Problem
According to Gregory (2003), proper management in the area of human resources is found to be the one that helps the manager in charge of the human resource be able to utilize the potentials the employees have to achieve the overall objective of the company. Break down in this area can cause great loss to the business mainly due to employees being underutilized. There are also chances of experiencing various crises in the business especially when the manager in the area of a human resource fails to explain all performance details which entails all employees. The above problems and many others which may arise due to poor management of the issues which fall in the docket of human resources can bring about great losses in the business.
This is the reason why every other manager in the area of the human resource should be concerned about the performance of this department. This area should be evaluated occasionally to be sure that it is operating as per the required standards which hence can help a great deal in increasing the sales of any given company. It is from these arguments that the department dealing with a human resource need to endeavor to have strategic plans.
The case of Crystal Pool Resort has demonstrated that the main problem which is being encountered by the Resort is poor management especially in the area of human resources. This in turns creates great alarm concerning the future success of the resort as well as how well the resort can satisfy its customers and still maintain good employee relationships. The manager in the area of human resources has to decide and come up with the best strategic plan to help the resort to improve and achieve its overall set objectives.
Weaknesses are currently perceived in the Management of Human Resource at Crystal Pool Resort
Recruitment
This can be referred to as the process by which the department dealing with human resource apply while sourcing for individuals who can fit in certain job categories. A successful recruitment activity should be in a position to obtain the best candidate in the area required and therefore have a person who can meet the company’s objectives (Pearson, and James, 2004). It is the role of the manager in the area of human resources to therefore formulate the standards of the required staff in terms of education as well as skills needed.
From what has been observed, there is a lot of poorly performed recruitments being done in Crystal Pool Resort. The manager in charge of human resources in the resort witnessed that employees were being recruited frequently and this made them always have a big number of employees in the resort. The manager in charge of human resources explained that the reason for great recruitments was due to the closeness of the resort to the major town where the staff was drowned from.
This eventually led to a high turnover of staff which therefore calls for higher demands for the company to either expand or it will incur unnecessary costs. When the resort employs more than it is required to, there is a heightened tendency of the resort underutilizing its staff eventually leading to poor performance of the resort.
Orientation
Weston and David, (1999) stressed that a well-conducted orientation should be timely and aim at welcoming all the individuals who happen to be new in the company. This should be done to every person regardless of the department in which the person is required to work. It should always be done before the individuals are induced to the systems so that they can have a rough idea of the area they are required to operate in immediately they commence their work.
On the contrary to the above requirements, employees at the Crystal Pool Resort were not receiving any form of orientation which therefore left the resort at high chances of losing touch with the employees. Many employees did not have even a rough idea about the whole process of the resort. Some were unable to operate systems that were in their docket due to poor orientation which was also followed by poor induction. It was the duty of the department dealing with the human resource to come up with a complete procedure by which the resort shall be orienting the new staff.
Induction
Weston and David, (1999) observed that the department dealing with the human resource in a company helps the employees who are new in the system to be in a position to adapt and feel at the right place. It is through the induction process that employees are assimilated fully into the system and therefore the new staff can carry out their required duties with a lot of enthusiasm and passion for they feel well integrated with the company.
A company or an organization that conducts frequent recruitments has to make sure that on the other hand, the company has to provide enough information on the process that the company adapts in inducing the new staff.
It is clear from the case study that the resort was not providing any induction programs to its staff. All new employees were required to report to their respective work station without being told what they should do and more so without knowing the various systems of the resort. This left the employees not able to perform some of the duties which fell in their docket for they claimed that they were not introduced to the systems. This overlook may cause great loss to the resort for the employees may sit idle even when jobs are waiting to be done for they may simply not know how to operate the required systems. There can also be crises of employees performing jobs that are not in their area and probably leave out those jobs which are primarily theirs.
Policies
In any given organization, policies are put in place to assist all the employees of any company gain the direction the company wants to head to. Through policies, all employees can know all issues concerning the current and even the future stand of the company (Michael, 2007). It is therefore to say that the policies which a company sets should stipulate the company’s goals and should also show the objectives which the company has set aside for purposes of its growth.
