STAFFING THE ENGINEERING ORGANIZATION

Contents

What is staffing? The staffing procedure

Human Resource Planning Recruitment Selection Induction and Orientation Training and Development Performance Appraisal Employment Decisions Separations

What is Staffing?

The engineer manager must be concerned with putting the right persons in right various positions within his area of concern. Although some of the important aspects of staffing maybe delegated to the human resource office, the engineer manager assumes a great responsibility in assuring that the right persons are assigned to positions that fit their qualifications . Staffing maybe defined as the management function that determine human resource needs, recruits, selects, trains, and develop human resources for job created by an organization.

Staffing is undertaken to match people with jobs so that the realization of the organizations objectives will be facilitated.

The Staffing Procedure

The staffing process consist of the following series of steps: 1. human resource planning 2. recruitment 3. selection 4. induction and orientation 5. training and development 6. performance appraisal 7. employment decisions (monetary rewards, transfers, promotions, and demotions.) 8. separations

Human Resource Planning

The planned output of any organization will require a systematic deployment of human resources at various levels. To be able to do this the engineer manager will have to involve himself with human resource planning. This will be done in conjunction with the efforts of the human resource officer i.e., if the company has one. human resource planning may involve three activities, as follows: 1. Forecasting which is an assessment of future human resources needs in relation to the current capabilities of the organization.

2.Programming which means translating the forecasted human resource needs to personnel objectives and goals. 3. Evaluation and control which refers to monitoring human resource action plans and evaluating their success. Methods of Forecasting. The forecasting of man power needs maybe undertaken using of any of the following quantitative methods: 1. Time series methods which use historical data to develop forecast of the future 2. Explanatory, or casual models which are attempts to identify the major variables that are related to or have caused particular past conditions and then use current measures of these variables to predict future conditions.

The Three major models are as follows:

types

of

explanatory

a. Regression models b. Econometric models a system of regression equation

c.

estimated from past time series data the effect of various and used to show the effect of various dependent variables Leading indicators refers to time series that anticipate business cycle turns. Monitoring methods are those that provide early warning signal of significant changes in established patterns and relationship so that the engineer manager can assess the likely impact and plan responses if required.

Recruitment

When the different positions have been identified to be necessary and the decision to fill them up has been made, the next logical step is recruitment. Recruitment refers to attracting qualified person to apply for vacant positions in the company so that those who are best suited to serve the company maybe selected.

Source of applicants
When management want to fill up certain vacancies, the following sources maybe tapped: 1. The organizations current employees. Some of the organizations current employees maybe qualified to occupy positions higher than the ones they are occupying. They should be considered. 2. Newspaper advertising. There are at least three major daily newspaper distributed throughout the Philippines. Readership are higher during Sundays. 3. Schools. These are good sources of applicants. Representatives of companies may interview applicants inside campuses. 4. Referrals from employees. Current employees sometimes recommends relatives and friends who maybe qualified.

5. Recruitment firms. Some companies specifically formed to assist client firms in recruiting qualified persons. Examples of these companies are the SGV consulting and the John Clement s Consultants Inc., 6. Competitors. These are useful sources of qualified but underutilized personnel.

Selection

Selection refers to the act of choosing from those that are available the individual most likely to succeed on the job. A Requisite for effective selection is the preparation of a list indicating that an adequate pool of candidate is available. The purpose of selection is to evaluate each candidate and to pick the most suited for the position available.

Ways of determining Qualifications of a Job Candidate:

Companies use any or all of the following in determining the qualifications of a candidate: 1. Application blank s. the application blank provides information about persons characteristics such as age, experience, marital status, address, educational background ,and special interest. After reading the application blank the evaluator will have some basis on whether or not to proceed further on evaluating the applicant . 2. References. References are those written by previous employers, co-workers, teachers, club officers, etc. Their statements may provide some vital information on the character of the applicant.

3. Interviews. Information maybe gathered by an interview by asking a series of relevant questions to the job candidate. 4. Testing. This involves an evaluation of the future behavior or performance of the individual. Types of test: test maybe classified as follows: 1. Psychological test which is an objective, measure of a sample behavior. It is classified into: a)aptitude test one used to measure a persons capacity or potential ability to learn. b)performance test one used to measure a persons current knowledge of a subject. c)Personality test one used to measure personality traits as dominance, sociability, and conformity.

d)interest test one used to measure a persons interest in various fields of work. 2. Physical examination a type of test given to access the physical health of an applicant. It is to ensure that the health of applicant is adequate to meet the job requirements.

Induction and Orientation

After an applicant is finally selected from among the various ones and then subsequently is hired, the nest steps undertaken are induction and orientation. in induction, the new employee is provided with the necessary information about the company. His duties and responsibilities, and benefits are relayed to him. Personnel and health forms are filled up, and passes are issued. The company history, its product and services, and the organization structure are explained to the new employee.

In orientation, the new employee is introduced ton the immediate working environment and co-workers. The following are discussed, location, rules, equipments, procedures and training plans. Performance expectations are also discussed. The new employee also undergoes the socialization process by pairing him with an experienced employee and having a one on one discussion with the manager.

Training and Development

If the newly-hired (or newly-promoted) employee is assessed to be lacking the necessary skills required by the job, training becomes a necessity. Training refers to the learning that is provided in order to improve performance on the present job Training programs consist of two general types namely: 1. training programs for non-managers . 2. training and educational program for executives.

