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Rebecca House

Candidate No: 139072602

Degree Programme: Human Resource Management

Project Title: A report analysing the use of standardized components to increase employment

satisfaction at Hays PLC, specific to London offices in the recruitment of Associate Consultants.

Placement Organisation: Hays Recruitment PLC

Word Count: 5214

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Executive Summary

The organisation selected for analysis in this report is Hays PLC. The report will be

studying the contrast of employee satisfaction ratings between the London offices and the UK

overall.

Hays PLC is a global company providing payroll services and the provision of labour.

Clients can agree to outsource part or all of their recruitment process to Hays. Outside of

established contracts, Hays consultants are responsible for the development of their own client

repertoire under the standard Hays terms and conditions. Consultants are expected to build fees

year on year with this autonomy.

This report will identify why Hays Associate Consultants in the London offices have

significantly less employment satisfaction than the UK average. Ratings made by Hays Associate

Consultants generate the overall employee satisfaction ratings for the London offices and the UK

total shown in Figure A.

Figure A The ratings for employment satisfaction for London offices and the UK total from January

2014 to January 2016.

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Figure A portrays the reduction in employment satisfaction from January 2014 to January

2016 for London offices. There is a gap between the London offices and the UK total satisfaction

for the period of analysis.

This report will be analysing the construction of Hays’ final interview to hire Associate

Consultants and how it effects employee satisfaction.

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my manager, Mrs Bushill, for the on-going support and advice she has

provided me in the creation of this report. I would also like to thank the Hays internal recruitment

team for placing me with such a friendly and supportive team for my placement year.

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Contents

1. Introduction 6

1.1 Background 6

1.2 Objectives 6

1.3 Scope 6

2. Methodology 7

2.1 Summary 7

2.2 Theory 7

2.3 Company Data 8

2.4 Significance 8

3. Findings 9

3.1 Summary 9

3.2 Quantitative Data Portraying Trends of Employee Satisfaction 9

3.3 Qualitative Data Portraying Trends of Factors for Dissatisfaction in

Employment 11

3.4 An Analysis of Interview Structure and Question Types used to Determine

Employee Satisfaction in application to the Recruitment of Associate

Consultants at Hays Plc. 12

4. Recommendations 17

4.1 Main Conclusions 17

4.2 Recommendations 17

5. Reflections 21

6. Closing 24

7. Reference List 26

8. Bibliography 33

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1. Introduction

1.1 Background

There is an increasing pressure for businesses to manage their labour resources effectively to

create an advantage over their competition (West et al., 2006). The job market is improving, people

are becoming more mobile, and there are fewer doubts about the ability to obtain employment.

Therefore, a person’s satisfaction and engagement in their job is crucial to reduce employee

turnover (West et al., 2006).

1.2 Objectives

This report will:

Analyse the final interview structure used by Hays to recruit Associate Consultants

using two secondary data samples.

Evaluate the effectiveness of interview structure and questions.

Provide recommendations based on conclusions drawn from the analysis of the issue.

1.3 Scope

This report examines the Hays final interview structure and the effect it has on employment if

candidates are hired; it does not examine other stages of the recruitment process.

It will identify the effects of using unstructured interviews to determine ‘Person-Job Fit’ which

results in employment satisfaction.

Implications of using only situational questions in interview will be identified, and

recommendations to improve the interview structure will be made.

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2. Methodology

2.1 Summary

Two data samples will be used to compare the employment satisfaction of London offices

and the UK. They will be used to analyse the effectiveness of the Hays UK final stage interview

structure Question types affect employment satisfaction. The first data sample consists of Hays

employee reviews collated by employer review site ‘Glassdoor’, to study employee satisfaction

trends (Glassdoor, 2016). The sample will be specific to reviews of Hays Associate Consultant in

the UK. The sample has been collated from 1st January 2014 to 9th January 2016. The second data

sample is a collection of interview reviews for the position, from the same period using the same

source (Glassdoor, 2016). It will be used to analyse how interview structure, specifically question

types, effect employment satisfaction (Hoevemeyer, 2006; Peterson and Durivage, 2008; Pfeffer,

1998).

