Chapter 11 – Staffing and Training Skills
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CHAPTER 11
Staffing and Training Skills
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Describe the human resource planning process.
2. Define job analysis, job description, job specification, and skills inventory.
3. Describe the steps in the selection process.
4. Define tests, test validity, and test reliability.
5. Discuss the different types of employment interviews.
6. Discuss the supervisor’s role in the orientation process.
7. Outline the steps in training employees in job skills.
SUGGESTIONS FOR PRESENTATION
Draw on student experiences
Even the most inexperienced students have been through some form of applications and
orientations, either for jobs or for the college or school in which they’re taking this course. It is
usually easy to get discussions going in this area. Following questions can be used:
1. How did you find your present job? (National averages for both blue & white collar jobs:
2. What was asked on the application? (It’s surprising how many disallowed, i.e., non-BFOQ
4. How many of you are really challenged by your current job? (Usually less than half)
5. How many of you believe you could do most or all of your supervisor’s job right now?
6. What did you have to learn on your own that you should have been told? What’s the worst
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LECTURE OUTLINE
Supervision Dilemma
Jane needs to replace two employees. She would also like to train the whole department in
claims processing.
I. Human Resource Planning
• Human Resource Planning (HRP) involves applying the basic planning process to the
human resource needs of the organization.
A. Job Analysis and Skills Inventory
• Job analysis is the process of determining, through observation and study, the
pertinent information relating to the nature of a specific job.
o The end products of a job analysis are a job description and a job specification.
▪ A job description is a written statement that identifies the tasks, duties,
activities, and performance results required in a particular job.
▪ A job specification is a written statement that identifies the abilities,
skills, traits, or attributes necessary for successful performance in a
particular job.
o Figure 11.2 shows the relationship among job analysis, skills inventory, human
resource planning, recruitment, and selection.
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• A skills inventory consolidates information about the organization’s current human
resources.
o The skills inventory contains basic information about each employee of the
organization, giving a comprehensive picture of the individual.
o Seven broad categories of information that may be included in a skills
inventory are:
▪ Personal data history—age, sex, marital status, etc.
▪ Skills—education, job experience, training, etc.
▪ Special preferences of individual—location or job preferences, etc.
o The primary advantage of a computerized skills inventory is that it offers a
quick and accurate evaluation of the skills available within the organization.
B. Forecasting
• Human resource forecasting is a process that attempts to determine the future
human resource needs of the organization in light of the organization’s objectives.
o Due to the critical role human resources play in attaining organizational
objectives, all levels of management should be involved in the forecasting
process.
C. Transition
• In the final phase of human resource planning, the transition, the organization
determines how it can obtain the quantity and quality of human resources it needs to
meet its objectives.
• The organization engages in several transitional activities to bring its current level of
human resources in line with forecast requirements.
o These activities include:
▪ Recruiting and selecting new employees
▪ Developing current or new employees
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II. Staffing from Internal and External Sources
• An organization that has been doing an effective job of selecting employees has one of the
best sources of supply for filling job openings: its own employees.
o Promotion from within is very popular with growing and dynamic organizations.
• If internal sources prove to be inadequate, external sources are always available.
o Though usually more costly and time-consuming to pursue, external sources such as
employment agencies, consulting firms, employee referrals, and employment
advertisements can be valuable resources for an organization.
III. Recruitment
• Recruitment involves seeking and attracting a supply of people from which qualified
candidates for job vacancies can be selected.
o The amount of recruitment an organization must do is determined by the difference
between the forecasted human resource needs and the talent available within the
organization.
A. Job Posting and Bidding
o The posted notice normally gives the job title, the rate of pay for the job, and
the qualifications necessary to perform the job.
• In job bidding, employees bid on a job based on seniority, job skills, or other
qualifications.
B. Advertising and the Internet
• A widely used method of obtaining personnel is through the “Help Wanted” ads.
• Many companies now use the Internet to recruit new employees.
o The Internet allows a company to advertise job openings on a worldwide basis.
• Today organizations have expanded online recruiting, also called e-recruitment.
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o Jobs are posted on the site almost immediately after a position is vacant.
o Applicants complete forms and tests online at the company website.
C. Employment Agencies
• Since individuals must register with the state employment service before receiving
unemployment compensation, these agencies generally have up-to-date lists of
unemployed persons.
• Private employment agencies are sometimes used in hiring certain skilled personnel.
o Private agencies charge a fee for their service.
o Many businesses now rely on agencies to provide temporary employees to
meet seasonal demands.
o Businesses can thus preview the work of temporary employees and then decide
if it would be beneficial to offer them a permanent position.
D. Colleges and Universities
E. Internship and Co-Op Programs
• Under cooperative education, the student works for a business for a quarter/semester
and then goes to school for a quarter/semester.
• Internship programs normally involve work for a student during the summer.
