1. Employers Criteria for Hiring A New Employee
Shahnam Taheri
Financial Analyst and Productivity Management Consultant
Sh_ taheri@hotmail.com
Introduction
What are employers looking for employees in today’s job market? A few years ago, knowledge and
skill were the prerequisite to employment in most companies. Today, companies are seeking a new
breed of employess: one who has the knowledge and skills required to do the job, flexibility and most
important engagement and behaviour as a productive citizen in organization.
With economic global competition, many plants were closed in western countries and then reopened
in overseas like china and India. Many employees were laid offs and they learned that loyalty was no
longer rewarded. Greg Keenan and Brian Miller ask “Are there Canadian Companies that have not
succeeded because of productivity? Unfortunately, yes.” They mention about a Canadian company,
Webi, where its management team discovered that their company can improve its productivity
without access to huge amounts of capital.(7) McShane writes “It is not easy for employers to snap
their finger and simply get employees to do more”(p.46).
Therefore, the employee engagement, team working in organization by using a good human
resource management as well as improving technology are the only ways to increase labour
productivity in Canadian Companies. Many cases studies explain in details how efforts should be
done in order to improve employee engagement and firm performance outcomes such as sales and
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2. profitability and reduce the other negative outcomes such as absenteeism, customer complaints by
improving labour productivity.
As Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton write; “Successful organizations need employees who will
go beyond their usual job duties, providing performance that is beyond normal expectation .In today’s
dynamic workplace, where tasks are increasing done in teams and where flexibility is critical,
organizations need employees who will engage in “good citizenship” behaviours, such as
making constructive statements about their work group and the organization, helping others on their
team, volunteering extra job activities, avoiding unnecessary conflict, helping others on their
team, volunteering for job activities, unnecessary conflicts, showing care for organizational property,
respecting the spirit as well as the letter of rules and regulation, and gracefully tolerating
the occasional work- related impositions and nuisances. Organizations want and need employees
who will do those things that aren’t in any job description. And evidence indicates that organizations
that have such kind of employees always outperform those that don’t.” (5, 13)
1-Productivity as an index of success measurement
Productivity in an organization measures a ratio of the value of its output over its inputs.
To improve productivity, managers must find the ways to produce more outputs with fewer inputs.
In above article, writers mention the Webi improved its productivity by small investment and good
human resource management.” The company built a road on the east side of the property and
installed a new door. Now the raw materials come in the east door and finished skips go out the
other end. That has helped cut in half the amount of time it takes to fabricate a skip” (7)
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3. 2-Human Resource Management &Productivity
The foundation of success in productivity is culture and climate in organization.” All managers with
HR responsibilities play an important role in creating and maintaining the type of organizational
desire. Having a positive culture earns critical acclaim, and has positive impact on both retention and
recruitment.”(3, 42) “The major factors influencing the climate of an organization are management’s
leadership style, HR policies and practices, and amount and style of organizational communication”
(2, 8)
Employees’ skills and motivation are two factors that HR managers can improve by planning and
executing strategic Hr management system.
“Employee ability, competence in performing a job, can be improved through a hiring and placement
process that selects the best individuals for the job. Motivation refers to do the best possible job and
maximum effort to perform assigned tasks. Motivation energizes, directs, and sustains human
behaviour.”(4, 20) Wage- performance system, good leadership, employees’ participation in decision
system will increase motivation for doing better job and higher productivity.
Human resource management can affect productivity through different tools of incentives. Incentives
include remuneration, wage, salary ,bonus systems and also the system of employee performance
appraisal, promotion and career advancement. By organization structure we mean the distribution of
decision rights (autonomy/decentralization) between managers and workers, job design (e.g. flexibility
of working, job rotation), team-working (e.g. who works with whom) and information process in
organization. Suitable structure can improve both productivity and effectiveness in the organization..
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4. 3-INFLUENTIAL FACTORS ON PRODUCTIVITY
A complex mosaic of individual, social, and organizational variables determines employess
productivity organizational behaviours. For example, personality, attitudes, needs, leadership style
which must be consistent with the social context of organization. In other words organization
culture must be recognizing, encouraging, and rewarding motivation in employees for being more
productive.
In addition HR management system may provide the key link between satisfaction and performance.
