MEMORANDUM- BANKS Industries

TO: BANKS Senior Management
FROM: HR Department
SUBJECT: Employee Selection and Training

Staffing practices consist of two general issues-first, identifying and hiring the right people for the job, and second, retaining those individuals and building their competencies as productive employees. These are both areas where management and human resources (HR) need to work together.

The bottom line is that when we are recruiting, screening, and selecting new employees, we should be careful that we are always focused on the primary duties of the job and finding the candidate that will best perform them.

Once we hire the right person, training and development are essential activities. Keep in mind that training may not always be directly job or skill related. The training component is part of retaining quality employees and providing them with growth opportunities. Therefore, management should be encouraged to work with HR in order to identify needs and strategically plan training sessions.

• Analyze inter- and intracultural differences in work relationships, values, and behaviors to maximize individual and organizational performance.

• Evaluate the sources of workplace conflict and determine appropriate techniques to resolve them that respect human differences.

• Create work redesign approaches to improve performance under differing assumptions of employee skill and education level, compensation and reward systems, and cultural expectations.

• Communicate the ethical implications of recommendations to change human resource and/or work flow systems given the presence of multiple cultural subgroups.

MEMORANDUM - BANKS Industries

TO: BANKS Senior Management
FROM: HR Department
SUBJECT: Communication

Here at BANKS, we believe that success is at least partially dependent on how well the organization communicates with both the internal members and the external world. We depend on you, the manager, to further distribute the messages and directives we receive from our leaders.

As we grow and change, we need to recognize the challenges of communication and the methods we use to accomplish this. In an increasingly diverse company, the risk of misunderstandings-which are not due to poor intentions but due to human differences-is significant. When approaching communication, be sure to consider your message and your audience. Tailor your message to meet the needs of the listener, not your own needs. This will help you to communicate more effectively in our diverse environment.
Certain methods of communication warrant additional discussion. For many of us, e-mail at work is part of everyday life. And perhaps more important, e-mail as a communication mechanism is harder to convey subtle cues than is true in a face-to-face discussion or even a telephone conversation. If the cues were simply missing and we sought follow-up confirmation of details or innuendo, the problem might be mitigated. However, more often, the communication problem is exacerbated when the reader imputes the emotion of the sender, often incorrectly. Hence, the effectiveness of the original communication is compromised; worse, the reader may respond to the imputed emotion and compound the problem for all.

MEMORANDUM - BANKS Industries

TO: BANKS Senior Management
FROM: HR Department
SUBJECT: Disciplinary Policy or Corrective Action

We have been very busy looking at existing policy and determining whether it adds value to BANKS. Our disciplinary policy is one that we are taking a close look at and intend to refine.

For certain offenses, we employ a progressive discipline policy as do many other organizations. For example, when a company is trying to manage attendance, a disciplinary policy could begin with a verbal warning, then a written warning, then as many as ten steps of suspension and loss of pay (beginning on one day and rising to thirty days), before finally discharging an employee.

One of the disciplinary policies that we are considering is one that works on demerit systems. Employees receive demerits for excess absences and warning notes as the demerits pile up but no suspension. When the demerits reach a preset, published number, the employee is discharged. While data is somewhat limited, companies shifting to this model believe that labor costs have dropped, whether through reduced overtime, reduced absences, or both.

When considering what will be most appropriate, we need to consider not only our organizational goals and values but also the impact the policies will have on employees and managers as well as the ease of implementation and consistency of discipline. Given that we have a very diverse workforce, we need to understand how to best address our standard

Assignment: Discussion-Employee Health And Safety: A Global Perspective

BANKS Industries is currently operating in both the United States and China. As a US-based company, BANKS is accustomed to conforming to US law regarding employee health and safety. However, Chinese law is different and, in many cases, offers looser standards for employee protection.

Using the module readings, the Argosy University online library resources, and the Internet, respond to the following:

• From a global perspective, should the company operate under the laws that are provided in each country of operation or should it adhere to the higher standard regardless of where it operates? Justify your answer.

• Is this a legal issue, an ethical issue, or both? Justify your answer.

• Cite at least one example of differences in health or safety standards that BANKS should consider as it moves forward. Explain why this standard should be considered.