Human Resources Final Project Essay

The role of the HR Department of the Department of Human Services (DHS) is to handle all aspects of employee relations. The areas it covers are Recruiting and Selection, Training and Development, Performance Management, Employee Discipline, Compensation and Benefits and Labor Relations. Each of these areas is vital to the effective operation of the company as a whole. Although each area is outlined in detail, there is still room for improvement in each. The Recruiting and Selection process at the Department of Human Services (DHS) is a fairly simple one. The requirements for the applicants are not strenuous; thereby allowing a wide range of applicants to be considered for the positions. It is recommended that a personality test be given to each applicant in order to gage their ability to handle the many different scenarios they will encounter while employed at DHS. A prerequisite for applying should be that the applicant has worked in an environment which required handling stressful situations. The Training and Development process at DHS consists of both Internal and External training methods. One such external method requires the new hire to travel to the corporate headquarters in Atlanta, GA. This training lasts for two weeks and requires the applicant to stay nightly at that location to complete the training. A suggested change to that training would be that it is held locally for those new hires that may not be able to travel for such long periods of time due to family obligations, such as having small children. As far as the internal training is concerned, the coaching portion done one on one with the new hire should be extended well after the training process has ended. This will ensure that the employee is still understanding his or her job duties and performing them accordingly. The Performance Management aspect of DHS is one in which the employees are evaluated yearly to measure their success in their position on an individual and team level. Each employee is measured according to his or her  position’s requirements and job duties. A beneficial change to this process would be to review each section of the evaluation form with the employee well in advance of their evaluation date. This will give the employee a heads up on the areas within their job that they need to focus one and the goals they need to achieve before their yearly evaluation time arrives. The Employee Discipline process at DHS serves to ensure that employees are receiving corrective action whenever a workplace infraction occurs. The employee can receive either an oral or written disciplinary action depending on the severity and frequency of the offense. Employees are given feedback on how to correct their action after the offense occurs. However, there are times when an employee is not given the proper follow up and feedback after an infraction occurs. This can in turn cause the employee to commit the offense again and make the disciplinary action process go to the next level. DHS should make sure proper follow up is done on a regular basis to ensure the education and growth of the employee. The Compensation and Benefits packages offered at DHS are designed to help make the company a competitive one. Salaries are paid on a bi-monthly basis on the 15th and last day of each month. Employees are given the option to add healthcare benefits, sign up for 401k or flexible spending accounts. There aren’t many incentives offered at DHS. One such incentive which could be offered is rewarding employees based on their monthly performance individually and as a team. This would assist with keeping employee morale high and giving them something to strive for. Also, the starting salary should be increased in order to keep the job a competitive one on the job market. Potential employees are attracted to a nice salary as well company incentives. It is essential for DHS to maintain strong and positive Labor Relations between employees and management. The employee should always feel as if they have the help and support of their management team. Communication between the two must be maintained at all times so that issues and concerns can be addressed effectively. One way for DHS to improve these relationships is for there to be more interaction between the employees and management in a non-working environment. This can be accomplished by  establishing company sporting leagues or having company picnics. The HR Department of DHS is the chief factor which ensures that the company is run smoothly and efficiently. Each functional area has a particular job to accomplish. It is important that each area be explored thoroughly to determine if each is accomplishing the tasks it has been given to handle. Implementing a few changes in each area will help to take the HR department to the next level. References Smith, A. E. (n.d.) What are furlough days? Retrieved on October 27, 2012 from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-furlough-days.htm Recruitment (n.d.) retrieved on October 27, 2012 from http://www.ohrmd.dhr.georgia.gov/portal/site/DHS-OHRMD/menuitem.a90032b0182b9d5171f585c4da1010a0/?vgnextoid=bc80e250e1522310VgnVCM100000bf01010aRCRD People Management-Recruitment Methods (n.d.) retrieved on October 30, 2012 from http://www.tutor2u.net/business/gcse/people_recruitment_methods.htm Heathfield, Susan, M. (n.d.) 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