2.2 Theory

Pfeffer (1998) states that the principle of ‘Selective Hiring’ can be used to find the right role

for the worker to result in employment satisfaction and employee commitment, thus increasing

company productivity (Graham, 1995). Management of the interview and structure can ensure

employees are satisfied within their jobs (Crainer, 2012; Peters and Waterman, 1982; Williams,

2002).

Peterson and Durivage (2008) to analyse standardization of interview components to

evaluate the effects of employment satisfaction. Hoevemeyer (2006) will be used to analyse the

effects of question types reducing employment dissatisfaction. Peterson and Durivage (2008) state

that the more components of an interview that are standardised, the more structure the interview

has. Hoevemeyer (2006) established how traditional questions in an interview are most effective to

evaluate candidate fit within the company and situational questions are acclaimed to evaluate

candidate actions within the job.

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Recommendations will be made to advise Hays London offices to use traditional

questioning in addition to situational questions to create a structured interview that can increase

employment satisfaction.

2.3 Company Data

As part of my employment, I have signed an agreement about data confidentially. Statistics

in this report are publicly available.

2.4 Significance

The two data samples (Glassdoor, 2016) will be used to study how job satisfaction is a

result of interview structure, specifically question types, used in the final interview, according to the

trends of Hays Associate Consultants’ interview experiences and employment satisfaction from

January 2014 to January 2016.

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3. Findings

3.1 Summary

Employment satisfaction can affect overall company productivity levels; low employment

satisfaction can be reducing productivity and increase staff turnover (Pfeffer, 1998. High

employment satisfaction reduces and decreases company expenditure as replacing staff needs to

recruit has been reduced, enabling efficient human resource management (Pfeffer, 1998;

Beardwell et al., 2004).

The first data sample portrayed the Hays UK total and London offices employment

satisfaction for Associate Consultants. The findings indicated London office employment

satisfaction has decreased from January 2014 to January 2016; the UK total has increased within

the same period. London offices had the highest employment satisfaction between January 2014

and January 2015; the UK overall was most satisfied between January 2015 to January 2016.

The second data sample portrayed reviews of the Hays final stage interview; findings

concluded the interview is unstructured. London office reviews stated the interview did not use

traditional questions to provide the opportunity to negotiate salary or hours; these were the two

main factors for dissatisfaction in employment for the London offices according to the first data

sample (please see Table 1).

3.2 Quantitative Data Portraying Trends of Employee Satisfaction

The London offices scored 3 out of 5 for employment satisfaction; there were an equal

number of reviews scoring 2 or less, 3, and 4 or more (or a ratio of 3:3:3).

The UK total was 4.2 out of 5 for the same same data collection period. A total of 33

reviews produced more ratings for 4 and above for employment satisfaction, than there were for

ratings of 2 and below (or a ratio of 6:4:23). Thus, the London offices have a significantly lower

employment satisfaction rate than the UK average.

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To produce the satisfaction rating, five factors must be individually rated from 0 to 5 (see

Table 1). On average, London offices score 26% lower for satisfaction than the UK total. To match

London offices’ satisfaction rating to that of the UK, London offices would need an average

increase of 26% above their existing ratings for each factor.

Table 1 London Area & UK Overall Satisfaction Ratings for January 2016.

London Area UK overall

Factor Rating (from 0.0 to 5.0) Rating (from 0.0 to 5.0)

Culture & Values 3.1 4.3

Work/Life Balance 2.0 3.3

Senior Management 2.2 4.1

Comp & Benefits 2.7 3.9

Career Opportunities 3.6 4.5

Employment satisfaction is presented on Glassdoor by three alternative ratings out of

100%: employer recommendation, CEO approval, and positive outlook of the business (Glassdoor,

2016). CEO Approval nationwide totalled 100%, thus I shall not discuss this as a factor for

employment dissatisfaction.

