PAGE 13 PAGE 14 People power - Pearson...

Unit 1HR

Winning the war for talentPAGE 9

Contrast and similarityPAGE 11

Managing creative talentPAGE 13

Career skills: Managing appraisalsPAGE 14

Dilemma: Getting back on trackPAGE 16

www.economist.com www.longman-elt.com

KeynotesThe primary role of the Human Resources (HR) department is to ensure that an organisation gains maximum strategic benefit from its staff and from its personnel management systems. HR managers supervise the administration of the employees of an organisation and also plan and manage its manpower requirements in order to ensure that it has the right number of employees with the appropriate skills. To do this successfully, HR managers are also in charge of setting up performance evaluation schemes which provide appraisals of employee efficiency and potential. Other critical responsibilities of an HR department include payroll management, recruitment, training and development, career management and conflict resolution. In many businesses today, HR also plays a key role in ensuring workforce diversity and the well-being of all members of staff.

People power

M01_INTB_CB_ADVGLB_7733_U01.indd 7 22/10/10 15:54:03

Choosing who to work forWhich of the following criteria do you think are the most important when deciding what sort of organisation to work for? Rank them in order of importance.

Careeropportunities:chancesofmobility,promotionanddevelopment

Careerbreaks:thepossibilitytotakeextendedleave

Ethics:asociallyresponsiblebusinessculture

Alumniprogramme:thecompanykeepsintouchwithex-employees

Perksandprivileges:workplacesportsfacilities,childcare,freecanteen,healthcare,etc.

Performancerelatedpay:bonusesandpayrisesbasedonresults

Internationalassignments:opportunitiestoworkabroad

Traininganddevelopment:thechancetoacquirenewskills

Listen to three recently recruited graduates talking about what attracted them to the companies they work for and say which of the above they refer to.

How do you think HR managers decide which employees have the most potential?

Talent managementRead the text on the opposite page and use the information in the text to give short explanations of the following statements.

1 FindingandkeepingthemosttalentedpeopleismoreimportantfortheBigFourthanitisformostothercompanies.

2 Employeesshouldnotberewardedonlyfortheirfinancialperformance.

3 RecentlegislationhasmadeitharderfortheBigFourtofindandkeeptalentedemployees.

4 TheBigFourhaveintroducedchangesinthewaythattheyrecruitstaff.

5 TherelationshipthattheBigFourhavewithex-employeesisevolving.

6 FewerwomenthanmenreachthetoppositionsintheBigFourcompanies.

7 Today’srecruitshavedifferentexpectationsfromtheirpredecessors.

8 Unit1

Preview

Reading 1

Speaking

1 Brad Johnson 2 Jane Ford Hadden 3 Klaus Beckhaus

Finance Solutions Martin, Peters and Jackson Farnham Global Business Solutions

Listening 1


It is not just that they collectivelyemploy some 500,000 people

aroundtheworld.Manycompaniesareasbig.Unlikemost,however,theBigFourtitansof accountancy –DeloitteToucheTohmatsu, Ernst & Young, KPMG andPricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) – reallymean it when they say that people aretheir biggest assets. Their product istheir employees’ knowledge and theirdistributionchannelsaretherelationshipsbetween their staff and clients. Morethanmosttheymustworryabouthowtoattractandretainthebrightestworkers.2 Time is regularly set aside at thehighest levels todecidehowbest todothis. Detailed goals are set: Deloitte’sbusiness plan includes targets for staffturnover,thescoresitseeksinitsannualstaffsurveyandtheproportionoffemalepartners it would like to have. Partnersareincreasinglymeasuredandrewardedas managers of people, not just for theamountofmoneytheybringin.People-relateditemsaccountforone-thirdofthescorecard used to evaluate partners atPwC.KPMG’sBritishfirmhasintroducedtime codes so that employees canaccountforhowlongtheyspenddealingwithstaffmatters.Theideaisthatthose

