HR best practices and standards are frequently better comprehended with a theoretical foundation. Research and academic literature may describe these strategies, but they may not work in real life. This essay will examine my company’s recruiting process and how it deviates from best practices.
In the recruitment and selection process, there are discrepancies between theory and practice. The recruiting process seeks candidates with the right abilities, experience, and attitude for the position. This ideal procedure might work, but our business has several issues that steer it on a different path. Due to the lack of hiring and selection regulations, there is a considerable disparity. Although HR textbooks recommend defining norms and criteria for application assessments, our organization typically utilizes an ad hoc approach. various recruiting managers utilize various techniques. Therefore, applicant assessment and selection are inconsistent.
Additionally, disparity is the lack of technology in hiring. Our organization still uses paper resumes and manual screening, even though contemporary Human Resource Information tools provide online assessments and applicant tracking tools to streamline hiring. This outdated strategy leads to inefficiency, delays, and missed opportunities to identify top personnel. Moreover, while HR literature emphasizes diversity and inclusion, our organization struggles to incorporate them into the employment process. We rarely follow the theory’s recommendations to diversify applicants and decrease hiring bias. Because of this, we have a homogenous workforce, and unconscious biases may affect applicant selection, making it less objective and fair.
The quantity of training recruitment managers get varies, which leads to their lack of training. We do not prioritize HR textbook-required training on unconscious bias awareness, equal employment opportunity rules, and effective interviewing for managers. Thus, recruitment managers may lack the skills to conduct fair interviews, resulting in poor hires.
Consequences
The mismatch between HR theory and practice in recruiting may have major consequences for organizations. One effect may be candidate quality deterioration. When hiring managers don’t follow HR philosophy, it may be hard to locate and attract top personnel. Because of this deviation, subjective rather than objective traits may be employed to recruit. This puts firms at risk of hiring unqualified applicants. If applicants lack the abilities required for the job, the company’s efficiency and effectiveness may suffer.
Poor recruiting procedures may also increase turnover. Hiring the wrong personnel might lead to employee dissatisfaction and leave for better opportunities. High turnover rates hurt organizational stability and cost a lot to attract, onboard, and train new hires. When corporations recruit inconsistently, they risk legal difficulties and brand harm. Additionally, discriminatory hiring practices may result in costly litigation, damaged reputations, and stakeholder and employee mistrust. Inconsistent recruitment methods undermine the company’s employer brand, making it tougher to acquire top talent and remain ahead of the competition. Prospective workers may not apply if they believe the recruiting process is unfair.
A lack of diversity and inclusion in the company may also emerge from HR theory and practice in recruitment and selection not matching. Without reducing bias and increasing diversity, recruiting processes may inadvertently create a homogenous workforce. This hinders the company’s ability to learn from others, stifling creativity. Resolving these discrepancies is essential for the organization to attract, select, and retain top talent, which benefits the business and its employees (Podgorodnichenko et al., 2020).
Solutions
To bridge the recruitment and selection gap between HR theory and practice, the company might use many practical and particular solutions. Standardizing job descriptions and selection criteria improves the recruiting process and aligns theory and practice. To eliminate subjective preferences in candidate evaluation, hiring managers should provide all required qualifications, talents, and competencies for each post. Working with department heads and recruitment managers to write thorough job descriptions is crucial.
Planned interviews may reduce bias and improve application evaluations. Training interviewers and hiring managers in behavioral-based interviewing may help ensure that all candidates are assessed uniformly and according to standards. Interview panels with many stakeholders may also lessen bias by presenting diverse perspectives. Additionally, data analytics and technology may streamline recruiting and improve decision-making. An applicant tracking system (ATS) streamlines administrative operations, tracks candidate progress, and provides data-driven recruitment insights (Mooney, 2020). To identify areas for improvement and inform evidence-based decision-making, periodically monitor recruitment metrics like time-to-fill and candidate satisfaction.
An inclusive and diverse workplace may also overcome institutional barriers to fair selection and recruitment. Diversity training and seminars for workers and hiring managers may promote inclusive recruitment and raise awareness of unconscious biases. Diversity efforts like affinity clubs and focused recruiting drives also aim to attract diverse individuals and create an inclusive workplace. Audits and evaluations of selection and recruiting procedures should be done regularly to ensure ethical and legal compliance. Companies should use internal or external auditors to examine their hiring procedures to industry standards and government requirements to improve and prevent legal issues.
Conclusion
The hiring and selection procedures at our organization are unsatisfactory. We include variety, recruiting management training, comparable methodologies, and technology in everyday work. Application evaluation is inconsistent without specific criteria, and not employing technology is wasteful. Biased hiring and workplace diversity may result from diversity and inclusion issues. Untrained recruiting managers fail to interview impartially. Everyone must collaborate to link group procedures to academic concepts to solve these problems. Standardizing, employing technology, fostering diversity, and educating recruiters are needed. To improve HR fairness, employers must overcome the recruiting theory-practice gap.
References
Mooney, D. J. (2020). A Meta-Analysis of E-Recruitment Applicant Experience, Perception, and Behavior (Doctoral dissertation, Walden University). https://www.proquest.com/openview/b4c483c785be297809999c47378d93d4/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y
Podgorodnichenko, N., Edgar, F., & McAndrew, I. (2020). The role of HRM in developing sustainable organizations: Contemporary challenges and contradictions. Human Resource Management Review, 30(3), 100685. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2019.04.001
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