HR Management Course – Second Assessment

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1. Question 1: Outline the different types of training and training delivery methods
   Answer: There are various training delivery methods, they range from on-the job , off site workshops, lectures and the use of e-learning platforms such as LMS.
   On-the Job Training: This is when new hires or employees are trained during the moment they start their task or job role, with assistance from existing employees, senior employees, team leads or supervisors. It’s expected of them to build those skills on their own after they might have determined the needed skills meant for their current position.
   * Off-Site Workshops: Team building activities help the employees bond. They may be physical challenges games such as tug of war which promotes team work, problem solving tasks such as puzzles, escape rooms, charade etc. This helps foster unity and interpersonal relation among employees.
   * Coaching and Mentoring: Younger or less experienced employees are usually paired with a senior colleagues who has the experience and personality to help guide someone through processes as a coach or mentor. They offer guidance, encouragement, and insights to help the employee meet training objectives and boost organization productivity.
   * Lectures: It’s led by a trainer/teacher focuses on a particular topic or specific topics. It can be held on-site in conference rooms, lecture rooms, and classrooms. Appropriate for delivering orientations and some skills based training.
   * Online/Audio: Also known as E-learning/PC based or technology based training. It has become the common methods of training, used in organizations, schools etc. It has become increasingly affordable for organizations or businesses of all size to purchase. This method can be used for employees who are physically not available to take the lectures.
   Question 2: Describe the different types of performance appraisals
   Answer: The different types of performance appraisals are Management by objectives, work standards approach, behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS), CIAs, Graphic rating scale, Checklist Scale, Ranking.
   Management by Objectives: It’s a goal setting and performance management technique that emphasizes the importance of defining clear and measurable objectives for employees at all levels within an organization. Principles of MBO makes use of the SMART objectives (specific, measurable, attainable, relatable, time bound). Employees and managers meet together to discuss about setting goals and objectives for the time period, and when it’s time for performance review, both come together to see if the set objectives are met or not. Benefit of MBO is it brings about goal clarity and focus, employee empowerment, performance evaluation, enhanced communication, alignment with organization objectives.
   Work Standards Approach: With this result focused approach, a minimum level is set and the employee’s performance is reviews and based on this level. Key elements of work standards approach are establishing performance metrics, setting performance goals, performance monitoring, feedback and coaching, performance recognition and development.
   CIAs: also known as critical incident technique is a method used to evaluate employee performance based on specific instances/events that exemplify exceptionally good or poor performance. It should be specific, observable and job related capturing both positive and negative instances. Advantage of this approach includes; specific and tangible, fair and objectives, employee development, real time feedback. Challenges are data collection and limited scope.
   Graphic Rating Scale: this type of evaluation list traits required for the job and asks the source to rate the individual on each attribute. The disadvantage is the subjectivity that can occur. It focuse more on behavioral traits and isn’t specific enought to some jobs.
   Checklist Scale: A series of questions are raised and the manager simply responds yes/no to the questions which can fall into either the behavioral/traits methods or both.
   Question 3: Outline the difference ways in which employee separation can occur
   Answer: It can occur voluntarily or involuntarily. It could be categorized into
