Manage Recruitment, Selection & Induction Essay

Question 1: Explain the role of probation as part of the recruitment process. All new staff employees are required to serve a probationary period. The probationary period allows the Department and the employee the opportunity to assess each others suitability. It is the responsibility of the Supervisor to continually review the services of staff on probation. An employee must be consulted if there are any problems with performance. Question 2: Explain the term ‘merit selection’ and its implication on equal employment opportunity. Selection based on merit is where the best possible match is made between qualifications, knowledge, skills, abilities and relevant experience of the applicants, and the selection criteria in the Position Description. When assessing applicants, only selection criteria are taken into account; that is, unlawful discrimination based on other applicant characteristics must not occur. In the case of casual and sessional staff, merit is determined by assessing applicants qualifications, skills, knowledge and experience against the duties to be performed. Question 3: Explain the relevant terms and conditions of employment. Not every code of practice of the employer which is referenced within the contract may have any force, but rather, can be used as a guideline. Therefore, when considering whether or not a specific document imposes contractual obligations, the test to be applied in determining intention, is whether a reasonable person would come to the conclusion that the person making the promise, had the intention of being bound by the statement. Question 4: Explain at least 2 valid psychometric testing that you can use in your selection process. Aptitude or Ability Tests Aptitude or ability tests provide information on a person’s ability to perform certain tasks and their potential to learn and understand new information and tasks. The tests cover skills such as: Verbal reasoning (critical evaluation of written information) Comprehension/grammar Numerical reasoning (logical interpretation of numerical and statistical information) Abstract, mechanical or spatial reasoning (pattern recognition) Information checking (checking errors / attention to detail tasks) IQ (how quickly you can learn and master a new task) They can be designed to indicate suitability for specific tasks eg computing, keyboard or foreign?language skills. Work style questionnaires (personality/motivation/Emotional Intelligence) Work style questionnaires or inventories are concerned with how you typically behave, such as?the way you relate to others or the way you approach and solve problems. They generally?explore personality characteristics relevant to the world of work. To answer the questions you often need to think about what you would do in a work situation. If you have no formal work experience, think about how you behave in similar situations such as voluntary work, university activities or when you are participating in your hobbies. Work style questionnaires look at factors such as: Ways of thinking, feeling and acting in different situations Interpersonal style, conflict style, leadership style Patterns of coping with stress Interests – how much do you like carrying out various types of activities at work. Motivations – look at the energy with which you approach your work, and the different conditions which increase or decrease your motivation. Work values– what factors make work worthwhile for you How you interpret your own and others emotions and behaviours Question 5: A. Explain the term outsourcing? Outsourcing is the act of one company contracting with another company to provide services that might otherwise be performed by in-house employees. Often the tasks that are outsourced could be performed by the company itself, but in many cases there are financial advantages that come from outsourcing. Many large companies now outsource jobs such as call center services, e-mail services, and payroll. These jobs are handled by separate companies that specialize in each service, and are often located overseas. b. What functions can Human Resources outsource in terms of recruitment selection and induction, please states advantages and disadvantages of each. Functions include: – Employee assistance/counseling – Retirement planning help – Pension administration – Temporary staffing – Background checks – Training and management development programs – Executive development and coaching – Health care benefits administration – Employee benefit administration – Payroll – Risk management – Executive staffing – Employee relocation – HRIS selection, training implementation – Recruitment – Executive compensation and incentive plans – Policy writing – Administration of compensation/incentive plans – Wage and salary administration Advantages Brings new ideas/talent into the organization get needed competencies Helps organization get needed competencies Provides cross-industry insights May reduce training costs Helps organization meet equal employment opportunity/affirmative action goals Disadvantages May result in misp lacements? Increases recruitment costs? May cause morale problems for internal candidates? Requires longer orientation or adjustment time Question 6: Research the following links to assist you in your answer. a) What is the role of the HREOC? Leading the promotion and protection of human rights in Australia by: Making human rights values part of everyday life and language. Empowering all people to understand and exercise their human rights. Working with individuals, community, business and government to inspire action. Keeping government accountable to national and international human rights standards. Securing an Australian charter of rights. b) What types of complaint can you make to the Commission The Australian Human Rights Commission can investigate and resolve complaints of discrimination, harassment and bullying based on a person’s: Sex, including pregnancy, marital status, breastfeeding, family responsibilities and sexual harassment Disability, including temporary and permanent disabilities; physical, intellectual, sensory, psychiatric disabilities, diseases or illnesses; medical conditions; work related injuries; past, present and future disabilities; and association with a person with a disability Race, including colour, descent, national or ethnic origin, immigrant status and racial hatred Age, covering young people and older people sexual preference, criminal record, trade union activity, political opinion, religion or social origin (in employment only) c) Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1986 Grounds of discrimination – Breaches of human rights by any Commonwealth body or agency and discrimination in employment on the basis of race, colour, sex, religion, political opinion, national extraction, social origin, age, medical record, criminal record, marital status, impairment, disability, nationality, sexual preference, trade union activity. Areas covered – Commonwealth body or agency; employment and occupation. Process for decision making – Complaint must be in writing. It is then assessed and if within jurisdiction is investigated. If complaint is not declined, conciliation is attempted. If it cannot be conciliated, the Commission prepares a report to the federal Attorney General who then tables the report in Parliament. Question 7 : Summarise the national 10 privacy principles. There are ten National Privacy Principles (NPPs) that regulate how private sector organizations manage personal information. They cover the collection, use and disclosure, and secure management of personal information. They also allow individuals to access that information and have it corrected if it is wrong. NPP 1: collection – Describes what an organization should do when collecting personal information and what is told to the individual on collection. NPP 2: use and disclosure – Outlines how organization discloses and uses individual personal information. Under certain conditions and organization doesn’t always need the individuals consent to disclose personal information. NPPs 3 & 4: information quality and security – An organisation must take steps to ensure the personal information it holds is accurate and up-to-date, and is kept secure from unauthorised use or access. NPP 5: openness – An organisation must have a policy on how it manages personal information, and make it available to anyone who asks for it. NPP 6: access and correction – Gives individuals a general right of access to their personal information, and the right to have that information corrected if it is inaccurate, incomplete or out-of-date. NPP 7: identifiers – Generally prevents an organisation from adopting an Australian Government identifier for an individual (e.g. Medicare numbers) as its own. NPP 8: anonymity – Where possible, organisations must give individuals the opportunity to do business with them without the individual having to identify themselves. NPP 9: transborder data flows – Outlines how organisations should protect personal information that they transfer outside Australia. NPP 10: sensitive information – Sensitive information includes information such as health, racial or ethnic background, or criminal record. Higher standards apply to the handling of sensitive information. Question 8: List the elements contained in a contract of employment. The full name of employer and employee The address of the employer The place of work The title of job or nature of work The date the employment started If the contract is temporary, the expected duration of the contract If the contract of employment is for a fixed term, the details Details of rest periods and breaks as required by law The rate of pay or method of calculation of pay The pay reference period for the purposes of the National Minimum Wage Act 2000 Pay intervals Hours of work That the employee has the right to ask the employer for a written statement of his/her average hourly rate of pay as provided for in the National Minimum Wage Act 2000 Details of paid leave Sick pay and pension (if any) Period of notice to be given by employer or employee Details of any collective agreements that may affect the employee’s terms of employment