HUMAN RESOURCE ACQUISTION

o Introduction

Once the planning is completed then there is need to implement it.

Human resource acquisition or recruitment and selection of employees
is one way of implementing the plan.

You may agree with me that it is important for every organization to

ensure proper recruitment and selection of new employees. Improper
recruitment and selection of employees may result into the recruitment
and selection of an incompetent worker who is a liability to the
organisation in terms of the following:

- The need for training

- The need for close supervision
- Being the source of much material wastage
- Being prone to accidents
- Being a source client dissatisfaction
- Being a source of low morale to fellow employees

It is generally agreed that the the success of any organization largely depends
on the ability and efficiency of its employees. This is because people are
employed to achieve the objectives of the organization. Therefore, the policies
and programs an organization adopts to meet its human resource needs are
vital. Such policies and programs cannot be effectively developed and
implemented if management left the recruitment and selection practices to
chance. It logically follows that management must recognize the importance
of sound recruitment policies so that the best human resource can be taken
to contribute to the attainment of organizational objectives.

Human resource acquisition involves recruitment, selection and induction of

employees. These are the processes that we are going explain in this unit.
 o Recruitment and selection

This is a process by which job applicants are encourage to apply to the

organization so that if selected they can work for it. In the case of selection,
it is It is the process of sorting out or eliminating those applicants considered
j to be unqualified to meet the job or organizational requirements and
considering those judged to be suitable for the organization.

o Factors affecting human resource recruitment

The decision to recruit people will to a very large extent be determined by

the following factors:
- Employee turnover due to resignation, discharges,
retirement, redundancies and death.

- Changes technology affects the requirement for new human resource.

For instance new technology may create a need to retrain the present
labor-force to cope up with change and to hire from outside labor
to fill certain positions.

- When vacancies occur in key positions for which there may be no

qualified persons within the organisation. This situation then
requires recruitment and selection from outside.

Expansion or growth of the organization. As an organization expands

vacancies may be created which must be filled either by recruiting
externally or internally.

o Programme for recruitment policies and procedures

Estimating quantity and type of employees needed

 An organisation two alternatives in handling its requirements for new
employees:
It can systematically forecast and plan for the future taking into account
retirements, resignations etc. This practice is especially common with
very large organizations.

It can wait until specific openings occur or are imminent and then seek
replacement. This is common in small organizations.

However, whatever method organizations may follow, the

considerations that determine the quantity and quality of labour it can
follow are quite many and complex. Labour supply is influenced by the
following:

- Attractiveness of jobs in terms of pay, working

conditions and fringe benefits.

- The ability of the organization to pay and human resource policies.

- Particular skills needed in relation to the availability of labour.

- Amount of unemployment in the labour market.

In planning for recruitment and selection programs, management

should define its overall policies. Policies being statements of intentions
d guidelines to actions can be positive instruments in determining
quality and quantity of human resources.

The policies serve as guides to human resource department

representatives and operating managers who must administer the
hiring and placement programme.

They ensure consistency of action in the whole organisation.

They let everyone know where he or she stands and what he /she can
expect in terms of treatment. Policies and procedures regarding the
following points must be formulated:
o Internal recruitment
Policy of recruiting from within (promotion) has the following
advantages:

- Employees expect to advance to positions of higher pay and

status in their work it is therefore a morale booster

- Management can accurately appraise the skills, knowledge

and other factors of its employees. There is less risk of error
in selection.

- Employment tests and interviews - who should conduct tests,

who should be on the interviewing panel etc.

- Pre-employment medical examinations

- Induction and placement of new employees

- Probationary period of new employees and follow-ups before the
expiry of the period.

Step1. preparation of job descriptions and specification.

To do these it requires the knowledge of the following:

- Exact nature of work in the vacant job

- Its duties and responsibilities.
- Job requirements such as skills, experience, and mental and
physical demands.

The above information is usually contained in a job description (a

statement on what is done on the job, how it is done and the skills
involved in doing it) and job specification (a statement on human
requirements needed to do a job. e.g. education, experience etc).

Step 2: Employee requisition form:

 In most organization is initiated and filled by the employing department
in consultation with the Human Resources department. The form
usually has the following details: Number of Employees, date required,
job grade, and a brief summary of a job description and specification.
It must be dully authorized by the chief executive officer. The form acts
as to control measure to ensure that all recruitments are within the
approved establishment and authorized by the principle office.

Step 3: Publication of job vacancies

Within the organisation through notice-board. Outside the organisation
through advertisements, labour offices etc).

4. Receiving of application letters

In most organizations, this stage marks the beginning of the selection
process. After reading through all application letters, on the basis of the
contents in the letters, they are classified into two:

Those letters whose applicants can be given further consideration:

Those letter whose applicants should not be considered at all.
The above process is referred to as short-listing.

5. Employee application forms

Those selected for further consideration are either sent employment
forms or are given the forms before the interview. The forms must be
filled and returned to the potential employer. The application form is
important because:

- It gives vital information on the applicant.