whodevotelotsoftimetopeople-relatedmattersarenotdisadvantagedasaresultinpayrisesandpromotion.3 Jobcutsearlierinthedecadecreateda shortfall of people now. Regulatorychanges,suchasAmerica’sSarbanes-OxleyAct, have boosted demand from clientsnotjustforaccountants’servicesbutalsofor their staff.Therewereneverenoughskilled people and now as competitionto get the best is increasing, the poolof available talent is changing and intheUSbabyboomers are flooding intoretirement.ToaddtotheirdifficultiestheBigFourarenowaggressivelyre-enteringthefieldofadvisoryservices,necessitatinganewburstofhiring.4 Muchofthisrecruitmentisaimedathard-to-find experienced professionals,especially important in the advisorybusinesses where corporate knowledgeis highly valued. Robust selectionproceduresareused toensure that theyfit in. Programmes that help keep thefirmintouchwithformeremployeesarealso being strengthened so that peoplewholeavecanmoreeasilyfindtheirwayback(these“boomerangs”accountforuptoaquarterofthosehiredbytheBigFourinAmerica).

5 Former employees can also act asuseful recruiting agents and help todrumupnewbusiness.Forthesealumniprogrammestowork“amassiveculturalswitch” is needed, says Keith Dugdale,who looks after global recruitmentfor KPMG. Few employers are used tohelpingpeopleleaveongoodterms.Butinaneraofjob-hoppingandascarcityofskills, loyalty increasinglymeanshavinga sense of emotional allegiance to anemployer,whetherornotthatpersonisstillphysicallyonthepayroll.6 A similar change in attitude isneededtomanagethecareersoffemaleemployees.EachoftheBigFourwantstopromotemorewomen,whoaccountforabouthalfoftheirrecruitsbutaroundaquarter, atbest, of theirpartners.Manywomendropoffthecareerladderatsomepoint,usuallytohavechildrenortocareforanelderlyrelativeandfinditdifficultto get back on again. Options such ascareerbreaksandpart-timeworkingarepartoftheaccountants’response.7 Retaininggoodpeople is thebiggestchallenge. Mobility is seen as a usefulway to retain and help employeesdevelop. International assignmentscan also be critical in attracting newgraduates. According to Pierre Hurstel,Ernst&Young’sglobalmanagingpartnerfor people, new entrants want to workabroad. High-minded young peoplealsowanttoworkforcompanieswithadecentethicalreputation.Aswellastyingreward schemes to the better manage-ment of people, Deloitte’s British firmaskspartnerstospendaminutewiththeirstaffimmediatelyafterclientmeetingstoprovidefeedbacksothattheyfulfillmoreofatrainingrole.8 Asthe“warfortalent”isjoinedacrossindustries and countries, it could beworth keeping an eye on how the BigFourarequietlyleadingthecharge.

Unit1 9

Talent management

Winning the war for talent

Surprising as it might seem, the Big Four accountancy firms have lots to teach other companies about managing talented people

Glossary

partner a member of an audit or legal firm who has a capital invest-ment in the businessboomerangs people who leave a company but return later drum up gather, solicit

The Economist

1


10 Unit1

Speaking

Vocabulary

Which foreign country would you most like to work in if you had to work abroad? Why?

