Talent Acquisition Group at HCL Technologies Improving the Quality Of Hire Through Focused Metrics Case Solution

There are several ways through which fair and cost effective recruitment and selection processes can be designed. For instance, two such techniques of recruitment which is both effective and costs less are the e-recruitment tools and the contingent workers. E-recruitment tools are effective because potential employees can log onto the website of the company and prepare their online database in an interactive way. This prevents them from conducting extensive paperwork which would have otherwise been required without using such systems (Kaur, 2015). Similarly, through e-recruitment platforms, companies can provide linkage of employment tests, online assessment tools to the applicants. The good thing about these tools is that they can allow the company to obtain results and grading through online means without wasting time in checking the applications. It is also important to note that the online e-recruitment process is cheaper than the traditional model where the more physical approach is used. This is because the organization can save on costs like physically travelling for online tests, or arranging printing and preparation of the papers, etc. (Kaur, 2015). Contingent workers are also one way to reduce costs and have effective recruitment practices. These individuals can be present in any department of the organization whether sales, marketing, research, customer service etc. These employees are ones who are not part of the permanent workforce of the organization but against a small cost, they are available as a reserve pool to be used whenever any additional need arises in the company. Such a recruitment strategy is effective because these people can be taken on board much quickly as compared to those who are completely new to the organization. They are also less costly to be brought on board; so, the situation is in favor of the organization (Vandlen, 2011). The organization also used Employee Referrals as a means to reduce costs of the recruitment process and still obtain employees who were better aligned with the culture of the organization.    

Caldwell (1993) has identified four difficulties which affect HR practices and the context in which they are applied. Each of these difficulties needs to be discussed with specific examples from HCL and its Talent Acquisition Group. The first difficulty is that HR roles and process change is more complex than usually perceived. For instance, this is evident in the case when the Talent Acquisition Group is discussing the issue of Quality of Hire. All the stakeholders in the case agreed on the fact that this is quite a complex issue and trying to oversimplify it by using metrics might create problems. This is also relevant in other HR aspects as discussed by Caldwell that such complex processes and roles might not be easily resolved (Chartrand, Rose, Elliot, Marmarosh, & Caldwell, 1993).

Another difficulty identified by Caldwell is that the context of the organization matters a lot. Some aspects of the organization and its internal, as well as external environment, might be changing rapidly which starts affecting how well the organization and its HR policies work. This is also seen in the HCL case. It has been presented in the case that the organization is surrounded by a complex environment. The IT industry is going through rapid changes within India and in other countries and it is due to the complexity and presence of HCL in different markets all over the world which has created a need to integrate all the functions. A third difficulty identified by Caldwell relates to the problem of macro-level patterns and how change within an organization can get affected as a result of these developments. For instance, in the case, it has been mentioned that the organization was facing macro level issues as far as HR practices were concerned. Different business segments in the company were operating as a standalone and did not have the integrated approach needed to perform HR related responsibilities. This was problematic because each business segment did not know what was happening at the macro level in the organization. It affected HR practices because there were instances when the same employee was given job offer after the recruitment process was completed by two different business segments. The last problem identified by Caldwell relates to the ability of HR professionals in coping with changes that take place. In HCL, this problem has been dealt with to a certain extent by increasing the dynamic capability of HR function and, in particular, the role of Talent Acquisition Group. The fact that organization realized it was facing severe issues related to integration, and still it showed a willingness to improve the HR function and conduct an organization-wide revamp process proves that the HR division in the organization does have the ability to cope with changes prevalent around them.    

Workplace diversity has important advantages for any organization. Workplace diversity can be created by using various methods. Some organizations achieve a certain level of workplace diversity by obtaining workers where the ratio of male to female staff is maintained at an acceptable rate. Similarly, others conduct diversity-related initiatives by providing chances to people of different ages, ethnicity and religion to become part of their workforce (Munjuri, 2012). The reason organizations take such an approach is that there are several advantages of having a diverse workforce. Many researchers have identified and worked on these aspects that explain why workplace diversity is a positive sign for employers to implement in their companies. For instance, one of the advantages of having a diverse workforce is that the organization obtains a different and varied perspective in its workforce which allows it to operate in different markets all over the world. Similarly, employees also feel more welcomed in such organizations because they understand that their employer does not discriminate amongst them based on gender, religion, culture or other such prejudices and biases (WGEA, 2013).

Here it is also pertinent to discuss how the labor market aspects like pension, salary, incentives, motivation, etc. were included within the new and improved HR systems at HCL. Exhibit 9 which is titled, shared service structure of TAG and corresponding metrics, of the case, discusses some of these elements. The metrics presented here in the specialist function of source shows that diversity of candidates is considered when the screening process of applicants is carried out. One aspect of the diversity related to gender mix has also been discussed in Exhibit 10 of the case. The issue of salary/ incentives as well as the diversity is again represented in Exhibit 9 under the Hiring Manager tab. Here it has been mentioned that the organization takes into account what the package was being offered to the applicant on their earlier position as an important indicator of how they would be compensated for the new position at HCL. These aspects of the job are important to be addressed because they help in creating the right motivation drivers for employees of the company. However, it must be noted here that not all employees can get motivated as a result of these incentives. Some employees might be more motivated by extrinsic motivation variables like better salary, incentives, bonuses, etc. while others might be looking for more intrinsic drivers of motivation as an attraction. These can include aspects like a better work life balance in the organization or a prosperous organization culture with the potential of training and development activities for the employees. HCL, and in particular, the Talent Acquisition Group needs to realize that both these aspects are important and the organization must provide the right balance to its potential employees otherwise they might not feel motivated to join and then work for achieving the vision of the company (Benabou & Tirole, 2003).   

Although most of the issues related to workers and their motivation drivers have been addressed in the new and improved Talent Acquisition strategy of the company, some elements are still missing or at least not included within the case provided. For instance, it is not mentioned whether the organization has different contracts drawn for different levels of employees. It has also not been provided in a clear manner whether the organization has allotted different age groups to be inducted into different employment roles in the company. These are important areas to which the organization must put its attention otherwise it cannot claim to be truly handling recruitment related issues in a comprehensive manner (Vance, 2006).            

2. On the basis of the case provided explain how TAG deliver the $150 million value to the organization and evaluate its performance.

Human Resource Management and its implications for organizations have changed over the years. The concept was first limited to Personnel Management where the department’s main responsibilities were restricted to record keeping, employee payroll, taxation and other such issues. With time, the field of Human Resource Management developed where the focus shifted from record keeping and employee maintenance to aspects like employee motivation, training and development and recruitment strategies. However, the field has recently taken a more proactive approach, and researchers now cite the strategic role that human resource department can play in the achievement of corporate vision and objectives (Boxall, Purcell, & Wright, 2007).   

This shows that businesses have to realize now that HR profession needs to evolve and be viewed as a business partner just like any other integral function in the organization. With the right expertise in handling human resource, sound understanding of business and its integral aspects along with a perspective on the overall strategy of the organization, HR as a function can become helpful in bringing the required change within the company (Mitsakis, 2014). However, this cannot be possible if those involved in HR and its related functions restrict themselves to traditional roles and refuse adapting to the changing business dynamics. This is also important because organizations have to realize that its employees are a major source of value to the company but this can quickly become a burden if the costs of retaining employees become more than its benefits.