Chapter I

Case and Questions

Jobs and Work at R. R. Donnelley

Changes in many industries are occurring in an effort to increase productivity. Re-

designing jobs, integrating information technology, and increasing HR training efforts are all
critical. One example illustrates what happens when jobs and work are changed.
R. R. Donnelley is a leading U.S. commercial printing firm. One of its primary facilities
is in Roanoke, Virginia, where 3.5 million books a month are produced with about 300
employees. To improve productivity and profitability, Donnelley focused on lowering costs,
improving workplace safety, and reducing errors. Because making numerous changes was likely
to increase employees’ concerns, significant time and effort were spent communicating with
employees about the need for change, improvement in quality, and higher productivity. Training
for all employees on quality and work flow changes was conducted that focused on specialized
methods such as Six Sigma and other process improvement means. In addition, greater use was
made of digital technology to receive and make printing film and plates, which changed
numerous jobs at the plant and required employees to learn a number of new methods and
technologies.
The payoff of these changes is seen in a number of ways. The production time for
printing four-color books has been cut by 50% or more. Productivity is up 20% in the past three
years. In fact, the increase in productivity has been great enough that Donnelley did not have to
set up an additional production line, savings millions of dollars. For Donnelley employees, their
fears that the Roanoke plant might close were reduced. They have been trained in new
technology, have changed jobs, and work in a highly successful plant.

Questions
1. Discuss why Donnelley had to coordinate HR activities with the changes in jobs and work.
2. Identify examples of how technology has changed jobs where you have worked and which HR
activities were handled well and which poorly.
 Chapter II
Discussion

1. Discuss why Donnelley had to coordinate HR activities with the changes in jobs and
work.
The human resource department of an organization or business is entrusted with
many responsibilities in the work environment; they must obtain, develop, motivate, and
retain employees. The HR department administers all employee procedures and talent
management. It also develops and determines the condition in which employees will
work and cooperate in order to accomplish the goals of the organization.
Donnelley's main goal is to make changes because he wants to increase
productivity and increase profits at the printing company he leads, and to realize that he
focuses on lowering costs, improving workplace safety, and reducing errors. In addition
he sees that the use of digital technology is important for the effectiveness and efficiency
of the company, so by reviewing the benefits of these advantages he coordinates changes
in jobs and work within the company, and this relates to Donnelley's efforts to use the job
analysis role of his company, so based on analysis the job he took the decision to make
changes in jobs and work at R.R. Donnelley, so with a good job analysis that his decision
to change has provided great benefits both for company performance and also the
satisfaction and improvement of employees' ability to work.

2. Identify examples of how technology has changed jobs where you have worked and
which HR activities were handled well and which poorly.
Technology changes the way HR departments contact employees, store files and
analyze employee performance. Used well, technology makes HR practices more
efficient. When used poorly, it can get in the way of managing the company's human
resources.
The existence of technology will certainly have an impact on the overall work
unit of the company, which is most felt on the effectiveness of work, and of course it
brings a big change in the company's work activities, but every use of technology will
certainly bring overall advantages and disadvantages, here we are has compiled examples
 of the application of technology that is used well and is used poorly in the company as a
whole, as follows:
 Recruiting Transformed by the Internet
Before the internet and email, connecting with job seekers meant phone, face time
or a letter. In the 21st century, it's routine for companies to post openings online, and
require job seekers to apply through an online applicant tracking system. That frees up a
great deal of time that HR would have spent dealing with paper resumes or personal calls.
However, HR practices don't always take into account how well the system works
for the candidates. Online forms have a standardized format that often makes it hard to
tell a star performer from a slacker. A badly designed system with confusing instructions
and slow response times can actually turn job seekers off to applying with a firm.
 Ease of Communication
With email, text and messaging apps it's easier than ever for HR staff to stay in
touch with the rest of the company. If a manager wants to share a new schedule with a
project team, one email with an attachment or a conversation on Slack can share the word
with a dozen people at once. There's a risk of relying too much on tech as a time-saver
though. Information in a two-page email may be better off delivered to the group face to
face. That way everyone can ask questions and hear the answers.
 Data Analysis of Employee Performance
Analyzing employee performance used to depend on personal assessments and
obvious standards: Did the employee finish the task on time? Does their boss trust them?
Technology makes it easier to gather and break down data on employees to get an overall
picture. Which tasks do they perform best? Do they meet all the goals from last year's
performance appraisal? If they fell short, was it by 12 percent, 50 percent or 75 percent?
Software programs can even take over much of the work in evaluating employees.
 Too Much Data
As HR makes more use of data collection and analysis, employees might feel their
privacy shrinking. If, say, a company has security cameras that monitor employees every
second, it can be easier to find the facts behind a harassment charge or someone drinking
on the job. However, being constantly monitored can alienate employees as well. Good
HR practices involve not only knowing how much data can be gathered but also how
much should be gathered.
Another risk is that the HR department can end up getting more data than it can
manage. After a certain point, wading through data to pick out the relevant material
becomes an impossible task. It's also possible that HR will misread data or make
assumptions that a face-to-face conversation could clear up.
Chapter III
Conclusion