1 Find the words or expressions in the text that correspond to the following definitions.

1 Therateatwhichemployeesleaveacompanyororganisation(para2)

2 Asheetortablethatshowsquantitativeresults(para2)

3 Aresultoroutcomethatislowerthanexpected(para3)

4 Thedifferentmethodsusedtorecruitemployees(para4)

5 Movingfrequentlybetweenpositionsindifferentcompanies(para5)

6 Alistofalltheemployeeswhoarepaidbythecompany(para5)

7 Programmestoremunerateemployees(para7)

2 All of the statements below illustrate vocabulary items that appear in the text. Write the words in the spaces.

1 Everyyearweconductafullreviewofallouremployees.(para2)

2 Well,ofcourse,knowingthatyouwillearnmoreifyoureachyourperformancegoalsisverymotivatingforallemployees.(para2)

3 It’smoreorlessinevitablethatwhenturnoverisdown,companieswillreducetheirheadcount.(para3)

4 Thegovernmentisplanningtointroducenewlegislationwhichwilldirectlyaffectthewaythatwedoourbusiness.(para3)

5 Whenourstaffreachtheageofsixty-fivemostofthemdecidetogiveupwork.(para3)

6 Withoutdoubtoneofthemostimportantassetsthatwehaveinourorganisationisoursharedexpertiseandexperience.(para4)

7 Beingabletokeepintouchwithmanyofmyformercolleaguesreallygivesmethefeelingofbelongingtoacommunity.(para5)

8 Howfarpeoplemoveupthecompanyhierarchydependsonboththeiraptitudesandtheirmotivation.(para6)

9 Ithinkthattakingayearoffafterthebirthofmydaughterwasexactlytherightthingtodo.(para6)

10 ForthenexttwelvemonthsIwillbemanagingaprojectforoneofourforeignsubsidiaries.(para7)


Unit1 11

Usage Collocations with setThearticleincludestheverb–nouncollocation‘Detailedgoalsareset’.

Othernounscanbeusedincollocationswithset.Replacetheunderlinedphrasesinthefollowingsentenceswithanappropriatecollocationusingsetandawordfromthebox,withthearticlea(n)ortheifnecessary.

1 Wehavetoarrangeameetingduringthenextfewweeksbutwehaven’tyetdecidedexactlywhenitwillbeheld.

2 Ifsupervisorsdon’ttelltheirstaffexactlywhentheyexpectworktobecompletedby,theproductivityoftheirdepartmentswillsuffer.

3 TheHRdirectorhasfixedtheobjectiveforthisyear:reducerecruitmentcostsbyatleast10%.

4 Itwillbeimpossibletointroduceallofthegovernment’snewemploymentguidelinessimultaneously,sowhatweneedtodoistodecidewhichoneswewillintroduceandinwhatorder.

5 AnAustralianfirmhasrecentlybannedtheuseofmobilephonesoutsidebreakperiodsanditseemsthiscouldwellmeanthatothercompanieswillfollowsuit.

6 Asaresultofthenewstressreductioninitiative,we’veputinourbesteverperformancewithabsenteeismatjust5%.

7 Candidateswereputintoteamsthatweregiventhejobofdesigninganewtrainingprogrammeformanualworkers.

Contrast and similarityWhenwewanttopointtocontrastsorsimilaritiesthatexistbetweenthings,wecandosoinanumberofdifferentways.Thewordsandexpressionsthatweusewilldependonwhethertheyareincludedinasimplesentenceorinaconnectedpieceofwrittenorspokendiscourse.

Single sentencesInsinglesentenceswecanusewordsandexpressionslikethese.

Contrast Similarity

unlike(prep) like/as(prep)

in contrast to(noun) similar(adj),similarly(adv)

unalike(adj) alike(adj/adv)

while,although,whereas (conj) as … as(adv)

on the one hand … on the other hand(nounphrase)

Like the vast majority of companies, the Big Four accounting firms pay close attention to their recruitment procedures and policies.

Language check

For more information, see page 154.

agendacoursedatedeadlineexamplegoallimitprecedentrecord scene standard target task tone trap trend


12 Unit1

Connected sentencesThefollowingwordsandexpressionsareusedwhencontrastsorsimilaritiesarepresentedinconsecutiveorconnectedsentences.

Contrast Similarity

nevertheless(adv) similarly(adv)

however(adv) likewise(adv)

conversely(adv)

on the contrary(nounphrase)

Enhanced human resource practices tend to increase satisfaction and productivity. Conversely, poorly prepared policies lead to lower output and employee resentment.

Complete the following passage using appropriate words or expressions. In some cases there may be more than one correct answer.

The term ‘workplace diversity’ refers to the extent to which an organisation’s employees are drawn from diverse socio-economic, cultural and educational backgrounds. Not all members of society are 1__________ , the argument goes, and workplaces should reflect such differences. 2__________ not everyone agrees on the precise definition of the term itself, workplace diversity has already become an accepted practice in HR management in many countries. 3__________ , implementing a successful diversity programme still remains a major challenge. Take the whole question of gender, for example. If gender diversity is being achieved, then surely we should expect

to see more female managers appointed to senior management positions? 4__________ , we should also see an increase in female intake at all levels. Now 5__________ it may be true that women are entering the workforce in greater numbers but 6 __________ it is also quite clear that they are still not reaching the upper levels of management. Some traditionalists suggest that diversity actually results in higher costs to employers. Needless to say, supporters of diversity strongly disagree. 7__________ , they claim that diversity not only enhances productivity but also provides a sense of shared values to employees and managers 8__________ .

