HR ISSUES IN NATURAL DISASTERS

QUESTION

Assessment 1 – Tutorial contribution and facilitation.

Worth: 25% overall (15% for contribution and 10% for facilitation) Due: Weekly in the Tutorial

Each week during the semester you are required to complete the tutorial preparation for the topics and actively contribute to tutorial discussion (15% of your final mark). While ‘attendance’ is not a criterion for tutorial assessment, you obviously cannot score marks if you cannot show your tutor that you have prepared work that will support that week’s discussion. The preparation for, and contribution to, tutorials will help you learn and understand each weekly topic and contribute to class discussion in a meaningful way.   Once during the semester you will be required to prepare for, and facilitate the discussion on the Research Excellence University Case study (10% of your final mark). Your tutorial preparation, contribution to, and control of, tutorial discussions and questions will be assessed against specific criteria that your individual tutor will discuss with you in the first tutorial.

Assessment 1 Marking Criteria

Your tutorial mark will take into account your preparation and your contribution in the following:

• Evidence of completing preliminary reading & preparation activities from Blackboard.
• Evidence of applying theoretical knowledge to analysing the set weekly case study problems.
• Evidence of research into other organisations that demonstrates practical application of the theory.
• Contributing thoughtful comments and questions to group and class discussions.
• Actively enabling other class members to participate in discussions (when facilitating).
• Preparation, facilitation and control of discussions in the weeks you are a designated discussion leader for the first tutorial activity.
• More of a ‘doer’ than a ‘watcher’ in group and class discussions.

Your tutor will assess each student’s contribution and facilitation in accordance with the assessment criteria listed above.

Assessment 2 – Case study analysis and essay

Worth: 25%, Due: 4pm Monday of teaching session 6

You are to analyse the case study, which will be posted on Blackboard during the first week of classes, and write an essay that addresses the questions/problems at the end of the case study. You will be assessed on your ability to recognise, analyse and discuss the key issues in the case study; and on your ability to appropriately use reference material to support your arguments. The quality of the sources of information you use, as well as your skills in applying the Chicago Referencing Style will be assessed. You are expected to cite at least ten (10) different scholarly academic sources (Not websites) to support your arguments and discussion. A 2,000 word essay is to be submitted by 4pm Monday of Teaching Week 6.  Please complete and attach the relevant sections of the assignment cover page found in Blackboard. You need to put your tutor’s name on the front of the cover sheet or your assignment may not be marked. Therefore, it is your responsibility to ensure you know who your tutor is before the due date.

NOTE:   While an essay is requested you are advised to USE HEADINGS to signpost changes in focus throughout the paper.

Assignments must be submitted to Turnitin and your Turnitin receipt must be attached to the hard copy of your assignment. A penalty will apply if you do not do this.  The hard copy of the assignment must be stamped and placed in your Tutors Box, which is situated in the corridor on Level 3 of Building 408 near the Management School office.  Do not place this in the Unit co-ordinators mail-box).

Questions:

After reading the articles and conducting background research on human resource management issues in natural disasters:

1. Identify and describeFOUR(4)human resource issues faced by companies affected by the earthquakes in Christchurch.

1. As a human resource consultant engaged by the New Zealand government to assist these companies, recommend FOUR(4) solutions to address the issues raised in Question 1. Please explain your recommendations.

SOLUTION

1. Identify and describe FOUR(4) human resource issues faced by companies affected by the earthquakes in Christchurch.

Ans.

Earthquakes are natural disasters and no one can predict it as to when is it going to happen and at what time. Business units thus needs to make effective and good arrangements on the same so as to ensure that their is very less damages and there is more profits from it. Human resources needs to be done well so that there is just and good practices that is being followed up with the companies.

One of the biggest problems that happens when an earthquake happens is that it disrupts the logistic support system of that particular nation. That is what had happened with New Zealand also. The roads and public transport system was totally disrupted andthat was the major reason for concern for all of the companies. In order to ensure that these things does not happen we should ensure that the rods and being built  with good materials and their should also be some sort of alternate route that should be provided to the logistics people so that in cases like these theircan be good usage of these roads.

Following are the major issues in Human Resources that is being faced up by companies who are struck up with earthquakes.

1. Talent Management: Earthquakes dampens the talent of that particular nation. It mixes up with the labour talent with that of the other talent of workforces that is being present their. That is what had happened with Christchurch also where the talent was mixed up andthe companies who needed labour were not able to get it andvice versa the companies who needed mind force talent were not able to get that talent. This created a wide spreadhue and cry situation ensuring that companies are not able to get what they want.

