Human Resources at TeleSouth Human Resources

The case provided shows TeleSouth as an ambitious company from the time it was established up to now. The company employed vibrant employee recruitment and selection strategies with the aim of ensuring that it capitalizes on profit maximization strategies via the acquisition of top talent in the industry. It is admirable that the company had about 400 employees just over three years of startup: this was expected to bring success to the company, and perhaps, foster employee satisfaction and retention. However, the case presents a different perspective. First, it is shown from the case that the company has not, or barely able to retain its employees for a period exceeding two years. Many of those who were employed were aged less than thirty years.

Whereas most of the employees recruited were females at 55% proportion, it is shown that female managers were few. Although not clearly pointed out, an element of favoritism on males in terms of managerial appointments is evident. In the selection process, issues relating to managers' attention to new employees are evident: some employees complained about this in the survey carried out. In the end, the company, which had thought that it had adopted the best recruitment and selection processes, was suffering from high employee turnout and migration.

Underlying Causes

The causes of the problems facing TeleSouth Company are factors relating to poor human resource management. Even the adoption of cutting-edge recruitment and selection processes are not sufficient factors for enhancing employee performance and retention. The management overlooked the fact that, an almost youthful employee was a disaster in the making. Opting to recruit over sixty percent of youthful employees predisposed the company into having hardworking but ambitious individuals. Coupled with the boring work environment, where managers were less attentive to new recruits, the ambitious employees found it inappropriate to stay for more than two years in the company. As initially, mentioned, senior managers were not attentive in supervising the newly recruited subordinate employees. Soon, the feeling of being ignored rapidly developed. This was worsened by the fact that, most of the senior managers at the company were males, yet the majority of the subordinates were females. The element of 'favoritism' was unnecessary.

Although the employees were expected to carry themselves with limited supervision, a total laissez faire working environment is unsuitable and unnecessary in an organization where everyone is new. The existence of a fluid and an ambiguous working environment was the wrong choice for the company: the act of creating such a freedom to new recruits rendered them unable to spot their limitations. The lack of managers within their vicinity also was a wrong strategy for the company.

Fishbone: cause effect

Alternatives & Chosen Solution

Any problem related to human process has a solution, especially when a company is seeking to reinvent itself and bolster its competitive advantage in the industry. TeleSouth deserves to be commended for the recruitment and selection approaches. However, whatever it did was not enough. The following options are available for the company in order to resolve the issue of employee retention and lower the employee turnover rate. First, it is important to appreciate the fact that, the majority of the employees did not leave the company because of poor remuneration or unbearable working conditions. Such a program would be critical in the success of the company by fostering satisfaction and retention rates.

Option by TeleSouth

Alternative

Pros

Cons

The two-day workplace orientation can be considered as a farce.

As a solution, the management must appreciate the importance of employee learning and training. After the orientation, the management should have established weekly, bimonthly, and later quarterly trainings for employees in the workplace.

Such a program would be critical in the success of the company by fostering satisfaction and retention rates.

The program also ensures that employees have the opportunity to advance their work skills and careers. They will not have the urge to quit their jobs in the name of career advancement.

The program gives employees to appreciate workplace challenges with the skills they would obtain from the training programs

The program may be costly to the company.

A lot of time will be wasted in educational programs, which would have otherwise been used in as working hours.

TeleSouth Hire more females than males as subordinates, but had a few females in the managerial positions. This may have played a critical role in initiating employee walkouts. An element of discrimination is evident

Balancing the number of employees in terms of gender. Such an option would be executed in the long-term as:

1. Focus on hiring more female managerial staff in the coming recruitment and selection processes

2. Focus simultaneously on hiring more male subordinate employees

This is advantageous because the female employees will feel that they are valued and equal players represented by the management.

This will ensure that the company does not encounter challenges relating to various labor laws, especially those relating to equal employment opportunities.

The company may often become a victim of the EEOC because of engaging in discriminatory hiring practices.
The senior managers were too busy and less attentive to the new recruits. Most of them felt that the management at TeleSouth was just interested with their laboring and not their welfare.

Enhancing management's attention towards subordinate employees

Implementing this solution will ensure that employees are motivated at all times and ready to work towards the realization of the company's goals and vision.

Employees will feel valued that the management cares about them.

The entire organization will experience some improved form of communication and interaction between employees because the tension is reduced.

Having a satisfactory pay and nothing else. The case study shows that a majority of the employees quit the jobs, not because of remuneration, but because they wanted to advance their careers or liked to travel a lot.

Establishing creative benefits and work schedules. The establishment of this plan would ensure that the current employees wishing to advance their careers are retained and accommodated.

Schedules facilitating their working hours will be established.

The strategy fosters a flexible working environment

Fosters employee motivation and retention

It may be a costly affair, but worth trying

Hiring majority of youthful employees. Most of them were ambitious, liked travelling, and quit their jobs to enhance their careers.

Having a diverse workforce made by young and old employees. This is informed by the concept that a workforce with relatively older employees is satisfied by good remuneration if the workplace is good. Career advancement is not in their priority list like the younger ones under thirty years.

The strategy fosters employee retention

The diverse workforce will protect the company from a massive walkout of employees in a certain age bracket

It is a less costly strategy

May take a long time before it is implemented

Implementation Plan

Employee Retention and Development Planning

Objective: To foster staff retention and job satisfaction; to training reserve and reduce the turnover rate

Employee Training program

This plan appreciates the challenges facing the HRM department at TeleSouth Company in Birmingham. The employee turnover rate is not good for the future of the company. It is important for the company to implement this plan aimed at fostering employee retention via the establishment of diverse training programs geared towards meeting their career needs. This plan is essential because:

There is a need to retain employees for the good of the company

The two-day orientation plan not sufficient enough in ensuring that employees have grasped all the concepts related to their job description

The workplace close supervision among the top managers and subordinate employees feel as objects within the company

Majority of the employees are youths: they have great interests in embracing workplace challenges, enjoying their free time via travelling, and some are interested in advancing their careers.

Aims of this program

Ensure that there are enough managers/supervisors close to the subordinate employees within the first three months of approving this program. This will be considered as Activity 1

Develop training programs for the employees that will be adopted immediately and almost concurrent with Activity 1. This will be considered as Activity 2.

Enhance the staff career development schedules so that employees can have time to foster their careers while working at the company: Activity 3

Ensure that employee retention is high while the turnover is lowered; Activity 4

Measure and appraise the success of the implemented plan

Program recommendations at TeleSouth

More staff (female supervisors) to be recruited in order to help in the process of developing appropriate training programs to be adopted after the two-day orientation

The Supervisors should be as close to the subordinate employees as much as possible. This will make the feel valued and noticed. Their workplace performance is expected to improve.

Expand employee career options to schedules that can be accommodated by the company. Not all employees are expected to have study leaves.

The office of a Career manager must be established to oversee all these activities.

The schedule below shows the expected timeframe when the success of this plan is to be evaluated.

Evaluation and approval of this proposal

17/03/2014-31/03/2014

Recruitment of new managers/supervisors (preferably female)

01/04/2014-30/07/2014

Development of employee training programs

20/04/2014-20/07/2014

Scheduling of employee timetables to suit their career needs

15/06/2014-20/09/2014

Recruiting subordinate more employees

15/07/2014-15/08/2014

Weekly, bimonthly, and quarterly training begins

01/10/2014- 20/12/02014

Recruitment and selection of a Career Manager

10/10/2014-31/12/2014

Carrying out a survey to…