High-potential staffSharon Fraser of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu talks about how her company manages talented employees. Listen to the interview and answer the questions.

1 WhatistheofficialtitleofSharon’spositionintheorganisation?

2 Whatexactlyissheinchargeof?

3 Sharonlistsseveralthingsthatareinvolvedinherjob,includingrecruitmentandresourcing.Whataretheothers?

4 WhatisthestrategicobjectiveofthecompanyandhowdoesSharonsuggestthattalentmanagementcouldcontributetoachievingthis?

5 HowsuccessfulhasDeloittebeeninitstalentmanagementpolicy?

6 Sharonreferstohiringasthefirstaspectofthecompany’s‘talentagenda’.Whatisthesecondaspectthatshementions?

7 SummarisewhatSharonhastosayabouteachofthefollowingthings:

a high-performanceculture

b complextransactions

c individuals

Practice

Workforce diversity

Listening 2

Sharon Fraser


Unit1 13

Read the text below about how Jim Goodnight successfully retains and motivates talented people. Make a list of the policies that have made this possible.

Reading 2

Do you agree with what Mr Goodnight says in the quotation below? Why/Why not? What problems might result from this policy?

‘Creativepeoplecanbetrustedtomanagetheirownworkloads.Tosupportthecreativeprocessandmeetthedemandsoffamilylife,flexibleworkdayguidelinesencouragepeopletostarteachdayatwhatevertimeisbestforthem.’

An Internet search using the question ‘How creative are you?’ will list websites that include creativity tests. Select a site and take a test to see how creative you are.

Speaking

The ritual of handing out sweetsto employees every Wednesday

morning at SAS, probably the world’sbiggest software maker, has come tosymbolisethefamouslyemployee-friendlyculturethatJimGoodnight,theCEO,hascultivatedathisfirm.Everyaspectoflifeon the large, leafySAScampus inCary,NorthCarolina,isdesignedtobringthebest out of employees by treating themwell.MostSASemployeeshavetheirownoffices, for example, with the exceptionof one sales team which wanted to beopen-plan.2 Since its foundation in 1976, thecompany has provided free snacksand subsidised cafés. The SAS campusalso offers magnificent sports facilities,subsidisedchild-careandearlyschooling,andthejewelinthecrown,itsownhealth-care centre, free to staff. SAS estimatesthat thishas reduced itshealthbillsbyaround$2.5mayear. Italsohasalong-term “wellness” programme, supportedby two nutritionists and a “lifestyleeducation” scheme, which is expectedtoyieldfurthercostsavings.Already,theaverageSASworkerisoffsickforonly2.5daysayear.3 The only popular employee benefitthatSASdoesnotofferisastock-optionpackage, usually mandatory in thesoftwareindustry.Thatisbecauseitisaprivatelyownedcompany.“Wedon’thave

todealwithSarbanes-Oxleyorminorityshareholderssuinguseverytimeweturnaround,or25-year-oldWallStreetanalyststellingushowtorunourbusiness,”Mr.Goodnightsaysenthusiastically.4 Not surprisingly, employees tend tostick around, which means SAS has tobe careful whom it recruits and severein dealing with mistakes: a philosophythat Mr Goodnight calls “Hire hard,manageopen,firehard”.Theaveragerate

of staff turnover at SAS is around4%ayear,comparedwitharound20%inthesoftwareindustryasawhole.Afewyearsagoabusiness-schoolprofessorcalculatedthatthisalonesavedSAS$85mayearinrecruitmentandtrainingcosts.5 MrGoodnightpointsoutthatitisnotjustthebenefitsthatkeeppeopleatSAS–“it’sthechallengeofthework.”SASisaleader in the field of “businessintelligence”,whichhelpscompaniesusedatatounderstandtheirownbusinesses.Asothersoftwarehasbecomeincreasinglycommoditised, business intelligence hasbecomeahotfield.Hisgoalistoremainin the more interesting, higher value-addedpartsofthesoftwarebusiness–notleast, presumably, to prevent hisemployeesfromgettingbored.

