Introduction

It is obvious that a human resource department is necessary to the success of any corporate organization (Armstrong, 2007, pp 24). Ideally, the success of the WWF is in part dependent in the gender and racial balance in its human resource. This report explores the success and efficiency of the department at the World Wide Fund for Nature and how it is managed. In particular, the absence of diversity with regard to human resource in the organization is of growing concern among human right activists. The task of determining the firm’s human resource needs is an essential task of planning (Arthur, 2004, pp 31). For instance, it is only through planning that the organization can determine the right number and type of employees necessary to accomplish its different goals. The magnitude and diversity of the organization’s operations requires an equally complex process of planning, recruitment and selection (Schwarsenbach, 2011, pp 35). Essentially, hiring is not a single step but requires a continuous involvement of necessary adjustments depending on the dynamism of the organization. Ultimately, the WWF requires a specific mix of talent and skills to realize it’s different and ever-changing objectives. Lately, the organization has been on the spotlight for its lack of both gender and racial diversity therefore resulting to immense challenges to its human resource management (WWF 1990, pp 93). The aim of this report is to, therefore, provide amicable solutions to the problem facing the human resource management of the WWF.

 

Literature Review

The processes of recruitment and selection cannot exist in isolation of each other. Rather, they are concurrently occurring and both aim at identifying and persuading prospective workers to apply for the available positions within an organization (Aswathap, 2005, pp 38). Ideally, they are among the most important processes in maintaining the right kind of employees in any organization. In extension, they are vital aspects of an organization’s success and may determine the profitability of different organizations (Human Resource Planning Society, 1978, pp 56). Organizations of the magnitude of WWF appreciate the fact that the processes of selection and recruitment offer better prospects through the assessment of the capabilities of potential employees prior to their being hired (Cascio, 1994, pp 61). Selection and recruitment when done correctly provide a link between the available potential workers and the vacant positions within the organization.

Most of the organizations have policies that dictate gender equality as a way of attaining diversity in the workplace (Cole, 2004, pp 35). For instance, British Red Cross encourages a retention percentage of not more than 20% of workers from the same race. In addition, the company has measures that give the minority gender an upper hand in the selection process. As thus, the company has more than 33% of its workforce as women. The company is a darling among women applicants and receives one of the highest numbers of applicants for its advertised positions. Moreover, the company has structures to offer internship and volunteering opportunities to the students to help in nurturing their skills early enough.

Job descriptions are important tools in the recruitment process of any company. It is through job descriptions that the specific job expectations can be communicated (Collings & Wood, 2009, pp 67) to the prospective applicants. For example, UNEP has a policy of attaching the job description in the advertisements for those job opportunities. This way, the organization is guaranteed of only attracting people that are qualified for the job (Niehaus & Price, 1991, pp 38). It is then the work of the human resource department to identify the people with the most ability to use their skills in achieving the specific targets. Charitable organizations are faced with a risk of not fulfilling their duties if the right candidates are not selected for the available jobs. Besides meeting daily targets, performance appraisals are also used in improving employee performance (Deb, 2006, pp 82).

Charitable organizations, and indeed most corporate organizations, have a trend of giving preference to internal recruitments whenever vacancies occur (Edenborough, 2007, pp 60). The organization Action Aid is famous for its policy of sourcing for recruits internally before they are advertised externally. It is perhaps out of the realization that proper and incisive analysis of the prospects is necessary (Pieper, 1990, pp 12) that many not for profit organizations have put in effort in the recruitment and selection processes. To achieve this, companies must target the market conditions, the job advertised as well as the processes of recruitment (Cunningham, 1999, pp 74). Ideally, the recruitment process bridges the gap between the available positions within an organization and the available prospects possessing the required skills. On the other hand, failure of the processes of recruitment may result in unforeseeable challenges to the organization (Thompson & Martin, 2010, pp 78). The charitable organizations are much more vulnerable to challenges resulting from failure of the recruitment process as they so much depend on the right mix of talent and expertise in their employees.

