Assignment Task:
In response to your peers, share your recommendations for improved resolution to the organizational issues or strategic goal they identified in their initial post and name the areas of competency and knowledge from the SHRM Model that would be used to help address the issue or achieve the strategic goal.
Kaleigh Discussion:
Hello everyone! My name is Kaleigh, and my current educational goal is to obtain my master's in science with my major in Human Resource Management. I've worked at my current company since I was 18 starting as an EMT-basic on an ambulance full time working my way up to being an administrative supervisor and coordinator. My goal is the HR world ideally within the company I've planted roots at. I have an 8-year-old son who I'm usually carting around to all his travel sports on weeknights and weekends, but sports are our thing, so I love every minute of it. I also have a rescue pup that's a black lab mix, Pepper who is usually in the front seat coming to all the sporting events too. Good luck to everyone in their educational goals!
At the company I currently work for, low employee engagement and high turnover has been a major organizational issue especially posts the Covid pandemic. The lack of engagement from employees has resulted in communication breakdowns, lack of trust towards management, and in turn has led to high turnover rates. This quickly became a barrier on the daily flow of the workday and needed to be addressed immediately. In EMS, the crews need to be able to trust their partners but also their supervisors and managers to have their best interest at the forefront. Without staff, there simply is no company, so leadership of all levels began strategizing how to not only obtain the trust and engagement from employees but make our company one they wanted to come to and stay at.
Some HR initiatives that started to take place were team building exercises but on a more relaxed, fun level to get the buy in from employees. We hosted bowling nights, a night out at a local hockey game, and other family-oriented events where employees could come and engage with management in a different capacity. This opened the door to conversations that weren't solely focused on work, allowed employees to freely enjoy an event, and form bonds with other departments within the company. Another strategy to improve employee engagement is upper management all going out on the road and meeting ambulance crews at hospitals with snacks, quick lunch options like sandwiches, and cold drinks for the hot summer days. Not only did this attract employees in real time, but it was clear that the culture was beginning to change. Crews had a different attitude towards the job they're doing, each other, and even supervisors.
Without upper management taking a step back and listening to not only the supervisors that see and speak with the crews daily, but the employees themselves, it would have been detrimental to the company. Without road crews responding to 911 calls and hospital calls, AMR does not exist. It was imperative that we continue to listen to employees and encourage an open communication line to keep the employee engagement up and thriving. If HR initiatives aren't developed across an organization, there is not any focus on the main issue. If the company has a high turnover rate but HR is only focused on hiring, it's a never-ending, failing system. Figuring out why the turnover rate is increasing and investing in your current employees can help grow the company in ways that simple recruiting cannot.
Antonetta Discussion:
My name is Antonetta and I reside outside of Atlanta, GA. My husband retired from the military last year and I am also a veteran. We have 4 children, 3 girls and a boy. My education background is that has a Bachelor's Degree from SNHU in Business Administration in 2022, and decided to get my MBA from the same school because I liked it so much. My professional background is mainly HR type work; I currently am a Secretary for the Federal Bureau of Prisons here in Atlanta. As of late my hobbies have been trying to get my house in order since we just moved here about 6 months ago, that and being a cheer mom to two competitive cheerleaders. Between racing to practices 6 days a week and watching Chinese dramas that's basically my life. I love to play volleyball when I have the time, which is never.
In my previous career as a Passport Clerk at the United States Postal Office, I was able to notice a few organizational issues but one in particular was high turnovers. Unfortunately, this is a plaguing issue within the USPS. Since Covid became a thing, the USPS had a stricter hiring process. Since Covid, they have become more lackadaisical with their hiring process and in my opinion have resulted to high turnovers.
There is still an organizational issue with hiring to my understanding because I no longer work for the company. However, a way that this could be prevented is going back to the normal way of hiring people to avoid the costs of training, payroll, etc that accrues with the hiring process.
Some behavioral competencies that HR professionals need to gain management buy-in and successful implementation of HR initiatives is to have a good moral and ethical practices, communication skills, and leadership qualities. However, again these competencies were not displayed during my time at the post office.
The impact is going to be high because HR initiatives were supposed to make an organization run smoothly. With high turnover rates it can make an organization less credible, the employees would be disengaged and lastly the employees would feel unappreciated. These are just examples of why people leave their jobs. If HR were to hire people based on their experience instead of just having a body to fill a slot, which is what the post office does, it would greatly make a difference.