Recent research suggests that, when performance is defined of organizational
citizenship behaviours, the correlation between satisfaction and performance is much stronger. We
can mention the following factors affecting productivity:
 Select and recruit right people for right job
 Improving quality of work life in organization
 Creating an organizational climate for innovation and creativity
 Creating a suggestion system
 Regular training workshops for employee
 Suitable wage and performance system
 Suitable system for promotion
Another link to HR role in productivity is social exchange theory. This theory identifies the
conditions under which people feel obligated to reciprocate when they benefit from some person’s or
some entity’s action. These actions include any benefits that a company offers to their employees.
Benefits could include child care, professional development, and workout facilities, counselling, and
tuition reimbursement.”(3)
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5. 4-SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
In a business environment, productivity improvement is essential for long run success. Through
Leader ship, suitable HR policies, managers can reduce costs, reduce waste, create an innovative
climate and employees’ empowerment.
Improving conditions for employees and leaders during work so they can engage in both mission and
strategic direction give the company to gain competitive advantage and success.
Leaders are responsible to create an environment for employees’ engagement around the core values
and goals of company as well as they feel they are citizen of their work place.
Increasing employees’ motivation and their satisfaction through training, work- incentive program
can promote better productivity through satisfied, effective, efficient and loyal workers. The nature
of motivation and effectiveness among employees is the way by which modern human resource
management is done.
The objective of all employee engagement and organizational citizenship initiatives are improved
firm performance. Human Resource Managers have an important role in productivity in any
organization directly by selecting and recruiting skilled people and indirectly by improvement the
quality of work life for employees. Flexible benefits management systems can affect employees
‘productivity. Managers should remember HR systems and issues influence productivity level,
profitability in their organizations. In fact, there is a direct relationship between progressive human
resource management and productivity management, which includes creating a climate and a culture
or work environment that is conducive all people in organization towards achieving the goals of the
company as well as the employees.
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6. WORKS CITED
BOOKS
1-Belcourt, Bohlander, Snell, and Sherman. “Managing Human Resources”, Nelson Thomson
learning, 2002.
2-Gary Dessler, Nina D. Cole, Patricia M. Goodman, Virginia L. (Gini) Sutherland” Fundamentals of
Human Resources Management in Canada”, Pearson, Toronto, Ontario, 2004.
3-John W. Newstorm and Keith Davis. “Organizational Behaviour, Human Behaviour at Work.”
Tenth edition, McGraw-Hill companies, 1997.
4-Luis R. Gomez-Mejia, David B. Balkin, Robert L.Cordy. “Managing Human Resource” New Jersey,
Prentice Hall, 2001.
5-Steven L. McShane. “Organizational Behaviour”, fifth edition, McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 2004.
6-Stevens P. Robbins and Nancy Langton “ Organizational Behaviour” Third edition, Pearson,
Printice Hall, Toronto, 2003.
NEWSPAPER
7-Greg Keenan and Brian Milner, “Productivity that starts on the shop floor”, The GLOBE AND
MAIL, Monday, New Liskheard, Ont. And Toronto-June.28, 2010.
8- Greg Keenan and Brian Milner, “The Productivity Challenge: Productivity that starts on the shop
floor”, The GLOBE AND MAIL, Monday, New Liskheard, Ont. And Toronto-July.09, 2010..
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7. WORKS CITED
BOOKS
1-Belcourt, Bohlander, Snell, and Sherman. “Managing Human Resources”, Nelson Thomson
learning, 2002.
2-Gary Dessler, Nina D. Cole, Patricia M. Goodman, Virginia L. (Gini) Sutherland” Fundamentals of
Human Resources Management in Canada”, Pearson, Toronto, Ontario, 2004.
3-John W. Newstorm and Keith Davis. “Organizational Behaviour, Human Behaviour at Work.”
Tenth edition, McGraw-Hill companies, 1997.
4-Luis R. Gomez-Mejia, David B. Balkin, Robert L.Cordy. “Managing Human Resource” New Jersey,
Prentice Hall, 2001.
5-Steven L. McShane. “Organizational Behaviour”, fifth edition, McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 2004.
6-Stevens P. Robbins and Nancy Langton “ Organizational Behaviour” Third edition, Pearson,
Printice Hall, Toronto, 2003.
NEWSPAPER
7-Greg Keenan and Brian Milner, “Productivity that starts on the shop floor”, The GLOBE AND
MAIL, Monday, New Liskheard, Ont. And Toronto-June.28, 2010.
8- Greg Keenan and Brian Milner, “The Productivity Challenge: Productivity that starts on the shop
floor”, The GLOBE AND MAIL, Monday, New Liskheard, Ont. And Toronto-July.09, 2010..
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