👉Identifying the HR Issue: Inconsistent Onboarding at Prime Land
Introduction to Human Resource Management (HRM)
Human Resource Management (HRM) is the strategic function
that focuses on effectively managing people within an organization to achieve
both individual and organizational goals. HRM covers key activities such as
recruitment, training, performance management, and employee development.
Effective HRM enables organizations to maintain a skilled workforce capable of
meeting changing business needs, while also fostering employee satisfaction and
engagement (Armstrong, 2020). In today’s competitive business environment, HRM
plays a critical role in shaping employee capabilities and supporting
organizational success (Dessler, 2021).
Several
HR issues have been raised in Prime Land Pvt Ltd, which concerns the
introduction, training, and development of new employees in the organization.
1. Ineffective orientation practices.
New employees in various branches of Prime Land have
been reported to be subject to various forms of onboarding, with some being
formal and some being informal, by observation, based orientation. Such
inconsistency impacts role clarity, organizational perception and formative job
confidence. Saks and Gruman (2018) state that successful onboarding is the key
to employee adapting and performing over time, although style and quality
differences may cause misunderstandings and reduce the initial involvement.
2. Unstructured, Informal Training.
Most of the employees in Prime Land receive training
on their job informally and on the job as they look up to their supervisors or
the experienced staff. Although informal learning may have its merits, lack of
standard training material, manuals or even structured training sessions contribute
to knowledge gaps. This can have a direct impact on the accuracy of the law,
service quality of the customers, and sales performance in the real estate
business. It has been found that unguided informal training can lead to the
inconsistency of service delivery and operational mistakes (Khan and Abdullah,
2019).
3. Inadequate Career Development Prospects.
Prime Land has been expanding at a high rate thus the
number of employees has grown; however the employee development programs like
coaching, skills workshops, career growth paths have not been implemented at
the same rate as the growth. The employees complain of differences in access to
development opportunities basing on the branch, department or manager. Werner
and DeSimone (2017) state that development programs are required to establish
the long-term employee commitment and retention. The absence of these
opportunities can usually result in dissatisfaction and internal turnover.
4. Lack of Training Evaluation.
The other problem is the lack of formal mechanisms to
measure the training outcomes. The organization is not able to measure training
effectiveness or determine what improvements should be made without
post-training assessment, feedback mechanisms and performance measures of
training. Armstrong and Taylor (2020) note that training has to be evaluated in
a systematic manner so that it aligns with the organizational objectives and
needs of employees.
The reasons why this issue is
important to Prime Land.
These
HRM problems orientation inconsistencies, informal training, and limited
development and no evaluation, have strategic implications:
· Less confidence and role clarity of employees.
· Lack of customer experience in all branches.
· Increased turnover of employees because of lack of
development.
· More operational and documentation error in a legal
sensitive industry.
· Challenge in creating a good employer brand.
Since
the real estate industry in Sri Lanka is quite competitive, such challenges in
orientation and training should be addressed to ensure the long-term
sustainability and stability of the workforce at Prime Land.
Reference
Armstrong, M. & Taylor, S. 2020. Armstrong’s Handbook of Human
Resource Management Practice. 16th ed. London: Kogan Page.
Khan, M. & Abdullah, A. 2019. Training and Development Challenges in
South Asian Real Estate Firms. International Journal of Management Studies,
6(3), pp.45–58.
Noe, R.A. 2020. Employee Training and Development. 8th ed. New
York: McGraw-Hill.
Saks, A.M. & Gruman, J.A. 2018. Socialization and onboarding: Review and
research directions. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 104, pp.142–152.
Werner, J.M. & DeSimone, R.L. 2017. Human Resource Development.
7th ed. Boston: Cengage Learning.
The post merely provides a general introduction to Human Resource Management (HRM) and does not present a specific argument or analysis of an HR issue at Prime Land. Therefore, there is no specific position to agree or disagree with concerning the application of HRM theories to a particular problem.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the post's definition and description of HRM are entirely consistent with established HRM theories and literature.
In this post, it is evident that the lack of cohesion in onboarding and unstructured training brings serious HR challenges to Prime Land. Early role clarity and confidence can only be made possible by effective orientation, which corroborates the findings of Saks and Gruman (2018). The use of informal training is also a point of concern, as it inevitably results in inconsistency of services and operational mistakes, particularly in a field that is sensitive in the law (Khan and Abdullah, 2019).
ReplyDeleteThe argument related to the absence of career development opportunities is also significant, as the absence of career development opportunities has a direct negative impact on employee commitment and retention (Werner and DeSimone, 2017). Lastly, the lack of systematic training evaluation will not allow the company to enhance its HR practices, which Armstrong and Taylor (2020) consider one of the HRM tasks. In general, the post offers a powerful and topical analysis of the HR problems of Prime Land.
