A construction company with 75 field employees determines that the best way to improve communication with employees and efficiency in tracking employees' working hours is to provide each field employee with a smartphone. Each employee has a company e-mail account that can be accessed through the smartphone, enabling the employee to receive e-mail in a timely fashion. Additionally, the employee uses the smartphone to track hours worked at each job location. A benefit to the employee is not having to complete and turn in time sheets at the end of the week, since time tracking is in real time. These phones should be used for business only and turned into the supervisor at the end of the workday. The company has made a significant financial investment in the smartphones. Some employees have personal smartphones and are very familiar with the phones. However, many employees have not used this type of technology and are not computer-literate. Even prior to the implementation of the phones, this small group is demonstrating negative and resistant behavior. The human resource director has been assigned the responsibility of distributing the smartphones to the employees and providing the necessary training and resources for the employees to be proficient in using the phones within 30 days.
1. Many of the employees who are resisting the change to smartphones have been with the company for a long time. What steps should HR take to overcome the obstacles to learning?
2. Given the varying technology proficiency of the employees, which is the most effective training method the human resource director should use to facilitate the change?
3. An employee refuses to use the smartphone and continues to submit paper time sheets. Which action should the human resource director take to bring about the desired change in the employee's behaviors?
4. The human resource director is receiving feedback from several employees that other employees are playing games, texting, and using social media on their phones during working hours. How should the human resource director respond to the feedback?
5. Thirty days have passed, and the smartphone adoption rate is only 45%. Which is the human resource directors' best point of entry in determining the source of the low adoption rate?
6. Which action should the human resource director take to create shared ownership and accountability with business leaders for the smartphone change's success?