It was observed that there were no clearly set policies in Crystal Pool Resort to guide all the staff in the direction the resort was heading to. This, therefore, left the employees with a lack of direction and a big room for performances of various duties which were out of the duty specifications. Through this lack of clearly set policies the Crystal Pool Resort can experience a lot of loss since the employees do not have any set target and this causes them to work just for the sake of being in the company.
Procedures
Michael, (2007) noted that procedures are needed in any other company for the show of the guiding rules unto how company issues should be carried out. The guiding rules concerning how all matters to deal with the company and how all matters should be resolved are considered as the company’s procedures. The processes followed in every section of the company while dealing with matters concerning the employees or those touching the company as well as dealing with matters on how the company plans to reach out to the general world are written down in procedures document.
According to what was seen in the case study, there was no set procedure on various matters as observed well in the recruitment process as well as the induction procedures. This can imply to the company working in trial and error in matters concerning the performance of its employees. In return, the company can obtain unreliable employees who directly contribute to the downfall of the company, great loss, or even lead to collapsing of the company.
Workforce Planning
Henry, (2000) observed that in this area the company is required to identify the various skills which are needed to accomplish the work or the targets they have put into place to maximize the output the company requires while maintaining the cost incurred in labor as low as possible. This area should conclusively observe that all employees being sort out or being assimilated in the company are meeting the criteria that the company wants to achieve its objectives.
As observed in the case of Crystal Pool Resort, no criteria were guiding the ones who were recruited to assist them pick the best candidates to match the company’s requirements regarding the targets and the objectives the company wanted to achieve. It was witnessed that employees who were working in the food preparation department were being absorbed in the company according to their appearance and not according to their skills in the area. This will therefore translate to reduced productivity as well as the reduction in the quality of the products they were making. There was the need for the resort to make sure that all the employees were being deployed to the various departments in the resort by use of their best skills and even the knowledge in the area.
Personnel Cost
Richard, (2001) noted that a company needs to set targets and lay plan concerning the targets the company has to achieve or the cost of paying the staff. This helps the company to be able to balance the inputs and the cost incurred during its operations to obtain maximum interests. The company has no business in employing too many employees who translate to high pays while the employees are not working to their maximum.
This is why sufficient and well-organized information on how much amount the company wishes to commit in processing is important. This can also be done by having a properly set target which the staffs need to achieve and therefore the company will be aware of how much staff will be needed.
In the case of Crystal Pool Resort, it has been observed that the resort lacked a clear guideline on how much amount the resort wanted to spend on its staff for production purposes. At the same time, the resort did not have an overview of the required targets from every employee. These two observations made the resort keep on employing and introducing new staff without a clear guide on to what they wanted to achieve from them.
Personnel Administration
Boxall and Purcell (2003) pointed out that all companies need to set required procedures concerning the general work requirements as per every individual whom they employ in their workplace. There is great specification required in this area as the management has to be sure they have employed the right employees who fit in the area of duty to which they are assigned. This selection as well as the proper job description has to be set by the personnel in charge and hence the great need for this department.
As we found out, Crystal Pool Resort was not so specific in the area of how they administer their personnel and this led to the staff not being sure of who to report to or question in case of any problem. The resort lacked the right touch with the employees and they also were not well connected in the various departments. While the different departments were supposed to work together and in line to oversee that the resort reach its desire targets, there was a clear show that the managers from the different departments were all working separately.
Skills Management
It is in this area where all the employees of a given company can understand and grasp the relevant details concerning their job and the roles in the various job category. This area should be there to help all workers starting from the top managers, followed by the line managers and more so the individual employees (Steffy and Paul 2005). The individual employees can understand the various requirements of the type of job they undertake and this will therefore help them to assess themselves in all areas and be aware of any requirements for the development of their current skills.
The line managers are on the other hand able to understand their employees and are in a position to tell the best position for every employee according to their skills. Finally, the top managers can evaluate the current position of the company and understand whether they need any change of strategy or they can carry on with the same trend.
As observed in the case of the Crystal Pool Resort, there was great confusion in the recruitment criteria which left them in a position where they had too many employees who were not trained in the area. It was evident that the line managers were not keen on who was being assimilated into the system and this made them lack experts in the resort. The resort was therefore not achieving the best it could due to the inappropriate absorption of individuals in the various job stations.
