PAC Resources, Inc.: A Case Study in HR Practices - ( if you are able to access this for free on the internet)

Here is some of the case study:

The HRD division is managed by training director Kellie Stephens, who supervises two other employees: a trainer and an administrative assistant, who coordinate the logistics of PACs training programs. Recognizing the continuous dynamics of the high-tech industry, PAC has been a strong supporter of employee development. With approval of the immediate supervisor, PAC encourages employees to attend training seminars, and tuition reimbursement is available for college-level courses that are related to the employees job. In-house training is conducted regularly to ensure all employees are up-to-date on sexual harassment and safety procedures. Other training is made available as the need arises. Whenever possible, training programs are developed and facilitated by in-house staff members. When that is not practicable, a request for proposal is generated and PAC hires outside facilitators. Since the labor problem a few years back, Stephens aggressively trained management employees with particular emphasis on skills for first-line supervisors. She wants to see improvement in people skills and consistent implementation of PAC policies across department lines. Unfortunately, her efforts are not universally well received. Some managers grumble that HR just gets in the way and ties their hands when dealing with difficult employees. All too often Stephens hears managers say that there is the classroom way and the shop floor way. She sees training for PAC managers as an ongoing process.

With Trudeaus promotion to HR director, management of safety and security fell to his assistant, Jose Vasquez. Vasquez is a recent college graduate with a degree in ergonomics. He came to PAC as an intern during his senior year of college. Trudeau was impressed with Vasquezs attitude and enthusiasm and hired him right after graduation. Vasquez worked with Trudeau on wellness activities and conducted safety training, but his real fort is his ongoing ergonomics audit. PAC has had high instances of workers compensation claims, particularly carpal tunnel syndrome claims, and Vasquez expects that his emphasis on ergonomics will help alleviate the problem. His goal is to check every workstation in the organization and either approve or recommend ergonomic changes. He has developed an elaborate database to track the project.

Kim Wong has managed staffing at PAC since the early years when the company had less than 100 employees. Wong runs a tight ship and manages the department with only one other recruiter and an administrative assistant, who maintains all job postings, including a telephone employment hotline and the companys job line web site. Wong is well-respected across the organization for his strict adherence to ensuring equity in hiring and job placement that goes well beyond equal opportunity requirements. Wong recently completed an aggressive hiring drive at major universities, hiring several new engineers and CAD specialists. These new hires barely squeaked in before the hiring freeze, but with the downturn in sales, the atmosphere has changed dramatically. The staffing department has known only hiring; they never had to plan for a layoff. Wong worries that a layoff of newly hired employees will seriously harm the companys reputation in the community and make recruiting difficult when the economy gets better.

PAC pays at market rate and conducts a salary survey every three years to ensure the company remains competitive. Both practices served PAC well over the years, even with the growth in the number of full-time employees and an increasingly complex compensation system. Two years ago, Culbertson restructured the compensation system by broadbanding 14 salary grade levels into a far simpler system of five levels. Culbertson expected some resistance because there are always people who hate change, but he hadnt anticipated the outcry from some employees who claimed it was nothing but the loss of promotion levels and a manipulation of the system. He has spent a lot of time since then educating staff on the system, and in the two years that have passed, the outcry quieted a bit, but there are still claims of salary compression. Culbertson knows there are managers who have abused the system, using the higher salary ranges to reward their favored few regardless of performance or longevity. He concedes the new system isnt perfect, though it is simpler to administer. Now, however, he spends more time worrying about results than he ever did in the past.

Steve Wilson has his hands full managing employee relations. There is always the union issue, and Wilsons belief that once employee dissent sets in, it never goes away seems to be well founded. He knows there is still an undercurrent for unionization, and he fears any cost-cutting will turn the undercurrent into a landslide. Wilson continues to send out the message that PAC wants to remain non-union and is willing to listen to employees and address their concerns. A comprehensive employee survey was conducted by an outside firm shortly after the unionization attempt. It asked employees to comment on a variety of issues, including their perception of management, PACs compensation policies, career opportunities and equity, and, of course, overall job satisfaction. Some changes were made as a result of the survey, mostly enhanced communication efforts and not actual policy changes. Since compensation was an issue, more information was made available to employees regarding the compensation system. Specifically, employees received a comprehensive chart identifying salary grades and corresponding job titles

Please make a SWOT analysis PAC RESOURCES INC. Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats