ASSIGNMENT

DRIVE SPRING 2015

Program BBA - Semester 3
Subject code & name BBA302 HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Q. No 1 What do you mean by Job description? Discuss the various

Factors essential to develop a sound Job description.
Answer:
A job description is a list that a person might use for general tasks, or functions, and responsibilities of a
position. It may often include to whom the position reports, specifications such as the qualifications or
skills needed by the person in the job, or a salary range. Job descriptions are usually narrative,[1] but
some may instead comprise a simple list of competencies; for instance, strategic human resource planning
methodologies may be used to develop a competency architecture for an organization, from which job
descriptions are built as a shortlist of competencies.
Creating a job description
A job description is usually developed by conducting a job analysis, which includes examining the tasks
and sequences of tasks necessary to perform the job. The analysis considers the areas of knowledge and
skills needed for the job. A job usually includes several roles. The job description might be broadened to
form a person specification or may be known as Terms of Reference. The person/job specification can be
presented as a standalone document though in practice, it is usually included within the job description.
Roles and responsibilities
A job description may include relationships with other people in the organization: Supervisory level,
managerial requirements, and relationships with other colleagues.
Goals
A job description need not be limited to explaining the current situation, or work that is currently
expected; it may also set out goals for what might be achieved in the future.

Limitations
Prescriptive job descriptions may be seen as a hindrance in certain circumstances:
Job descriptions may not be suitable for some senior managers as they should have the freedom to take
the initiative and find fruitful new directions;
Job descriptions may be too inflexible in a rapidly-changing organization, for instance in an area subject
to rapid technological change;
Other changes in job content may lead to the job description being out of date;
The process that an organization uses to create job descriptions may not be optimal.

2 Define recruitment. What are the external factors affecting recruitment?

Answer:
Definition of recruitment:
Recruitment is a linking function. It is a joining process in which it tries to bring together job seekers and
employers. The basic purpose of recruitment is to finding the best talent in the job market and absorbing
them in the company. To have good recruitment, it is important to have three elements:
i) Attractive compensation
ii) Better career opportunities
iii) Good organizational image or reputation (Brand image)
Factors affecting recruitment:
The factors that influence recruitment can be broadly divided into internal and external factors.
a) External factors influencing recruitment are:
i. Demand and supply: The organization must look into the pool of candidates that is available for a job
position, both within and outside the organization. If the company has a demand for more professionals
and there is limited supply in the market for the professionals demanded by the company, then the

company will have to depend upon internal sources by providing them special training and development
programs.
ii. Economic environment: The economic condition has great impact on the recruitment of a company.
As we have seen in previous units, liberalization, globalization and privatization have created demand for
different types of expertise from the potential employees, such as ability to understand functions in
international context, knowledge in foreign languages, currencies etc.
iii. Social environment: Now a days organization are becoming more innovative in recruitment. One of
the major causes is changes which is taking place in our society. Social norms and values are changing.
From the traditional career attitude of job security and safety, people now want faster pace of career
growth and a job that is challenging..
iv. Technological environment: The growth and innovation of technology has become the norm now in
our advanced world. With the changes in technology the competencies required from the potential
employees have also changed.
v. Political legal environment: The philosophy of the political parties in power influences business
practices. A pro-business attitude on the part of government enables firms to enter into arrangements that
would otherwise not be allowed under an anti-business philosophy.
vi. Corporate image: Corporate image or reputation describes the manner in which a company, its
activities and its products or services are perceived by outsiders. The social image of the organization also
affects the recruitment practices.
vii. Unemployment rate: The rate of unemployment influences the recruitment policies. If the
unemployment rate is high then even simple recruitment plan can work, as there is a large pool of
candidates who would be willing to work.