‘Recommend your Employer’ and ‘Positive Outlook’ were 48% in the London area,

compared with a UK total of 87% and 84% respectively. The London offices score over a third less

than the UK total for both ratings. Consequently, the London offices score would reduce the UK

average score.

The data sample of employee reviews from January 2014 to January 2016 portray a

decreasing trend of employment satisfaction in the London offices (see Figure A). Peak satisfaction

was during the fourth quarter of the year 2014. After October 2014, satisfaction steadily declined

whereby at the end of 2015 satisfaction was at its lowest within the data sample period.

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Figure A The ratings for employment satisfaction for London offices and the UK total from January

2014 to January 2016.

The Hays UK total portrayed an increase in employment satisfaction across the collection

period, with August 2015 as the highest scoring period for employment satisfaction. Hays UK

totalled the highest rating for employment satisfaction towards the beginning of 2016 at an average

satisfaction rating of 4.2.

3.3 Qualitative Data Portraying Trends of Factors for Dissatisfaction in Employment

Glassdoor (2016) job reviews provide the employee with three comments sections: a

positive comments section, a negative comments section, and an advice to management section.

The trend for the three most common positives about employment at Hays in the London

offices were: the training scheme, team supportiveness, and company ethos. The three most

common negatives were: the salary and benefits scheme, the hours, and “favouritism” amongst

senior management (Glassdoor, 2016). The UK overall portrayed similar trends to London offices,

the top three positives were: the training scheme, team supportiveness, and the commission

scheme. The negatives were: the hours, lack of management supportiveness, and consultant

placements are heavily reliant on the specialism desk they are placed to work.

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The most common advice provided by interviewed candidates was for potential candidates

to thoroughly prepare for the assessment centre (Glassdoor, 2016). As the final interview is after

the assessment centre, advice suggests the candidates should be preparing for the final interview

as part of the assessment.

3.4 An Analysis of Interview Structure and Question Types used to Determine Employee

Satisfaction in application to the Recruitment of Associate Consultants Hays Plc.

3.4.1 Interview Structure

The degree of interview structure is determined by the extent of standardised components

used to interview candidates and evaluate their performance. An interview has structure according

to the following: question types, question sequencing for every candidate, and evaluating

candidate answers against pre-defined criteria (Petterson and Durivage, 2008).

A structured interview can improve process effectiveness and interview result reliability

(Yoshimura et al., 2016; Walsh and Bull, 2010). The use of standardised components and

procedures can reduce interviewer inconsistencies when evaluating candidates, enabling accurate

evaluation of each candidate (McGuigan, 2011). Standardised components can reduce disputes as

candidates perceive the interview to conform to employment law (Equality Act 2010; Marchington,

2008). Standardization allows equal representation of candidate skills and abilities during interview;

if employed, this perception of fairness can result in a positive employer image. In turn, the

employee has a positive employment experience, increasing potential for job satisfaction, and their

resulting motivation (Aguinis, 2007; Amabile, 1997).

The Associate Consultant recruitment process at Hays is as follows: phone interview and

introduction to the role, face-to-face interview - to discuss the candidate’s resume, assessment

centre, final interview with a specialism director (FAQ, CV and Interview Tips, 2016; Glassdoor,

2016). Interviewers are able to analyse candidate responses to questions to evaluate the

candidate’s ‘Person-Job Fit’ (Harris and Eder, 1999; McGuigan, 2011). Peng and Mao (2015)

carried out a study of 455 participants to observe the impact of Person-Job Fit on job satisfaction.

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The results showed that a person’s ‘Job-Fit’ significantly correlated with job satisfaction. Memon et

al. (2015) found that a person’s Job Fit can be determined by job satisfaction and organisational

commitment. To determine whether a candidate will have employment satisfaction, the Director will

need to make accurate assumptions of the candidate’s Person-Job Fit within the team and

organisational culture (Harris and Eder, 1999; Wheelan, 2009; Richardson and West, 2011; De

Dreu and West, 2001). This is done more effectively with structured interviews (Yoshimura et al.,

2016).

