Human Resources

ELONDA:

The SMC Company, manufacturer of ergonomic office goods, has decided to confront the various diversity issues within the company. In so doing the company has decided to hire a human resources director to create a human resources department. To serve SMC effectively depends to a significant degree on the quality and commitment of its staff. To ensure that the company’s goals for research, teaching, and program development are met, SMC will need to hire and retain outstanding staff, as well as preparing the next generation of employees. SMC expects to expand the number of employee’s by adding the same amount of people to each department. Training and professional development opportunities will be offered to staff and we will implement programs that promote fair compensation and career growth. Recognizing the many benefits of this strategy, SMC has renewed its commitment to fostering a work environment that reflects the diversity of the labor market. The HR Director has assumed a critical role in the undertaking of addressing issues of equal opportunity and diversity within the organization.

The Human Resource department Diversity Working Group hasn’t been active during the past several years. Under the guidance of the new director they are developing and implementing strategies to foster a work culture that values diversity, and in which everyone feels welcomed, appreciated, and respected. Each individual should feel as though they have the opportunity to develop his or her full potential in pursuit of SMC’s mission and values. In conjunction with the above mentioned ideals they will develop and implement a communication system that promotes awareness and encourages staff involvement in the process and strategies to teach and reinforce desirable workplace behaviors alongside developing quantitative measures to evaluate progress in promoting diversity and enhancing the work environment.

The success of SMC Company in supporting the mission of the Human Resource department depends heavily on having a staff that is recognized, rewarded, and appreciated. Most SMC staff possesses competencies that are attractive to other employers, including those capable of offering better compensation packages. Technological skills, so important in every position, increase competition for qualified staff. Compression of salaries due to fixed annual increases, which often lag behind annual range increases, serve as a negative incentive for remaining in a position at SMC. It is important, therefore, that the organization address the root causes of high turnover problems, work within the Human Resources framework, and provide creative solutions. At SMC working with rewards and recognition in the office of Human Resources to analyze staff salary trends and placement within the salary range based on years of employment, skills attained, and educational achievement; make appropriate adjustments to ensure equity. The work that has already been done is now being used to identify competencies for future SMC workers and the redefinition of the company to improve the recruitment process and ensure that there is a next generation of employees prepared to meet the challenges of the new century. Much work needs to be done to market SMC employment as an exciting and rewarding career opportunity. We need to be conscious of career messages we can instill in the K-12 community. The number of graduates from high school and college has declined drastically. This causes concern for future professional staffing. The rapid shift from purely clerical tasks to a more sophisticated technology-based work and the lack of flexibility in basic personnel matters such as job classification and compensation create similar concerns about future Para-professional staffing. SMC is positioned to make significant contributions in both arenas in the months ahead, including encouraging and enabling staff to acquire new skills. This staff development can take the form of focused training for specific tasks, such as the computer applications training the library provides, or more generalized educational opportunities that enhance an individual’s career development and his/her value to the SMC Organization. A great company needs a great staff!

FERLANDO:

As the HR Director at SMC moves forward in his or her mission to attract a more diverse mix of talent to the company the Director will have to utilize several recruiting techniques. While it may difficult to find both talent and diversity there are a few things the company can do to meet that challenge. A few of those things might be community outreach, peer recruiting and/or do event presentations such as job fairs or cultural events.

SMC is a predominantly white male organization at about 90% and