Human Resources Management Job Analysis for Delivery Driver in Canada

Answer

Human Resources Management Job Analysis for Delivery Driver in Canada

Section 1

The primary aim of this essay is to use the results of a job analysis of a delivery truck driver working at SLH Transport in Canada to develop new recruitment and selection program. SLH Transport Incorporation provides trucking transportation services in Canada. The transport company offers cross-border truckload, fleet, and freight management services to a wide range of vendors in Canada and the United States. Founded in 1985, the company was initially created to bring efficiency in the sears supply chain segment (SLH Transport, n.d.). Overtime, SLH has maintained long-term relationships with customers across Canada and the United States to become among the top ten transportation firms within the region. The company is focused on serving the North American market, including Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. To optimize its load services, the organization has an extensive partnership network and rail alliances for long highway and intermodal lanes (SLH Transport, n.d.). In the improvement of its business processes, SLH continues to invest in technology to drive efficiency, communication, thereby making it easier for customers to conduct business.

As a private company, the SLH Transport mission statement aims to make the company the preferred transportation partner through innovative management solutions developed through accountability, collaboration, safety measures, and quality services. The company envisions to become an industry leader through innovative and environmentally-friendly freight management solutions to a wide range of clients within the Canadian Borders. Operating across 13 terminals across Canada, SLH Transport currently has a workforce of approximately 500 employees (Dun and Bradstreet, 2020). The company is proud of its drivers and accomplishments, having won the 2015 TCA Owner Operator of the year. SLH Transport has also won consecutive awards as the top fleet employer for 2014, 2015, and 2016 and recently awarded as an employer of choice by THRSC Atlantic. SLH Transport has thirteen companies in its corporate family, generating over $90 million on an annual basis (Dun and Bradstreet, 2020). Overall, SLH Transport is a successful firm that has maintained a good reputation in fleet management services in the Canadian Transport sector.

                            As one of the leading private transport companies in Canada, SLH Transport exhibit particular strengths and weaknesses within its operations. The advantages of the business are responsible for protecting its market share and penetrating more locations. The company identifies its shortcomings to make improvements within its business sphere. Some of the strengths of SLH Transport include high level of customer satisfaction, which has grown over the last three decades. Notably, the company invests more in relationship management for customer loyalty and retention, which has increased its revenues over the years. Additionally, the company has a strong network of reliable suppliers, which allows it to maintain a robust supply chain in the North American market. Another strength of SLH Transport relates to full automation of its services, which scales up its business activities within the Canadian market. Furthermore, a highly skilled workforce through successful training and learning programs ensures quality and exceptional services to its customers.

Despite building a strong brand in the last three decades, SLH Transport also faces some weaknesses that derail its strategic goals. For instance, the company has not been able to tackle the challenges of new entrants in the highly growing market. SLH Transport has also lost several clients, especially from small trucking companies that lead to loss of revenues. Moreover, with Canada becoming a multicultural country, the company has not been able to fully integrate a working culture within its business sphere. Besides, the level of marketing is not as high as expected, resulting in a lower market share in the transport market. However, despite these weaknesses, there lie many opportunities in leveraging technology to improve the company’s business environment.

Section 2

Within the transportation field, delivery drivers focus mainly on the transportation and delivery of light products. In many cases, they drive motorcycles, small trucks, vans, and bicycles to deliver packages. One of my family relatives worked at SLH Transport company as a delivery driver, distributing packages across Canada. Delivery drivers mainly work on pre-established routes that guarantee delivery of packages within the shortest time possible. additionally, they use specialized equipment to catalog and keep track of all packages to different destinations.

Moreover, delivery drivers often require that customers sign against the delivery package as an acknowledgment of receipt. Some of the daily tasks conducted by delivery drivers include inspecting vehicles before departure and reporting malfunctions on transport systems before departure. The drivers also verify a list of packages to deliver since they have many destinations to deliver to. Further, the delivery drivers must ensure that all packages are loaded to the vehicle. All addresses and routes must be verified before departure to various destinations. The drivers must abide by the traffic laws and regulations within different geographical locations. Upon delivery, the drivers must also ensure that all the receipts are signed against by the customer, and a copy must be kept for company records. Moreover, the drivers must return unsuccessful packages to the company, and a record of all returns must be kept at the dispatch office. During their daily tasks, the drivers must also report all accidents and emergencies in order to get the required support by the organization (Recruiter Box, 2020). Although these might be considered light duties, delivery drivers must ensure that they provide exceptional customer retention and loyalty for future deliveries.

