HRMN 302 WTCC Human Resource Management Discussion Replies

HRMN302 

1.)  Adam Thompson 

In my squadron, members are both deployable and hold an alert status. Because of this we must maintain readiness standards. This encompasses things like training qualifications, medical, immunizations and legal documents. We recently had a problem with large numbers of our members failing to maintain a green status by failing to upkeep these readiness standards. I am part of the squadron leadership and my group in this situation was the command team. Members included the Commander, the Senior Enlisted Leader, the Director of Operations, the First Sergeant (me) and the Mobility Coordinator. This leadership group would be a secondary group for me as it is a work group that does not meet my social needs (“Communication,” n.d.). We have been working together for over a year and our rolls are well defined and would say we are in the performing stage of group development (“Communication,” n.d.). We can together and discussed the problem, decided to create a “get to green” tracker and implemented that. I think we communicated well but we did not use the seven-step framework or any structured problem-solving methods and are now facing the same problem again as the tracker that was created was not updated on a regular basis and has failed to be useful. We discussed “the problem” and decided on a solution rather quickly. We, as a group, failed at what would be step one of the seven step, we did not define the problem. As I see it now, the problem isn’t just that members are not maintaining readiness standards but more why aren’t members maintaining readiness standards. Discovering the why will help to identify not only the actual problem but also a better, more permanent solution. Following the seven steps would have taken longer but would have garnered a better result in the end. We wouldn’t be revisiting the same problem again had we put more effort at the beginning.

Reference

Communication. (n.d.). Business communication for success. Retrieved from https://www.saylor.org/site/textbooks/Business%20Communication%20for%20Success.pdf 

2.) Lauren Huntsberry 

In my previous organization, I was involved in a group tasked to solve a problem for business strategy and success. This working group would have been classified as a Secondary, small group comprised of 5  leadership members, 3 from the company’s talent acquisition analyst side and 2 from the technical recruiting side. This small group was an appropriate size intended to ensure communication was handled properly without worries of miscommunication or too many voices trying to speak at once. Within the small group, we had individuals who contributed through positive roles such as initiating discussion, bringing forth the problem, and discussing the possible solutions whereas one individual played a  negative role in the group as the clown or joker, derailing the conversation and distracting others. Fortunately, we had a member who acted in the recording role of the group so we could review topics after meetings where conversations may have been interrupted by negative roles. 

Our purpose was to collaboratively review current talent acquisition strategies to determine where procedures needed adjustment, removal, or additional support. In the lifecycle of development, we were in the performing stage where we had successfully constructed solutions to implement. Analyzing the group through the seven-step process the group: we formed and immediately identified the problem at hand. The problem was originally broadly defined but after discussion, we were able to narrow it down slightly to present the underlying issue without missing any information. Once the problem had been defined we analyzed the issue from different perspectives to form a foundation of areas for improvement. These areas of improvement established criteria from both sides of the business including where they overlap. After identifying the criteria, members of the group proposed their ideas for solving the problem. In this step, we discussed the beneficial and negative impacts each solution may provide. When all ideas were presented and discussed the next step was collectively deciding on a single solution to implement first. We chose the solution with the easiest implementation process that also had the lowest possible negative outcomes. Now that we had an easy implementation process we began the actual steps of transitioning this solution into the business strategy. This is where I left the group, but moving forward they should have conducted the last step. One of the most important steps was following up on the solution after implementation to analyze its effectiveness in solving the problem. Follow-up is a continuous step that should not end as problems should be monitored continuously for areas of improvement. Once an area has been identified the lifecycle of the group begins again. 

Communication. (n.d.). Business communication for success. Retrieved from https://www.saylor.org/site/textbooks/Business%20Communication%20for%20Success.pdf 

HRMN300 

1.) Part A (Maegan Supple)

Three examples of ethical challenges that may be presented are discrimination, especially with regard to diversity, harassment, and privacy/confidentiality issues. With regards to discrimination, it is important to ensure that an HRM is knowledgeable about the laws, but that is not enough— while smaller companies may legally discriminate, it would not be ethical (Sherman, 2021). I would approach this issue by ensuring my company, regardless of size, has strong DEI training and hiring processes that avoid both the act and the appearance of discrimination based on race, gender, age, and other protected classes.

With harassment, I would ensure my company’s harassment policies were up to date and included not only sexual harassment but additional forms of harassment such as bullying and cyber-stalking. Additionally, I’d be sure to offer regular mandatory training and opportunities for employees to voice concerns, as well as procedures to investigate any concerns. Procedures and policies to prevent and address harassment would help prevent situations like Uber’s in 2017 (Rice University, n.d.).

Privacy and/or confidentiality issues, particularly with regards to social media or wearable technology such as an Apple Watch, would also present a challenge. I would approach this by again instituting or clarifying policies about when employees can use such devices (Sims, 2019) and what they should or should not post or share to social media (Lumen, n.d.). By having standards that employees should adhere to when posting on social media, I would hope to make it clear to employees what is considered appropriate by the company. I’d also consider implementing standards about when employees should respond to work matters– while technology makes it easy to be connected at all times, I do not believe it is ethical to expect employees to be available at all times.

Sherman (2021).  Ethical Issues Facing HR

Rice University (n.d). Trends in Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility  Retrieved from https://opentextbc.ca/businessopenstax/chapter/trends-in-ethics-and-corporate-social-responsibility/

Ronald R. Sims. (2019). Human Resources Management Issues, Challenges and Trends: “Now and Around the Corner.” Information Age Publishing.

Lumen Learning (n.d). Current Trends and Challenges in HR Management Retrieved from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-principlesmanagement/chapter/current-trends-and-challenges-in-hr-management/

2.) Part B (Alysa Olvera)

Emerging HR Trends

Workplace Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) continue to be a top priority for company culture as well as a top priority that potential employees look for when job seeking. Providing and supporting DEI is not only important to help retain organizational talent, it is also important in retaining a wide and loyal customer base, which allows the company to remain competitive in the current workforce (Duvignueau, 2022).

Flexibility is also a rising trend impacting HR functions. The pandemic forced companies to provide more flexibility on work locations by providing ways for employees to telework or work remotely, post-pandemic workforce not only demands flexibility in the location but also in when they are required to work ( Kropp, 2021). Employee appraisals are expected to shift from the hours of work they perform to the quality and performance they provide. Employees now desire a more balanced work-life, preferring to meet their scheduled work hours in fewer days enabling them longer weekends and more personal time. HRMS must implement flexible workplace tools to provide communication to employees (Duvigneau, 2022).

Increasing contract employees will also be a trend affecting HR. Organizations’ needs are quickly changing and they are unable to provide their current employees with the skills needed to perform the needed demands. This has increased the amount of temp. or contract employees used by companies, who possess the desired skill set to complete the needed tasks, while providing the temporary employees a premium wage over a set amount of time.