Wednesday, November 24, 2010

HRIS, DTS, ICT are the Enabler for Green Human Resources Management.

HRIS, DTS, ICT are the Enabler for Green Human Resources Management.

Getting inspired from one of the article by Edwin Ebreo, I realizes that as a HRM practitioner I have to write something about HR initiatives which can help us to focus environment friendly work place. We are more concerned about carbon emotions, ICT junks, less paper and accessories wastages in present era. To boost up this realization and take more initiatives we the Human Resource Management practitioners can do a lot considering the amount of influence we have in the organizations we work in. HR practitioners can launch a green campaign that will not only save the environment but will also help the company save on cost.  What we have to do is talk with our management, take their permission, we can form a green committee that will look at how we can change the way we work so we can save energy, cost and contribute to environmental conservation.  And to do so, we have to understand the need of Human Resources Information System (HRIS), Digital Technology System (DTS), implementing more Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the workplace to enable the e-HRM and thus we can run more towards the Green HRM. And how that is?  Allow me explain a bit:

HRIS: As we know what HRIS is and its applications within any organization. HRIS is the real tool for make paperless HR Department in any type of organization. Starting from Recruitment e.g. Job Application, Resume screening, Call for Interview, Taking online test, Circulating Result; to Leave Application, Employee Handbook to Grievance/Sexual Harassment Handling,  Employee Personal records to Training Needs Assessments, these all can be available in a good HRIS software and that really reduce the use of paper, printer and other stationeries for organization.

Intranet and Internet Tools (ICT): Before you raised your eyebrows to me, let me ask you, whether we use email for communication now a day or not? If yes, why can’t we use it for sending memo, offer letter, requisition letter etc. Yes, we can, right?  HR personnel have to make others aware to work with as little paper as possible. Even though we have to suffer with few inconvenience but that is so minor compared to the number of trees we can save by collectively decreasing the demand for paper.

DTS: RFID, Smart Chip, Bio metrics, GPRS all these tools can help us to save our mother world. Think no attendance card or registrar needed if we use smart card or thumb print. Less energy consumption by using GPRS to locate our employees who work out sides. One smart card can be use as an employee ID card to till bank card and what not? So, HR can take the initiatives though preliminary investment a bit high.




Apart from those as HR personnel we have to make aware other department employees about saving environment activities. We have to run the “Go Green” campaign. We have to create a responsible committee whom will take care about electricity consumptions starting from air-conditions to light, using of printers to photocopiers and fax. A benchmark data of before and after definitely boost up the motivation level of all department’s employees.  HR has to launch a recycling campaign and turn some of the recyclable waste into extra income that can use to fund some small employee events. Cash or other incentives can be declared for best department who can save more about these issues.  Last but not least HR is the prime department who has to take project of “Tree Plantation” as a major event of organizations annual activity.
It’s high time for us to do something for the world. Go Green and save our mother world.

© Shaki, Candidate of PhD in HRM, UUM

Saturday, November 20, 2010

What is Training Need Analysis (TNA)

Present competitive global business era every successful organizations provide focused, timely training to their staff. They continuously analyze training needs to identify (TNI) and address skills gaps as they occur. And they do it to survive in the industry war, sustain in the field with supremacy. According to Susan and Randal, there are three types of training need analysis. They are organizational need analysis, job need analysis, and person need analysis. Several basic Needs Assessment techniques include:

Direct observation
Questionnaires
Consultation with persons in key positions, and/or with specific knowledge
Review of relevant literature
Interviews
Focus groups
Tests
Records & report studies
Work samples

Now please allow me to say a bit brief about these:

Organizational Needs Analysis:

Many training experts, attaining the objectives of the business should be the ultimate concern of any training and development effort. Therefore, conducting an organizational needs analysis should be the first step in effective needs assessment. It begins with an examination of the short and long-term objectives of the organization and the trends that are likely to affect these objectives. It can include a human resource analysis, analysis of efficiency indexes, and an assessment of the organizational climate.

The organizational needs analysis should translate the organization's objectives into an accurate estimate of the demand for human resources. Efficiency indexes including cost of labor, quantity of output (productivity), quality of output, waste, and equipment use and repairs can provide useful information. The organization can determine standards for these indexes and then analyze them to evaluate the general effectiveness of training programs.

Organizational analysis also can address the organization's performance in the "softer" domains that constitute the corporate culture. For example, it may reveal a misalignment between the current value system in the organization and the values espoused by top management. Many companies today espouse values such as focusing on customers, following ethical business practices, and supporting diversity, yet behavior within these companies may fail to reflect those values. In such cases, training for everyone in the company, regardless of their specific job, may be needed.

Job Needs Analysis:

The specific content of present or anticipated jobs is examined through job analysis. For existing jobs, information on the tasks to be performed (contained in job descriptions), the skills necessary to perform those tasks (drawn from job qualifications), and the minimum acceptable standards (obtained from performance appraisals) are gathered. This information can then be used to ensure that training programs are job specific and useful.

The process of collecting information for use in developing training programs is often referred to as job needs analysis. In this situation, the analysis method used should include questions specifically designed to assess the competencies needed to perform the job.

Person Needs Analysis:

After information about the job has been collected, the analysis shifts to the person. A person needs analysis identifies gaps between a person's current capabilities and those identified as necessary or desirable. Person needs analysis can be either broad or narrow in scope. The broader approach compares actual performance with the minimum acceptable standards of performance. The narrower approach compares an evaluation of employee proficiency on each required skill dimension with the proficiency level required for each skill. The first method is based on the actual, current job performance of an employee; therefore, it can be used to determine training needs for the current job. The second method, on the other hand, can be used to identify development needs for future jobs.

Whether the focus is on performance of the job as a whole or on particular aspects of the job, several approaches can be used to identify the training needs of individuals :

Output Measures. Performance data (e.g., productivity, accidents, customer complaints), as well as performance appraisal ratings, can provide evidence of performance deficiencies. Person needs analysis can also consist of work sample and job knowledge tests that measure performance capability and knowledge.

Self-Assessed Training Needs. The self-assessment of training needs is growing in popularity. Here top managers require the employee and his or her supervisor to identify what the business needs are for the department and the business, as well as the skill needs and deficiencies of the individual. Self-assessment is premised on the assumption that employees, more than anyone else, are aware of their weaknesses and performance deficiencies. Therefore, they're in the best position to identify their own training needs.

Attitude Surveys. Attitude surveys completed by a supervisor's subordinates or by customers or by both also can provide information on training needs. For example, when one supervisor receives low scores regarding her or his fairness in treating subordinates, compared with other supervisors in the organization, the supervisor may need training in that area. Similarly, if the customers of a particular unit seem to be particularly dissatisfied com¬pared with other customers, training may be needed in that unit. Thus, customer surveys can serve a dual role: providing information to management about service and pinpointing employee deficiencies.

Reference: Susan Jackson and Randal Schuler, Managing Human Resources