Please respond separately to the 2 discussion posts:

Post 1

When diving into the human resource management practices within the University of St. Francis athletic department, there are clear strengths as well as opportunities for improvement.

On the positive side, the department excels in talent acquisition, effectively recruiting and hiring talented coaches, trainers, and support staff to build out their athletic programs. This strategy allows them to consistently bring in skilled personnel who contribute to the department's success. Additionally, the athletic department appears to excel at employee relations, maintaining positive working relationships with the current workforce and addressing any issues or concerns that may arise in a timely and effective manner. These strengths are reflected in the university's athletic success, evidenced by numerous national championships, conference titles, and player of the year candidates. Much of this success stems from the core values highlighted above.

On the other hand, the athletic department could enhance its efforts around training, development, and succession planning. Providing ongoing professional development opportunities for coaches and staff to continually sharpen their skills, knowledge, and expertise could yield significant benefits in terms of program performance and employee retention. Furthermore, having a clear framework to identify potential future leaders within the department and preparing them for advancement would help ensure long-term stability and continuity as current leaders eventually transition out. These enhancements could provide positive benefits for the department in maintaining its already impressive resume.

One innovative benefit the University of St. Francis athletic department could offer is a Mental Health Support Program for coaches, trainers, and staff. This program would provide employees with easy access to mental health resources and services. Key components of the program could include on-site counseling, wellness workshops, and mental health days. The main benefits of this program would include reducing the stigma around mental health issues, improving employee productivity and engagement, and making the athletic department an appealing place to work. By supporting the mental well-being of its staff, the athletic department can promote sustainable long-term success and performance.

Post 2

What HR functions is your company good at performing?

I currently work for a smaller company called Northwest General Contractors. The HR department is pretty much run by the office manager Ashley. So far I have no complaints about her and I would say that she has done an excellent job training on the job skills with me including the application Quickbooks. I also think she got a qualified person for the position because it's an assistant position but Im working on getting my master's degree in accounting.

What HR functions does your company need to improve on to help take it to the next level?

One thing that I noticed right off the bat was that there wasn't a real interview when I was getting hired by Ashley. She emailed me new employee paperwork and asked for my resume after she told me that I was hired. Ashley hired me completely based on her knowledge of me having a bachelor's degree in accounting. She had mentioned that she struggled to find an office assistant before I came, so I think that had something to do with the quick onboarding process. While this hasn't impacted me too much I know it must have caused lots of stress on the other employees in the office who worked there before me. Not having me in the office means that all the other employees must pick up all the work I have to do. If Ashley can improve her ability to assess future demand it would definitely take the company to the next level.

Describe one INNOVATIVE and COST-EFFECTIVE benefit can you come up with that would be an asset to both your company's employees and the company you work for.

One INNOVATIVE and COST-EFFECTIVE way to avoid that problem going forward would be to make NWGC job applications available on websites like LinkedIn or Indeed. Not only would this bring in lots of different applicants but it would be relatively cheap and time effective to just post job applications on these platforms. On top of that, It would make the hiring process feel more regulated and official going forward.