, p.61). Then another aspect of a flaw was about the hiring credibility required, and the understanding of the criteria by the recruiters. Carl Robins needs more training and experience hence his employment could have been avoided. Bratton et al established the fact that “management must invest in work-based learning, and workers must expand their knowledge and skill-sets” (2003, p.61). This is why company heads must make sure that the recruiting criterion is revised to avoid such inappropriate mismanagement. Improvisation of technology service's standard, and introducing faster printing setup is indeed duly required. Virtual tutorial DVDs can be developed and distributed among the new trainees as a substitute of manual training, which will not only reduce the costs, but will minimize the risk of another situation like this. Devising special software for recruiting officer’s usage is of utmost importance, because through this step any missing data or information can be readily acknowledged. A significant step is to provide additional spacing for conducting events. Infrastructure rebuilding or renovating is although a lengthy and costly process, but it should be adopted for the betterment of the company and successful event planning. Suggestions for Carl Robins: Robins must learn the technique of time management, and requires more training and expertise. He clearly lacks sufficient knowledge about “work design interventions” and the mandatory task of assessment and planning (Van Tiem et al, 2012, p.293). He has to improvise on the skills required to conduct the recruiting job properly, as well as learn to prioritize his work requirements instead of being puzzled and depressed. If he had been involved throughout the process of recruiting from the beginning, and had taken his job demands seriously, then these problems might not have occurred. Company’s fault is undoubtedly involved, yet; his inefficiency and incompetence have adversely affected and endangered the future of 15 new employees in ABC Inc. Being active, efficient, and well-organized are the basic responsibilities of any employee, most significantly the recruiter. According to Fuller and Evans “personal competences, the forms of skills and knowledge that have strong tacit dimensions, are of particular significance in a workplace setting." (2006, p.73) That is why it is important for Carl Robins to gain more knowledge and training before hiring new employees, as well as go through a personal evaluation process and be more dedicated to his job. References Bratton, J., Mills, J. H., Pyrch, T., & Sawchuk, P (2003), Workplace learning: A critical introduction (p. 61) University of Toronto Press. Edwards, M., & Gosling, L (2003), Toolkits: A practical guide to assessment, monitoring, review and evaluation. (2nd ed., Vol. 5, p. 4). Save the Children UK. Evans, K., & Fuller, K (2006), Improving workplace learning (p.73) Taylor & Francis. Laton, D. (2006) Developing positive workplace skills and attitudes (pp. 95-96), Lulu.com. Snyder, C., & Lopez, S (2009) Oxford handbook of positive psychology, (2nd ed., p. 581) Oxford University Press. Van Tiem, D., Moseley, J., & Dessinger, J, (2012). Fundamentals of performance improvement: A guide to improving people, process, and performance (3rd ed., p. 294), John Wiley & Sons. Read More