                            During his time at SLH Transport, my relative performed eight tasks as a delivery driver. The first task was loading packages to be delivered based on the means of transport for the day. The means of transport ranged from mini trucks, vans, or motorcycles. Before loading the packages, he would verify the list of packages against the shipping papers to make sure there was no error with the dispatch team. He would also check the packages information to make sure it matches the specification. While loading, special care was taken, especially for fragile packages, to avoid damages that would cost the company extra reimbursement expenses to its customers. The second task was to determine the best route to deliver the packages so that they could take the minimum time possible and avoid high fuel costs and physical fatigue. Within this task, he would analyze the maps and check delivery addresses and determine the best possible route. In his opinion, time-efficient routes are most welcome as they reduce unnecessary costs to the company and reduce fatigue for delivery drivers. Third, he would inspect the vehicle or means of delivery before departure. The process is important as it ensures that there is enough gas and oil, and the right fuel levels to avoid damage to the vehicle. He will also check all malfunctioning parts and request repair and maintenance if need be (Recruiter Box, 2020). Other areas he would check included breaks, wipers, and lights to avoid lawsuits with the traffic laws and regulations.

                            The fourth task is the delivery of packages following the pre-established routes. Within this task, during delivery, he was to ensure adherence to traffic laws and regulations within the different localities.  He was also required to ensure adherence to designated parking areas within Canada. The fifth task was to ensure customer satisfaction by making sure the package reached the customer undamaged. This way, packages were to delivered to the designated to the right person and at the right time. In cases where delivery did not match, all packages were returned to the SLH Transport offices. Where necessary, he was designated to charge customers for shipping fees based on the distance from the SLH offices.

The sixth task was to ensure proper documentation and record-keeping of all delivered packages. All packages were to document with the correct customer information. As such, all records would be submitted to the SLH Transport headquarters for filing and generation of accounting reports. The seventh task was to report emergencies, delays, and accidents to the operational manager.  Besides, he would generate daily reports on challenges faced at work and notify the headquarters of any challenges. In the cases of truck malfunction, he would request for assistance to ensure deliveries were made on time. These eight tasks were to be pro-active in making minor repairs to the delivery vehicle. Within the daily duties, he would make such changes as repairing tire punctures or adding cooling fuel to the truck (SLH Transport, n.d.). From the daily tasks, SLH Transport delivery drivers are supposed to ensure high integrity and professionalism during their interactions with customers.

                            Based on the above responsibilities and tasks for delivery drivers, the following job specifications are a requirement for recruitment purposes. First, delivery drivers don't require too much education, and a high school diploma or an equivalent is sufficient for recruitment. Second, a delivery driver must obtain driving skills and, therefore, must be a holder of a valid driver's license. He/she must have a clean driving license, meaning he or she is a law-abiding citizen with minimal or no traffic offenses. In some cases, organizations such as SLH Transport require that the delivery drivers must have prior experience of between one to three years (SLH Transport, n.d.). additionally, the delivery driver must be willing to adhere to assigned routes, safety procedures, schedules, and transportation laws of the land. Moreover, the driver must have strong time management and customer service skills. Finally, an essential specification for delivery drivers is that they must be attentive to detail to ensure packages reach the right customer at all times. The education requirements, certifications, related work experience, skills, and personality traits provide quality delivery for the transportation and delivery firm. 

Recruitment and Selection Program

                            Based on the above analysis on tasks, responsibilities, and job specifications for delivery drivers, we develop new recruitment and selection to enhance efficiency at SLH Transport. The recruitment and selection program is also applicable to other companies in the same industry. Before the development of a good recruitment and selection program, there are several considerations to keep in mind. First, it is worth noting that recruitment is a process with several stages, all of which enable the business to identify the best candidate for the job. Second, recruiting the best people for the job is paramount as it increases organizational efficiency and job performance of the employees. Third, while seeking to fill any vacancy, it is worth noting that internal candidates should be considered for promotions while external candidates are offered junior positions for the growth and development of its employees. Within the business environment, senior managers usually fail to pay attention to the recruitment process and only become actively involved in only senior positions that have a significant impact on the performance of the organization. This is a big mistake that lowers the quality and suitability of its employees who join the business (Failte Ireland, 2020). In an attempt to suggest approaches for avoiding such mistakes, this paper develops a new recruitment and selection process that would ensure consistent performance at SLH Transport among other delivery companies.

The recruitment and selection process is a legal and mandatory process for every organization. An organization should have a documented recruitment and selection policy that defines the parameters on how to manage this area. Each element of this process has a significant contribution in assisting the organization find the most suitable candidate for every job position. Generally, the recruitment and selection process consist of eight main stages: job vacancy, job analysis, attracting candidates, screening applications, interviewing candidates, selecting and selecting candidates, induction, training, and employee evaluation. Through the underlined steps, an organization can identify the best candidate to fill its job positions.

Step 1: Job Vacancy Identification

                            Step 1 of the recruitment and selection program involves identifying a job vacancy for a delivery driver. Before rushing to fill this position, an organization should consider the following points. The management or the recruitment agency must give the reasons why the vacancy has arisen. For example, the previous delivery driver might have left due to worsening internal processes. Unless they are resolved before another driver can be recruited, the new candidate will not be happy to fill the position. Second, it is important to consider the monetary benefits and costs of recruitment of the new delivery driver or what impact he or she will have on the overall organization performance.