3 Describe the steps involved in employee induction program.

Answer:
The HR department may initiate the following steps while organizing the induction programme:

i. Welcome to the organisation.

ii. Explain about the company.

iii. Show the location/department where the new recruit will work.

iv. Give the companys manual to the new recruit.

v. Provide details about various work groups and the extent of unionism within the company.

vi. Give details about pay, benefits, holidays, leave, etc. Emphasize the importance of attendance or
punctuality.

vii. Explain about future training opportunities and career prospects.

viii. Clarify doubts, by encouraging the employee to come out with questions.

ix. Take the employee on a guided tour of buildings, facilities, etc. Hand him over to his supervisor.

(a) Content: The topics covered in employee induction programme may be stated thus:

(b) Socialisation: Socialisation is a process through which a new recruit begins to understand and accept
the values, norms and beliefs held by others in the organisation. HR department representatives help new

recruits to internalize the way things are done in the organisation. Orientation helps the newcomers to
interact freely with employees working at various levels and learn behaviors that are acceptable. Through
such formal and informal interaction and discussion, newcomers begin to understand how the
department/company is run, who holds power and who does not, who is politically active within the
department, how to behave in the company, what is expected of them, etc. In short, if the new recruits
wish to survive and prosper in their new work home, they must soon come to know the ropes.
Orientation programmers are effective socialization tools because they help the employees to learn about
the job and perform things in a desired way.

(c) Follow up: Despite the best efforts of supervisors, certain dark areas may still remain in the orientation
programme. New hires may not have understood certain things. The supervisors, while covering a large
ground, may have ignored certain important matters.. Follow up meetings could be held at fixed intervals,
say after every three or six months on a face-to-face basis. The basic purpose of such follow up
orientation is to offer guidance to employees on various general as well as job related matters without
leaving anything to chance. To improve orientation, the company should make a conscious effort to obtain
feedback from everyone involved in the programme. There are several ways to get this kind of feedback:
through round table discussions with new hires after their first year on the job, through in-depth
interviews with randomly selected employees and superiors and through questionnaires for mass coverage
of all recent recruits.

4 What is the purpose of performance appraisal? Explain the process of performance appraisal.
Answer:
The purpose of performance appraisal is many folds. However, there are two broad purpose of
performance appraisal as depicted below:

1. EVALUATION:
To let employees know where they stand relative to performance objectives and standards. An effective
entails the following:

 Establishes performance standards that are measurable performance standards.

Sets mutually acceptable and measurable performance standards.
Provides continues feedback to employees about their performance.
Accurately measures performance.
Compares performance with performance standards.
Develops employees where necessary or take corrective action where appropriate.
2. DEVELOPMENT:
Assist in training and continued personal development of people. Developed employees are more
motivated commuted and competent to achieve their work roles and goals. They can contribute effectively
in improving the organization effectiveness.

Process of performance appraisal:

ESTABLISHING PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
The first step in the process of performance appraisal is the setting up of the standards which will be used
to as the base to compare the actual performance of the employees. This step requires setting the criteria
to judge the performance of the employees as successful or unsuccessful and the degrees of their
contribution to the organizational goals and objectives.
COMMUNICATING THE STANDARDS.
The employees should be informed and the standards should be clearly explained to them. This will help
them to understand their roles and to know what exactly is expected from them. The standards should also
be communicated to the appraisers or the evaluators and if required, the standards can also be modified at
this stage itself according to the relevant feedback from the employees or the evaluators.

MEASURING THE ACTUAL PERFORMANCE

The most difficult part of the Performance appraisal process is measuring the actual performance of the
employees that is the work done by the employees during the specified period of time. It is a continuous
process which involves monitoring the performance throughout the year
COMPARING THE ACTUAL WITH THE DESIRED PERFORMANCE

The actual performance is compared with the desired or the standard performance. The comparison tells
the deviations in the performance of the employees from the standards set. The result can show the actual
performance being more than the desired performance or, the actual performance being less than the
desired performance depicting a negative deviation in the organizational performance
DISCUSSING RESULTS
The result of the appraisal is communicated and discussed with the employees on one-to-one basis. The
focus of this discussion is on communication and listening. The results, the problems and the possible
solutions are discussed with the aim of problem solving and reaching consensus
DECISION MAKING
The last step of the process is to take decisions which can be taken either to improve the performance of
the employees, take the required corrective actions, or the related HR decisions like rewards, promotions,
demotions, transfers etc.