For the longest time, people have thought of recruitment as a simple single event of selecting employees to work in a certain organization (Sims, 2002, pp 47). However, this assumption cannot be farther from the truth. In reality, the process of selecting the most appropriate candidates require a combination of wide planning and management decision making to achieve success (Rothwell & Kazanas, 2003, pp 39). In addition, the charitable organizations are also in constant competition to attract and hire the most qualified personnel in the market. The organizations go to great lengths to attract the best candidates through provision of better packages and flexible working environments (Reddy, 2005, pp 49). In so doing, the organizations are aware of the ability of qualified personnel to create innovations within the organizations. Moreover, the culture and ethics of the not for profit organizations determine the type of employees recruited within the different organizations. Organizations in the medical field such as the Action For Sick target only candidates that have the requisite skills in the dispensation of treatment. To attain this, the company requires certification of candidates by the country’s health ministry. Moreover, most charitable organizations value the concept of teamwork and are therefore a major requirement for most positions advertised (Banfield, 2011, pp 127).

In the worst case scenario, charitable organizations may have to deal with an impending absence of labor in case of failure in their human resource management. Although such cases are rare, their practicality must never be underestimated (United States, 1993, pp 96) because of the grave implications it could have within the organizations. Moreover, the misuses of recruitment techniques can possibly result in low utilization of skills and inappropriate levels of staffing. Essentially, improvements in the selection and recruitment techniques can be done through compliance with relevant management theories (Truss et al, 2012, pp 58). For instance, Rodgers seven point plan has been used for the longest time in the organization Net aid to manage its human resource. In the case of UNEP, personal interviews and even psychological tests have been advanced on employees to attain improved levels of recruitment.

Charitable organizations do not use financial profits as a yardstick to show their success or impact on the society (Pynes, 2008, pp 83). Rather, the impact is felt through the positive changes on the people and communities that the organizations interact with on a daily basis. As thus, it is not easy to ascertain the level of success in such organizations because it depends on a wide array of factors (Nickson et al, 2008, pp 29). The success of human resource departments is dependent on the company’s ability to match the required skills with people who possess such skills and competencies (Bhattacharyya, 2006, pp 49). The company must therefore provide specific specifications of the type of people they want to apply for the specifically advertised positions.

In the process of diversity improvement, organizations need to consider the selection and staffing techniques as important factors in its achievement. The selection process is in turn influenced by the position of the particular organization within the labor market including its influence on the labor market (Harel & Tsafrir, 1999, pp 192). It is therefore in the best interests of the companies for their managers to continually monitor the labor market for possible changes and improvements. One of the most notable organizations that monitor the labor market is the Anti Slavery Organization in its bid to connect with potential employees. In so doing, the companies have the ability to influence their public images and meet the expectations from the potential applicants. In the course of labor market monitoring, some organizations have come up with models detailing the type of employees desired and their likely response to the calls for application (Ivancevich, 1992, pp 91). Later, the organizations may wish to ascertain conformity of applicants to their models through competency derived models.

Interviews, psychometric examinations and assessments are just a few of the widely used selection techniques (Lussier, 2015, pp 28). The approaches to selection of human resource may include group tasks, interviews, among other methods. For instance, interviews have widely been utilized in the process of recruitment among charitable organizations such as Child Hospice and  Plan International. Various researchers have found out that selection and recruitment are highly important aspects in the human resources policies (Lengnick, 2003, pp 73) in Europe. The process of controlling, managing, achieving and developing the commitment of employees towards their organization is a task of human resource department. In fact, the process of selection is influential in the attainment of organizational performance (Huselid, 1995, pp 653).

