In: Operations Management
Case Study:
A Degree for Meter Readers Judy Anderson was assigned as a
recruiter for South Illinois Electric Company (SIE), a small
supplier of natural gas and electricity for Cairo, Illinois, and
the surrounding area. The company had expanded rapidly during the
last half of 1990s, and the growth was expected to continue. In
January 2003 SIE purchased the utility system serving neighbouring
Mitchell Country. This expansion concerned Judy. The company
workforce had increased by 30 percent the previous year, and Judy
had found it a struggle to recruit enough qualified job applicants.
She knew that the expansion would intensify the problem. Judy is
particularly concerned about meter readers. The task required in
meter reading are relatively simple, a person drives to homes
served by the company, finds the gas or electric meter, and records
its current reading. If the meter has been tempered with, it is
reported. Otherwise, no decision-making of any consequence is
associated with the job. The readers perform no calculations. The
pay was $8.00 per hour, high for unskilled work in the area. Even
so, Judy had been having considerable difficulty keeping the 37
meter readers’ positions filled. Judy was thinking about how to
attract more job applicants when she received a call from a human
resource director, Sam McCord. “Judy”, Sam said, “I’m unhappy with
the job specification calling for only high school education for
meter readers. In the planning for the future, we need better
educated people in the company. I’ve decided to change the
education requirement for the meter reader job from a high school
diploma to a college degree.” “but, Mr. McCord”, protested Judy,
“the company is growing rapidly. If we are to have enough people to
fill those jobs, we just can’t insist on finding college applicants
to perform such a basic task. I don’t see how we can meet our
future needs for this job with such an unrealistic job
qualification.” Sam terminated the conversation abruptly by saying,
“No, I don’t agree. We need to upgrade all the people in our
organization. This is just part of a general effort to do that.
Anyway, I cleared this with the president before I decided to do
it.
Please write an opening introduction based on above case study.
In this activity, a basic reading and writing abilities test could supplant the educational prerequisite. Education can be secondary school confirmation as run of the mill obligations of a meter reader incorporate driving along a course and recording the readings on meters, examining meters for deformities and observing for unusual utilization volume or altering that may demonstrate unlawful use. Moreover, potential meter reader ought to be set up to work outside, collaborate with customers in a quiet and expert way and maintain a strategic distance from different hindrances when strolling onto obscure property. While Mr. McCord's objective of overhauling the instructive/education level in the organization is excellent, the standard of training he is forcing is most likely lawfully faulty. It positively will make Judy's activity more troublesome. Having overqualified people in employments baffles the labourer and frequently brings about as well quick turnover. Individuals with advanced educations should, as a rule, be brought into the organization in occupations that gives a challenging scope. Moreover, if an organization requires a college degree without the obligations which are pertinent to the prerequisite of a school certificate, the positions may be hard for the Human asset branch to fulfil also the repayment that is normal with the necessities of a school confirmation. Basically, occupations that require superb comprehension, abilities, and capacities should be worth more to the organization. In the event that the assignments for meter reading are simple and the compensation at $10 with regards to hour is high for untalented individuals in that region that is movement what this activity directly requires. In the event that the office presented additional activity errands in which more obligations that require a higher pay and more prominent instruction, at that point the business need keep in mind to change the preparation necessity. There will be an extreme test of staffing the expansion with such improbable necessities for that compensation and part.
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