The final stage interview, placed as the last stage, is beneficial as the assessment centre

prior to interview filters out poor performers. However, a candidate may pass the assessment

centre but the Director may evaluate them not to have a ‘Person-Job Fit’. This results in diminished

company resources as a hired candidate with a poor Person-Job Fit will not be satisfied in their job,

thus they will be less productive (Peng and Mao, 2015; Memon, 2015; French et al., 2011;

Hackman and Oldham, 1980).

A positive interview experience is evaluated when a candidate has a good interviewer

(Miller, 2011). The majority of interview reviews evaluated the current interview to be “short” for an

“interview with a Director” (Glassdoor, 2016). This suggests a lack of preparation, for the Director

to analyse the candidate in depth they must discuss candidate needs in order to evaluate whether

the position would give the candidate employment satisfaction (Maslow, 1943). A study by O’Shea

and Bush (2002) found that negotiating salary is beneficial for candidates to evaluate their earning

potential, so candidates should use the final interview to negotiate salary and hours – the top two

factors for employment dissatisfaction – with the Director who will be their team leader (Glassdoor,

2016). The final interview was found not to negotiate salary or hours, and not all interviews were

evaluated to be beneficial (McGuigan, 2011). The length of interview suggests a lack of structure,

supported by interviewee comments about the limited number of questions, not including salary

and hours opportunities (Glassdoor, 2016; Petterson and Durivage, 2008). Thus, the final interview

is implied to be a “box-ticking” exercise (Rubin, 2015).

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Alweis et al. (2015) found that semi-structured interviews result in interviewer biases for

cultural and personality factors; biases can impact team relationships (De Dreu and West, 2001,

Amabile and Khaire, 2008). Consequently, there is an increased risk of biases in an interview with

limited structure, and can result in a poor assessment of cultural ‘fit’ (De Dreu and West, 2001;

French et al., 2011; Hackman and Oldham, 1980; Memon et al, 2015).

In conclusion, the more structure an interview has, the more satisfied a candidate will be

due to the perception of fairness. The Hays final stage interview with the director suggests poor

structure is a contributing factor towards employee dissatisfaction in the London offices. Interviews

did not include the same questions across all candidates and Directors managed interviews

differently (Glassdoor, 2016). The lack of extensive questioning suggests the interviewers would

not obtain sufficient evidence to ascertain whether the candidate would be a good ‘fit’ for their team

(Walsh and Bull, 2010). Two of the top rated factors for dissatisfaction in employment at Hays –

hours and salary – were not discussed across all candidate interviews. This results in poor Person-

Job Fit, reducing employment satisfaction potential, which can reduce productivity and increase

staff turnover (CIPD, 2007). If hired, the resulting team will have poor cohesion as the members do

not ‘fit’ together, causing a reduction of individual and team satisfaction, and reducing productivity

and innovation (Richardson and West, 2011; Scott and Bruce, 1994; West and Lyubovnikova,

2012). Consequently, it is the Director’s responsibility as a leader to ensure there is a candidate ‘fit’

within their team by structuring the interview (De Dreu and West, 2001; Amabile and Khaire, 2008).

3.4.2 Question Types

Types of questions and the order which they are used can determine structure

(Hoevemeyer, 2006; Petterson and Durivage, 2008. The interview reviews provided stated the use

of situational questions but not the use of traditional questions (Glassdoor, 2016).

Situational Questions

Situational questions allow the interviewer to determine Person-Job Fit, to match the right

candidate to the right job (Hoevemeyer, 2006). Employees are more productive when they have

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job satisfaction which occurs when they ‘fit’ the job (Memon at el, 2015; Peng and Mao, 2015). If

there isn’t a Person-Job Fit, the reduction in employment satisfaction and organisational

commitment can result in decreased productivity levels and increased employee turnover (CIPD,

2007).