Immediately after the processes of selection of recruitment, organizations must induct the successful candidates into the organizations (Randhawa, 2007, 84). Usually, the induction process precedes the process of training the successful candidates. Further, the new employees are shown their assignments within the organization depending on their roles as stipulated ion the job descriptions (Sims, 2007, pp 129). Research shows that charitable organizations tend to utilize most of the time in training new employees compared to business companies. Specifically, the new employees are trained in the areas of team work and communication. This unfolding is perhaps out of the realization of the positive link between training and firm performance in any organization (Stewart & Brown, 2011, pp 54). Charitable organizations must thus be on a continuous mission of developing policies and practices that focus on personalized employee training so as to attain a competitive edge in recruitment.

Contrary to common belief, the process of recruitment is not halted upon the selection of suitable candidates. Rather, it is a continuous process that requires the retention and sustenance of the selected personnel (Dyer, 1986, pp 153). Talent management is an essential task within any organization especially in charitable organizations that rely on their talent bank in achieving innovative success. The process of talent management is however faced with the challenge of the controversial question of whether people are born with talents or whether they acquire them. However, adoption of easily executable techniques is a solution to the problem of inefficient talent management models (Laurent, 1986, pp 93). In order to implement these strategies, organizations must employ the requisite management skills to reduce the challenge of the management team.

 

Recommendations

External Recruitment

The current methods of external recruitment are partly to blame for the lack of diversity at the WWF (Breberina, 2009, pp 62). To avert this challenge, the organisation should remove its focus from specific credentials but rather focus on qualities and skills needed for effective performance of the jobs assigned. The only exception for the possession of certain credentials should be allowed when required in law. The benefit of this approach is that it increases the number of people that apply to the advertised jobs therefore giving the organization a wider reach. Moreover, interviewing is a hindrance to diversification because of its vulnerability to bias. Interviews must thus be made and seen to be fair and inclusive.

The organization must ensure that there is no bias in the process of selection. The best way of removing bias is through outsourcing of the human resource management task within the organization (Baker & Doran, 2007, pp 92). The organization can exploit the various international human resource consultancy firms to help in the process of selection and recruitment. The benefit of such developments is the confidentiality of the process and the removal of any bias or personal interest in the process of recruitment.  International best practices require that the processes of selection and recruitment be maintained at confidential levels such that applicants have no idea of the company sourcing for people (Becker & Gerhart, 1996, pp 783). The benefit of such arrangements is that it dissuades the selection and hiring of employees based on their friendship with certain managers in the organization and provides a fair chance to all applicants. In addition, outsourcing ensures only the selection of the moist qualified individuals while limiting instances of canvassing.

Internal Recruitment

Although managers can initiate change, leadership is necessary to effectively infuse change by inspiring of employees. Reputable organizations should insist on having policies that incline towards preference of internal selection in case of any vacancies (Schneider, 1988, pp 237). Organization leaders should be at the forefront in initiating diversity in most of the processes within the organization. This process can be achieved through the integration of the concept into the unique and core values of the organization. It should be the organizations goal to ensure that diversity is realized in all the levels of management including senior management. The process of encouraging people from all genders and races to apply for certain positions is a big step in attaining organizational diversity (Walker, 1980, pp 69).

Managers of the organization should focus on getting word of new vacancies to as many people as possible to increase the number of applications. The adverts should be put in places where the diversity sought can be achieved. For instance, in cases where the gender diversity is of concern in the organization, advertisements of new positions should be shared with women groups to increase their chances of applying for the positions. In addition, the offices should build a positive rapport cultural groups and organizations that focus on gender diversity (Bandt & Haines, 2002, pp 46). Recommendations on possible prospective employees should be sought from local immigrant offices to aid in the process of improving applications.

The promotion of the positive image of the organisation within the public sphere is also another way of improving diversity in the workplace. In so doing, the organization can positively influence the perceptions of the target group and lead to multiple applications from such groups. For instance, the propagation of the organization as an equal and just organization that advances the quest for diversity may lead to a rise in applications from females. Influencing the perceptions of the target group has the effect of widening the labor market for the particular organization (Burack, 1988, pp 87).

