Good Selection Tools, Hris, And Succession Planning Essay Example

Each of these tools is incredibly important for the firm to successful track the information and success of the 8,000 people that they have employed. The firm wants to determine which selection criteria will be most effective when implementing the different tools for Human Resource Management. The following sections will determine which criteria are most effective and analyze what experts have to say regarding the subjects.

Selection Criteria

It is important to personalize your selection tools for the company and type of work the applicant will be undertaking if hired. In this instance that information is not available so some general selection tools used by any industry will be reviewed and suggested. Selection tools have become much more popular in recent years as an objective complement to traditional face-to-face interviews. In this case the use of personality tests to determine whether or not the applicant will fit into the organizational culture that the firm intends to operate under would be very useful. Beyond that an aptitude test created for each position to determine if the employee has the correct skills for the position should be used as well.
Human resource information systems are a vital tool for data collection and tracking of data on the employees that the firm already has. Data resource systems allow management to easily and efficiently track current employees, past employees, and applicant’s information. The staff of the system can also use the information collected to make strategic decisions regarding the employment of new individuals. Demographic information on employees is simple to determine as well as education levels and the amount of employee turnover. All of these factors allow the company’s management to make decisions that increase the success of the organization.
Succession planning tools are incredibly important to prevent gaps in leadership or skill-based positions. It is very important to be proactive in the use of succession tools. It needs to be a put into place as soon as possible because it is not meant to be used to deal with a crisis within the firm but rather prevent it altogether. In the case of upper management succession planning it is wise to start the process several years before the employee is to retire in case of unforeseen circumstances. Upper and middle management affect all employees and managers beneath them so it is imperative that the successor is as informed and skilled as his or her predecessor. The new manager will likely want to implement new practices but making sure the transition is smooth will prevent inefficiencies.

Expert analysis

Selection tools drastically increased in popularity after 1988 and this is contributed to the ban on the use of polygraphs by employers. It is expensive for employees to pay for the training of new employees that does not result in a position being successfully filled. Judging an applicant’s level of morality and honesty benefits the firm in the long-run and mitigates the costs spent on doing the personality and psychological examinations. The U. PA. Journal of Labor and Employment states that “According to one estimate, the average cost of replacing a bad hire is 1.5 times the worker's salary and benefits, meaning that it could cost $45,000 to replace someone making $30,000 in salary and benefits”. (Stabile) That is one of many factors that has caused firms to invest much more in aptitude and personality tests.
HRIS has integrated the human resource department of companies into the strategic planning and objectives of the firms. One study involving eighteen different HR managers discovered that “HRIS is positively used as a tool to achieve greater administrative efficiency by adding value in the department”.(Sadiq et al) The study goes on to explain what though the results are positive they are difficult to fully quantify. This is because information collected from the use of HRIS is implemented by other departments in the strategic management decisions that the firm makes so it is difficult to trace.
Succession planning tools involve several different factors and a professor at the University of Pennsylvania has broken this process, which he calls replacement planning, into multiple pieces. Replacement planning is referred to as the determination of which employees would be most appropriate to effectively replace other employees. According to the professor, by the name of William Rothwell, replacement planning can be divided into two different processes. The first is short-term replacement planning to prevent halts in the flow of work and encourage cross-training among employees. While long-term replacement plans encourage management to create a plan for replacing employees in key positions unable to continue working because of unforeseen circumstances such as a death or surprise resignations. The journal states that “There is no doubt that replacement planning is an important part of a comprehensive risk management program”. (Rothwell) It is a key process that involves the use of capital now to prevent the loss of capital later.

Conclusion

Professionals across all industries agree that selection tools, human resource information systems, and succession planning are very important to the long-term success of the company. Selection tools allow firms to more accurately predict whether or not an employee will be successful in a particular position. The selection tools need to be catered to the specific company, industry, and position the applicant desires in order to be effective and if properly implemented these tools can save the firm thousands of dollars that would have been caused by high employee turnover rates. Human resource information systems allow the management of a firm to integrate the data collected on all employees into strategic decisions. It has been shown to positively affect the overall health of the company. Succession tools prevent a gap in the processes of the company when a vital employee or manger is unable to continue working at their current position due to unforeseen events or planned retirement. It is especially important in the upper management’s levels. All three of these tools can be implemented by any company and become increasingly important the more employees a firm has. Bradford Enterprises has grown exponentially and needs to implement these systems to improve the overall efficiency of their company and human resource departments.

References

Rothwell, W. (n.d.). The Nuts and Bolts of Succession Planning:. A Dale Carnegie Whitepaper. Retrieved February 15, 2015, from http://ucsfhr.ucsf.edu/files/The_Nuts_Bolts_of_Succession_Planning.pdf
Sadiq, U., Khan, A., Ikhlaq, K., & Mujtaba, B. (n.d.). The Impact of Information Systems on the Performance of Human Resources Department. Journal of Business Studies Quaterly. Retrieved February 15, 2015, from http://jbsq.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/JBSQ_June2012_6.pdf
Stabile, S. (n.d.). THE USE OF PERSONALITY TESTS AS A HIRING TOOL: IS THE BENEFIT WORTH THE COST? U. PA. JOURNAL OF LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT LAW. Retrieved February 15, 2015, from https://www.law.upenn.edu/journals/jbl/articles/volume4/issue2/Stabile4U.Pa.J.Lab.&Emp.L.279(2002).pdf