Sourcing and Securing Talent at Delta Services - Essay Example

? Sourcing and Securing Talent at Delta Services Introduction Delta Services is a new company that is a product of a merge of a government run, based facility and two organizations. Delta Services has recently made it a goal to grow market share by 10% in the next three years. This new aggressive strategy targets the traditional areas. The new strategy will be exercised by promoting products through product innovation, hence, taking in the 'first to market' positioning. Because of this, the company has decided to form a new division that will focus on the technological innovation for this three year strategy. Delta Service has high hopes for this new division and they want a 'contribution mentality' in place. As the newly appointed HR Manager for this company, I have been tasked to take charge of recruiting and sourcing new talents for the new division. Further, to be able to achieve a 'contribution mentality', I have been tasked to present an appropriate reward and recognition system. With thorough research and analysis, here is the report on how the division will be made. Recruitment and Selection At present time, recruiting new talents to a company is very competitive. Bolton (1997) states that there are many companies who invest on recruitment strategies to make sure they have the best talents on board. Employees are essential and compose a big part of the success of the organization and McKenna & Beech (2009) also agrees with this. And with Delta Service's new division, the company will need both new and experienced employees to form the technological innovation team. The team is to be composed of a Technical Director and three Project Officers. For the position of the Technical Director, we are looking for someone who has at least 10 years of experience in the field. For the Project Officer position, I believe it will be best to get a mix of experienced and new talents. This will allow for a good mix of ideas and creativity. In sourcing for these new employees, it is best to do the outsourcing method. By outsourcing employees, it is more probable to get fresh and new ideas for innovative products say Taplin (2007). However, the Technical Director position is an exception. Insourcing method can be done when looking for a Technical director especially if the person has been with the company for years and completely understands the new strategy of Delta Services. He will make a good leader as he knows the direction and appropriate measures to take with his new team. Here are the categories of employees that are best to employ for the new division of the company: It includes the newly graduated students, employees who has at least two years of work experience in the technological field, former employees of technological companies and employees who has at least 8-10 years of experience as a Technical Director. Now, let us proceed with the recruitment process. Again, recruiting new and quality employees can be a difficult task but definitely not impossible. In the recruitment process, we are to take both old and new strategies to make sure we cover all venues of recruitment. Tyson (1997) & Mathis & Jackson (1991) state that traditional methods include posting job advertisements physically and online and these methods are still very effective up to date. We are also taking in new methods of recruitment to reach more people. If we are to target newly graduates, Delta Services can offer attractive mentored internship programs. We can also launch a recruitment team for a job fair. We can post advertisements and job listings in key areas like colleges, universities and youth centers. Now, the recruitment for the Technical Director will need to be more specific. The executive search for this position can be done by the board members directly or by hiring an executive search company says Geuetal (2009). Most often, it is best to find a person for this position directly. Again, insourcing an employee for this position is a good decision. However, outsourcing for more experienced Technical Directors can also be a good choice. In finding a Technical Director, I suggest we hire a head hunter to help us. The head hunter can look for Technical Directors in other companies that may be willing to transfer if given a better offer. Head hunters can also get many references. After the recruitment process, we now proceed to selecting from a number of applicants. A job and employee description is made for each position and applicants will be matched with this. Job descriptions should include the qualities and experience needed to be accepted says Gatewood (1998). To make sure we minimize poor employee selection, we should follow selection criteria and here is what I propose: We should look at the previous work experience of the employee. Special skills should also be looked at. The qualifications of the applicant should produce a job fit or match. There are also methods that can be used to determine more of the person's quality and abilities says Pearson (1991). You can give them a psychological test to assess their characteristics and behaviour. A psychometric test will help assess the applicant's independent thinking as well as his cooperativeness and performance in a team. The aptitude test can help assess the learning skills of the person. The best way to avoid poor application is to follow our selection criteria. If we have to do a second interview and a third, we shall do so to make sure we get the right employee on board. All selection criteria should be aligned with the company's goals and objectives. Further, a training program is to be laid out for the new employees in the new division. This program will include subprograms to help the employee become more immersed in the company's goals and objectives. The training program will also help exercise their creativity and analysis to make for a good technological innovation division. Work Orientation and Induction Plan Once we have selected and recruited the Technical Director and Project officers, an induction plan is to be made and practiced. Here is an induction plan that I have made that will be used for the new division in Delta Services. The induction plan will be held for two days and the HR Manager and staff will be the one to administer it, this is also in line with Rosenzweig & Nohria (1994). On the first day of employee induction, there are plenty of things to explain. First, the nature and structure of the business is to be explained followed by the important roles of key people in the organization; this serves as the introduction of the induction plan. The next part is explaining the employee conditions in the company. This includes the job descriptions, leave notifications, absences, work hours, breaks, time recording, leave entitlements and emergency procedures. The third part of the induction plan is to show the work environment to the new employees that include the work area, dining hall, lounge, toilets, pantry and changing rooms. The