This kind of problem had effected the country on previous notes also but this time the damage was more as theevent of earthquakethe companies would be looking more for good people at the right point of time. Hence this problem had occurred andtheir were a lot ofbad consequences that was happening because of it. A lot of companies had to suffer a lot of losses and some companies also had to shut down their operations because of the same.

1. Employee Handling: The remaining employees who are available with the company needed to be managed well and that was not the thing that companies were doing. They demanded core work from them as there is a lot of loss from their work force andthat was the thing that these employees were in no position to do. Hence, they used to leave job andgo in search of other jobs.

Thus their should be effective employee management that should be done in these cases so that there is good around support and management of the same. Employees need to understand that there is crisis that is going on andthus they would be working with specific time and resources but corporates only wanted to get more andmore profits to be driven out from them. This lead to wide spread disagreement with the corporate policies and principles andthus it made sure that there is great problems that happened with the company.

Employees started to resign from their jobs andtheir was anyways good demand for the ma so they used to find some other company and the source and this rotational policy would help in company getting more losses in the interim. Hence this kind of employee management technique was not adopted wellby companies who were in deep crisis and this resulted in kre wide spread losses for the companies.

1. Compensation Management:Their was great damage that had happened because of Earthquakes andtheir was losses for life and property from them. Thus companies needed to pay some compensation to their employees that they cancope up with the stress and start working normally. This was the thing that the companies did not do.

They said that they are already in great problem and at this point of time how can we provide for compensation to our employees. This made the employeesmore angry and they shifted their verticals. This was one of the biggest negative point of the scenario and employees took this opportunity to leave the company rather than working their.

1. Salary Management: Salaries were not dispatched ontime for the employees and they were being told that they would be receiving salaries after some more time. This made them more unrest andthey demanded immediate salary for all the people.companiesai that they do not have funds to provide for salaries.

This ignited the problem to more extent andtheir was thus more wide spread revolt and anger in the people. This was the main reason what the talent of the people were being tested to great heights and people started to feel thepinch of the problem. They anyways had a problem and with salaries being not discharged they were being put into more problems.

1. As a human resource consultant engaged by the New Zealand government to assist these companies, recommend FOUR(4) solutions to address the issues raised in Question 1. Please explain your recommendations.

Ans.

As a Human Resource consultant we should mainly ensure that there is optimum utilization of resources and there is very less wasthe that is being happening in the country because of earthquakes and Tsunami. Hence the primary task ofours would be to understand the problem things andthen only would we be able to get something profitable out of it and we are able to get the maximum benefit from the available resources.

The solutions of the problems would be as below:

1. Setting up a Talent Management Team: the first and the foremost thing that I would do is to set upa  Talent Management team which would ensure that there is necessary and effective management of resources and there is also optimum utilization of resources. What this talent management team would do is that it would be a kindof pool of resources were all the employees and ex employees can come andregister themselves.

After registering the companies would come their andhire the employees as per the specifications and needs of theirindustry. Thus, what it would do is that their would be some bench strength that would be availed with the companies o that they all can come their and hire what all people are being needed by their company andthis would reduce the chaos that is their in the market.

1. Setting up an EmployeeGrievance Team: Companies should ensure that they set up an employee grievancethem which would ensure people who are trustable form the company. They would mainly speak with the employees regarding their problems andtheir current state and theywould ensure that the employees do not leave the company at any point of time for the same.
2. ProvidingCompensation from Government: Government should provide for some compensation to the people of the country at this kind of junction. This would mainly ensure that the people are a bit relieved from the problems that they are facing and they can bear with some or the there kinds of expenditures that is happening in the interim. Thus government should ensure that they go ahead with some comapenbstion plan for all the people so that companies  are also a bot relieved from the cash pressure andthey are also at a state from where they can take over.
3. Salary Discharge: Salaries should be discharged on time for all the employees. They should not be any kind of wait for them from the companies. This would mainly help the company to retain their valuable employees andthis would also ensure that there is no problem for the employees to take care of themselves.

This is anyways a crisis time for the employees andif they hold up with the salaries of the employee this wouldcreate more panic andhue and cry from the people. Thus, they need to ensure that there is effective salarymanagementand all the salaries should be discharged to the employees on time.

References.

www.alnap.org/pool/files/tearfund.pdf

fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/139280.pd

www.seattle.gov/…/HR%20Book%202%20-%20assessment.pdf

pdm.medicine.wisc.edu/Volume_22/issue_1/de_ville.pd

www.fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/RL34537.pdf

www.unisdr.org/2005/wcdr/thematic-sessions/…/iaee-mr-esteva.pdf

www.npg.org/…/ForumPaper-Youngquist%20Rev%203-22-10.pdf

www.em.gov.au/Documents/Newcastle%20earthquake.pdf

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