   Voluntary (Resignation, Termination and Abscondment). Involuntary (termination and layoff)
   Resignation: This is when an employee voluntarily leaves his work officially for reasons best known to him/her. All severance pay entitled to the employee must be given to him/her
   Termination: an employee might be asked to leave an organization for one or several reasons such as for misdemeanor, poor work performance, legal reasons. A termination interview is done and should’nt be done in the organization premises or said publicly in the presence of other employees after which all docs needed for the process has been put in place and ready. Legal counsel of the organization must be consulted about such matters.
   Abscondment: This is when an employee leaves his/her job without informing the organization of his/her leaving.
   Retirement: Retirement refers to the formal stage when an employee voluntarily or involuntarily exits active employment after reaching a certain age, length of service, or personal decision, and ceases to work full-time for the organization. It usually involves the employee becoming eligible for post-employment benefits such as a pension, gratuity, retirement savings, or other welfare packages.
   Redundancy: this means a situation where an employee’s job position becomes unnecessary, and they are dismissed not because of their performance, but because the role itself is no longer required. This could be as a result of changes in technology, outsourcing of tasks or changes in job designs. Exit interviews are necessary to be done to know why he /she is leaving and to work on such feedback to reduce attrition of workers. Severance packages are given to them at the end of termination
   Death/Disability: In the case of when an employee can no longer do their jobs or do full time due to their disability,the employee may be entitled to a compensation if the disability is work related i.e it happened during work duty. In the case of death, their next of kin receives the compensation packages if the cause was work related.
   Retrenchment: this can be due to downsizing, decrease in market shares, flattening or restructuring. All severance pay due to the retrenched employees are to be paid.
   Question 4: Identify the various types of retention strategies that can be used to help motivate and retain employees.
   Answer:
   Salaries and Benefits: a comprehensive compensation plan that includes not only pay but things such as health benefits, pension, paid time off, extra hours is the first retention strategiy that should be addressed
   Training and Development: to meet our higher level needs, humans need to experience self growth and development. HR professional, managers and management can help this process by offering training programs within the organization and paying for employees to attend seminars and courses that would boost the ir career skills.
   Performance Appraisals: The performance appraisal is a formalized process to assess how well an employee does his job. A reward could be given to employees whose performance are high for a job well done, this in turn boost their confidence and motivates them and others to do better.
   Succession Planning: it’s a process of identifying and developing internal employees who have the potential and skills needed to fill the vacant position.
   Flextime, Telecommuting: Giving of work leave also motivates employee, or probably an hybrid style of work. To help balance personal-work life.
   Management Training: training of managers to be better motivators and communicators is a way to handle retention issues.
   Conflict Management: managers, HR professionals should be able to handle conflict between employees and management, various method can be used such as through discussions, recommendations, mediation and arbitration.
   Job Design, Job enlargement and empowerment:review the job design to ensure the employee is experiencing growth within their job, involve employees in their work by allowing them to take initiative and make more decisons
   Other retention Strategies:. Offering services to make the employees lives easier and increase work-life balance such as daycare, cooperative, provision of foodstuffs and other provision in low prices, loans arrangement etc.
   The above strategies help motivates employees and increase employee retention rate in organizations.