next part is to explain the payroll to the new employees. This includes pay arrangements, pay rates, allowances, taxes, deductions, and union memberships. Talking about health and safety is next which includes handling emergencies, key people to call during emergencies, safety procedure and policies. And lastly, talk about security procedures, quality management and environment management if needed. The next induction plan is to be conducted on the first day of work. The first part is the orientation to the work place this includes showing the machinery, equipments and tools needed for the work place, first aid facilities, and work facilities. The next part is to introduce the new employees to the key people in the company including the human resource staff, payroll officers, co-workers, security guards, maintenance staff, supervisors and managers. Before letting them start their work, always ask for any inquiries to make sure everything is clear. The work orientation and induction plan will help the new employees immerse in their new work environment. An employee cannot maximize his productivity if one is not comfortable in his work surroundings. And from Day 1, we should make the new employees feel welcome and comfortable. Further, important aspects of the company should be thoroughly explained. It is our duty and task to new employees in the company. And for this new technological innovation team of Delta Services, a good first and lasting impression is a must. Further, it will be helpful to ask the Technical Director if they need to make any requests for the new team as they may have special needs that are not present. Building a new division also means building a new part of the company and there are new needs to be addressed. Reward and Recognition System Delta Services will need to have a specific reward and recognition system for the new division. This is because of the goal we need to achieve and that is to underpin the 'contribution mentality' with our new employees. According to Miner & Crane (1995), a strategic reward system is to be made that will encompass benefits, compensation and recognition for the successful efforts of the employees. We must avoid missing one component to make sure our employees will be performing at top level. Giving incentives is always one of the best rewards systems for employees; this is also believed to be the most motivating reward. However, a good incentive plan is to be made. We need to clearly define and determine criteria that should be rewarded says Razi (2009). Performance is one of the easiest way to measure productivity. Results can be seen immediately through the achievement of end goals. For an incentive compensation plan, we need to align it to the goals of the company for that specific period of time. Perhaps the new division is given a deadline for a new innovative product, if they are able to produce it successfully, good compensation should be rewarded. Another type of rewards to be given is benefits and benefits will vary from one company to another. We can conduct a survey within the company to determine what benefits are preferred so we get an idea what our employees want. This is critical if we want to keep our top employees on board the company for the next years. Another part of the reward system according to Svetlik & Stayrou-Costea (2009) is recognition. We have to show recognition and appreciation to our employees. Recognition is mostly based on the behaviour of the employee rather than performance. Recognition and appreciation need not be extravagant, a small talk, a 'thank you' or a recognition note can already boost the morale of the employee. And in Delta Services, we should make sure we recognize the efforts of our new division given that they are still starting from scratch. As the new division is focusing on technological innovations, we should make a reward system that will reward their efforts in constantly planning and making something new. But we should also align the reward system with their teamwork. Contribution is key to this team and I believe, it will be best to make a reward and recognition system for them as a team. This way, they will try to reach their goals together without anyone trying to work independently. Perhaps giving them quantitative rewards in terms of bonuses will be a good motivation to continue making new innovations for the company and this is something Haynes (2009) agrees with. The new division for Delta Services is a pioneer team and as HR Manager, I believe the success will start with selecting the best employees for the job. Both Dickmann and Muller-Camen (2006) say that a good job description and clear selection criteria are to be followed to ensure we only have the best and appropriate employees for the new team. I recommend having an executive search company or insourcing for the Technical Director position to make sure we get the best people for this top position. Outsourcing is best for the Project Officer position as it will enable us to get new and fresh creative minds in the team. We must also make a good impression during the employee induction, this will show them how the company is united towards achieving the goals in the company and also prioritizing the needs of its employees. A clean and thorough induction plan is to be made and followed. The HR staff, supervisor and manager should make it a point to explain things clearly and make the new employees feel welcome and comfortable. Lastly, we must also have a clearly defined reward and recognition system that will boost the confidence and motivate our new set of employees. The incentive plan should include a mix of compensation and benefits. We should also make clear regonition criteria that will be aligned to the goals of the company. This plan will help gear our employees towards the right behaviour and outlook for Delta Services. Making a new division or a new team can be difficult at first but with all these concrete plans, we are sure to have the right employees on board. With the three year strategy to gain 10% market share as well as creating new products, a constant training program should be put into effect. And once the new division is stable, I recommend getting more people to join the team because with innovation, the more creative heads we have the better chance of producing new and innovative products in the market. References Anthony, W & Perrewel, P & Kacmar, M 1996, Strategic human resource management, 2nd ed. [International ed.]. Dryden. Bolton, T, 1997. Human resource management : An introduction. Blackwell Publishers. Dickmann, M & Muller-Camen, M 2006, A typology of international human resource management strategies and processes. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, vol. 17, no. 4, pp.580-601. Gatewood, RD & Field, H 1998, Human resource selection, 4th ed. Dryden Press. Gueutal, HG, 2009, Electronic Human resource management and the future of human resource management. Emerald Group Publishing. 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