HR Case Study — Christos Flessas
HR Case Study by FlessasTalent — christosflessas.eu
Welcome to another HR Case Study! Today, we will discuss how Chris’ HR strategies and solutions were used to further improve an upcoming Tycoon game, Server Owner Tycoon!
Let’s go into depth, what exactly is Server Owner Tycoon?
Server Owner Tycoon is an upcoming business simulation video game where you can create, run, and operate your own successful game host.
A user, when they start playing, must handle complex situations by making tough decisions. In the meantime, they can start hiring new staff members, launch updates on the server, host giveaways, manage their server host and so much more!
The goal of the game is to earn the most amount of money and players. There are also other measurable factors along the progression of the game such as staff trust, community engagement, popularity, and overall satisfaction. While there is no definitive end point, once a user reaches $1 Million they can sell their server and start again.
Here’s an overview of the actual gameplay
In the beginning of the game, the user creates their character where they can customize physical attributes like their hair style/color, skin tone, and clothing. There is then a tutorial where the basic controls and functions of the game are introduced. The user will be able to design their own room by decorating through buying furniture.
When starting, the user will begin with an old computer, slow Wi-Fi, and a bad server host with low speeds, power, and processing. During the progression of the game the user will be given the option to upgrade a large amount of things in the game starting out with the PC which will have 5 different options to choose from such as a laptop or gaming pc, which in turn give more and more power, speed and overall usability. There will be 6 upgradeable options for internet packages ranging from 768kbps all the way to 10gb/s. Finally there is the hosting that the server is run on. There will be 5 total options for hosting providers each offering better than the last in terms of speed, DDOS protection, support, and connection.
Once all that is setup, the user can create their actual server. To start a server one must write documents, create a communication platform, construct builds, do plugin development, and configuration. After this a user can then set up donator perks and create a donation website for players to purchase different perks and ranks. Along this process staff can be hired to help, which requires an initial post to be made in which staff can apply and then the user must review, interview and either accept/decline. Additionally the user can manage staff by praising, scolding, promoting, demoting, firing, increasing/decreasing pay, training (can build skills which in turn increase productivity, communication, and work ethic), and assigning different tasks. Media creators can also be hired to help with advertising and growth of the server.
After the server is fully setup, it’s all about managing the community. Staff will be tasked with welcoming players, answering questions, moderating, conducting polls, giveaways, and events, etc. The user will also be faced with random situations and scenarios such as new applicants applying, staff dilemmas, news/media inquiries, and receiving donations.
My first steps in the HR department
When I joined the project, the HR department wasn’t productive. There were issues in recruiting, onboarding, interviewing, and the team needed someone for guidance.
I began by meeting with everyone from the team, in every department of the project (Game Team, Marketing Team, IT Team etc.) in order to start learning more about the team, how they work, and to get an overall image of everyone’s progress.
After I coordinated with everyone from the team, it was time to catch up with the leader, a.k.a. the Founding Director. We sat down to discuss issues with HR, what needs to be done, and how we’re keeping up with the progress of the project. I took notes on everything we discussed so I can further investigate every issue that was addressed individually.
How I started fixing the HR department with strategic planning
The whole system includes 3 stages for the candidate: Contact, Interview, Onboarding Session.
To start off, let’s take a closer look at applications.
Creating an application helps the recruiter find the appropriate candidate for the job. It’s important for the candidate to add as much detail to the application as possible, in order to be noticed.
I organized some of the questions to further help the candidate understand what we’re looking for, and how detailed we want applications to be — the more detailed, the better.
Positions
I checked what was lacking from our progress — if we needed someone in Marketing or Public Relations, my priority would be candidates with similar experience. To keep it more organized, we created a document in which we state what’s needed:
- Role (HR, PR, Finance, Marketing etc etc.)
- Priority (High, Medium, Low)
- Description of Role
While applying, the candidate has two (2) options:
- Volunteer work
- Paid work (Employee)
The candidate has to choose one of the two (2) options. If the candidate is working on another project, they can only work as a Volunteer. If the candidate isn’t working on any other project, they can work as an Employee with payment.
Once we receive a large number of applications, we close the application form to handle interviews & onboarding sessions.
Interviews
I re-designed the whole interview system, adding more specific questions about the candidate.
First, I’ll schedule the interview in a time that is convenient for the candidate. I want the candidate to be and to feel comfortable, just as if we are having a casual conversation. Especially now that specific programs are used such as Zoom, it is hard sometimes to communicate (i.e poor connection or distractions). I start off by asking general questions, followed by situations. Note, there is no such thing such as “right answer” or “wrong answer”. Every candidate thinks different, and sees situations differently. It’s important to keep notes about how the candidate thinks while answering such as if they are they anxious or if they use professional vocabulary. Either recording the interview or keeping notes, be sure to have something stored so you can remember the candidate’s answers.
After the interview is completed, I make sure to let the candidate know that they will receive a response within a specific period of time. After that, I examine the interview carefully, and determine if the candidate has what it takes to handle the job.
- If yes, I proceed with the last stage — the Onboarding Session
- If no, the candidate will receive a message denying their application
Onboarding Session
We’ve created a document in which we state how we operate, what we expect from them and what they can expect from us. It’s important for us to be transparent, and we want to be sure that everyone will follow the guidelines to keep a friendly environment while working.
After the initial interview is done and if the candidate is advanced, we provide them documents that contain training material. The candidate, with a time of their choice within one week, must take a test for us to judge if the candidate is eligible to follow the guidelines. If the candidate passes the test, they’ll be given access to their workplace, and will communicate with their Department’s Director for tasks. If the candidate doesn’t pass the test, they’ll be removed from the team and asked to re-apply in one (1) month if they wish.
Department Roles
The HR team and I have come up with a system that will help both the team and us. It’s easier for the team to have someone above them, while we collect & review progress from every department.
Specifically, we’ve come up with this plan:
- Department Role
- Department Manager
- Department Director
The Department Role team members, will handle day-to-day responsibilities that are given from the Department Manager & Director.
The Department Manager will catch up with the Department Director to discuss the progress of the specific department, staff vacancies etc.
The Department Director will catch up with the Department Manager to provide responsibilities, handle complaints and anything else required.
Communication
We prefer using Discord as our main platform of communication, as we can use channels for departments to communicate through texts. For meetings, we prefer using Zoom, as it is more convenient.
In Conclusion
This HR system is performing excellent, and the result is incredible. We can operate every department, while remaining organized, and we’re now able to keep track of everyone’s progress on the team.
Before ending the case study, take a look at some exciting screenshots from the game!
What the Founding Director said:
Ever since meeting Chris, I have been consistently impressed with his ability to work well with others and produce creative and inspiring work. His passion, attention to detail, and willingness to learn new skills make Chris an essential asset to the Server Owner Tycoon team. I would highly recommend Chris to anyone seeking a skilled HR manager.
What the HR Director said:
A very talented HR Manager with extremely valuable experience in employee engagement, talent acquisition, and assessing employee performance.