Selection Methods

It is true that the determination of the organization’s diversity is dependent on the selection methods employed in the process of recruitment. Techniques that propagate bias in the selection of potential employees have the net effect of leading the organization to a state of poor diversity. The management needs to focus on selection techniques that specify the need and not just how to achieve that need (Mabey et al, 1998, pp 126). For instance, the organization can remove bias by not requiring candidates to have driving licenses.

In addition, the methods of selection should focus on ability of candidates to perform tasks and not just having prior experience in the performance of such tasks (Mcbeath, 1992, pp 103). The idea can help the human resource managers to recruit candidates that have transferable skills instead of focusing on only those that have specific skills. In this regard, the organization can use past experiences in volunteer activities as a way of measuring candidate’s ability.

Conclusion

Over the recent past, charitable organisations have realized the importance of diversifying their workforce in regards to gender and race. Moreover, the public is now more aware and demanding of the need to have diversity especially in activist organizations such as the WWF. While the WWF has worked towards improving the levels of diversity in recent years, the starting position was very low. Essentially, the organisation needs to do much more if it harbors the goal of being a leader in employee diversity. Ultimately, the organisation intends to benefit from the advantages of having a rich diversity in its workforce. The implementation of the recommendations of this report can be the difference between the achievement of this diversity or the lack of the same. Specifically, gender and racial diversity should be given more emphasis (Reilly, 1996, pp 47) as they provide the most visible challenge.

 

Reflective Statement

Over time, human resource management has undergone severe changes owing to the dynamism of today’s world. Organizations both in the charitable and business world need to be aware of the concepts vulnerability to changes in the future. Importantly, the managers in these departments should understand the dynamics involved in the processes of planning and resource management. It is an understanding of these facts that prompted me to venture into the course of human resource management. My zeal in completing this particular assignment is drawn from this realization and the motivation I derive from the subject. I was tasked with an exploration of the human resource management at the WWF and the inherent challenges of employee diversification.

To say that the assignment has been eye opening would be an understatement. From the assignment, I have gained great traction in the understanding of the processes of selection and recruitment. I can now connect the dots between the theoretical course work and the practical experience of the same at the WWF. I am now much hungrier to look for solutions that happen in the corporate world regarding the management of human capital within different organizations. Importantly, the case study of the WWF and changes that have occurred in the past in regards to its human resource department have widened my understanding of different concepts that have been taught in class.

The assignment further enabled me to study the diversity of human resource and the important role that the right people play in the achievement of different organizational goals. Ina addition, the report culminated in a clear understanding of the social, political and economic aspects that shape the diversity of an organization. It occurred to me that the organization’s image in the public domain was largely dependent on the diversity that it achieved in its workforce. The study further revealed to me that the number of applicants that apply for specific positions in an organisation is dependent on the general perception among the pool of applicants. It is no wonder that certain organizations attract more applications than others yet the advertised positions are similar in terms of the job descriptions and perks. Another motivation for most applicants is how they will be treated in the organization based on their socio economic backgrounds.

The assignment was not without challenges however that possibly delayed the delivery of the report. In particular, I came across many conflicting facts that were misleading because the information was wrong. The challenge was rather compounding because of the magnitude of the organisation. My focus was shifted to published books as a reliable source of information thus avoiding conclusions that were factually wrong in respect to the WWF. Further, a critical evaluation of the facts on my part was important in validating the information sourced from the different sources.

The interest gained in the process of researching for the assignment has expounded my personal understanding of my passionate involvement in human resource management. I can now comfortably, assert that I possess excellent research skills that were previously not visible before. Moreover, I am now more attracted to the field of charity and would love to be actively iengaged in the management of human resource in the charitable world. Ultimately, I plan to apply for different volunteer opportunities to gain a better understanding of charitable and not for profit organizations.

 

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