This article provides a clear and well-structured examination of the key HR challenges at Prime Land Pvt Ltd, especially in the areas of orientation, training, and employee development. You effectively highlight how inconsistent onboarding, unstructured informal training, limited career development pathways, and the absence of proper training evaluation mechanisms contribute to performance gaps and employee dissatisfaction. Your use of credible academic references—such as Saks & Gruman (2018), Khan & Abdullah (2019), Werner & DeSimone (2017), and Armstrong & Taylor (2020)—strengthens the analysis by linking each issue to established HRM theory. One suggestion to further enhance this piece would be to briefly propose potential HR solutions or best-practice strategies to address these gaps. Overall, this is a comprehensive and insightful review of critical HRM issues affecting organizational effectiveness at Prime Land.
ReplyDeleteThis analysis clearly outlines critical HRM gaps at Prime Land, highlighting how inconsistent onboarding, informal training, limited development pathways and weak evaluation processes undermine employee confidence and service quality. These issues pose significant strategic risks in a competitive real estate market, where accuracy and customer trust are essential. Establishing structured orientation, standardized training, and clear development frameworks will strengthen employee capability, reduce turnover and enhance organizational reputation, ultimately supporting long term business sustainability and growth.
ReplyDeleteWhat I find interesting in this analysis is how the real issue is not the absence of onboarding, but the lack of a consistent system across branches. When every location designs its own orientation, employees learn different “versions” of the organisation, which makes it difficult to build a unified culture. From a HRD point of view, onboarding should create shared values and common standards, not depend on who the supervisor is (Saks & Gruman, 2018). The same problem appears in training. Informal learning can work in small teams, but at the scale Prime Land is operating, it will naturally create knowledge gaps and uneven customer service (Khan & Abdullah, 2019). In my view, the biggest risk is not short-term mistakes, but the long-term impact on employer brand. High turnover usually reflects weak development systems, because people don’t see a future inside the company (Werner & DeSimone, 2017). A structured approach would benefit both employees and the business.
ReplyDeleteThank you Manori for this well-structured and honest analysis of the HR issues at Prime Land Pvt Ltd. Your identification of inconsistent onboarding across branches, reliance on informal and unstructured training, lack of clear career development pathways, and the absence of systematic training evaluation highlights critical gaps that can seriously undermine role clarity, service quality, and employee retention. Connecting these problems with established HRM theory including onboarding/socialization research and the need for training evaluation (as you reference with Saks & Gruman (2018), Khan & Abdullah (2019), and Werner & DeSimone (2017) gives your argument both academic weight and practical relevance.
ReplyDeleteI particularly appreciate how the article shows that informal or inconsistent practices can lead not only to immediate mistakes or uneven service delivery, but also to long-term issues like weak employer branding and high turnover. If I may ask: Which of the issues you identified do you see as the top priority for Prime Land to address first? Would it be standardizing onboarding across branches, creating formal training manuals, or establishing a training-evaluation and career-development system and why?
Thanks again for shedding light on these important organizational challenges; this post offers valuable insight into what effective HRM reform might look like.
This blog provides a very insightful analysis of the HR challenges faced by Prime Land Pvt Ltd, particularly regarding the introduction, training, and development of new employees. I really appreciate the way you’ve highlighted the nuances of inconsistent onboarding, unstructured training, limited career development, and the absence of training evaluation—issues that are often overlooked but have profound strategic implications. The connection you made between these HR gaps and their impact on employee confidence, customer experience, operational accuracy, and employer branding is particularly compelling.
ReplyDeleteA question that arises from your analysis is: Considering Prime Land’s rapid expansion, how might the organization design a standardized yet flexible onboarding and training framework that accommodates different branch needs while ensuring consistent quality? Additionally, how could the company implement a systematic training evaluation mechanism that not only measures immediate learning outcomes but also tracks long-term performance, engagement, and retention across departments? I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on practical strategies that integrate formal learning with on-the-job experience while promoting equitable career development opportunities.
I fully agree with this insightful analysis of HRM challenges at Prime Land Pvt Ltd. The blog effectively highlights how inconsistencies in orientation, unstructured training, limited career development, and the absence of training evaluation can negatively impact employee performance, engagement, and retention. I particularly appreciate the integration of relevant HRM literature: Saks and Gruman (2018) emphasize that effective onboarding is crucial for early employee adjustment and role clarity; Khan and Abdullah (2019) demonstrate that informal and unstructured training can lead to service inconsistencies and operational errors; and Werner and DeSimone (2017) highlight the importance of career development in fostering long-term employee commitment.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that the lack of systematic training evaluation undermines strategic alignment and limits opportunities for continuous improvement (Armstrong & Taylor, 2020). Overall, the analysis clearly shows that addressing these HRM issues is essential for enhancing employee confidence, improving customer experience, reducing turnover, and strengthening Prime Land’s employer brand. Implementing structured orientation, formal training programs, development pathways, and evaluation mechanisms would not only improve operational performance but also support the long-term sustainability of the workforce in a competitive real estate sector.