Example research essay topic: Human Resource Manager 21 St Century - 1,463 words

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Downsizing; everyone has heard about it, talked about it, been a victim of it, or even had to implement it. Reports of downsizing occur frequently. I have repeatedly read the newspaper, watched the news on television, or listened to the radio and heard about mass lay-offs. There have been times that I have felt pity for the various people who lost their jobs, and there have been instances that I have not given it a moment's consideration.

I just thought, "I'm so glad it is not happening where I work!" Fate, it seems, is not without a sense of irony. When it was announced that Nevamar Distributors, a division of International Paper located in Cerritos, California, was in trouble, no one in the company could deny it. Everyone that worked in the building, from office personnel to warehouse personnel, knew that the business was changing: incoming and outgoing order volumes were slowly decreasing; sales were at an all-time low; and the profit margins for our division of the company were plummeting. When the facility manager had announced in a company meeting that downsizing was inevitable, or we may have to close our branch, a deafening silence immediately filled the room. Even though several of the employees knew that it might happen, it was still a big pill to swallow. Gary Dessler, author of Management: Leading People and Organizations in the 21 st Century, defines downsizing as "Dramatically reducing the size of a company's workforce. " (Dessler, 2001).

All of the supervisors and managers held a separate meeting on the downsizing concern, and included me in the meeting since I was a candidate for the open supervisor position. They assured me that my job was not in jeopardy, but also took the time to explain why they could not promote me due to the downsizing efforts that were going to be implemented. Although I still had numerous concerns in regards to what the cutbacks would involve and whom it would affect, I have to honestly admit that I felt more relaxed. I was not going to be one of the people that lost their job in this downsizing attempt. I now realize how blinded I was by my moment of selfishness. Our division consisted of 59 employees before downsizing began.

The cutbacks began in May of this year, and were completed by the end of September. We are now a crew of 22 employees, almost one-third of our original figure. One of the first steps taken by management was to terminate all "temporary" personnel, including two warehouse "temps" that were in the process of being hired. Another significant progression was the reduction of the multiple management and supervisor layers within the division. Dessler touches upon this process of reducing personnel in his book; "Eliminating layers can reduce costs and boost productivity by cutting salaries. " (Dessler, 2001). Before the reorganization began, there were various management and or supervisor positions: Facility Manager, Assistant Facility Manager, Administrator, Administrator Assistant, Office Manager, Assistant Office Manager, Human Resource Manager, Credit Department Manager, Customer Service Supervisor, Warehouse Manager, and Warehouse Supervisor.

Our Facility Manager restructured the positions, and what remains is a skeleton compared to what it once was: Facility Manager, Administration/Human Resource Manager, Credit Department Manager, and Warehouse Manager. There were three management employees that accepted a demotion to continue working for Nevamar Distributors, two that qualified for a generous severance package, and the remaining people completely lost their means of financial support due to the drastic downsizing endeavor. The four remaining managers are still scrambling to pick up the pieces, and I suspect they will for quite a while. They are functioning as well as can be expected under the circumstances. With all of the various reductions and changes, every department suffered greatly.

Another decision that was not made known to the line employees is that the Facility Manager decided not to replace any employees that chose to leave before they may have been laid off. He felt that the remaining employees could just fill in the gaps. By far, the department hardest hit by this decision was Customer Service. Customer service is considered front-line work. All orders or potential money are placed there. Unfortunately, one of the positions cut was Customer Service Supervisor.

When that occurred, panic ensued within the department and valuable employees chose to leave. It is now so severe that the department is down to one person - me. It has not taken long to realize that in a matter of speaking, even though management guaranteed that it would not happen, I did lose my job in this downsizing attempt. Before the cutbacks began, and numerous people quit, my job duties were clearly defined; that was no longer the case. I am performing some of the same tasks I did when I began my employment with the company along with numerous others that was previously performed only by management. Ever since the staff has been cut to almost one-third, all of the remaining employees are constantly scrambling to complete the days tasks.

Everyone remaining has an enormous feeling of stress due to the blurred lines of duties. We are attempting to remain optimistic about the situation, but it was difficult to say the least. I was challenged by this assignment to analyze a decision made in the company I work for. I took on that challenge by taking all that I had written up to this point to our remaining management team. It was the only way I could figure out to show them my desperation.

I am in an interesting position of power now that I am the only one remaining in my department, because of the lack of cross training to my department - I am the only person left who knows the Customer Service position well enough to operate it sufficiently. On Tuesday, I simply gave them an ultimatum - hire a new person for me to train within the next 48 hours, or I will have no choice but to turn in my resignation. I made it clear that my loyalty is to them and to the company, but I would not stand the working condition I was forced into. Not only was I stressed beyond what was healthy, they knew it; Customers were beginning to suffer as well. Management answered my call immediately. By Wednesday afternoon, they not only hired a new Customer Service Representative, they also promoted an employee from the warehouse that was slightly familiar with my duties.

I appreciated the extra effort they made to fulfill my request; I only wish that it did not come down to me putting my job on the line to get them moving. In all that has happened within the company since May, I believe that only one ethical or moral standard was purposely broken. When our Facility Manager made the decision not to fill positions that were voluntarily vacated on his own, without informing anyone as he had done with his other decisions, he violated the virtue of open communication. My opinion is that one should never take an action that is not honest, open and truthful, and which one would not be proud to see reported in the national news. His decision almost caused me to leave the company along with the others.

Even in the last few days, things are rapidly changing in my department. I am in the process of training two people, and the management team is helping as much as possible. It is not that I have less work, actually, there is more because I am training - but just knowing that they care enough about keeping me as an employee to change certain decisions speaks volumes. There are advantages and disadvantages to both individual and group decision-making that have show themselves during this downsizing process: . Two heads are always better than one... Group decisions fosters acceptance...

A group may work harder to implement decisions if they are part of making them... There is pressure for consensus... Group decisions are more time-consuming to make... Only one person is ultimately responsible... Harmony will not be achieved with one individual making a decision... A group may have to revise an original decision made by an individual.

I have come to understand over the last few months that downsizing is sometimes unavoidable in the working world. Any small company or large corporation may utilize this option for various reasons - some only for financial gain, and some for continued existence. What the decision makers need to realize is that how the action is carried out is as important as the action itself. Reference Dessler. G. (2001).

Management - Leading People and Organizations in the 21 st Century. (2 nd Edition). New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc.

Research essay sample on Human Resource Manager 21 St Century