Plastec on Hr

Supplementary Material for Case Analysis

Paul arrived at Plastec Company 18 months ago, as the first HR professional the company ever had. Started fifteen years ago by two brothers, the company has been experiencing a “growth spurt” for the past 3-4 years, fueled by increasing demand for small plastic parts: computer keyboards, toys, airplanes….a wide variety of needs. Paul was directed by the owners to “hire good workers who will stay” and to “keep us out of court.” The company has a single location which is in an industrial park outside a major metropolitan area. When the company was founded, the surrounding area was mostly Caucasian and about 20% African-American. In the past few years people of many different ethnicities have moved into the area: Hispanics, Asians, people from India, Bosnians, Serbians, and Russians, among others. Many of these recent arrivals do not speak much English. Plastec’s employees are primarily Caucasian and African-American, although there are two Russian employees and one Vietnamese. There is a high demand in the local labor market for semi-skilled labor like the majority of the jobs at Plastec. Turnover is very high, although Paul has been able to reduce it some since he arrived.

Before Paul’s arrival, department managers did their own hiring. Since he arrived, Paul has gradually taken on more of the tasks associated with hiring, and the managers have been ok with this. The main position that Paul hires for is machine operator. This is a semi-skilled job. While some English is required in order to communicate with the supervisor and to understand safety standards, the actual job itself is very routine and does not require much communication with other people. While the market for small plastic items has been growing, the industry and technology itself has not changed much at all in the fifteen years the company has been in business. Paul’s initial review of existing position descriptions led him to conclude that...