Recruitment and Workplace Relations assessment

Introduction

You are required to demonstrate your skills and knowledge in reviewing human resources functions, policies and procedures. This can be achieved by undertaking a simulated workplace report based on a case study, and providing AHRI with the simulated report assessment and evidence as outlined below.

• Carefully read each question and any accompanying instructions. You are required to provide a written response for all questions.
• Refer to your topic workbook and the prescribed textbook as required for assistance in responding to the questions. (Note: Do not copy and paste directly from the topic workbook as this constitutes plagiarism. Refer to the course handbook for further information on plagiarism. Where you directly quote from a textbook, or any other published work, you will need to acknowledge the source/quotation.)
• Draw on your own work experience and organisational situation where relevant.

If necessary, seek clarification about the questions from your Academic Coordinator. Please note that you are required to provide a response to all questions. This information will be used by the AHRI assessor to inform your competency. An incomplete record may result in an invalid assessment and a ‘Competency Not Yet Achieved’ result for the unit of competency.

Note:

1. Both assessment task Part A: Written Assessment and Part B: Simulated Workplace Report (Case study) must be successfully completed for a Competency Achieved (CA) result to be awarded for this topic.
2. Students who do not successfully complete Part A or Part B assessment tasks will receive a Competency Not Yet Achieved (CNYA) result and will have the opportunity for one resubmission.

If you have completed these tasks in a workplace previously, talk to your Assessor as you may qualify for recognition of prior learning (RPL).

Assessment conditions

Assessment must be conducted in a safe environment where the conditions are typical of those in a working environment in this industry.

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to develop and implement strategies to source candidates and to assess their suitability for available positions. The unit applies to individuals working in a human resources job role, as well as those for whom recruitment and onboarding are part of their broader duties

1. Plan for recruitment
2. Screen and interview potential candidates
3. Assess and select candidates
4. Manage candidate outcomes
5. Onboard successful candidate

The candidate must demonstrate the ability to complete the tasks outlined in the elements, performance criteria and foundation skills of this unit, including evidence of the ability to:

1. Coordinate the recruitment and onboarding In the course of the above, the candidate must:
2. demonstrate the process for screening and interviewing a candidate
3. communicate effectively with clients and successful and unsuccessful candidates
4. review job descriptions and use them to support sourcing, selecting and appointing suitable staff
5. consult with relevant stakeholders to gain approvals
6. develop selection criteria and interview questions in consultation with relevant stakeholders
7. obtain referees’ reports
8. provide a written report or demonstration of an assessment of a candidate’s skills and selection recommendation
9. secure preferred candidate’s agreement and provide an employment contract.

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to communicate and implement industrial relations policies and procedures to effectively represent organisations/employers. It applies to individuals who work in support positions, assisting others in dealing with industrial relations conflicts and issues.

1. Support preparation of Employee and Industrial Relations processes
2. Support industrial relations
3. Support employee relations
4. Contribute to continuous improvement

The candidate must demonstrate the ability to complete the tasks outlined in the elements, performance criteria and foundation skills of this unit, including evidence of the ability to:

• prepare and support ER (employee relations) and IR (industrial relations) processes for an organisation or work area, on at least two occasions.

In the course of the above, the candidate must:

1. locate information required to identify relevant legislation, agreements, policies and procedures
2. use effective communication techniques to support the resolution of simple workplace grievances and conflicts
3. provide accurate written and oral advice about industrial matters
4. use strategies to monitor and gather feedback on the implementation of industrial relations policies and procedures.

If you require further guidance to understand the competency requirements and complete this assessment task:

• Contact your Academic Coordinator, and
• Refer to the unit of competency which provides additional information about assessment requirements. You can access the competency at http://www.training.gov.au – simply type the competency code into the search tool to access the full unit of competency.

TASK INSTRUCTIONS: 

To complete this assessment task:

• Carefully read each question and any accompanying instructions. You are required to provide a written response for all questions.
• Refer to your topic workbook and the prescribed textbook as required for assistance in responding to the questions. (Note: Do not copy and paste directly from the topic workbook as this constitutes plagiarism. Refer to the course handbook for further information on plagiarism. Where you directly quote from a textbook, or any other published work, you will need to acknowledge the source/quotation.)
• Draw on your own work experience and organisational situation where relevant.
• If necessary, seek clarification about the questions from your Academic Coordinator.

ASSESSMENT TASK

Questions 1-11 require you to prepare elements of the end-to-end process for recruitment, selection and onboarding. Your business case should include all elements outlined in the assessment questions for Part B Assessment.

Case Study: ZJ Business Experts

ZJ Business Experts are a consultancy that offers small business clients with expert advice in business strategy development & planning. The organisation that has a total of 150 employees and operates out of Paramatta in NSW. As part of their three year strategic agenda, the organisation has made the decision to expand their service offering to include Tax Accounting services for their existing and new clients. In order to offer clients this new service offering, the organisation needs to recruit a number of Tax Accountants who can serve their existing and new clients however the operational GM are unclear as to the exact number of Tax Accountants that need to be sourced.

