Discuss the need for forecasting human resource needs and techniques for forecasting

Learning Objectives – Chapter 3

• Define, explain, and identify your own power and privilege.
• Provide reasoning as to why diversity is important to maintain profitability.
• Be able to apply strategies to create a multicultural work environment and diversity plans.
• Be able to create an HR plan with diversity considerations.

Module 3 Overview

On a Tuesday afternoon, as you are getting ready to go to lunch, you receive an e-mail from your human resources (HR) manager about the need to hire a new project manager, and there is a $500 bonus for referring a friend who successfully joins the company. Immediately, you e-mail your friend Daniel, because you know he would be great for the job. Daniel is eventually hired for the position, and a few months later a new e-mail goes out asking for friend recommendations for a new position. You and Daniel both recommend someone, and eventually that person gets hired. Over the next year, hiring notices are not advertised externally as the organization has had good luck with this hiring practice. Seems like a great way to recruit new people, doesn’t it? It can be, but it also can be a detriment to the diversity and multiculturalism of the workplace. How, you might wonder?

While not true across the board, people have a tendency to spend time with people who are like themselves, in race, income level, and other aspects of diversity such as sexual orientation. In fact, according to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and a study published in the American Journal of Sociology, it is much more likely that someone will name a person in their own race as a friend than someone of a different race (Moody, 2001). Likewise, even from a young age, people tend to choose friends who are of the same race. As a result, when you recommend Daniel for a position, it is highly likely that Daniel is similar, from a diversity perspective, to you. Then, when Daniel recommends someone for a job, it is highly likely that he, too, is recommending someone with similar characteristics as you both. This obviously creates a lack of multicultural diversity in the workplace, which can mean lost profits for companies.

Learning Objectives – Chapter 4

• Discuss the need for forecasting human resource needs and techniques for forecasting.
• Be able to explain the steps to an effective recruitment strategy.
• Be able to develop a job analysis and job description.

Module 4 Overview

Over the last two years, the company where Melinda works as HR manager, Dragon Enterprises, has seen plenty of growth. Much of this growth has created a need for a strategic, specific recruiting processes. In the past, Dragon Enterprises recruited simply on the basis of the applications they received, rather than actively searching for the right person for the job. The first thing Melinda did when arriving at the company was to develop a job analysis questionnaire, which she had all employees fill out using the website SurveyMonkey. The goal was to create a job analysis for each position that existed at the company. This happened to be the point where the organization started seeing rapid growth, as a result of increased demand for the types of parts the company sells. Luckily, since Melinda followed the industry closely and worked closely with management, part of her strategic outline planned for the hiring of several new positions, so she was mostly ready for it. Keeping in mind the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) laws and the company’s position on a diverse workforce, Melinda set out to write new job descriptions for the job analysis she had performed. She knew the job analysis should be tied to the job description, and both of these should be tied to the job qualifications. Obviously, to recruit for these positions, she needed to develop a recruitment plan. Over the next year, the organization needed to hire three more floor management positions, three office positions, and fifteen factory floor positions. Next, she needed to determine a time line to recruit candidates and a method by which to accept the applications she would receive. After sharing this time line with her colleague, the chief operating officer, she went to work recruiting. She sent an e-mail to all employees asking them to refer a friend and receive a $500 bonus. Next, part of her strategy was to try to find very specialized talent in management to fill those positions. For this, she thought working with a recruiting company might be the best way to go. She also used her Twitter and Facebook accounts to broadcast the job openings. After a three-week period, Melinda had 54 applications for the management positions, 78 for the office positions, and 110 for the factory floor positions. Pleased with the way recruiting had gone, she started reviewing the résumés to continue with the selection process.