F. Employee Referrals
• Recruiting through employees’ referals is normally informal and by word of mouth.
o One drawback to recruiting in this way is that it may lead to the formation of
cliques especially if employees recommend only their close friends and
relatives..
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IV. Selecting Employees
• The purpose of the selection process is to choose individuals who are most likely to
succeed from those who have been recruited.
A. Who Makes the Selection Decision?
• In most large organizations, the human resources department does the initial
screening of applicants, with the immediate supervisor making the final selection
decision.
o It is not unusual for the supervisor to make the final selection, subject to the
approval of higher levels of management.
B. The Selection Process
• The steps used in the selection process vary from organization to organization.
Figure 11.4 summarizes the general steps.
o These steps are not necessarily followed in full for each and every job.
▪ Step1: Screening from the employment application.
❖ Figure 11.5 is a typical employment application form.
not discriminate against certain groups.
▪ Step 2: Interview by human resources department.
❖ Interview is used to eliminate additional unsuitable and unqualified
applicants.
▪ Step 3: Employment tests.
❖ Employment tests are commonly used tools in medium and large
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❖ Job knowledge tests measure the applicant’s job-related
knowledge.
❖ Proficiency tests measure how well the applicant can do a sample
of the work that is to be performed.
❖ Some critics argue that the use of the polygraph violates
fundamental principles of the Constitution.
▪ Step 4: Background and reference checks.
❖ Background and reference checks usually fall into three
categories: personal, academic, and past employment.
❖ Previous employers are in the best position to give objective
information.
▪ Step 5: Job interview by the supervisor.
❖ In a structured interview, the supervisor knows in advance what
questions are going to be asked, asks the questions, and records the
results.
❖ Suggestions on how to avoid common mistakes job applicants
make are presented in Figure 11.6.
❖ Overgeneralizing is another common pitfall.
❖ Employment interviewing is subject to legal considerations.
▪ Step 6: Selection decision by the supervisor.
❖ In some cases none of the applicants may be satisfactory.
❖ In most cases the decision to hire a person is subject to the approval
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of the supervisor.
▪ Step 7: Medical examination.
❖ Medical examinations should take place after a conditional offer of
employment.
V. Orienting the New Employee
• Orientation is concerned with introducing the new employee to the organization and the
job.
• Figure 11.8 summarizes the information that should be covered in the orientation program..
o Figure 11.9 shows what information is usually by the supervisor if a human resource
department is involved.
• Good, well-planned orientation programs:
o Reduce job learning time
o Improve attendance and
o Lead to better performance.
VI. Training Employees
• Training involves the acquisition of skills, concepts, rules, or attitudes by employees in
order to increase their performance.
• The supervisor’s primary role as a trainer falls in the area of on-the-job training (OJT) or
in the area of job rotation.
o OJT is usually given by the supervisor or a senior employee.
o The employee is shown how the job is performed and then actually does it under the
trainer’s supervision.
▪ The major disadvantage of OJT is that the pressures of the workplace can cause
the supervisor to either neglect the employee or give haphazard training.
▪ The major advantage of OJT is that the new employee is doing productive
work and learning at the same time.
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o An old, yet still effective, system for giving OJT is the job-instruction-training (JIT)
system.
▪ Figure 11.10 outlines the JIT system.
• In job rotation, sometimes called cross-training, an employee learns several jobs and
performs each job for a specific length of time.
• Regardless of the type of training used, there are several common pitfalls that the
supervisor should avoid.
o Lack of reinforcement is a common error in training.
o A supervisor should realize that different people learn at different rates.
• Several other methods are also used to train employees.
o In Vestibule training, the trainee uses procedures and equipment similar to those of
the actual job, but located in a special area called a vestibule.
o Apprenticeship training involves supervised training and testing for a minimum
time period and until a minimum skill level has been reached.
o Formal classroom training, probably the most familiar type of training, involves
lectures, movies, and exercises.
o In programmed instruction, after material has been presented in text form, the
trainee is required to read and answer questions relating to the text.
▪ A current extension of programmed instruction is computer-assisted
instruction (CAI)—a computer displays the material and processes the
student’s answers.
VII. Steps in Training Employees in Job Skills
A. Get the Trainee Ready to Learn
• Explain the importance of the job, why it will mean much to the person, and why it
must be done correctly.
o Develop trainees’ interest in wanting to learn; then they will be easy to teach.
B. Break Down the Work into Components and Identify the Key Points
• The breakdown consists of determining the parts making up the total work.
• Work components and key points supply definite advantages.
o They clearly set forth the instruction pattern
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o They foster technical improvements in the way the work is accomplished
C. Demonstrate the Proper Way the Work Is to be Done
• Simply telling a person how to do a particular task is usually insufficient.
o Do a little at a time, pausing to point out the components and the key points.
o Let the trainee ask questions.
o Be reasonably certain that a component is fully understood before going on to
the next step.
