Human Resource Planning - Pearl Engineering Company

Case: Human Resource Planning - Pearl Engineering Company

Pearl Engineering Company, a large heavy engineering unit laid great emphasis on the selection of Senior Supervisors. For this purpose the Senior Supervisors were not only selected from within the organisation but also, every alternate year a batch of ten young engineers was inducted. The selection process comprised of an all-India advertisement, a written test and an interview. The selected engineers had to undergo training for two years before their confirmation as Senior Supervisor on the basis of performance and aptitude. Out of which 21 months was theoretical training given at the Training Institute and the last quarter comprised of the practical training imparted at the works department under the guidance of qualified and experienced instructors which also included a few lectures by the senior officers of the company to familiarize them with company policies. The need to recruit these young engineers was felt as the management thought the supervisors who got promoted because of experience lacked in certain skills due to technological changes. Also, it was perceived that these young engineers had great potential as future departmental leaders. However, during their practical training most of the trainees faced certain teething problems. Some senior employees who were not qualified engineers believed that these young engineers would take a lot of time to acquaint themselves with the workings of the company. They preferred to work with those subordinates who came up from the ranks to hold positions of responsibility. Also, certain employees felt threatened by them as their promotions were being affected by the engineers. The management knew that the engineers were dissatisfied with their work life as their potential was not being fully utilized. Some of them even thought that they were not getting enough opportunities at PEC, so started looking for better jobs elsewhere.