Introduction
In early April, Carl Robins, a recruiter for ABC Inc., as his first recruitment drive for the company, hired 15 new trainees after only 6 months in the job. He needs to have them ready to work for the Operations Supervisor Monica Carrolls by July, following a new hire orientation program that is scheduled for June 15th
Background
Carl Robins has been assigned to coordinate training schedules, drug tests, orientation, policy booklets, and other paperwork these trainees need before they can be fully employed. He has until July to complete all these tasks, as he had promised, which should not have been a problem. However, because of his seemingly fundamental lack of planning and organizational skills, Carl has let things slide, so that when Monica Carrolls contacted him on May 15, he still had not set in motion the needed activities and procedures to ensure that all of his 15 new trainees would be appropriately equipped for the orientation scheduled for June 15th – just one month later. He reassured Monica Carrolls that all would be ready, but then panic began to set in when he realized the full scope of what needed to be done.
However, some two weeks later and just after Memorial Day, Carl realized he had still not done anything to move the whole process along. Belatedly examining the files for the new trainees, he saw to his horror that not only were some of their applications incomplete, but some had no transcript on file, and none had yet been sent to the clinic for mandatory drug screening. He then decided to sort out the orientation manuals but could find only three copies, each with various pages missing. To clear his head and relieve his frustration, he went out for a walk, then decided to check out the availability of the training room for the scheduled June 15 orientation. To his consternation he found that the room he needed and had planned to use had already been reserved for the entire month of June for computer training. In a state of total panic, Carl then tried to decide what he should do to avoid his first training program turning into a complete disaster.
Clearly Carl needs to get organized as soon as possible, and to stay on task. He needs to find a way to track the progress of each of the new recruits, from trainee to full employment. If he doesn’t get organized quickly, he may not make the deadline currently assigned. Just to compound his problems, through lack of forward planning he currently has no place to train the 15 new employees.
Proposed Solution
Carl must act quickly and decisively, first assessing the priorities of the various tasks, then get hold of each of the15 trainees, walk them through the process. Actions required are:
- Make sure each employee application is completed and verify that copies of their transcripts are on file.
- Schedule all the drug tests and expedite the results, giving the clinic a deadline that gives Carl the time he needs.
- Make sure the orientation manuals are complete and that enough copies are available comfortably before June 15th.
- Arrange use of either the orientation room or an alternative location for his training (with any facilities needed, too).
Recommendations
In order to most easily monitor the progress to completion of all these tasks, Carl should create a large matrix, mounted on the wall of his office so that it is always in his line of vision, and including rows and columns representing all the required tasks in respect of each of the 15 trainees, affording him the opportunity to immediately focus on any individual slippages or problem areas, whilst tracking overall progress.
In essence, this is a relatively easy problem to fix, but there are deeper issues than Carl just having to get his act together for this particular orientation exercise. He needs to institute a policy of planning and time management, reducing his stress levels by getting the basics in place, as recommended in “Time management: Tips to reduce stress and improve productivity” (n.d.). These include planning each day’s activities by writing a “To do” list with the most important activities at the top. Prioritizing is important, to avoid spending a disproportionate amount of time trying to achieve things that can wait until tomorrow (say). Refuse to take on on-essential but additional tasks if they will prevent completion of important matters, or delegate them if that resource is available. Don’t rush important tasks – they may need to be done again if they are not done properly first time, and try breaking up major tasks into smaller chunks to make them seem more achievable and to better see progress. Also take regular short breaks to draw breath and collect those thoughts. Keep a diary to see how the plans are working, so that methods can be adapted if needed. If necessary, enroll on a time management course to obtain professional guidance.
For those in full-time employment, such courses are available online, including one entitled “Time Management Certification” (2010) by ExpertRating, which claims to provide a high quality “best value for money” 120-page online course for just $29.99.
Conclusions
Making sure this is just a one-off problem may come at a cost to ABC Inc., if they plan to permanently resolve all these issues by July 15th. As recommended, Carl Robins and ABC Inc. need to take urgent action by creating some kind of employee recruitment tracking / monitoring system at the very least, avoiding shortcomings or delays in the trainee induction process. Also, Carl needs to educate himself in planning and time management.
References
“Time Management Certification.” (2010). ExpertRating. Retrieved from http://www.expertrating.com/certifications/TimeManagement/Time-Management-Certification.asp
“Time management: Tips to reduce stress and improve productivity.” (n.d.). Mayo Clinic. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/time-management/wl00048
