Job Analysis for InterClean, Inc - Case Study Example

Job Analysis for InterClean, Inc. InterClean, Inc. is an $8 billion dollar institutional cleaning and sanitation service. In the past, their business was comprised of products that were geared toward cutting through grime and killing germs. As in most industries, the cleaning industry has changed and today customers want more than just products. As InterClean, Inc. has evolved, they too have found that their customer's needs have changed. In addition to cleaning products, the customers need solutions and services that will help them streamline their cleaning efforts so they are more environmentally safe. They have clients from different industries who have slightly different needs. InterClean has found that they will need to expand their services to offer information on environmental safety and how their clients can profit and still stay in compliance with the various OSHA requirements. This will add an element that will keep InterClean, Inc. as one of the top businesses in the industry. InterClean is changing from a purely sales oriented business where the salesman would "hunt" for prospects and hard sell, to a business that is interested in developing better customer relationships. In order to provide new services, they will have to totally change the way they do business. First, they will be working in multi-function teams instead of working solo. Next, they will learn to provide a full range of services that will be of high quality and tailored to specific accounts. They will now be expected to work directly with facilities managers, healthcare professionals and operational executives. They must be ready to launch this new business in 90 to 180 days with the help of the EnviroTech staff. Job Analysis According to the textbook, there are several different ways to do a job analysis with some being more successful than others. One criterion that is already being used in InterClean, Inc. is the job performance method. The sales reps have already been studied demographically to consider their sales ability to do their current job. A personality analysis or a 360 degree evaluation may also be important towards understanding each employee and their regard and loyalty to the company. Interviews with employees may be a good idea, but they should be structured and standardized since employee morale is currently low. At the end of the evaluation, each employee can then be looked at for their strengths, weaknesses and ability to improve. The job that they are going to be doing will require several skills beyond the knowledge they will need to acquire. They will need: 1. People skills to work more directly with customers. 2. The ability to be flexible and change from "hunters" to actually caring about the customers. 3. A positive attitude that will help them see their new job obligations as opportunities to add a skill level to what they are doing. A PAQ job assessment questionnaire (166) should also be a part of this process because many staff have already shown that they are having challenges adjusting. The questionnaire would assess the behavior-oriented aspects of the job which are vitally important when a business is going through transition. Workplace Planning System In order to plan for the people at InterClean, Inc., several issues must be addressed. It is clear that the sales and marketing department will need solutions based selling training. An outside consultant could do this so that all people are trained together. They will also need training in OSHA standards ad team building; all of this must be accomplished in the next 90 to 180 days. The two new businesses will have to be integrated so that the EnviroTech employees understand how InterClean has worked in the past and how it is changing. They will also need to understand the new philosophy and how they fit into this change. In other words, they will need to understand the differences between EnviroTech and InterClean, Inc. and then they will have to learn how they fit into the total picture. A strategic plan should be created to guide the transition as these two businesses merge. The strategic planning process will include the following steps: 1. Defining the philosophy of InterClean, Inc. They will need to talk about what they have contributed so far to the industry and what will happen next. 2. They will have to revisit their purpose and objectives so that everyone is on the same wavelength when it comes to what they are doing. 3. They will have to take a look at the strengths, weaknesses and the competition to see whether they fit. Are there factors that are present that will help or hinder the organization? These will need to be addressed. 4. New strategies will have to be developed that identify what is going to be achieved the amount of time that it will be done within and how each employee fits into the total plan. Once training is completed, employees will have to develop new programs that enhance the opportunities for employees as well as customers. (173). In addition to the strategic plan, a talent inventory should be conducted to see what current talent is already available both in InterClean, Inc. and EnviroTech. The inventory should look at the "skills, abilities and potential" (177) of each employee and how they will fit into the bigger picture for the organization. Selection Method When two companies merge, the employees know that some people may lose their jobs. InterClean has already informed their employees about changes to come which has created problems with morale. The challenge now is to create a method that will be fair and equitable for everyone. The selection process will have the following goals: 1. To choose a team that can work equitably together. 2. To identify employees who have experience with solution based selling. 3. To identify employees with the best chance for success. 4. To bring together a team that is flexible and open to change. This means that there are several methods to use. First, we'll need to look at employee resumes, their performance on their current jobs and their attitudes towards change in general. Because the company has merged with another company, the recruitment will be from within the two companies for this new project. We will also do screening tests on all new employees we hire. We will do drug testing, reference checks and background checks to make sure we get the best of the best. We want to know the 1) education and employment history so that we know how this individual has faired on their past jobs, 2) We want to know their character and interpersonal competence because we need people who are personable, who like working with clients and who want to be part of a team, 3) We want to know about their ability to perform the current job and this will be based on their past performance and 4) we want to know whether the current employer would hire this individual again so that we can see where this employee really stands (240). We have also employed a handwriting analyst to create an understanding of each person's personality and how they may be effective or not in our team. We know that these methods are not created equal. References can depend on how well an individual is liked or not by the employer. Because an employer cannot say anything really negative about an employee it can be difficult to get an exact understanding of a person's work. However, references can prove to be very important when they consistently say the same things about an employee. Drug testing can be difficult to use for screening but it has been able to predict absenteeism and involuntary turnover (p. 244) which are two issues we want to avoid where possible. We do understand that it is better to have several methods than trying to rely on only one. Identification of Employees The following employees have been chosen for our team: Janet Durham is experienced and she still has ties with sales people although she now works in human resources. She seems forward thinking and would be able to help resolve conflicts if necessary. She will also be able to keep us in compliance with HR policies. Tom Gonzales has the ability to lead teams and he has experience in developing solution based products for his customers. He has over 25 years of experience in the industrial cleaning field. He will be a great addition to the team for training the other employees and to mentor others later. Jim Martin is an ambitious sales rep who understands that customers are the most important aspects of the sale. He is experienced in sales and he is knowledgeable about the industrial cleaning and sanitation industry. He is in position to lead the group or assist with aspects of training; he could also mentor other employees later. Susan Bernt is an excellent sales rep. Although she is aggressive in sales, she does have the understanding that she needs to provide excellent customer service to her customers after the sale. Susan will be an asset to the team to help with training in customer relations, specifically in how to build long-term relationships with clients. Ving Hsu enjoys working with customers and he has done training seminars for the employees of his customers. He has strong customer relationships and he has taught his customers to rely on him to help them in any way he can. He is an excellent candidate to help in training employees to deal with customers effectively. Terry Garcia is an important educator in the sales field. She has strong critical thinking skills, and she communicates well. She understand how to work with a team and how to work with clients; she also has a thorough understanding of sales from the consumer side. She will be an asset to the team for training and for help with problem solving and conflict resolution. Read More