Yoshimura et al. (2016) carried out a Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) study adopting

situational and past-behaviour questions in a traditional interview structure. Interviews were carried

out at five separate stations with 26 participants, whereby a past-behaviour question, then a

situational question was used consecutively. They concluded that past-behaviour questions and

situational questions are equally reliable to use. However, the fixed order was not the best

technique to use as an admission test, it should be random. This type of interview is more

structured as it uses the same questions in each interview. However, using only situational

questions cannot determine a candidate’s complete job fit as candidate answers are evaluated

under the assumption that the actions advised by the candidate will be put into practise when they

are employed (Rostron, 2014).

Hays Directors used situational questions, thus they are able to analyse potential candidate

actions in the job, a factor determining a good Person-Job Fit according to the pre-defined criteria

they mark the candidate against (Petterson and Durivage, 2008; McGuigan, 2011). However, the

use of only situational questions cannot allow the Director to probe what aspirations the candidate

has to find their fit in the team and company.

Traditional Questions

Traditional questions are used to enquire about candidate aspirations and job development

(Hovemeyer, 2006). An example is: “where do you want to be in five years?”. Employers are able

to evaluate from candidate aspirations whether they see a long-term fit in the company according

to what motivates them (Harris and Eder, 1999; Wheelan, 2009; Richardson and West, 2011; De

Dreu and West, 2001).

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Hays Directors, as team leaders, have the responsibility to ensure there is a ‘fit’ in their

team (Wheelan, 2009). A good ‘fit’ in a team allows members to have a high level of cohesion due

to their similar aspirations (French et al, 2011 Richardson and West, 2011; De Dreu and West,

2001). A poor fit will reduce the potential for individual and team employment satisfaction, thus

reduces productivity and increases staff turnover (CIPD, 2007). Fit can be determined by the ability

for the Director to meet candidate aspirational needs for them to have employment satisfaction

(Maslow, 1943; Oldham et al., 1976). To evaluate candidate aspirational needs, traditional

questions can be asked regarding future career plans (Amabile and Khaire, 2008; Oldham et al.,

1976). Evaluation of their answers can be made against predefined criteria as to what aspirational

needs the Director can cater for (Costa and McCrae, 1985; Eysenck, 1994).

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4. Recommendations

4.1 Main Conclusions

Hays use a generic strategy across all their offices (FAQ, CV and Interview Tips, 2016).

However, the same processes used to recruit Associate Consultants in the UK overall are not as

beneficial to London offices as it assumes candidates are not differentiated between the UK

regions. This can be seen in the results; London offices score significantly lower than the UK total.

Employment satisfaction is lower in London offices, resulting from poor structure and

situational questions only used in the final interview (Glassdoor, 2016). Therefore, London offices

have a weaker ability to find a good ‘Person-Job Fit’ and the unstructured final interview used

across the UK isn’t as effective in London office recruitment.

4.2 Recommendations

To reduce the employment satisfaction gap between London offices and the UK total,

below are three recommended solutions.

4.2.1 Interview Stage Arrangement

The final interview for Associate Consultants has an assessment centre arranged prior to it

(Glassdoor, 2016; FAQ, CV and Interview Tips, 2016). This reduces the effectiveness of Human

Resource Management as company resources are used to arrange an assessment centre, of

which candidates may pass, but does not mean they will be a good ‘fit’ according to the Director

during interview (Glassdoor, 2016).

The first recommendation is for London offices to place the current final interview prior to

the assessment centre stage. The findings concluded that the current placement of this interview,

as the final stage, causes an over expenditure of company resources due to candidates passing

the assessment centre but failing to pass the final interview (Glassdoor, 2016; French et al., 2011;

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Hackman and Oldham, 1980). Interviewing prior to the assessment centre allows Directors to

establish whether to proceed with candidate applications (McGuigan, 2011). Proceeding with

applications can be determined by candidate ‘fit’ within the team and company according to their

aspirational needs and personality (Harris and Eder, 1999; Hoevemeyer, 2006; Wheelan, 2009;

Petterson and Durivage, 2008). If the candidate is considered not to be a good ‘fit’ then the

assessment centre need not be arranged, thus reducing company resource expenditure.