▪ However, no matter how carefully you demonstrate, the trainee may not
be able to perform the work for these reasons:
❖ If he was standing in front of you in order to see, he viewed the
work done backward (it is recommended that the instructor and the
trainee be side by side and facing the same way)
❖ He has not physically gone through the steps
D. Let the Trainee Perform the Work
• Letting the trainee perform the work will not only help the trainer find out quickly
what the trainee has learned and gain an insight into her ability to perform the work,
but the trainer also give the trainee some sense of satisfaction of accomplishment..
E. Put Trainees on Their Own Gradually
• Return periodically to answer any questions and to see if all is going well.
Solution to the Supervision Dilemma
Jane has learnt the importance and technique of training.
Chapter 11 – Staffing and Training Skills
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SUPERVISION ILLUSTRATIONS
11-1: A Resume with False Claims
11-2: Background Checks at Pennsylvania State University
11-3: Starbucks’ Intensive Training Program
11-4: Cross-Training at the University of California Davis
REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. Define the following terms:
a. Recruiting.
b. Selection.
c. Orienting.
d. Training.
been recruited. [p. 217]
2. What is a job analysis? What role does it play in recruiting and selecting employees?
3. What are four methods of recruiting?
Four methods of recruiting are:
• Job posting and bidding
Chapter 11 – Staffing and Training Skills
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Copyright © 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill
Education.
• Internship and co-op programs [p. 221-223]
4. Who usually makes the final selection decision for operative employees?
In most large organizations, the human resources department does the initial screening of
5. What are the seven steps in the selection process?
The seven steps in the selection process are:
• Screening from the employment application
6. Outline some of the information that should be covered in an employee orientation
program.
Figures 11.8 on page 230 details the information to be covered in an orientation program
by the supervisor if there is no human resources department:
• A welcome.
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• Performance evaluation criteria.
• Promotional opportunities.
• Conditions of employment, punctuality, attendance, conduct, hours of work,
overtime, termination.
Als, Figures 11.9 on page 230 details the information to be covered in an orientation
program by the supervisor if there is a human resources department:
• Welcome the new employee.
• Introduce the new employee to other employees in the work unit.
• Familiarize the new employee with his or her job functions and responsibilities.
7. Give several tips that can help a supervisor in training employees.
Tips for supervisors in training employees are:
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SKILL-BUILDING QUESTIONS
1. “The best way to train employees is to put them on the job immediately and let them learn
from their mistakes.” Discuss your views on this statement.
2. “A company should be able to hire whomever it wants without government intervention.”
Discuss how you feel about this.
3. What are some questions you would ask a job applicant in a structured job interview?
Students’ responses will vary. Some of the questions to ask may include the following:
4. “Some people just don’t want to learn anything new.” Discuss.
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ADDITIONAL READINGS
SKILL-BUILDING APPLICATIONS
Incident 11-1: Hiring a New Employee
This case is designed to generate discussion on the role the supervisor should play in the hiring
decisions of an organization.
1. How can John prepare himself for his new responsibilities?
2. What do you think of the company’s new procedure?
3. What problems might arise under the new procedure?
Incident 11-2: Lake Avionics
This case describes an ineffective, yet typical new employee orientation program.
1. What do you think of Sandra’s training program?
Chapter 11 – Staffing and Training Skills
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Copyright © 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill
Education.
Students’ answers may vary. It effectively violates most of the rules of good training
practice.
2. How do you think Sandra feels about her new job?
Exercise 11-1: The Layoff
This is a situation where personal feelings are probably impossible to avoid. Are some of these
Exercise 11-2: OJT
This experiential exercise gives students an opportunity to apply their thinking to a job they’ve
all witnessed, if not done, and design a training program for that job.
1. Design a three-day orientation/training program for new salesclerks. Be sure to outline the
specific topics (subjects) to be covered and the techniques to be used.
Basic concepts should include: Orientation, salesmanship techniques, customer courtesy,
product line, store policies, cash register operation, accepting returns, selling add-ons (shoe
polish, laces, shoe trees, socks, etc.), and perhaps some basic medical facts about feet.
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2. Specify what methods could be used to evaluate the success of the program.
Conceptual acquisition and retention could be evaluated through written or oral tests, but
Exercise 11–3: Interviewing Restaurant Servers
This exercise will help students understand the importance of job interviews in the selection
Exercise 11–4: Your Job Interview
Exercise 11–5: The Most Dreadful Employment Interview
Exercise 11–6: Your Orientation Checklist
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SUPERVISORY ANECDOTE
In recent years, many state courts have been holding employers responsible for employee
misconduct that is not work related. Typically, these lawsuits involve claims of negligence, or
RELATED VIDEOS
1. High Performance Hiring, Crisp Publications, 19 mins. This video illustrates interviewing
and outlines all the major steps in a successful hiring effort.
