Executive Summary: IONS Consultancy is facing a huge issue. It recruited the employees on use base basis.

The experienced employees left the firm because of a certain lay-off from the firm and economic crisis faced by the firm. The newcomers were not trained and this was leading to poor customer dealing and satisfaction level was decreasing. For this purpose Clark Loon proposes a program named MP^2 that will help the new employees by letting them into the mentorship of senior skilled employees. This plan was opposed by many senior employees and the trail period results were not that satisfying. The report includes all the solutions and recommendations that will help IONS to achieve the goal it needs. Recommendations are: Taking employees into confidence Making the mind Employees should be given incentives Recruitment Program should be modified Building trust Target Setting

This will get Clark Loon the goals he wants to achieve and IONS will be back the track. Main Report: Problems and Challenges:

The recent downturn in IT sector led to the downfall of IONS and led to the crises it is facing. Because of that downfall IONS downsized its team and laid-off employees. It resulted in a misunderstanding and fear into the employees. People who were working for years in IONS got doubtful and thought that they will be fired soon. New employees were also threatened by this. This laid to low production. People started to shift from IONS because of the job insecurity that they faced. That was a huge blow to IONS because the skilled personnel were also leaving the firm. As it was a consultation firm so it was very crucial and devastating to lose such people who had experience of consultation and to whom the customers listened. When an employee leaves the job he/she takes the customers away with him/her because of the loyalty and trust they have gained through their consultation. Firm was losing everything it had, their consultants who were experienced, customers who were loyal to the firm and their reputation in the market. IONS faced the challenge of turnover, inexperienced staff and lack of trust among employees. Clark Loon the Human Resource Director was given the task to manage the situation. Customers were not satisfied as before as they used to advice of the experienced employees, who had either left or reluctant to give the maximum output. He had a challenge of new untrained employees who did not have any experience and could not serve the firm in

an adequate way. He had the challenge of persuading the management to keep the program running and get acceptance among the new and old employees.

Untrained Employees

Resistance in Employees

Problems Lack of Trust Turn-over

Analysis and Position Statement: Firm had been doing so well in the past years. It opened in 1989 and reached the level of toprated consultation firm. Then there came a blow to the firm and everything started to fall out of its place. Now, there are less than 40% of the employees who have work experience of more than 5-years. Its customers are falling apart because the experienced employees are leaving the job and joined the competitive firms. It had to hire people with low or nil work experience on need basis, those inexperienced people did not have any idea of the work and they could not cope up with the firm. They could not come up with new ideas because they were new in the field. Firm is falling apart and it needs a revolutionizing change in it, otherwise IONS has a grim future. Now there are some programs running for the new employees to work and take advantage of the senior staff just to learn the work and gaining from the experience they have. Now the firm is planning to run a program that can help change the environment of the office, which can make the employees more helpful and can gain the trust of the employees back. This program is called MP^2 training program. It consists of an idea that the senior and experienced members will take some new inexperienced employees under their mentor ship and will take care of them, will involve them in different areas and let them flow in the

consultation process so they can come up with new ideas and generate the workforce that is efficient and effective. This program was opposed by the managers and the authoritative body because the firm is already in a bad shape and spending on this program was not felt to be of any good. Experienced employees did not want to be mentors as they are already over-worked and there is a risk to involve the inexperienced staff into the work. Reaction of the firm members before and after the pilot launch: Reaction to the MP^2 Proposal Great Resistance 80% employees would be tied up, reducing client portfolio Reaction after the Pilot Launch Mixed Reviews Having more members improved the inefficiency and the speed of service; Missing out on new projects as too many employees per project No change in client feedback

Employee Name General Reaction Dale Ellis (SVP Operations)

Ray Rones (MD Client Services) Bob Dowry (Sr. Consultant) Jane Platt (Sr. Consultant)

The problem is not train; its hiring and retaining the right people Already overworked; lack of time to teach the complicated stuff to the juniors No point if the new comers leave soon; but ready to help in some areas It would slow things down What are the benefits? Capable of managing big projects; unwilling to do someone elses dirty work 3 years is too long time

Tough to look over three members apart from own work; overworked and burnt out Extremely impressed with the newcomers, looking forward to working with them again, would recommend the program to all Newcomers cant do it Waste of time. Mentor didnt listen or talk, incompetent mentor

Larry Lay (Sr. Consultant) Sue Kay (3rd Assoc. Consultant) Jin Chang (Incoming Associate)

Challenging work; lots to learn before leading an own project

Strengths

IONS is an old and well reputed firm with its consultation expertise. There are many loyal customers who urge IONS for any type of consultation. There are competitors in the market

but IONS has a reputable place in the market. It has experienced staff who is willing to work and have dealt with many problems and had been consulting for a long time, these employees have loyal customers who do not go anywhere else and just want them to work for them.

Reputable Firm Experienced Employees

Loyal Customers
Weaknesses:

IONS is working for a long time but now the time has changed. They do have many experienced people but many of its precious employees left the firm just because there is job insecurity. Employees do not feel comfortable in the environment of IONS where there is a threat of getting laid-off; there are 60% new employees who are equal to freshmen as they do not have any work experience. This is a burden in the firm, the employees are not able enough to deliver up-to the standards of IONS and the customers are not satisfied. Many of the old employees who had work experience and loyal customers left the job and joined the rival firms. That led to decline in revenue as the customers go for the person who satisfies them not for the banner under which he/she works. The employees who are working with the firm are not giving the output they have to give, because they are fed-up and confused about the current situation of the firm.