Face value

Managing creative talent

Hard work and work-life balance go hand in hand

The Economist

1

@


Careerskills

14 Unit1

1 Here is a selection of questions from appraisal interviews. Decide which question in each pair is the most appropriate to use in an appraisal interview.

1 Franklyyourperformancewasquitedisappointing,wasn’tit?

Shallwediscusshowyoucouldgoaboutimprovingyourperformance?

2 Whyhaveyousometimesfounditdifficulttomeetyourdeadlines?

Howcomeyounevermanagetocompleteyourworkontime?

3 Ihaveheardthatyouarenotgettingonverywellwithyournewcolleague.Canyouconfirmthat?

Isthereanythingthatyou’dliketomentionaboutyourworkingrelationshipwithyourcolleagues?

4 Howcouldwehelpyoutomanageyourlifeoutsidework?

Youareplanningtodosomethingaboutyourattendancerecord,aren’tyou?

5 Wouldyouagreethatyouareclearlyoutofyourdepthwhenitcomestoanalysingaccounts?

Arethereanyareaswhereyoucouldusesomeextratrainingorsupport?

6 Itistruethatyouhavebeenlosingyourtemperquitealotrecently,isn’tit?

Wouldyouliketoreceivesometrainingtohelpyoutomanageyourstressmoreeffectively?

2 Give some examples of other questions that you think could be used in an appraisal interview.

Most businesses evaluate the performance and potential of their staff by using appraisals. Appraisals are normally organised in different stages (see chart below). As part of the process, the appraisee (the person who is being evaluated) and appraiser (his/her supervisor) both agree on the specific objectives that the employee should achieve. The supervisor provides ongoing feedback before conducting a final evaluation during an appraisal interview. The interview is a key moment of the appraisal process. A well-conducted interview should provide an employee with the motivation to improve his/her performance. The appraiser must set the right tone during the interview and ask the right questions in order to encourage exchange and dialogue. Asking the wrong questions may have the opposite effect.Self-appraisal is a method that is often used before the appraisal interview takes place. Staff are given a questionnaire or asked to access one online which they complete. The document is then used to prepare for the interview.

Look at the following guidelines for formulating appraisal questions.a Use open questions to get the appraisee to talk about different aspects of his/

her work experience: What’s your view of this?b Try not to use too many closed questions: Have you changed your opinion about

that?c Avoid leading questions: You didn’t manage that aspect of the project very well,

did you?

Managing appraisals

1 Set Objectives 2 Provide Feedback 3 Evaluate performance


Unit1 15

Listen to two extracts from appraisal interviews and answer the questions.

1 Howwouldyoudescribetheatmosphere?

2 Whatsortofrelationshipdothetwopeoplehave?

3 Whathavetheyachieved?

1 Read the following short descriptions of situations at work. Form pairs; Student A is the appraiser and Student B is the appraisee. Choose one situation and conduct a short appraisal interview. Compare the outcome of your interview with another pair.

Listening 3

Culture at work

Speaking

2 Look at the four sample questions from a self-appraisal questionnaire and decide how you would answer them. Then compare your answers with a partner.

– Howsuccessfulhaveyoubeeninachievingyourobjectivesoverthelastyear?

– Inwhatwayscouldyoudevelopyourexistingskillsorlearnnewones?

– Arethereanyareasofyourworkwhereyouwouldwelcomeguidance?

– Whatspecificobjectiveswouldyouliketofixforthecomingperiod?