As a HR Business Advisor, you have been directed by the GM of HR to meet with relevant operational stakeholders to assess what the exact staffing requirement would be, conduct a job analysis, create position descriptions for these new roles, manage the end to end hire, selection, performance KPI development, onboarding and induction processes. The roles need to be in place by mid-January and given the Christmas holidays could impede recruitment timeframes, the GM of HR has asked you to commence working on these deliverables immediately.

Information about ZJ Business Experts

Their Vision: “Every client is our business partner – we’ll treat your business like our own”.

Their Mantra: Support small businesses with expert advice in Business strategic development and planning.

Their mission: To be a business partner to small businesses, freeing them up to focus on the bigger issues and achieving business success.

As clients’ businesses grow to and they take on the challenges this presents, ZJ Business Experts will provide clients with services that will make it easier for them to manage their ongoing business needs. A hassle-free approach providing peace of mind for clients as they navigate this tough economic period.

ZJ Business Experts is expanding quicker than organisational executive team expected with an increased demand for the services.

Their HR policies, processes and procedures have not been reviewed since they were first implemented. The HR team has also been tasked with reviewing the HR policies, processes and procedures, ensuring its currency with government legislation, creating more awareness of HR policies, processes and procedures with both employees and leaders.

The lack of clarity around these HR policies, processes and procedures has in the past been the cause for employee complaints and disputes. Managers within ZJ Business Experts are very skilled technically but lack strong leadership experience which is at the heart of some of the grievances that have been reported.

Question  1

1. Using this case study, conduct an analysis of what roles would be required in the next 2 years for the new department.

• List each role, role type (full time/part time/casual), the title and estimated salary band (If you are unsure about salary bands, they can be estimated by searching recruitment websites)
• What 3 core capabilities you would be looking for in each role
• iii. What timeframes these roles are required

Question 2

1. Reflecting on the case study (or your own organisation’s recruitment policies and procedures), what candidate sourcing and advertising strategies would you need to implement in order to assist ZJ Business Experts source the right candidates for the role?
2. Outline steps you would take to consult with relevant stakeholders with regards to the workforce strategy, job descriptions and the required selection criteria for the role
3. Identify the steps you would take to establish recruitment and approval requirements for ZJ Business Experts recruitment needs. Who would sign off on a new role? And who would approve an appointment?

Question 3

1. Develop a job advertisement for the new role of Learning & Development Manager position. Keep in mind the AIDA principle (A- Attention, I – interest, D- Desire, A-Action) when writing the job ad.

Case Study continued

As a HR Recruitment Manager, you have been asked to develop an interview guide for an interview. The interview will be for the Learning & Development Manager role within your organisation’s Learning and Development team.

The interview guide is required to have a mix of generic questions to ascertain the prior experience of the candidate and their organisational fit.

Note: Download the position description for the Learning Manager Role in Canvas. Use this as the basis for the development of your interview guide

Question 4

1. You are also required to develop a template for the interviewer to use for notetaking. The template should include:

• A run sheet or timetable for a 45 min interview
• Create 3 behavioural interview questions that address the key competencies in the position description.
• Create 2 organisational values or culture based interview questions that address the core values that would be expected in that role.
• Include any suggested scripts the interviewer could use during the interview

Download the position description for the Learning Manager Role in Canvas. Use this as the basis for the development of your interview guide

Question 5

a) Reflecting on the case study (or what your own organisation does), what preliminary screening processes would you undertake with potential candidates to shortlist the talent pool?

Question 6

1. Create a brief checklist of questions or topics which outline the type of information you will need to discuss with referees. Explain how you would collate information to create referee reports.

Question 7

1. Providing feedback to candidates and notifying them of a successful and unsuccessful outcome is important part of candidate recruitment. Using the case study as an example, develop a standard response to be used for candidates in the interview process. Create two standard responses:

• A response for successful candidates which outlines the next steps in the recruitment process
• A response for unsuccessful candidates

Question 8

1. When creating a contract for a new employee, what elements must be included in the contract? Include any terms and conditions for employment.
2. Which legislation or other legal agreements would influence employee contracts?

Question 9 

1. What tools and techniques could you use during your interview process that reduces unconscious bias and discrimination in the interview process?

Question 10

1. If you received a complaint from an unsuccessful interviewee, claiming they had been discriminated against during the interview:
2. How would you respond to the interviewee?
3. What would be your next steps in handling the complaint?
4. How would you document the grievance?
5. Which stakeholders would you notify and engage in a solution?

Question  11

1. Draft a communication notifying stakeholders of your new employee appointment
2. What administrative considerations do you need to action for your new employee? Reflect on what information and systems a new employee would need on their first day.
3. What steps would you take to ensure the new employee is successfully integrated into the business?