4.2.2 Interview Structure

London office interview reviews provided only one example of negotiation of salary and

hours (Glassdoor, 2016). Negotiation in only one interview in the sample suggests a lack of

structure; negotiating salary and hours was not a standardized component across all interviews

which can have an effect on employment satisfaction (Kaplan and Brown, 2009).

The Director has the responsibility as a team leader to arrange a structured interview to

reduce biases to evaluate each candidate effectively, so candidates have a positive experience

(Miller, 2011; Rubin, 2015). The provision of a structured interview, standardizing questions

provides assures candidates that they are interviewed and selected fairly (Aguinis, 2007; Amabile,

1997). This meets candidate needs, so that if they are employed they are motivated and satisfied

within their job as the Director at interview provided them with support for their career aspirations

(McGrath, 1970; Oldham et al., 1976).

The second recommendation it to use standardized components to create a structured

interview; the subsequent interaction in interview provides a pathway to a more productive

relationship (McGuigan, 2011). The candidate, if employed, will have already openly negotiated

hours and salary, thus reducing these two factors as contributors for employment dissatisfaction

(McGuigan, 2011; McGimsey and Whelan, 2015).

Overall, the company benefits as they will have hired the right candidate for the job as they

have reduced interview biases and inconsistencies in interview and candidate response analysis

(McGuigan, 2011). Moreover, negotiation of salary and hours act as extrinsic motivators for the

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candidate to be satisfied in their jobs, in turn reducing company turnover. Ji et al. (2016) carried out

a study finding career decisions to be influenced by extrinsic motivators. Thus, the negotiation of

hours and salary can reduce the candidate’s potential to leave Hays if they have an issue with

these factors when employed.

4.2.3 Question Types

Question types can evaluate Person-Job Fit, ensuring satisfaction upon employment

(Hoevemeyer, 2006; Petterson and Durivage, 2008). Candidates carry out thorough interview

preparation so they can expect the line of situational questioning that will be used in the interview

(Rezeaian, 2016; Glassdoor, 2016). The current line of questioning in the final interview used only

situational questions and was suggested to be a ‘box-ticking’ exercise (Glassdoor, 2016; Rubin,

2015).

Traditional questioning was not used, but it would have been appropriate to assess

candidates’ aspirations to evaluate their ‘fit’ within the organisation (Glassdoor, 2016; Harris and

Eder, 1999; McGuigan, 2011). The final recommendation is to use traditional questions during this

interview. The labour market in London is more flexible than the rest of the UK in terms of the

ability to move from job to job due to the wider vacancies available in the city. Traditional questions

can enrich employment experience as the employed candidate has already negotiated the

potential problems with salary and hours with the Director at interview. Sembiring (2015)

completed a study which found that career advancement and retention were influenced by

satisfaction. Thus, if Hays Directors asked candidates about their aspirations using traditional

questions such as ‘where do you see yourself in five years?’ they would be able to cater to those

career advancement aspirations if the candidate is hired, to satisfy them.

Moreover, traditional questions allow candidates to negotiate salary and hours, addressing

the two top issues of employment dissatisfaction in the London offices (Glassdoor, 2016). A study

was carried out by Walsh and Bull (2010) whereby interviewers were trained to use traditional

questions to improve interview outcomes. 58% of interviewers improved, so the interview results

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were more effective. The Hays value ‘passionate about people’ states the importance of hiring,

retaining and training the best consultants (Hays, 2016); training Hays interviewers to use

traditional questions can address the top two factors for employment dissatisfaction and meet this

value (Walsh and Bull, 2010; Glassdoor, 2016). The CIPD found that organisations with challenges

retaining staff, when training has been implemented the challenge has subsequently reduced

(CIPD, 2015).