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2. 2. Objective: Outline the different types of training and training delivery methods:
   Questions: Provide an overview of various training types (e.g., on-the-job training, off-site workshops) and delivery methods (e.g., e-learning, instructor-led training). Discuss the factors influencing the choice of a specific type or method in different organizational contexts.
   a) Lectures: This is an instructor-led training method which can be used for skill training. It is less expensive for training a large group of people.
   b) Online/Audio Visual Media Based Training: This training method involve the use of technology to train people who are not in same location. It can be used for technical, professional, safety, and quality training, however, it may be limited in delivery training like soft skills, managerial training e.t.c.
   c) On-the-Job Training: This involves a person with job experience skill-guide trainee in practicing job skills are the workplace. It is more practical and could be used for the development phase of an intern.
   d) Coaching and Mentorship: Mentors provide guidance, encouragement and insight to help them meet training objectives. Managers can also coach employees through feedback, observations, assessment and questioning.
   e) Outdoor and off-site programmes: Team building activities between employees who work together. Examples are problem solving task like puzzles, which help to build team cohesiveness.

   3. Objective: Describe the different types of performance appraisals:
   Questions: Discuss the various methods used for performance appraisals, such as the 360-degree feedback, graphic rating scales, and management by objectives (MBO). Highlight the advantages and limitations of each method.

   a) Management By Object (MBO): MBO is a performance management technique where manager and employee collaborate to set the goals for employee performance. These goals have to be SMART and aligned with the overall organization’s objectives. The major advantages include; open communication between managers and employees; employees feel empowered; alignment with organization’s objectives; clear and focused goals; progress performance evaluation. The major limitations is that it’s not applicable for all roles especially routinous roles.
   b) Work Standard Approach: The approach is result-focused, and involves the setting of a benchmark for employee performance. Employees are evaluated based on how well they perform against this benchmark. With this method; goals are clear and transparent; evaluations are fair with objective, employees are accountable to their performance, continuous improvement. The main limitation of these approach is that it doesn’t allow for reasonable deviations.
   c) Behavioral Anchored Rating Scale (BARS): BARS use specific and observable behaviors as anchors point (for good and bad behaviors) for eating employees’ performance. The main advantages of BARS are; accurate behaviors are used as examples on the scale; feedback is more specific, the scale is clear and fair; focus on task-related behaviors; employees are developed through correction training; and overall performance are improved. The limitations include; time and effort of development; limited flexibility; and subjectivity in anchor selection.
   d) Critical Incident Appraisals (CIAs): CIAs evaluate employee performance based on specific instances that examplify exceptionally good or poor performance. The incident must be specific, observable and job-related. The advantages include; incidents are specific and tangible for evaluation; fair with objective; real-time feedback; and employee is developed in the process. The main limitations include; t requires time to identify and record incidents; might not cover all aspects of job performance and not suitable for all roles.
   e) Graphic Rating Scale: This scale list traits required for the job and ask the source to rate the employee on each attribute. All used by many organization, the scale is subjective and not specific enough for some jobs.
   f) Checklist Scale: this method is when a series of questions are asked and the source responds ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. This question can be related to behaviors or traits or both. This method lessens subjectivity.
   g) Ranking: This is a comparative method where employees are ranked based on their values to the manager or supervisor. This method leave room for bias and doesn’t work for large organization where manager don’t interact with all employees daily and can also raise morale issues if the list is made public.

   4. Objective: Discuss the key steps of an effective discipline process:
   Questions: Outline the steps involved in implementing an effective discipline process within an organization. Address the importance of consistency, fairness, and communication in managing employee discipline.
   a) First offense: Unofficial verbal warning, counseling and restatement of expectations.
   b) Second offense: Official written warning documented in employee’s file.
   c) Third offense: Second official warning and also an improvement plan may also be developed to rectify the issue — all of which should be documented in the employee’s file.
   d) Fourth offense: Possible suspension or other punishment and should be documented in employee’s file.
   e) Fifth offense: Termination or other dispute resolution approaches.
   To ensure effective discipline, consistency fairness and clear communication needs to be in place. Rules and policies need to be in place — in written form and communicated clearly to all employees. Proper documentation should also be done during disciplinary intervention.

   5. Objective: Outline the different ways in which employee separation can occur:
   Questions: Identify and explain various forms of employee separation, including voluntary (resignation, retirement) and involuntary (termination, layoff) methods. Discuss the legal and ethical considerations associated with each form.
   a) Retrenchment: This occurs when an organization decides to cut down the numbers of employees in certain areas. Reason may include downsizing, a decrease in market shares or restructuring process. Depending on the employee’s contract, he/she may be entitled to severance package.
   b) Retirement: When an employee reaches a due age or has saved enough pension, they can decide to retire.
   c) Redundancy: An organization may no longer require a job due to change in corporate strategies like; the introduction of a new technology; or outsourcing the tasks e.t.c.
   d) Resignation: Employees might decide to leave an organization to seek employment elsewhere or be given the option of a VDP and asked to leave voluntarily.
   e) Termination: An employee may be asked to leave due to reasons like; misdemeanor; poor work performance; legal reasons. Due processes must be followed, including proper documentation, appraisal check, before dismissal. Also depending on the employee’s contract, he/she may be entitled to severance package.
   f) Death/disability: Employees who are unable to do their jobs or do them full-time. The employee or next of kin may be entitled to a compensation if the cause of the disability or death is work-related.

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