Inability to Deliver Job Shifting Untrained Employees

Strengths and Weaknesses of Current approach: The MP^2 program was designed to restructure the working environment, to train the new employees and to sharpen the skills of the old employees. It was not sensed in the same way; old employees were not satisfied by the approach and were not ready to mentor the employees who had to learn. They did not put into account the factor that this will be beneficial for the firm, they took it the other way that they will be replaced with the new employees when trained, they took it as a burden and did not want to let any-one get the expertise. The experienced employees lack trust on the firms management and mentorship skills. They did not think out of the picture, the bright part of the other side. The relationships between the employees and the managers have grown so thin that they will not be handing their fate into their hands. If the program works then it will be a huge success for the firm. People will be skilled and would be able to work and do their work efficiently and the lower matters will be handled by the less experienced staff, the more experienced will be working on the big projects that will help in dividing the work and that will be relaxing for everyone. The people who got unsatisfied will be coming back to the firm when they will feel the change. People who left will be coming back to the firm as the firm kickoff to the new start. Issues faced by Clark Loon: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Will the program work? What are the chances that it will solve the program? What changes will be needed? What will be the acceptance of the program by the employees? What should be done to impress the employees? How the success of the program will be measured? If the program is rejected, it will never be able to come up again.

Decision Criteria: Decision will be based on the criteria that what is the best for the firm and how can it be convincing for the employees, mentors and the management. These decisions will be: Motivating the employees to work in the environment and let the mentors ask for anything and they must deliver to what mentor asks. Mentors should be taken into confidence and they should be convinced that their place is only theirs and no-one will be taking it from them. This will give them the morale to work for the firm. Teamwork should be motivated in the working environment. Employees should work in a friendly environment.

Recommendations: There are some points that Clark Loon overlooked. Taking employees into confidence

He must have taken the employees into confidence before asking them to do the mentoring. Employees were afraid that the new employees will take their place and they will be kicked out of the firm. This is the thing that laid to the opposition of the employees and the trail period of the program did not get well. Making the mind

When a child is sent to the school for the first time he is mentally prepared for it before he/she is sent to the school so that his/her mind is prepared to face the change and accept it. In the same sense employees should be taken into confidence before the change is implemented or any new thing is introduced so that the employees get themselves ready to bear the burden or to accept the change. Employees should be given incentives

Mentors who will be working for the firms upbringing should be given incentives to let them realize that their hard-work will not go in vain. Promotions should be offered to the mentor and the team who shows the best performance and skills of teamwork and skills. Recruitment Program should be modified

People who were recruited on the need basis are a done business but in future the things should not go out of hand in case of recruitment. The previous mistake has wounded the firm at the places where it cannot heal quickly. This decision was disastrous for the firm. In future this mistake should not be made. Building trust

There is a fear in the heart of the employees that is not letting them out of the sense of insecurity. That fear should be removed from their hearts. They should be assured that they cannot be replaced by less experienced staff. Mentors who have participated in the program should be taken care of. They should be given authorities and their future place should be highlighted to them. Firms morale is down it should be lifted to the maximum level. Mentors should be appreciated and acknowledged for their participation.

Target Setting

The newcomers should be given easy and short-term targets so that they can climb the stairs to the top. If they are given long-term targets then they will fail to deliver as the climb is high and difficult and they are unskilled and afraid of what to come. Rationale and Justification: The recommendations are viable because: 1. Taking employees into confidence The organizations that have the employees confidence never lose in the market because they have the strength of their employees will. The employee puts faith into the organization and that leads to better productivity and more loyalty. If the employee has confidence in his organization he/she will do everything to put it on top.

2. Making Mind If the employees were ready for the change then there will be no conflict of thought now. You would have cleared their mind of anything that disturbs them and that makes them contradict on this thought. By this the employees would have started working on the program without hesitation and without any disturbance. 3. Giving Incentives By giving incentives the employees will feel the urge to do more to get something that can benefit them. This will increase their hard-work and in the end the firm will enjoy the outcomes. This step will give them light to work in the darkness that is prevailing on IONS. 4. Recruitment program modification This will truly change the organization. It will allow the experienced and skilled employees into the firm. It will not cause any problem that can cause shaping of another training program. Firm is unable to implement this one, what if it has to start another one? It will be drastic for sure. 5. Building Trust IONS is facing a huge problem that is lack of trust among employees and on management. If they do not trust the management then how can they work for them with zeal and effort? They will come to the office do the chit-chat and nothing else

then that. If they trust their employer then they will know the fact that if they work hard to achieve what they should then in the end it will benefit them. Things will not go out of hand at any stage. They will obey the orders and they wont complain to anything you ask them for. This situation arose because of the fact that the employees do not trust the firms management. 6. Target setting Targets are always given in the organizations. They are good for the organizations growth. It helps the employee to set a goal in his/her mind that he/she must achieve. The employees that IONS have very less work experience and are new, they should not be given the targets that do not match their set of skills. They should be given small goals to achieve so that they should not feel burdened and not get dishearten. It will give them confidence on their skills and they will strive to achieve more. That is when their time will come and they will be given the broader picture of work and given high goals to achieve. By experimenting on the employees work on small scale targets we can obtain the idea of their specialties and give them tasks accordingly.