The sequencing of traditional and situational questions should be used at random

(Yoshimura et al., 2016). Traditional questions should be used to determine candidate personality

and aspirations (Costa & McCrae, 1985) so that the Director is able to evaluate candidate fit for

team and organisational culture. Also, to evaluate whether the company can provide career

development opportunities to satisfy the candidate’s aspirational needs (Maslow, 1943; Harris and

Eder, 1999; Wheelan, 2009). This measures the long term effectiveness of hiring investments

made, determining whether the benefits of recruiting the candidate outweigh the labour costs. In

turn, this increases the effectiveness of Human Resource Management as Hays are able to reduce

repeat hires in the London offices (Beardwell et al., 2004).

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5. Reflection

In this section of the report, limitations will be identified for the theories and data used to

analyse the organisational issue.

5.1 Analysis of Theories

5.1.1 Theory A – Pfeffer (1998)

Pfeffer’s principle of ‘selective hiring’ was used to iterate the importance of recruiting the

right people, to increase employment satisfaction, in order to manage human capital successfully

(Pfeffer, 1998; Williams, 1998). As a universalistic theory, it has limited evidence to support the

ideals of American management being applied to European countries, and doesn’t take into

account the cultural and market differences which can reduce its application to Hays in the UK

(Hofstede, 1980). Transferability success has been shown to reduced when applying American

management to Northern European countries due to issues such as power-distance and labour

market attitudes towards work (Jackson, 2002).

The studies of firms having successfully implemented these practises also assume the

labour market is static, and doesn’t account for whether the principle aligns with external factors

(Huselid, 1995). Labour markets are not static (Bergman and Hean, 2016), and change according

to market conditions, such as increases in an aging and reducing population (Serban and

Aceleanu, 2015) or a recession as people stay within their jobs, reducing the mobility of labour due

to the high demand for job security (Hofstede, 1980).

5.1.2 Theory B – Petterson and Durivage (2008)

Petterson and Durivage (2008) state that the extent of standardized components

determines the extent of structure in an interview. A structured interview has been recommended

due to the results of the analysis whereby multiple studies across different professions have shown

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a structured interview provides greater validity of interview results and reduces interviewer

inconsistencies (Hartwell and Camion, 2016; Meller et al., 2001).

An unstructured interview allows candidates to take a calm approach, so that meeting the

Director feels less of a formal task; this is beneficial as candidates may talk more openly. Dana et

al. (2013) studied three samples for unstructured interview technique and found that it increased

the confidence of the candidate’s responses during interview. However, results found validity did

not improve when using unstructured interviews, thus more studies have shown structured

interviews to be more effective.

5.1.3 Theory C – Hoevemeyer (2006)

Hoevemeyer (2006) was used to address interview question concerns raised by

interviewees for the Associate Consultant position, whereby Hays only used situational questions

in the final interview stage (Glassdoor, 2016).

Studies of MMI portrayed inconclusive results as to how beneficial the use of situational

questions are when compared to traditional interview questioning (Soares, 2015; Yoshimura et al.,

2016). However, recommending to use traditional questions in addition to situational questions is

more beneficial for London office recruitment, as interviewers can query what motivates candidates

and utilise this when the candidate is employed, to retain staff and reduce turnover (Harris and

Eder, 1999; Wheelan, 2009).

5.2 Analysis of Data

5.2.1 Data Sample 1 – Employment Satisfaction

Data to study the issue was taken from one source, Glassdoor (2016). The employment

satisfaction rating provided is an accurate representation based on the reviews submitted to the

website. However, the number in the sample for London offices is limited in comparison to

employees in the UK.

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The data analysis found interview structure and questions were contributing factors towards

reduced employment satisfaction in London offices. However, the overall reduction in London

offices can be caused by a number of other factors not discussed here such as minimum wage

policy changes (National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage Rates, 2016).