Training program for non-managers

This type of training is directed to non-manager for specific increases in skill and knowledge to perform a particular job. The four methods under this type are: 1. On the job Training where the trainer is placed on an actual work situation under the supervision of his immediate supervisor, who acts as trainer. This situation motivates strongly the trainee to learn. 2. Vestibule school where the trainee is place in the situation almost exactly the same as the workplace where the machines, materials and time constraints are present. As the Trainer works full time the trainee is assured of sufficient attention for him.

3. Apprenticeship program where the combination of on the job training and experiences with classroom instruction in particular subjects are provided to trainees. 4. Special courses are those taken which provide more emphasis on education rather than training. Examples are those taken which concern specific uses of computer like computer aided design and building procedures.

Training programs for managers

The training needs of managers can be classified into four areas: decision-making skills, interpersonal skills, job knowledge, and organizational knowledge. The decision-making skills of the manager maybe enhanced through any of the following methods of training:

1. In basket where the trainee is provided with a set of notes, messages telephone calls, letters and reports, all pertaining to a certain company situation. He is expected to handle the situation within a given period of 1 to 2 hours. 2. Management games is a training method where trainees are face with a simulated situation and are required to make an ongoing series of decisions about the situation

3. Case studies this method presents actual situations in organization and enable one to examine successful and unsuccessful operations. It emphasizes the managers world improve communication skills, offers rewards of solving a mystery, possesses the quality of illustration and establishes concrete reference points for connecting theory with practice. The interpersonal competence of the manager maybe developed through any of the following methods: a) Role playing is a method by which the trainees are assigned roles to play in a given case incident. They are provided with a script or description of a given problem and of the key persons they are to play. The purpose of these method is to improve the skill of the trainees in human relations, supervisions, and leadership.

b) Behavior modeling this method attempts to influence the trainee by showing model persons behaving effectively in a problem situation. the trainee is expected to adapt the behavior of the model and use it effectively in some instances later on. c) Sensitivity training under this method, awareness and sensitivity to behavioral patterns of oneself and others are developed. d) Transactional analysis is a training method intended to help individuals not only understand themselves and others but also improve their interpersonal communication skills. In acquiring knowledge about the actual job the manager is currently holding, the following methods are useful:

1. On the Job experience this method provides valuable opportunities for the trainee to learn various skills while actually engaged in the performance of a job. 2. Coaching this method requires a senior manager to assist a lower level manager by teaching him the needed skills and generally providing directions, advice, and helpful criticism. The senior manager must be skilled himself and have the ability to educated, otherwise the method will be in effective. 3. Understudy under this method, a manager work as assistant to a higher level manager and participates in planning and other managerial functions until he is ready to assume such position himself. Once in a while, the assistant is allowed to take over.

In the attempt to increase the trainees knowledge of the total organization, exposure to information and events outside of his immediate job is made. In this regard, the following methods are useful: 1. Position rotation under this method, the manager is given assignments in a variety of departments. The purpose is to expose him to different functions o the organization. 2. Multiple management this method is premised on the idea that junior executives must be provided with means to prepare them for higher management positions. To achieve this, a junior board of directors is created consisting of junior executives as members. The board is given the authority to discuss problems that the senior board could discuss. The members are encouraged to take a broad business outlook rather than concentrating on their specialized lines of work.

Performance Appraisal

Performance appraisal is the measurement of the employee performance. The purposes for which the performance appraisal is made are as follows: 1. To influence, in a positive manner, employee performance, and development; 2. To determine merit pay increases; 3. To plan for future performance goal; 4. To determine training and development needs; 5. To assess the promotional potential of employees.

Ways of Appraising Performance

An employees performance must be measured using any of the following methods: 1. Rating scale method where each trait or characteristic to be rated is represented by a line or scale on which the rater indicates the degree to which the individual possesses the trait or characteristic. 2. Essay method where the evaluator composes statements that best described the person evaluated. 3. Management by objectives method where specific goals are set collaboratively for the organization as a whole, for various subunits, and for each individual member. Individuals are then evaluated on the basis of how well they have achieved the results specified the goals.

4. Assessment center method when one is evaluated by persons other than the immediate superior this method is used for evaluating managers. 5. Checklist method where the evaluator checks statements on a list that are deemed to characterize an employees behavior or performance. 6. Work standard methods where standards are set for the realistic worker output and later on used in evaluating the performance of non-managerial employees. 7. Ranking method which each evaluator arranges employees from rank in order from the best to the poorest.

8.Critical incident method where the evaluator recalls and writes down specific but not critical incidents that indicates the employees performance. A critical incidence occurs when employees behavior results in an unusual success or failure on some parts of the job.

Employment Decisions

After evaluating the performance of the employees, the management will now be ready to make employment decisions. These may content of the following: 1. Monetary rewards these are given to employees whose performance is at far or above standard requirements. 2.Promotion these refers to a movement by a person into a position of higher pay and greater responsibilities and which is given as a reward for competence and ambition.

3. Transfer this is the movement of the person to a different job at the same or similar level of responsibility in the organization. Transfer are made to provide growth opportunities for the persons involved or to get rid of a poor performing employee. 4. Demotion this is a movement from one position to another which has less pay or responsibility attached to it. Demotion is used as a form of punishment or as a temporary measure to keep an employee until he is offered a higher position.

Separation

Separation is either voluntary or involuntary termination of an employee. When made voluntary, the organizations management must find out the real reason. If the presence of a defect in the organization is determined corrective action is necessary. Involuntary separation is the last option that the management exercises when an employees performance is poor or when he/she committed an act violating the company rules and regulations this is usually made after training efforts fail to produce positive results