Case Study Analysis About Carl Robbins
As a new worker you have finally landed that dream job, now what? You are excited about the possibilities awaiting you at your new dream job. As you prepare for your first day, you are told you will have to attend new hire orientation. Suddenly, the butterflies in your stomach return as you anticipate what to expect next. Then you ask yourself, “What is new hire orientation and what does it mean for me? ” The goal of any successful onboarding program is to ensure that the investment in a new employee pays off by creating a sense of connection between the new worker and the organization.
But what happens when company representatives lack organization and the new worker’s transition is traumatic? Take for example the Case Study for Student Analysis. In this selected paper, it is easy to immediately observe a lack of communication going on at ABC, Inc. between Carl Robbins, the campus recruiter and Monica Carrolls, the Operations Supervisor. Lagging communication skills at any organization can be catastrophic and ABC, Inc. is no different. As a first time recruiter with only six months experience, Carl will face very serious problems.
This case study will illustrate the many problems that grew when he attempted to hire employees to work for Monica Carroll. Possible solutions available for Carl to resolve the situation will be explored as well as any alternative solutions he should take. Carl Robbins is not incompetent; he simply lacks experience. As with any new position that a person is involved in; he will face challenges. With some direction, Carl can easily overcome these challenges. Background In early April, Carl was tasked to recruit and hire fifteen new hires to work for Monica Carroll, operations supervisor for ABC, Inc.
After successfully recruiting them, Carl scheduled an orientation session to take place on June 15. His goal was to have all new recruits working by July. Traditionally, new hire orientation programs have long been designed to help new hires quickly learn the important things they will need to know to be successful in their new job.
Most orientation programs provide the new hire with:
- an overview of the company’s history;
- a description of the company’s organizational structure;
- an overview of employee-related policies;
- details of employee benefit programs. ABC, Inc. ’s orientation should be no different.
With only a few weeks left until the planned orientation, Carl still has lots of work to do. On May 15, Monica contacts Carl about several key issues such as the training schedule; manuals; policy booklets; drug tests; and other issues related to orientation. Carl reassures Monica that everything will be fine. Subsequently, shortly after Memorial Day, Carl pulled out his new trainee file to finalize things for the orientation scheduled for June 15. After going through his files, Carl becomes concerned. He discovers that some of the new trainees have not completed their applications and some transcripts are missing.
He also discovers that none of the new hires have been sent to the clinic for their mandatory drug screens. Next, he searched the orientation manuals and realized that only three copies exist. He then discovers that those three copies are missing several pages. Carl is in big trouble as his first recruitment effort is not going as smoothly as it should. Carl’s problems however are just beginning. Upset and frustrated, he decides to go for a quick walk. As he returned to the office, Carl decides to check out training room for the upcoming orientation. To his surprise, he found Joe from technology services.
Joe was setting up computer terminals. Carl decided to review the scheduling log and discovered that Joe had already reserved the training room for other training activities the entire month of June. Panicked, Carl returned to his office; put his head on his desk; and silently wondered, “What am I going to do? ” Key Problems The first key problem that Carl faces is his lack of experience. Initially, Monica contacts Carl about the key items needed for orientation and he assures her that everything is good to go. This could not have been further from the truth. At this point, he is not aware of the problems he ill face in his new endeavor. Carl’s lack of experience is clearly exhibited when his assurance has not been tested. The next key problem that arises for Carl is when he checks the new trainee files and discovers that they are incomplete. All the new recruits have gone through the interview process and filled out their paperwork. Unfortunately, the paperwork is incomplete and missing lots of valuable data. To make matters worse, some files are missing transcripts, and no one has completed the required drug screens. Problems only get worse for Carl when he discovers that only three copies of the employee manuals exist.
Of the three manuals that exist, they are all missing several pages. Unfortunately, he needs fifteen complete copies. As if the previous issues alone are not bad enough, Carl also learns that the training room he plans to use for orientation has been booked by another individual for the entire month of June. At this point, he is faced with a serious dilemma, and his lack of experience reveals that he does not realize the severity of his problem. Namely, he lacks leadership because he failed to prepare and assumed that his first project would go smoothly.
Next, he reveals his lack of organizational skills because he failed to review his trainee file prior to guaranteeing Monica that everything would be ready for orientation. Alternatives A possible solution for Carl as a new recruiter is to use this onboarding process as a welcome mat for new hires as a means to display his potential talents as a top notch recruiter. To accomplish, this he must determine who will be affected by his failure to develop his first orientation. Next, Carl should analyze how these parties will be affected as a result of his failure to prepare.
Then, he should evaluate possible alternatives to the dilemma he is facing. Unfortunately, Carl is not quite in a position to do this. Subsequently, he should have developed his project prior to promising results. Carl could improve his organizational and communicative skills by establishing the parameters for the project. In other words, he should have determined his needs and effectively communicated those needs to any other parties early on. This strategy would have granted him the opportunity to plan for alternative solutions without anxiety. Proposed Solution
Many successful new hire or onboarding programs start with a checklist of typical new employee needs. Certainly, Carl could have used a checklist to help him determine his needs as a new recruiter. Since most new employees want to make a good first impression, Carl could have made this transition easier for himself and everyone else by seeking the assistance of a more seasoned professional. Monica Carrolls is also not exempt from her role in this fiasco. She could have ensured a more seamless transition by providing Carl with a detailed orientation program.
This would have lifted the burden of him having to figure things out on his own. Not only would a detailed orientation program have comforted Carl’s anxiety; it would have also sent a positive message to the entire organization about their organizational skills. Since Carl had only been on the job for six months, Monica could have required that he produce a detailed checklist for the proposed orientation. In my opinion, Monica’s role for Carl should have been that of coach and mentor to ensure a successful onboarding process. This could have been accomplished by developing a simple framework and tailoring it to meet ABC, Inc. s specific needs. Clearly this was not done and ultimately disaster struck. Recommendations As previously noted, many problems surfaced when new recruiter, Carl Robbins attempted to hire employees to work for Monica Carroll at ABC, Inc. Many factors contributed to the downfall of his first recruitment effort. How could Carl have overcome the pitfalls that he faced?
Anonymous research provided by Workforce Management (2009) outlines and recommends the following guidelines for a successful onboarding program:
- Start Before Day One
Clearly Carl should have prepared for the orientation from day one.
- Socialize
Carl could have been prepared by aligning himself with the accepted practices of the company and his superiors. Therefore, he would have exhibited less anxiety and been better prepared.
- Extend Beyond Day One
Once Carl prepared for orientation, he should have extended beyond day one by analyzing any potential issues and preparing possible alternative solutions.
- Assign a Mentor
Monica should have assigned herself as Carl mentor in this situation. Since this was Carl’s first recruitment effort, he certainly needed the assistance of a more seasoned professional.
Keep in mind; it was necessary for Carl to have implemented these specific solutions. However these guidelines are a good place to start. Any guidelines would have relieved Carl’s anxiety and allowed him to create a successful onboarding process for his fifteen new recruits. Ultimately, all of this could have been avoided had Carl sought the advice of a more seasoned professional and displayed better organizational skills. Simply put, his failure to plan was a direct result of a botched first project. Hopefully, Carl recognizes his mistakes and uses them as a learning tool in his next recruitment endeavor.
References
- Case Study for Student Analysis. Comm 215. University of Phoenix. Ecampus Course Materials. Retrieved from the website at: myresource.phoenix.edu
- Steps to a successful onboarding process. (2009). Workforce Management, 88(7), 1-S14. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/219780888?accountid=35812
