HR Case Study

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

ASSIGNMENT

Submitted by

Anmol Garg

A1802014082

MBA-IB

CASE STUDY 1: POOR SANJAY!

CASE-NOTES

Sanjay Nagpal is a new recruit from a reputed management institute,

recruited as a sales trainee in a sales office of a large computer hardware firm

located in Chennai.

Raghvan is the zone sales manager responsible for overseeing the work of

sales officer, field executives and trainee salesmen numbering over 50 of

three areas namely Chennai, Bangalore, and Trivandrum.

The sales growth of the products in his area was highly satisfactory owing to

the developmental initiatives taken by respective State Governments in

spreading computer education.

Raghvan had collected several sales reports, catalogues and pamphlets

detailing the types of office equipment sold by the company for Sanjay’s

reference.

After short chat with Sanjay, Raghvan assisted him to his assigned desk and

provided him with the material collected.

Thereafter Raghvan excused himself and did not return.

Meanwhile, Sanjay scanned through the material given to him till 5:00pm

before leaving office.

Human Resource Management Page 2

QUESTIONS:

Q1. What do you think about Raghavan’s training

programme?

Q2. What type of sale training programme would you

suggest?

Q3. What method of training would have been best

under the circumstances? Would you consider OJT,

simulation or experiential methods?


Q1. What do you think about Raghavan’s training

programme?

Answer:

The training method adopted by Raghvan is not apt for a new trainee

employee like Sanjay.

Even though from a reputed management institute, Sanjay’s skill and

knowledge are limited to his learning in the institute.

The material collected in relation to the products of the company only

provides an insight as to what the company sells and not what Sanjay is

desired to perform as a part of his job.

This thus justifies that the training programme followed by Raghvan doesn’t

suffice for imbibing the required job instructions required for performing the

job.

This type of training may in general be of no benefit to both Sanjay’s

performance and Company’s productivity and also waste of precious

resource and time.


Q2. What type of sale training programme would you

suggest?

Answer:

The factors that need to be kept in mind while suggesting an apt sales training

programme would be:

Sanjay being a newly recruited trainee.

The nature of the job (sales).

The level of performance desired.

Awareness about how to do the job.

Identifying the Trainee: - In this case Sanjay being a new recruit, he must

be given an entry-level training.

Identifying the Trainers: - It would be essentially suitable that training must

be imparted by immediate experienced supervisor of the trainee.

Method and Technique of Training: - Training may be imparted by means of

on –the job methods as Sanjay is from a management college of good repute

where he has already learnt a lot via off- the-job techniques.

Level of learning: - As it is an entry level training more emphasis must be

given to development of basic understanding of the field, becoming

acquainted with the language, concepts and relationships involved in the job.

Conduct of training: - Suitably the training programme should be on the job

itself so as to provide sufficient exposure and real time supervision to the

trainee.


Q3. What method of training would have been best

under the circumstances? Would you consider OJT,

simulation or experiential methods?

Answer:

The method suitable for training would be On-the-Job Training (OJT).

In this method the trainee would receive firsthand experience of the job

conditions.

This method is economical since no additional personnel or facilities are

required.

The trainee learns on the actual equipment in use and in the true environment

of his job.

The trainee also learns by day-day observation the applications of the rules,

regulation and procedures.

It is also appropriate for teaching the skills and knowledge which can be

acquired in short term.

Since the nature of the job is of sales, hence hands on experience is a must

for gaining experience of the job.

The training must be done in stages in situations varying from easy to the

toughest conditions.

This way the trainee will build up his experiences and learn the decision

making process and strategies.


CASE STUDY 2: IS RAJAT IN NEEDS OF REMEDIAL TRAINING?

CASE NOTES:

Rajat Sharma has been employed for six months in the accounts section of

a large manufacturing company in Faridabad.

A formal investigation to monitor and determine the contributions of each

employee in the accounts section and check whether they meet standards.

After the investigation it was found that all employees in the accounts section

were meeting the targets that were set.

Rajat, an employee in the account section was an exception to the

performance displayed by his colleagues.

Along with numerous errors, Rajat’s work is characterized by low

performance; often he does 20 percent less than the other clerks in the

department.


Questions:

Q1. As Rajat’s supervisor can you find out whether the

poor performance is due to poor training or to some

other cause?

Q2. If you find Rajat has been inadequately trained,

how do you go about introducing a remedial training

programme?

