Introduction
Tom Morison, the President of Walnut Insurance Company, is faced with a major management decision regarding the implementation of the formal mentoring program. Currently, the company uses an informal mentoring program where the sales representatives are selected by each of the six vice presidents and put under mentorship program. In this case, each vice president is supposed to choose between five to six sales representatives and mentor them in preparation for promotion to the management roles (Nkomo et al., 2010). Although the informal mentorship program has been successful in the past, Tom is concerned that some of the structural changes in the company require the implementation of a new mentorship program. Previously, all the sales representatives were male. Over the past two years, the company hired fifty new sales representatives with two-third of them being female (Nkomo et al., 2010). Due to the increase, in the number of women in the organization, Tom feels that there should be a change in the mentoring program to accommodate the new female recruits. However, the suggestion of Tom is opposed by all the six vice presidents due to various reasons. The case provides the analysis of the management issues faced by Tom and recommends appropriate decisions that should be taken by Tom. It also provides the alternative course of actions that the company should use to mentor the employees apart from the informal and formal mentoring programs.
The Appropriate Decision
Making management decisions can be challenging to the managers of organizations. In most cases, management decisions are complex and have various alternatives. As a result, the managers should evaluate all the alternative course of actions and decide on the best that is capable of enhancing the performance of the company (Jackson et al., 2014). If given the opportunity to make the decision of the new mentorship program, I would implement the new mentoring program. Ideally, the formal mentoring program can cater for the needs of all the employees in the organization. The basis for selecting the formal mentoring program is based on several regulations that govern employment relations. Besides, the president should consider the strategy that can support the company's objectives and strategies.
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The implementation of the formal mentoring program is associated with many benefits both to the individual employees and the company. One major benefit of the new mentoring program is that it can help the company to avoid discrimination at the workplaces. The labour laws are against the discrimination of employees based on gender, race, age, sexual orientation and religion among others (Alfes et al., 2013). Organizations that discriminate against the employees' risk prosecution which can eventually lead to severe consequences such to hefty fines or closure of the business. The president of the company should, therefore, take appropriate actions to ensure that the company is not faced with legal suits that can affect its performance and lower its reputation and image in the market.
The current informal program can lead to conflict among the employees in the organization. Women employees will feel that they are discriminated and develop negative attitudes against the managers and their male colleagues. Eventually, the morale of female workers can be reduced, and the spirit of teamwork and coordination lowered thereby negatively affecting the performance of the company.
Addressing the Concerns of the Vice President
The vice presidents of the company raise many concerns regarding the implementation of the new mentoring program. The concerns raised by the vice presidents include fear of the sexual harassments suits filed against them, religious convictions, the need for free choice, and family issues. Since the vice presidents provided various concerns that make them oppose the program, it necessary for the president to address all their concerns so as to continue with the implementation of the new mentorship program.
Solving the concerns raised by the vice presidents requires the establishment of the structured programs. The structured programs should allow for the day trips as opposed to the night trips. Specifically, women and the male vice presidents should consider taking day trips during the mentorship programs. The strategy can help reduce fears associated with issues such as sexual harassment of the female employees by the male vice presidents.
The Alternatives to a Formal Mentoring Program Available To Tom
Many alternatives to the formal mentoring program exist and can be pursued by the company. One alternative that can be applied is the use of information technology to mentor the employees. With the current level of technology, an alternative formal mentoring program can be achieved through the nonconventional training initiatives such as the use of web meetings. Web meetings can enable the employees to interact online without the need to the physical meeting (Jackson et al., 2014). Such options can ensure that the vice president mentors the employees while at different places. The strategy is still able to pass skills and knowledge to the employees as well as help avoid physical interactions. As a result, the fear of the sexual harassment suits will be eliminated among the vice presidents.
Another alternative that can be considered by Tom is the employee networking organization or the co-worker mentoring program. Essentially, the co-worker mentoring program can allow the current employees to provide mentorship to each other and exchange management skills among themselves. The strategy can allow the employees to collaborate and work in an environment that is free and open. The type of the mentoring program that uses the employees is argued to be effective since it involves individuals who are working on the same level and thus freely exchange ideas without fear. It also facilitates peer evaluation of the employees and thus enables them to work towards improving their identified weaknesses while at the same time improving their performance using their key strengths. The other option involves employee networking organization where the vice presidents are allowed to engage the agents. The engagements of the vice presidents with the agents can facilitate training of the employees of the organization. The techniques can enable the less experienced employees to learn from the experienced employees and vice versa.
The mentoring program can also be achieved through outsourcing to another specialized company. Walnut Insurance can introduce a specialized company or professional to offer mentoring services to its employees. Outsourcing mentoring services is considered cost effective and offers specialized services (Jackson et al., 2014). Such mentorship programs can be effective since such company will concentrate towards the provision of quality services and this lead to the highly skilled labour force.
Conclusion
Arguably, it is unfair to the employees of an organization to have unequal treatment due to the differences in gender. Also, the fear of men and women travelling together is governed by the principles that are outside the organization's scope. Typically, the objective of the organization should be observed at all times, and this means that the individual’s behaviours and beliefs should not override the mission of the company. The presidents should take the appropriate course of actions to ensure that the values and mission of the organization are greater than the personal interests of the employees. Based on this argument, it would be prudent for the president of Walnut Insurance Company to implement formal mentoring programs and avoid interfering with the various labour laws that guide issues such as discrimination at the workers. Also, the option allows for equal treatment of employees, and thus it is motivating to the employees of the company.
References
Alfes, K., Shantz, A. D., Truss, C., & Soane, E. C. (2013). The link between perceived human resource management practices, engagement and employee behaviour: a moderated mediation model. The international journal of human resource management , 24 (2), 330-351.
Jackson, S. E., Schuler, R. S., & Jiang, K. (2014). An aspirational framework for strategic human resource management. The Academy of Management Annals , 8 (1), 1-56.
Nkomo, S. M., Fottler, M. D., & McAfee, R. B. (2010). Human Resource Management Applications: Cases, Exercises, Incidents, and Skill Builders . Cengage Learning.