- It acts as a guide when interviewing the applicant.
- It can be used to eliminate further those applicants with
unfavourable information
- It is part of an employee’s permanent record.

6. Selection tests
In some organizations, selection tests are given to applicants to
 supplement interviews and assist to discover those skills, potentials
and knowledge that cannot be readily measured through interviews.
For example, mental alertness tests clerical aptitude tests, mechanical
aptitude tests, proficiency tests etc.

7. Employment Interviews

Interviews are used to:

Find out how well the applicant is qualified for the job.

To give the applicant information he needs in order for him or her to

decide whether or not to take up the job.

Step 8: Investigation of applicant’s background:

Previous employers' comments and school record can provide valuable

insights into the applicant's personality and behavior. (This might not be
appropriate in certain cases).

Considering that some employers, supervisors and school officials have their
biases, it is important to carefully evaluate the source of information. There
may be a particular negative appraisal due to primarily a clash of
personalities between former boss and the applicant.

Step 9: Medical examination:

Pre-employment medical examination plays an important part in the
screening process:

To reject those physical qualifications are insufficient to meet the

requirements of work they are being considered.

To place properly those whom physical conditions require assignment to

specified jobs only.

To obtain medical record to be used in the event of a workman's compensation

claim for an injury or disease that may occur later.

Step 10: Hiring and rejecting applicants

The final stage is the selection of the most suitable applicant for the job and
to reject those found unsuitable. In essence it involves two decisions:

Management’s decision to as to the suitability of the applicant for the job.

The applicant’s decision as to whether or not the job is the right one for
him/her and to work for the organisation.

In most organizations, final selection is the responsibility of the

employing departments. This is important because the caliber of the
work force vitally affects the success of the department.

5. Methods of Selection
Successive Hurdles:
This techniques means that to be taken on applicants must
successfully pass and every screening devices such as tests, such as
medical examination etc. Some candidates are rejected at each step.
For example, an applicant may be rejected as early as the application
form stage because the recorded information is insufficient to meet the
required standard.

Multiple – correlation
This method is based on the assumption that a deficiency in on factor
can be counter-balanced by an access amount of another factor. For
example the education of one candidate may be below the required
standard yet he may qualify to the next stage or may be employed
because of his superior experience.

Benefits

- It ensures merit recruitment

- It is reduces chances of recruitment, incompetent and reliabilities.
 It is objective as it avoids nepotism and other bad Practices

Problems.

- It is time consuming
- It is financially costly
- It may discourage good applicants
- There is no guarantee that the selected candidate will stay with the
company.
- There is no guarantee that if the selected candidate will effectively
perform.

INDUCTION AND FOLLOW-UP ARRANGEMENTS

Meaning:
Induction is the process of receiving and welcoming employees when
they first join the company and giving them the basic information they
need to settle down quickly and happily and start work.

Aims of Induction
1. To make preliminary stages smooth when everything is likely to
be strange and unfamiliar.
.
2. To establish quickly a favourable attitude to the company in the
mind of the new employee so that he or she is likely to stay.

3. To obtain effective output from the new employee in the shortest

possible time.

Company Induction

The first stage in the induction is when the employee arrives at the
company.

He or she should be welcomed by a responsible person (not a junior

work clerk who can provide basic information about the company and
terms of employment.

An employee handbook is recommended for the purpose. It needs not

to be too big but it should convey clearly and simply what new staff
needs to know.

These could be under the following headings:

A brief description the company, its history, products, organization

and structure.
• Basic conditions of service – hours of works, holiday, pension
etc.
• Pay – pay scales, when paid and how
• Sick-leave
• Disciplinary and grievance procedures and other conditions of
service

When the critical briefing has been completed, new employees should
be taken to their place of work be introduced to their managers or team
leader for the departmental induction programme.

Departmental Induction
This is much as possible should start with the departmental manager,
not the immediate.

The managers may give only a general welcome and a brief description
of the work of the department before handing the new employees over
to their supervisors for the more detailed induction.

Team leader or supervisors’s induction

Aims:

1. To put the new employee at ease

2. To interest the employee in the job and the organisation.

3. To provide basic information about working arrangements

4. To indicate the standards of performance and behaviour
expected
from the employees
5. To tell the employee about training arrangements and how he or
she can get on with the company.

Follow up

• This is necessary to ensure that new employees have settled in

and to check on how well they are doing. If there are many
problems, it is much better to identify them at an early stage.

• This is necessary to act as a means of checking on the selection

procedure. If by any chance a mistake has been made; it is useful
to find out how it happened so that selection procedure can be
improved. Misfits could be attributed to a number of cause’s e.g.

i. Inadequate job description or specification.

ii. Poor sourcing of candidates, weak advertising, poor

interviewing methods etc. Once a cause is identified, steps
can be taken to prevent their recurrence