To make the evidence stronger, another point of analysis could be used. Hays carried out

an engagement survey for employees to rate how engaged they were. This was used to portray

how engaged workers produced better results for company performance (Haysgroup, 2016). The

Hays engagement survey results could have been used to analyse the differences of employee

satisfaction portrayed between Glassdoor and the Hays engagement survey.

However, the Hays engagement survey can portray a bias result for employment as Hays

carried out the survey themselves. Therefore, impartiality could be a concern.

5.2.2 Data Sample 2 – Interviewee Reviews

Similarly, to the first data sample, the second sample was from the same source

(Glassdoor, 2016). Another data source could improve analysis in areas not specific to interview

structure, but to training. For example, poor interviewing technique may be a concern. The Director

may not be experienced in interviewing a candidate, or they have not been trained to interview

correctly (Walsh and Bull, 2010). This can affect the results of the interview as the interviewer may

hire a candidate under a bias decision they were not aware of making (McGuigan, 2011; Alweis et

al., 2015). As the decision is made biasedly, it can affect team cohesion, which if poor can cause

reduce employment satisfaction (De Dreu and West, 2001, Amabile and Khaire, 2008).

Furthermore, the review site does not allow Hays to write the review questions; the format

of reviews is the same across the whole site. Further detail Hays wish to understand about the

review must be obtained by Hays contacting the interviewee (Glassdoor, 2016). Thus further

resource expenditure would need to be made by Hays to fully understand why candidates are not

satisfied with their interview experience, and why this would reduce their employment satisfaction.

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6. Closing

This report made recommendations to improve the final interview currently used by Hays

Plc to recruit Associate Consultants. One data sample was used to showcase how employment

satisfaction has reduced in London offices across the data collection period, meanwhile the UK

total has increased steadily throughout. An additional data sample analysed characteristics of the

final interview that have resulted in lower employment satisfaction rates in London offices when

compared to the UK total. It was found the structure of interview led to absence of negotiating

salary and hours – the top two factors for dissatisfaction in employment for London offices. The

information was used to study how standardizing structure and using traditional question types can

improve employment satisfaction as causes for dissatisfaction will be challenged at interview.

Moreover, the study of placing this interview to be the penultimate stage has been supported by

other studies that the results of interview can reduce company expenditure from efficient

recruitment process planning, thus efficient Human Resource Management.

the data studied provides the first conclusion, that the Hays objective ‘to continue to

improve consultant productivity’ (Hays, 2016)’ is achievable through the adjustment of the final

stage interview, to be specific to the London labour market. It is found that employment satisfaction

improves productivity, thus recommendations made to improve employment satisfaction meets the

company’s long term objective.

A second conclusion is that the same processes for final interview across the UK are not as

effective when applied to the London offices. This is reflected in the lower employment satisfaction

ratings and interview experiences for London offices. The current interview does not differentiate

between labour markets of UK regions. Therefore, adjusting the final interview structure to match

regional labour market conditions would improve London office interview results, leading to

improved employment satisfaction, and consequently a rise in productivity.

In conclusion, there is compelling evidence that the top two factors for employment

dissatisfaction - salary and hours – are larger factors to consider in the London offices compared to

Page | 25

the rest of the UK due to labour differences. For example, the standard living wage is more of a

concern for a worker in London due to the higher cost of living. Thus, the recommendations to use

traditional questions to negotiate for salary and hours in the final interview are realistic. Hays

London offices will then know what the factors for employment dissatisfaction are from the start,

and can plan to reduce the impact of these factors.

Conversely, the recommendations provided are based on a limited number of sources, so

accuracy of real employment satisfaction rates may be over or underestimated here. Further

assessment of other data sources would be needed to analyse the accuracy of employment

satisfaction rates at Hays PLC London offices and the UK total, in order to validate the

recommendations provided for the data samples analysed in this report.

Page | 26

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