HRM 5115

Scenario 1

Question 1: What would be the best way to address the team lead’s performance issues?

The scenario-based question is about how employees react when they notice the wrong actions of other employees who might be their senior in the organization structure, especially if the other employee sometimes mistreats the junior employee. The answer suggests that the HR staff member should praise the team lead for his good deeds then explain the feedback but in a gentle way and also remind the team lead of the consequences of their action. The question indicates that despite having a bad relationship with some of the employees, the team lead also has a success record, which makes the supervisor rate the team lead highly and therefore the HR staff member should consider both sides before deciding how to react.

The behavioral competency in question is relationship management. The success of HR professionals relies on their ability to maintain healthy interpersonal relationships and foster competency in relationship management within an organization (Ulrich et al., 2012). Conversely, the functional area in question is HR compliance since HRs are tasked with ensuring that both the employer and the employees are compliant with employment-related laws and requirements. From the scenario, the team lead seems to have disobeyed one of the requirements. I believe the question tests ethics and not relationship management, which make the explanation inaccurate. However, I agree with the correct answer since it involves acknowledging the moral actions of the team lead and also offers a way to correct, which also serves as a warning in case of such behavior in the future.

Question 2: What would be the best way to handle a request by the HR staff member to view the team lead’s feedback report?

The second scenario-based question tests an individual’s ability to be trusted with confidential information. From the question, it is evident that the report is specifically meant for the team lead and not any other person. As a result, the answer should restrict the accessibility of the feedback to the team lead only and not any other employee. The behavioral competency in the question is ethical practice. HR professionals are responsible for creating ethical HR systems or facilitating an organization’s ethical climate to protect it from adverse employee behavior (Ulrich et al., 2007). It is unethical for individuals to have access to another person’s confidential information. On the other hand, the functional area is employee relations since HR professional should maintain confidentiality with all work-related matters within a working environment. The explanation of the question is accurate since the case was about one person wanting to access another person’s details, which breaches confidentiality, and hence I am in agreement with the answer that no other staff member should be allowed to view the feedback report. I believe that sharing information about the team lead can have a negative impact only and has no positive value whatsoever.

Scenario 2

Question 1: What would be the best way for HR to bring in more qualified applicants?

  The problem is about what channels HR professionals should use to ensure that a job advertisement reaches more people with diverse qualifications. The questions indicate that the company is interested in both the quantity and quality of employees and by posting a job advert on the internet job suites and examining the effect, the HR professional is likely to reach out to a large number of employees and with varying levels of qualifications. The behavioral competency in the question is consultancy since it involves the ability of the HR to discuss with hiring managers and realize areas of need within the organization. The HR functional area in the matter is recruiting and staffing. The HR is supposed to collaborate with the hiring managers and formulate a plan that would help the company to have adequate employees and with the right qualifications (Farndal et al., 2010) The explanation for the question is accurate since the company has increased productivity, and the question is testing on how to match the increased demand with appropriate employees. I disagree with the answer because I believe the HR professional is supposed to apply the consultancy competency and interview the hiring managers to determine the specific gaps in knowledge and skill that need to be addressed. It is only after identifying the gaps that the jobs can be advertised.

Question 2: What would be the best way for HR to address the senior leaders’ concerns about turnover?

The best question is about how an individual explains themselves to their leaders when their department does not meet the management’s expectations. The question is interested in how an individual addresses the leaders and hence, the answer is specifically on the explanation and alternative options that the HR professional will offer the senior leaders to convince them that indeed they are working to solve the problem. The behavioral competency in the question is critical evaluation, that is, the HR monitoring the development of human capital and comparing the success with appropriate data (Stroh & Treehuboff, 2003). The functional area is organizational design, as it involves assisting the management in furthering the goals of the organization. The explanation of the question is inaccurate since critical thinking should help the HR to identify and deal with the issue in advance and only forward the actions or plans that are underway to the senior leaders. I agree with the answer since it is only by evaluating and comparing the current statistics with that of previous years that HR can ascertain the turnover rate and its impact.

References

Farndale, E., Paauwe, J., Morris, S. S., Stahl, G. K., Stiles, P., Trevor, J., & Wright, P. M. (2010). Context‐bound configurations of corporate HR functions in multinational corporations. Human Resource Management: Published in Cooperation with the School of Business Administration, The University of Michigan and in alliance with the Society of Human Resources Management, 49(1), 45-66.

Stroh, L. K., & Treehuboff, D. (2003). Outsourcing HR functions: When—and when not—to go outside. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 10(1), 19-28.

Ulrich, D., Brockbank, W., Johnson, D., & Younger, J. (2007). Human resource competencies: Responding to increased expectations.Ulrich, D., Younger, J., Brockbank, W., & Ulrich, M. (2012). HR talent and the new HR competencies. Strategic HR Review, 11(4), 217-222.