HRM2602 Assignment 2 (COMPLETE ANSWERS) Semester 2 2026 - DUE 27 August 2026

HRM2602 Assignment 2 (COMPLETE ANSWERS) Semester 2 2026 - DUE 27 August 2026 Question 1 Read the following scenario and answer questions 1.1 and 1.2. The crumbling Timhaka Construction Solutions You are the newly appointed Human Resources Manager for "Timhaka Construction Solutions," a mid-sized construction and civil engineering firm with 130 employees. The company has been facing significant challenges over the past year. After a period of rapid growth, the firm won a big, high-pressure government contract to build a new road network. In managing this project, senior management demanded employees to work long hours, including frequent weekend work, and set nearly unattainable deadlines. The firm did not 6 increase the number of staff to manage the workload. Recently, you have observed several worrying trends: • Health and morale decline: The chief engineer, Mzamani, who was once passionate and innovative, has become cynical and withdrawn. He confides in you and tells you that he feels his efforts are meaningless and that he "has nothing left to give," despite his workload increasing. Mzamani has been frequently absent lately, giving reasons that he is experiencing severe migraines and fatigue. You also notice he has started drinking heavily and seems to be losing weight. • Incidents in safety: Two minor accidents happened on the construction site a month ago. A junior site manager crashed a company car into a pile of supplies. Although it wasn't officially recorded, a co-worker claimed to have smelt alcohol on his breath at the time. • Interpersonal conflict: The site manager, Zitha, is known for his aggressive management style and his behaviours of being a tribalist. You have received several informal complaints from newly appointed interns that Zitha publicly humiliates them for minor mistakes, calls them "useless," and has threatened to "fire them or make their lives hell" if they don't meet his targets. They are too afraid to file a formal grievance. As the HR Manager, you must now act to stabilise the situation and advise the CEO of the company on a way forward. 1.1 “Mzamani, the chief engineer, who was once passionate and innovative but has become cynical, withdrawn, and feels he "has nothing left to give," despite his workload increasing. He has been frequently absent, experiencing severe migraines and fatigue, and has started drinking heavily.” Based on the signs as observed by Mzamani, identify and discuss the condition at play. Provide the information from the scenario to support your answer. (4) 1.2 The potential alcohol abuse by the junior site manager is a serious concern. Discuss the steps of a constructive approach that Timhaka Construction Solutions should follow to address the employee's possible substance abuse problem. (8) 1.3 Zitha's behaviour towards the newly appointed interns constitutes a form of workplace harassment. Identify this specific form of harassment and describe one action the organisation must take to prevent and address such conduct. (3) 1.4 Identify and explain any five of the requirements necessary for an effective Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) that Timhaka Construction Solutions should utilise to address the issues affecting Zitha, Mzamani and the junior site manager. In your answer, briefly explain how each requirement will help the employees to buy-in to a referral to an EAP. (10) (25 Marks) HRM2602/2/2026 ASSESSMENT 02 7 Question 2 Read the following scenario and answer the questions that follow. The Turnaround Challenge at Rivoningo Exclusives Telecom Rivoningo Exclusives Telecom is a South African telecommunications company that has been struggling to grow and maintain its market position against larger competitors. The CEO, Mr. Mabasa, has observed that while the company meets its basic operational targets, it consistently fails to innovate or respond quickly to market changes. Customer satisfaction scores are declining, and the company is losing its most talented engineers and sales staff to competitors. Which is continuously bringing threats to the growth of the company. In his concerns about these trends, Mr. Mabasa decided to commission an internal review. It was discovered in the findings that the organisation’s HR practices are outdated. The company’s recruitment has been focusing exclusively on technical qualifications and years of experience, with little regard for behavioural attributes. Performance appraisals are seen as a "tick-box" exercise, and employees report that they do not receive meaningful feedback or opportunities for growth. Training programmes are too generic and do not address the specialised skills required for key roles. Furthermore, the HR department operates in silos, with recruitment, training, and performance management activities operating independently. Mr. Mabasa has asked the new HR Director, Ntsako Baloyi, to come up with a strategy to address these issues. Ntsako believes that the solution lies in shifting Rivoningo Exclusives Telecom from just a traditional, task-focused HR approach to a competency-based HR management system. She explains to the CEO that this shift will demand fundamental change in how the organisation views its people, moving from focusing on what people do to how they excel in their roles and contribute to the organisation’s strategic goals. She then introduces a new slogan to a company “moving to a new look” as her point of departure. 2.1 Ntsako needs to explain to Mr. Mabasa why identifying employee competencies is critical for producing performance excellence. Identify five of these reasons and briefly explain what each reason means in the context of Rivoningo Exclusives Telecom. (10) 2.2 One of the challenges Rivoningo Exclusives Telecom faces is that its HR functions operate in silos. Identify four specific HR practices (other than recruitment) that can be aligned using a competency-based approach and briefly discuss how this alignment would benefit Rivoningo Exclusives Telecom. (8) 2.3 Following the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for greater operational flexibility, Mr. Mabasa has asked Ntsako to explore the possibility of introducing more flexible work arrangements at Rivoningo Exclusives Telecom. Discuss any three of the best practices for effective virtual teamwork that Ntsako should consider implementing if the 8 organisation decides to establish virtual teams for its new product development projects. (6) 2.4 In the scenario, Ntsako is considering flexible work arrangements for Rivoningo Exclusives Telecom. Define the concept of telecommuting as a virtual work arrangement. (1)