FEEDBACK TUTORIAL LETTER ASSIGNMENT 1 SECOND SEMESTER 2018 HUMAN RESOURCES FOR LINE MANAGERS RLM621S

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1 FEEDBACK TUTORIAL LETTER ASSIGNMENT 1 SECOND SEMESTER 2018 HUMAN RESOURCES FOR LINE MANAGERS RLM621S 1

2 FEEDBACK TUTORIAL LETTER FOR ASSIGNMENT 1_2018 Dear student The purpose of this tutorial letter is to provide feedback on Assignment 1. Please read the tutorial letter carefully to see where you have done well and where you need to improve for your second assignment. Do not hesitate to contact me should you required additional guidance on your assignment preparations. The assignment questions are hereby reproduced for easy referencing. Question Do a summary of the entire course content. Highlight the knowledge outcomes of each Unit. I have noticed several times with dismay that students come to vacation classes, or face-to-face sessions with no prior knowledge of the course. Not scanning through and not even knowing what topics are covered in a course. This question aimed at exposing you to the entire course content so you have a clue of what the course is all about. Unfortunately a few of you just reproduced the outcomes found in the study guide without showing evidence that you have done your research and indeed went through the course materials before answering. Again, I have picked up that the course content is not part of your tutorial letter; hence, you did not know that Unit 1 is Human Resources Planning, but not Staffing. In the past, COLL handed out extra materials on this topic. I do not know what happened this year. Please liaise with them. Below are the course topics: Page1

3 Unit 1: Human Resource Planning Unit 2: Staffing Unit 3: Recruitment challenges/sources & techniques Unit 4: Competency based recruitment Unit 5: Interview components & Documentation Unit 6: Attracting, motivating & retaining staff Unit 7: Compensation & rewarding performance Unit 8: Structural capital, culture and change Unit 9: HRIS 1.2 Discuss how the units are linked to one another. This is not to reproduce what you discussed in question 1.1, but to show how the units relate to one another. For example, an organisation has to forecast how many employees it will in need and of what calibre, competence and knowledge. Once this is known, the organisation can then embark upon the recruitment process, which is discussed in Unit 2. While embarking upon this process, it has to realise that there are certain recruitment challenges (Unit 3) it may face. Overcoming these challenges requires one to use innovative recruitment and competency based recruitment approach (Unit 4). The success of the recruitment process is to make sure that we have the right person onboard. This is supplemented by making sure that the interview process (Unit 5) is well conducted. To ensure this, one can use competency-based recruitment (unit 4). Once the candidate is on board, we cannot say that the task is completed, but the organisation needs to keep on motivating the staff to do more and employing different strategies to retain him/her (Unit 6). One of these strategies is to pay and compensate the staff using different forms of compensations (Unit 7). Page2

4 We can only try this much. Change, which is inevitable, will encounter us along the way; hence as an organisation, we should plan change and manage it accordingly (Unit 8). To help us execute all these HR functions mentioned above, Human resources information system should be in place (Unit 9). This system will help HR department to collect, record, process and store data required for efficient and effective management of human capital in an organisation. Concisely, your discussion should demonstrate evidence that you can see how the units are related to one another and how they complement each other. 1.3 Now, explain how you think this course responds to the needs of Line Managers, HRM managers and HRM students. This course expose the line managers and HRM managers to core people management practices needed to improve productivity in the organisation. It presents the way recruitment should be done, how interview should be conducted and how to plan changes amongst others. It gives them knowledge on formulating good compensation policy as well as setting up strategies to motivate, retain and engage staff members. Students will gain practical guidelines in human resources management. Crucial topics such as the administration of human resources functions are covered in this course, hence very beneficial to the students. They will also gain practical tips on how to conduct themselves during interview. The course addresses pertinent topics such as compensation, rewards and retaining staff, which all HR students should know. The end result is the human resources information system summarising how the major human resources management practices should be performed with the assistance of information system. Page3

