Human Resource Management Increasing Productivity

1. Human Resource ManagementIncreasing Productivity Class 8 August 2, 2010

2. Finding and Keeping Productive Employees • Skilled staff is crucial for every productive human service organization • Essential to find and hire the right perople • Foster productivity • Job tasks are reasonable and challenging • Retaining good employees requires attention to work atmosphere

3. Developing Staff • Job-needs analysis and person-needs analysis • Staff performing below proficiency – staff development • Training fits within strategy of organization • Ensure a receptive climate from managers and unit • Best training is OJT • Special assignments, job rotating, cross-training • Case method training

4. Organizational Structure and Productivity • Quality of work and interactions can be influenced by structure • How can structure relate to function? • No one structure fits all purposes • Form should ALWAYS follow function • Structure should emerge from organization’s goals and objectives • Structure may be affected by staff composition

5. Structure and Productivity • What is the best way to structure staffing patterns? • Specializations • Service program • Site • Geographical distribution of target population

6. Structure and Productivity • What structural formats can be used to coordinate work of the organization? • Bureaucratic or hierarchical format • Market format • Matrix format Usually one structure is predominant, but several may coexist Manager needs to review periodically and determine overall effectiveness

7. Questions for Discussion • How is your organization structured? What is the underlying premise behind the structure? • What does your agency do about job training? Is it effective, in your opinion? • Under what circumstances would you reorganize your services by function, geography, service, or matrix?

8. Managing Employment Challenges • Poor performance requires manager’s attention • Enunciate policies • Delineate work priorities • Structure work environments • Match employees with job • Make reassignments

9. Managing Employment Challenges • Dealing with problem employees: • Dead-ender • Passed-over employee • Technophobe • Mismatched employee • Work climate spoiler *not performing to standards of the organization *may take time and energy on manager’s part

10. Questions for Discussion • A three-year, loyal and competent staff member has just returned from a 12-week family leave to care for her hospitalized child who is not is day care. As a single mother, she indicates that she is exhausted and cannot continue to carry full job responsibilities. As manager, you have the responsibility to assign large caseloads to your staff. • How would you handle this situation?

11. Questions for Discussion • There is a 55 year-old employee who has worked for your agency for 10 years; over the past several months, his work performance has begun to deteriorate. He is coming in late almost every day, is consistently behind in his reports, and a few clients have complained to you that he seems disinterested in their problems. • As his supervisor, how would you handle the situation?

12. Appraising Employee Performance • Performance appraisals accomplish several objectives: • Connect staff performance to mission and goals • Focus on areas requiring improvement and training • Contribute to decisions requiring disciplinary action • Provide feedback leading to salary increases or promotions

13. Appraisal Methods • Develop a customized method to fit needs and circumstances of the organization • Does it reflect the agency’s mission and goals? • Does it apply quantitative or qualitative measures or both? • What is its primary purpose? • Are the performance standards acceptable to directors, supervisors, and staff? • Is it likely to motivate appropriate behavior?

14. Types of Appraisal Methods • Graphic Rating Scales: • Select key characteristics related to job and overall mission and goals (e.g., initiative, job knowledge, ) • Discrete ratings: outstanding, good, acceptable, poor • Continuum scales: 1=poor to 10=outstanding • Disadvantage: scores are given without precise definitions; may select inappropriate characteristics; largely subjective • Advantage: convenience and simplicity; easily scored and can be agregrated

15. Types of Appraisal Methods • Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales (BARS) • Specifically defines behaviors along a continuum • Example: Relationship to clients • Excellent: always responding appropriately and being helpful to clients • Poor: acting with hostility and rejection towards clients The organization develops definitions for each attribute on the rating scale

16. BARS continued • Outstanding: has exceptionally thorough knowledge about all facets of the job; greatly exceeds job standards • Good: Has above average knowledge of most aspects of the job; requires only limited supervision on complex tasks; exceeds job standards • Average: knows the necessary elements of the job to meet requirements; requires periodic supervision; meets job standards • Poor: knowledge of job is limited; needs additional training or experience in several phases; makes frequent mistakes and requires close supervision; below job standards

17. Appraisal Methods • Critical Incidents: • Descriptions by supervisors or qualified observers of effective or ineffective behaviors • Group rates the accounts on a scale • Method highlights outstanding or poor performance • Can be used to supplement other scales

18. Appraisal Methods • Management by Objectives (MBO) • Objectives and indicators used to guide staff performance and accountability • Organization defines key results and links individual objectives • Key result: increasing referrals for substance abuse treatment • Staff objective: make an average of 20 referrals per month or ensure that clients connect with a referral agency 60% of the time

19. MBO continued • Guidelines for performance objectives: • Use an achievement-oriented action verb (implement, complete, carry out) • Specify target date or time period for each objective • State objectives that are realistic but challenging • Include a process that enables managers and staff to mutually agree on objectives • Set objectives that are consistent with resources available • Align performance objectives with overall strategic plan

20. Qualitative Appraisal Methods • Use of Narrative • Narratives provide a more rounded assessment • What has the employee do to improve performance since the last evaluation? • What performance areas should receive special attention in the coming review period? • What can the employee do to strengthen job performance? • What are the employees career goasl? • What additional training is needed?

21. Conducting an Appraisal Conference • Connect the employees work to unit objectives and overall agencymission and goals • Determine desired outcomes of the meeting in advance • Foster mutual problem solving • Ask questions to encourage staff input • Supervisor and staff develop action plan with clear objectives and plans for follow-up

22. Pitfalls Impact Appraisal Process • Tendency to focus on most recent performance • “halo effect” • “Average tendency” • “Forced-choice tendency” • “Inflation tendency” Provide meaningful feedback that is clear and descriptive Provide concrete examples to illustrate concerns

23. Questions for Discussion • What type of appraisal method would work best for your organization? • What would be the best method for conducting an appraisal conference in your organization?