As mentioned earlier, at this stage, the human resource department should evaluate whether internal candidates can be appointed or promoted to fill the vacant position and then recruit externally for a lower post. Recruitment of internal personnel is considered worthy since it reduces the risks and costs of training the new staff member. For example, the new delivery driver may lack the pre-requisite experience or is not conversant with delivery routes and traffic laws in Canada. It also offers internal employees the chance for growth and development in their career paths, which encourages them to stay longer (Failte Ireland, 2020). Once the recruitment department has reflected on the following points, it can then move into the second stage.

Step 2: Job Description and Analysis

                            Step 2 includes job analysis, where the human resource department takes action to reduce subjectivity to avoid making poor recruitment decisions. Some people lie during an interview process resulting in the recruitment of the wrong person. Therefore, the organization must have an objective criterion to evaluate candidates who will have a positive performance. It is important to have like-minded and passionate people in the business.  In reducing subjectivity, job analysis must answer the following two vital questions. First, the organization must define what it wants the new hire to do or perform. In this case, the job responsibilities and tasks of the delivery driver must be clearly defined to avoid overlap of duties. Besides, an organization should not assume that its employees are on the same wavelength and, therefore, different expectations should be underlined to different employees. Hence, there should be diversity under job analysis.

Second, when assigning job descriptions for the delivery driver, the following points should be considered. Circulate the job descriptions to potential candidates and use the latter to screen applicants based on the needs of the organization and what each candidate can offer. At this stage, develop specific technical job questions to ask during the interview process aligned with the job description (Failte Ireland, 2020). In developing a profile for each candidate, the job analysis should consider the candidates' education and training qualifications, the level of work experience, peculiar skills and knowledge they must have, communication skills, and other personal attributes. Through this mapping process, the organization can identify the ideal candidate for each position.

Step 3: Attractive Potential Employees         

The third stage includes attracting potential candidates for the advertised position based on the job descriptions. The primary purpose of scrutinizing the vacancy position is to have a clear picture of the job requirements and the type of person the organization wishes to recruit. The job advert should be competitive, attracting a large and diverse number of applicants. In attracting potential candidates for the job, the organization should consider the following two aspects. The first is to review the internal recruitment process before going for external candidates. Internal recruitment is more relevant for supervisory and management positions. The process is essential as it reduces the cost of hiring. The organization is also in a better position to recruit the right candidate who is already familiar with the organization's internal process. Moreover, internal recruitment is also a motivating factor for existing employees to work harder as they will expect a promotion.

However, it is not always the option to recruit or promote from within. In this case, external recruitment is preferred through adverts in external sources such as websites, national newspapers, and recruitment agencies. The advertisement must contain details of the position the organization seeks to fill, the amount of money to spend, the job experience level, and the nature of the job. Since advertising is an expensive activity, the organization must ensure that the advert reaches the desired audience, attracts a large number of candidates, and sends the right image about the organization (Failte Ireland, 2020). At this stage, the organization must be seen to be an equitable employer with fairness opportunities for all parties without discrimination based on race, gender, religion, or ethnicity.

Step 4: Screening of Candidates

                            The fourth step includes the screening of candidates. After receiving applications, the recruiting division should scrutinize the documentation and select candidates who match the job description. Short telephone interviews can also be used to gauge an individual's suitability. The primary purpose of adopting the screening process is to narrow down the field and spend less time during the formal interview process. At this point, the organization should not contact the employee's previous employer without explicit permission. Once this process is finalized, the next process involves interviewing candidates. The organization ensures that the candidates are fully prepared during the interview process by ensuring that adequate notice of the interview's date and time is given in advance. The candidate must be informed in advance about how to access the premises. The security personnel must be notified in advance to clear the candidates upon arrival when they get to the premises. The candidates must also be made aware of the documentation required before the interview. Screening and interviewing of candidates are essential processes as they ensure the organization hires the right person who can positively impact its strategic goals and objectives.

Step 5: Selection and Appointment

                            The sixth step includes the selection and appointment of candidates who successfully go through the interview process. Since most interviews are subjective, psychometric, and assessment centers are used for minimizing subjectivity issues. After selection, the delivery driver would be offered an appointment letter. The next step includes the induction and training of selected candidates. Training is essential to ensure that the employees are conversant with organization goals, objectives, policies, and procedures. Lastly, the employees are regularly evaluated on job performance on a monthly, semi-annually, or annual basis. The evaluation process will inform to the management, whether the recruitment and selection process was successful and effective (Failte Ireland, 2020). Through this new recruitment and selection program, the organization can identify the best delivery drivers to achieve their goals and objectives.