5 Question 2 Explain the workforce planning. Be as practical as possible. Your discussion could ideal include the following titles: Definition of workforce planning Why workforce planning (benefits) How to embark upon the workforce planning (workforce process) Pitfalls to avoid when doing workforce planning Many of you have only concentrated on the benefits/advantages of workforce planning leaving other areas untapped. Question 3 Recruitment is about attracting the right candidates to an organisation. Hence, the recruitment process should be conducted as cost-effective as possible. In details, discuss the role of recruitment policy in recruitment initiatives. Provide examples. Take note that I have asked a recruitment policy. Many of you have fallen into a trap of discussing the recruitment process. Next time, please read questions carefully. Before an organisation start with its recruitment initiative, a recruitment policy must be in place. This outlines and governs how recruitment is to be conducted. In other words, the recruitment policy provides guidelines for the selection process. Usually the policy includes information on the following aspects: Legal requirements that will ensure that the employees are treated fairly How quick the vacancy needs to be filled When can we recruit internal and/or external? If family members are allowed to apply and appointed Page4

6 Which department is responsible for recruitment and selection initiatives? HR or it should be decentralised? The cost, what is the ceiling? Which media/sources to advertise on? How many times should an advert run in the media and which days? A deliberate discussion and providing examples on the points above is needed to score you high marks. Question 4 Some people may not see the need of HRM in an organisation. In fact, some organisation outsource this function. Explain what the objectives of HRM in organisation are. Human resource management is the process of getting people into the organisation, developing them and then keeping them satisfied so that they want to say with the organisation. Hence the objectives of HRM as stipulated by Meyer et al (2018) are: To optimise people s productivity capacity in an organisation To create an environment where people are motivated to perform to the best of their ability To ensure compliance with all labour laws To identify and address obstacles to employee performance and correct them accordingly To build people s capacity so they can perform according to the expectations of management To integrate the needs of employees and that of employers To ensure fair people management practices To improve teamwork and sound employee relations at work Page5

7 Many of you have discussed the functions performed by HR (not too bad), but you must think of what are the rationale behind performing such functions. Hence, with this in mind, you will arrive at the discussion of HRM objectives. Assignment content: 85% Introduction, conclusion, grammar and spelling, referencing, and overall impression: 15% Total: 100 Dear students, how does a person miss such a statement above? Many of you have missed that completely. Assignment were written with no table of content, no introduction, no conclusion and no reference. I cannot over emphasise the point that assignments must meet academic standards. GENERAL COMMENTS: Some of you, your assignments did not meet academic standards. This was an assignment not a test or some short of examination. Academic assignments should have a table of content, an introduction, body (answering the questions, with in-text referencing) and conclusion. Sources must be cited as per APA style of referencing. You cannot have a reference list at the end of the assignment while there is no in-text referencing. These technicalities were even spelt out at the end of the assignment. How come most of you missed it? It is very much UNACCEPTABLE for students at your level not know how to reference proper. This is an exit course. Why (up to this level) do you not know how to reference, dear student? The University uses APA style of referencing. The library should be able to help. There is even a manual that you can buy at an affordable fee to help you on how to cite sources. Start working on your reference skills while early. You will need this skill when you progress with your study. How are you going to do research at postgraduate level with poor referencing skills? Page6

8 Please this is an institution of higher learning, TYPE your work. I did not mark handwritten assignment, but awarded a zero. When work is typed, it makes your work look neater, professional and give the reader the impression that you cared about what you did. Use one font style and size in your document. It is very unprofessional to read assignments that are not proofread, not edited, has many different font styles and sizes in one document and has spelling mistakes, e.g. coarse for course; mangers for managers etc. Do not copy and paste information and just dump them in your assignment. Learn how to filter/research for necessary information. I hope you will improve and do much better in the second assignment. Good luck. Regards, Ms. Fiina Shimaneni Tel: fshimaneni@nust.na Page7