Assessing colleaguesAttitudestoperformanceappraisalcandependonculture.Insomecultures,forexample,subordinatesareencouragedtogiveconstructivecriticismofthehierarchyandmanagersadopta‘handson’approachwhichgivesemployeestheconfidencetodiscussproblemsopenly.Inthis‘egalitarianworkculture’,feedbackisgivenfreelyacrossthehierarchicaldivides.Inotherculturestheappraisalprocedureisperceivedasa‘commandandcontrol’toolformanagement.Whichisclosesttoyourculture?Howmightthisdifferencecausemisunderstandinginmultinationalteams?

Appraisee 1

This employee has had a

long history of absenteeism.

The last time he/she was

appraised it was agreed that

he/she would make a special

effort to improve in this area.

Unfortunately the attendance

record shows that only minor

progress has been made.

Appraisee 2This employee has always made a major contribution to the company and has consistently met performance targets. This is still the case. However, there have been a number of incidents with fellow employees where tempers have become frayed and the atmosphere in the department has deteriorated to a point where it is starting to affect performance.

Appraisee 3This employee was originally tipped to become one of the young stars of the division and last year it was agreed that if he/she continued to produce above average results then he/she would be allowed to join the prestigious internal group of ‘fast track’ high-potential staff. However, his/her performance has been erratic of late and he/she can no longer be considered for the programme.


16 Unit1

Decision:

ListentotheHRexpertgivinghisopiniononwhichsystemshouldhavebeenchosen.Whichotherappraisalsystemdoeshereferto?

Dilemma: Getting back on track

Brief

ComputerSolutionsCorporation(CSC)producesproblemsolvingsoftwarefordataintensiveindustriessuchasinsuranceandbanking.WhenJohnCurrytookoverasCEOfiveyearsagoitwasanexpanding,profitablebusinesswithastrongfocusoncustomerrelations.Highlymotivatedteamsofsoftwareengineersworkedcloselywithclientstoproducequality,tailor-madesolutions.Hisvisionwastodoublegrowthintenyears.Hisnewlyappointedteamoffinanceexpertssetaboutintroducingaggressivecost-cuttingstrategies.Pressuretoproduceproductsfornewcustomerswithintighterdeadlinesmeantthatstaffworkedlongerhours.Curryclosedtheexpensiveon-sitechildcarefacilitieswhichforcedmanyofthefemalestafftogopart-time,makingteamworkcomplicated.Intheshortterm,however,financialresultsdidimproveandCurryseemedwellonthewaytoachievinghisgoal.Hegenerouslyrewardedseniormanagementwithexclusiveprivileges,bonusesandpromotions.

Thisisolatedthestaffandmadethemresentful.Theysawitasunfairandfeltthatthebossarbitrarilyrewardedhisfriendsaccusinghimof‘cronyism’.Salesbegantofallandthebestsoftwaredesigners,lookingformoreflexibleworkinghours,startedtoleavethecompanytoworkfreelance.Thiscausedseveralhigh-profileclientstotaketheirbusinesselsewhere.Currywasforcedtoresign.Inacompanywheretheproductisdependentonstaffcreativityandknowledgehehadfailedtomotivateandrewardtherightpeople.ThenewCEOPatriciaDonohuehiredaninterimHRspecialisttorecruit,retainandnurturenewtalent.Headvisedtheintroductionofafairandtransparentperformanceappraisalsystemdesignedtoimproveemployeemotivationandcommitment.

Task 1Divideintogroupsofthree.YouaremembersofCSC’sHRdepartment.YouknowthatallappraisalsystemsaredesignedtoavoidtheproblemsCSChasexperienced.Yourjobistochoosethebestoneforthecompany’spresentsituation.StudentA,turntopage135,StudentBtopage137andStudentCtopage138.Readtheprofilesofperformanceappraisalscarefullyandpreparetopresentyourprofiletotheothers.

Task 2Meettodiscussthebenefitsanddrawbacksofeachtypeofappraisalsystem.

Task 3Choosetheappraisalschemeyoulikebestandpresentyourargumentstotheclass.

Write it upWriteamemotoPatriciaDonohueexplainingwhichsystemyouhavechosenandwhy.

For more information, see Style guide, page 18.


PAGE 13 PAGE 14 People power - Pearson...

Documents

Transcript of PAGE 13 PAGE 14 People power - Pearson...