Sample Paper on Human Resources

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Managing human resources can be very difficult. A key aspect for effectively managing very different human personalities in a variety of difficult situations is to be able to write letters and emails explaining problems, solutions, and complicated contexts. This sample paper from one of our writers consists of sample emails written by a fictional HR representative. 

Mack Organization 

Email 1: Dear Ms. Wallace,

I will endorse Ms. Anthony for the position of Office Services Assistant. However as her wpm speed is not up to the necessary requirements she will start at the lowest pay grade for that position which is $20,588. The salary can be raised once she is able to build her typing speed and provide human resources with documentation regarding the improved speed.

My rationale for promoting Ms. Anthony was the fact that she has been with the agency for 5 years and that there was an open office services assistant position available. However due to her typing speed not being up to par, Ms. Anthony will start off at the lowest pay grade possible which may be a pay cut for her as she may have earned the merit increases. However the new position would open up Ms. Anthony to higher pay eventually within the organization. As Hendry discussed pay is at the center of an employee's motivation and goals therefore Ms. Anthony may be satisfied with the pay increase without the promotion (18).

Email 2: Dear Ms. Actor,

Unfortunately at this time I am unable to give you a promotion. We appreciate the hard work you have provided for our agency. If at a future time the executive secretary position opens up we will notify you in case you are interested in working for our company again.

Although Ms. Actor is a good employee I did not consider offering her a pay increase as she would need to become an executive secretary in order to earn the higher pay. As there is no open position available I informed her that she would be available to return if a position became open. It is important to stick to the pay structure that is open to everyone so as to be fair. I also did not think that this request warranted creating a new position. This decision highlights Huselid’s claim that management practices can cause high turnover the organization (635). 

Email 3: Dear Ms. Swenk,

I would notify Ms. Scott that unfortunately we are unable to give her a merit increase after the first five years. Although we value her service the company does have a policy for merit increases. Until this policy changes Ms. Scott will not receive anymore merit increases. We have recently made an increase for cost of living and will not be doing so again until cost of living is raised again. Ms. Scott is welcome to apply to a senior secretary position to pursue advances in pay.

Although Ms. Scott has worked for the agency for many years she is not able to increase her pay due to the merit increase structure that is in place. Ms. Scott has opportunities for advancement in the agency. As she has chosen to stay in the same position for a number of years this should not be reflected negatively towards the company. Ms. Scott can apply for a promotion in order to receive a bigger paycheck. This decision reflects Boxall’s analysis that US companies human resource strategy strives to benefit shareholders rather than employees (84).

Email 4: Dear Personnel Director,

Please maintain the same budget that was utilized for this past month’s payroll. However please take into account that four employees will receive merit increases as they have been working with us for a year. Also deduct the payroll amount for Ms. Actor as she is pursuing employment elsewhere. Please continue to adjust these figures with the merit increases for all future budgets.

As employees begin to achieve their yearly raises the payroll budget needs to be adjusting to take into account these changes. The budget will also need to take into account any layoffs or additional staff. The high amount of turnovers which an agency may face results in payroll budgets which are constantly changing.

Email 5: Dear Mr. Frankilin,

I am sorry to hear about your lost paycheck. We will issue you a new paycheck as I have issued a stop payment on the previous check. It will take 6 hours for your paycheck to be ready. The paycheck amount will be $562.38 before deductions.

Mr. Franklin is owed a new paycheck as he lost his previous one. The agency protocol to stop payment on the previous check was followed. Mr. Franklin was also notified how long it would take to issue a new check as he requested the check immediately which was not possible to do as he has to wait 6 hours for a new check.

Mack Organization Part II

Email 6: Dear Ms. Dyer,

Although we appreciate the hard work and dedication Ms. Tuff has provided to the office we are unable to offer her a promotion at this time. Ms. Tuff has only been on the job for 9 months and is unable to be considered for a merit increase let alone a promotion. Once she is on the job for 12 months she will receive a merit increase. Also once a senior or executive secretary position opens up I will offer her a position. 

Ms. Tuff has not been on the job long enough to determine if she would qualify for the promotion. Despite the supervisor’s strong recommendation Ms. Tuff needs more longevity at the organization. She may also find the merit increase is sufficient until a higher position is available. As Becker discussed in his analysis these types of decisions are crucial in ensuring that an organization is performing optimally (p. 779).

Email 7: Dear Mr. Markley,

I would be able to issue an emergency check for the amount of time you have worked. In order to complete this request I would need your supervisor’s approval. I would also need six hours to issue you a new check although you are leaving in two hours. If you or someone else is able to pick up the check in six hours I will put the request through.

For an emergency check to be issued the employee needs to obtain his supervisor’s signature. I would also consider allowing the employee to sign permission for someone else to pick up the check such as his wife as this appears to be an emergency situation.

Email 8: Dear Ms. White,

The aide should not be paid for this time as she did not obtain permission to attend the rally. Please inform her of the reason for this deduction in pay.

Ms. White should have requested vacation leave to attend the rally. As she did not notify her supervisor this could also be grounds for dismissal. Ms. White also needs to be notified of the discretion so she is aware of why her pay has been docked and so she does not make the same mistake again. This issue highlights the importance of the psychological contract between employee and employer as was discussed by Sims (373). An employer must assert his position to the employee in order to maintain this contract.

Email 9: Dear Ms. Ross,

Please provide me with a detailed description for why another Executive Secretary position is needed. I do not wish to create a new position to cover an employee for vacation and sick leave. If you can justify a need for two executive secretaries, Ms. Tate can be promoted to the position. If a justification cannot be made at this time I would not be able to offer Ms. Tate a promotion. You may also determine if Ms. Tate is ready for a merit increase so as to satisfy her need for more pay for more duties.

As was discussed in the previous emails there would need to be a justification to open a new position rather than just an employee’s complaints. As a new position requires an increase in the budget the justification would need to demonstrate that another secretary position is essential to keep the organization running.

Email 10: Dear Ms. Pope,

I will approve the increase and provide you with the paperwork by 5pm. In order to accommodate this pay increase I will need to adjust the payroll budget by eight percent. Ms. Brown has achieved the maximum amount of merit increases. I have also had multiple other employees request merit increases after the five year maximum. Perhaps we could discuss adjusting this policy so employees could continue to receive merit increases at five year intervals.

As this email was sent by the department head, the request was approved. However the department head needs to be made aware of the repercussions of increasing one employee’s pay. By making the department head aware of the difficulty other employees have had with merit increases ending after five years, the policy may change to affect multiple other employees.

Works Cited

Becker, Brian, and Barry Gerhart. "The impact of human resource management on organizational performance: Progress and prospects." Academy of management journal 39.4 (1996): 779-801.

Boxall, Peter, and John Purcell. "Strategy and human resource management."Industrial & Labor Relations Review 57.1 (2003): 84.

Hendry, Chris. Human Resource Management. Routledge, 2012. 

Huselid, Mark. "The impact of human resource management practices on turnover, productivity, and corporate financial performance." Academy of management journal 38.3 (1995): 635-672.

Sims, Ronald R. "Human resource management's role in clarifying the new psychological contract." Human Resource Management 33.3 (1994): 373-382.