Human Resource Management Assignment

Industry Case I

Name: Sahil Ramchandani

Roll No: 38KA

Overview

Vikram Rathod is an employee in an automobile company from the past five years and
works as a Product Manager over there. Over the past two years, his performance has taken
a hit and he has consistently received low ratings from his managers.

Vikram lacks enthusiasm and has weak interpersonal skills due to which he has often been
in arguments. Most of his work is completed by his colleagues. His manager is unhappy with
his performance too and has submitted a request to the HR to review the same and to
decide Vikram’s future in the organisation.

Vikram himself is very self-aware and unhappy with his performance too. He has
approached the HR for help as well and requested for trainings to be conducted to help him
improve his performance at work. He has also asked for a review of his compensation and
asked for an increment. He has consecutively received low increment in the past couple of
years due to poor performance. He is also burdened with additional medical expenses as his
father has not been keeping well lately and he is the sole earning member of his family.

HR concepts applicable

It is important for the organisation to grow but it should not do so at the expense of the
employees’ mental and physical well-being. Similarly, the employees too should understand
that they should not be tardy and lackadaisical and should put their best foot forward to
help in the growth of the organisation.

Hence, keeping this in mind, I think that the concepts of Performance Management and
Training and Development will be applicable in this scenario.

Performance Management is the continuous process of identifying, measuring, and

developing the performance of individuals and teams and aligning their performance with
the organization’s goals. Under Performance Management, Vikram Rathod should be
provided with regular 360-degree feedback. 360-degree feedback is a system or process in
which employees receive confidential, anonymous feedback from the people who work
around them. This typically includes the employee's manager, peers, and direct reports. This
would ensure that Vikram is constantly up to date with his shortcomings and is constantly
working on them too. The performance management also includes performance analysis of
the employee. This includes tests of knowledge, skills, attendance, performance appraisals,
job-related performance data analysis, personal interview with the concerned employee,
attitude surveys among other things.

Under training and development, the ASK concept should be used. ASK stands for attitude,
skills, and knowledge. The trainings provided should focus on these aspects of the
employees to bridge the gap between the actual output and the desired output for the
organisation. For Vikram, in particular, the focus should be on interpersonal skills as he lacks
in this department and faces problems due to this.

Recommendations and Solutions

It has been mentioned in the case study that Mr. Vikram Rathod’s performance has been
dipping consistently over the past two years. He has been an employee of the company for
the past five years. This means that he has not always been an underperformer. His
performance level and his attitude were satisfactory for the first three years in the
organisation. His personal problems and his father’s health could be the major source of his
problems.

If I am appointed as the Human Resource personnel in charge of this particular situation

pertaining to Mr. Vikram Rathod, I would try to take the following steps to address the
concerns of each and every stakeholder that is involved in this situation:

 I would defer the increment requested by Mr. Vikram Rathod to the next
performance appraisal cycle. I would ensure that it is made clear to Mr. Rathod
giving an increment to him despite his dismal performance would be unfair to the
other employees.
 I would keep Mr. Rathod on a probation period for 2 to 3 months and simultaneously
provide him with the training and development that is needed for him to upskill
himself in his job. This would ensure that he pulls up his socks and starts focusing
solely to improve his performance. I would make it clear that if there is no
improvement in his performance after the probation period, then the HR
department would have no other option but to terminate him from the job.
 I would request Mr. Rathod to raise the funds for his father from alternate modes
like crowdfunding and would try my best to help him with that.
 I would assure Mr. Vikram Rathod’s manager of a thorough performance review and
tell him to keep an eye on Mr. Rathod’s performance during and after the
probationary period and to report the same to the HR department.
 I would organise a sensitivity workshop for Mr. Vikram Rathod and all his colleagues
so that in case there are any inter-personal conflicts between them, they can resolve
it on a one-on-one basis.
It is beneficial for an organisation if its top talent is retained and is motivated enough to
positively contribute to the growth of the organisation. The goals of the employee should
align with the goals of the organisation. Hence, it is advisable to solve the issues that trouble
the employees rather than lay them off directly. This would build a more cordial relationship
between the employee and the organisation, and the top talent would be retained. It would
also ensure maximum productivity if the employees with high potential are retained in the
organisation.