5 What is meant by employee grievance? What are the causes of employee grievances? Explain the
need for employee counselling.
Answer: Meaning of employee grievance
Complains affecting one or more individual employees in respect of their wage payments, leave, transfer,
promotion, seniority work assignment, working conditions and interpretation of service agreement,
dismissal and discharge etc. would constitute a grievance. Where the points of disputes are of general
applicability or of considerable magnitude, they will fall outside the scope of this procedure.
Causes of employee grievances: Grievances may arise from various causes related to the work and
working conditions of the employees. The typical areas where causes of grievances may occur are:
(a) Wage structure including bonus, incentives, overtime, leave facilities etc.
(b) Seniority, job classification, promotion, transfer, lay-off and discharge;
(c) Supervision and discipline,

(d) Physical environment and working conditions in general

(e) Welfare arrangements including health and safety;
(f) Employer's attitude towards interpretation of the service contract or collective bargaining agreement,
settlement of grievances etc.

Need for employee counseling:

Apart from their personal problems, there are various reasons which can create stress for the employees at
the workplace like unrealistic targets or work-load, constant pressure to meet the deadlines, career
problems, responsibility and accountability, conflicts or bad inter-personal relations with superiors and
subordinates, problems in adjusting to the organizational culture. Counseling helps the employee to share
and look at his problems from a new perspective, help himself and to face and deal with the problems in a
better way. Counseling at workplace is a means for the organization to care about its employees.
Benefits of counseling
Helping the individual to understand and help himself
Understand the situations and look at them with a new perspective and positive outlook
Helping in better decision making
Alternative solutions to problems
Coping with the situation and the stress

6 Write short notes on the following:

a) Human Resource Planning (HRP)

b) Job Analysis

A) Human Resource Planning:

Concept of Human Resource Planning
Human resource planning is a forward looking function. It tries to assess human resource
requirements in advance keeping market fluctuations, demand forecasts and availability of right
candidates, etc., in the background. According to Terry, Human Resource Planning (HRP) is a set of
tasks that include estimation of how many qualified people are necessary to carry out the assigned
activities ; how many people will be available; and what, if anything, must be done to ensure that
personnel supply equals personnel demand at an appropriate time in future.
HRP, as a function, translates the organizations objectives and plans into the number of personnel
needed to meet those objectives. It also involves identifying the organizations human resource
management goals and expected results, identifying strategies and activities to achieve those goals.
According to E. W. Vetter, HRP is a process by which an organization should move from its current
manpower position to its desired manpower position. HRP is vital for every organization but
somehow it has been one of the most neglected and undervalued function of Human Resource
Management.

B) Job Analysis:
Concept of Job analysis

Job analysis is understood as the analysis of job-related activities in the

organization. Job analysis collects and analyses the information related to jobs and
various aspects of jobs. It is performed upon ongoing jobs only which contain job
contents and the skill requirement to perform the specific task. it involves a formal
study of jobs which is essential in determining the duties and the nature of the jobs
in the organization.
Job analysis is a process of gathering or collecting information relating to job
description and job satisfaction. It is the systematic process of gathering and
organizing the information relating to various aspects of job, which describes the job
contents and minimum job requirements in terms of skills, efforts, responsibilities
and working conditions. Job analysis attempts to provide information related to the
following questions

it can be concluded that job analysis is an analytical study of job-related information

which provides a basis for defining duties, responsibilities and accountability of each
job. It helps to prepare job description and job specification statements. It is a part
of overall work planning which involves analysis, measurement, control, design and
redesign of different jobs