Training
Roland, (1999) expressed that training is vital for any given organization for it is the one that helps the employees to close any gaps they might observe in the area of the required skills to fit well in their required areas. This field should always be there in every company for it also helps the employees to gain the advantage of their competitors through the invention of various job techniques obtained through training. We can therefore say that the field involved in the training of the employees helps them in their development and it also applies to the growth of the company.
The case of Crystal Pool Resort was applying a lot of cash in the field of training for there was a high turnover of employees in the resort. There were no long-term training allocations and there lacked the necessary survey which is required to help any type of training to achieve its goals. Training at the resort was being done just because the general manager said so and therefore employees had no say on matters dealing with training.
This can therefore lead to employees engaging in the training programs for the sake of it and not gaining any knowledge from the training. Another issue is that the resort was encountering great costs on training whereas some of the costs could have been cut down especially if they employed only those employees with the required knowledge and skills in the required area.
Time Management
Weston and David, (1999) noted that all the current and future goals, as well as the targets of the company, are seen through by making sure that the employees are delivering the services on time. There is a lot to be done by both the company heads as well as the employees to make sure that the company is operating as per the required deadlines without having backlog of work.
According to what was observed in the case of Crystal Pool Resort, it was alarming to find out that the resort was experiencing too much absenteeism and work injuries. This, therefore, meant that there was a lot of time lost when the staff was absent or even sick due to various issues. This later translates to nonperformance of the affected departments and it can be of great challenge to the company as a whole especially when some or even all departments fail to meet the required targets.
Communication
Boxall and Purcell, (2003) stressed the need for a company to have a definite way on how its messages and information shall be reaching either some or all the departments. The channels set aside for this are therefore supposed to be effective to avoid any delay of any information for some information might be urgent. This, therefore, requires the company to set appropriate requirements to be met by all individuals and departments.
It was observed that there was a communication breakdown in the Crystal Pool Resort and that they did not have a clear guideline on how the different departments were supposed to be communicating. This led to some of the managers not being aware of some things which happen in the area. Eventually, this would lead to the expiry of some important information.
Employee Welfare
This is where the employees are required to experience a sense of relief from their normal day-to-day work schedules. All companies need to have occasional welfare activities which help the employees to relax and feel relieved from the tiring schedules at workplace (Blyton, 2001). Most employees appreciate the welfares and this, therefore, serve as a morale booster to the staff of any given company.
Crystal Pool Resort was assuming all the above concepts concerning the welfare of their employees and thus they maintained only Christmas as the only welfare day for the resort. This created an overload of activities for the staff who needed to be motivated in one way or the other. The result is that the employees may not deliver to their maximum for they lack any motivation and lack of sessions which can rejuvenate their minds. Eventually, there can be great injuries to employees especially due to lack of time when they can relieve all the fatigues they obtain from the workplace.
Performance Appraisal
This is very important in all companies and it involves the evaluation of the way staff are performing and then relates it to the various utilities which are being put into place. The management should put into place necessary factors that should be evaluated and then measure the way the staff is working regarding various factors. Betty and Jones (2006) noted that there has to be quality work being done by the employees in a company and the company should note the quantity of work done and pay attention to the time utilized by the staff in completing their tasks which will translate to the amount of cash being used.
For the case of Crystal Pool Resort, there was absolutely nothing being done to evaluate the workers, and this created room for the non-trained as well as unskilled staff to satisfactory stay in the resort. The result is increased cost of production and staffing which brought the resort down in terms of costs and the quality of work produced.
Recommendations
Crystal Pool Resort has many problems to do with human resources which need to be put into place. To start with, there should be a well-laid procedure on how the resort shall be doing its recruitments showing all the expected candidates and their required levels of knowledge and even the skills. After that, the company has to set guidelines on how and when the resort shall be performing its orientation and induction of the staff who join the company.
There should also be well-laid policies to be followed by the resort and the procedures for performing all resort matters should be put down. The resort should organize the available workforce and have a guideline for the costs of personnel. There should be proper administration of personnel and all the skills should be well managed through training which will help the staff to develop. The resort should improve on its communication channels and provide targets for staff to avoid time wastage which will hence minimize cost.
Finally, the resort should come up with various welfare programs for the staff and thereafter conduct performance appraisals for all the staff. Staffs who excel in their area of duty need to be appreciated through bonuses and other welfare programs.
Bibliography
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