Q3. If he has been with the company six months, what

kind of remedial programme would be best?

Q4. Should you supervise him more closely? Can you

do this without making it obvious to him and his co-

workers?

Q5. Should you discuss the situation with Rajat?


Q1. As Rajat’s supervisor can you find out whether the poor

performance is due to poor training or to some other cause?

Answer:

Yes, the cause of the poor performance can be well determined as to

whether, it is because of poor training or other causes such as uncongenial

work place, low wages or low motivation.

To check whether the poor performance is attributed to poor training, the

reports of his performance/learning during the training must be checked.

It is to be inspected and identify the areas where he had not performed well

or did not show good progress in learning,

Then these identified areas must be closely supervised when the job is

performed by Rajat.

Mistakes encountered must be closely examined and brought to his notice

along with the corrections that are required.

He must also be humbly prompted to review his own work to find out the

mistakes in order to make him realise his mistakes and provide an

opportunity for self–correction.

He must be properly supervised for 2-3 months so to bring about a change

in performance.

Parallel investigations must also be done to check factors other than training

affecting /demotivating him.

Incentives for improvements in performance can also be introduced to

induce genuine interest in the work.


Q2. If you find Rajat has been inadequately trained, how do you go about

introducing a remedial training programme?

Answer:

Firstly, it is to be checked as to what type of training Rajat had been through

in the organisation.

Then the records of the performance/learning in the training are to be

investigated in order to find the “weak” areas.

Secondly, an analysis is also to be done on his colleagues who had received

same training as him and determine as to how they are coping and performing

with the training provided.

Investigation into the training records can also help in determining the gap’s in

the training that may have lead to the present problems

An appropriate plan of action or training has to be in place in order to fill the

gaps identified.

The remedial training should basically focus on the gaps observed in his

earlier training and also keeping the focus on the skills and abilities that hold

prime-importance in meeting the set-standards.

Remedial training should be oriented in a manner such that Rajat would

receive Incentives /awards for his improvement in his work, thus acting as a

motivating factor for active participation.

The required training must not be long and should be precisely cut to needs .


Q3. If he has been with the company six months, what kind of

remedial programme would be best?

Answer:

As Rajat has been working in the company for the last six months he must

have gained some necessary experience and skills to perform his job.

He must have been provided with a initial training during the period of his

induction into the company.

The training would have helped him understand and better comprehend his

job and make him understand as to be expected of him.

If in case due to some reason or the other if the training wasn’t successful or

any gaps in learning may have been left in his training, it must be

concentrated upon to fill those required gaps by a remedial training.

An assessment of his training report can well highlight the gaps.

The training programme should be designed in a manner such that it serves

the purpose of covering the gaps.

The training necessarily may not be of long period and can also be of on-site

in nature i.e. on the job.

This shall help him gain practical experience as he goes through the training

process which shall help him retain and learn faster.

A close supervision even after the training is recommended so as to check

whether the performance is sustained and continuous.


Q4. Should you supervise him more closely? Can you do this

without making it obvious to him and his co-workers?

Answer

Rajat must be closely supervised as it is necessary from his as well as the

organisation’s point of view to achieve appropriate standards of performance.

Supervision is strictly necessary to check the numerous mistakes and

lessened productivity portrayed by Rajat.

To some extent supervision is good as it is a matter of improving the person,

holding back from doing so would only harm him.

The supervision can be done by providing personal attention and interaction

such as, a one to one discussion of the problems faced and suggesting

appropriate solutions for them.

The supervision must be done on the lowest possible tone/intensity by

indirectly reviewing the daily work with least interventions possible and

provide feedbacks or recommend corrections by communicating informally/

personally rather than formal communication.


Q5. Should you discuss the situation with Rajat?

Answer

The magnitude of the problem is compelling and demands Rajat’s immediate

attention.

Rajat needs to be aware of the situation and the harm being caused, such

that he doesn’t perceive close supervision of his work as criticism or

reprisal.

Discussing the situation will make him aware of his current position, what’s

wrong with it and what remedial action is planned.

Rajat’s interest and willingness are prerequisites for active participation in any

remedial measures and also to the success or positive outcome of the steps

taken.

The above pre-requisites can only be stimulated by having a detailed

discussion on the concerning issue rather than keeping him unaware of the

situation and create a discomforting work environment.


Documents

HR Case Study