Outline
This case study will be based on a branch of Retail Co Company called riverside. The main issue being that of identifying the human resource policy, strategy and practices being employed at the branch level in particular, the River side branch. The case study will try to analyze whether the kind of human resource policies, strategies and practices are auguring well with the employees, it will also ascertain whether they practice consistency in their human resource polices, strategies and practices and what contradictions come into play as they carry out these strategies and policies. (Jentz 2001)
Company Description
Retail co. operates in the multiple store grocery retailing sector. Riverside is just one of its 700 branches spread all over the United Kingdom, which sell groceries in a supermarket set up. They have employees that total up to 450, its work force is divided into part timers and full timers where by the number of part timers exceed the number of full timers by 71%. While in gender most part timers are females. Riverside branch operates 100 hours a week, weekends, evening, and day time. Their top management consists of the general manager, four senior stores managers, customer services manager, personnel manager, two trading managers. (Sleezer and Catherine 2002)
Human Resource Management
Human resource management can be defined as an act of planning that helps in managing people with the goal of effective performance being realized in an organization. Through this careful planning the main intention is for the management to be able to exercise flexibility and a caring nature to its employees and in turn the employees should feel motivated hence being able to give the company their best in terms of out put, in productivity. Good human resource practices are vital in implementing set objectives in a company hence it results to high production levels. (Sleezer and Catherine 2002)
This can be defined as a plan put in place in order to achieve a certain goal. In relation to human resource, a strategy can be a plan of action made in relation to set objectives of a company. In order to achieve human resource management then a set of actions have to be initiated and implemented. (Jentz 2001)
Good HRM Practices in Departments
Good human resource management practices in departments basically rely on set strategic initiatives which should be integrated when managing staff members for peak performance. Hence the following practices should be observed, each department should have its own clear strategic direction this is by its vision, mission and values being loudly articulated, for each member in the department to be able to understand. A strategic linkage should be established this should take effect through human resource programmes and management planning. A manpower plan should be established and should be able to reflect the company’s short term and long term human resource needs. Managers should adopt an open forum which they will be able to liaise with their staff members hence the need to be caring and flexible to the needs of the staff members.
The above style of managing can be characterized by the following; the company adopts an open performance management system this will promote effective performance and will call for individual objectives to be able to collude with the departmental objectives, mentorship and training should be initialized by the company this can be done through seminars, symposium and retreats this will develop the staff on the job. Training the staff members on the set departmental objectives and results will enhance staffs ability to perform better as they are armed with knowledge on what are the aims of the organization. Staff should be empowered on service delivery which should be of high quality, this will be realized through training and developing a service culture among staff members, they should know that it’s their duty to serve customers to their satisfaction. This also can be fulfilled by the act of initiating work streamlining and business process re-engineering. When a company embarks on its human resource management initiatives there is need for it to create an avenue of self evaluation, so that it can asses its progress and know whether to change course in its strategies, practices and policies or continue with its current way of dealing with its manpower in relation to its set objectives.
This can be illustrated by taking a follow up of initiatives taken compared to the kind of indication that initiative takes on the organization. For instance for the issue of vision, mission and values of a company the company has to have indications on how its implementing these three objectives on its organization, does the three objectives have a sense of purpose in the department, are elements of service culture captured in the objectives, does the management allocate resources to departments as delegated in the objectives, are there open communication systems in place to promote the departments set objectives, does the management offer training in relation to promote the objectives. The management should also implement a measurement system to enable tracking of performance improvement in return the staff members should be able to demonstrate a clear understanding on the departmental objectives.
Another good indicator is by measuring the initiative of drawing a human resource plan which should have the following characteristics if should be rated good. First it should be drawn under the leadership of top management hence it will have owners to guide and implement, the top management has the responsibility of voicing the departmental strategy clearly. The top team should endorse debate and approve human resource problems; they should take time and table the initiatives of reviving its departmental objectives. Questioners developed on staff surveys should be implemented in order to voice the opinion of the staff members this should lead to the development of a an information system which will allow free flow of information that is networked, this will add in put made by the staff members in drawing of the human resource major plan hence they don’t become docile members in the whole human resource management issue. The human resource management should make the point of assigning implementations carried out to the right channels.
Another initiative implemented by the HRM is the area of man power planning. For a good management in this specialty the company is supposed to do the following:- they should carry out interviews to measure on staff aspirations in the same time offering career advice o staff members, making sure that their staff members are competent enough in their respective areas of duty, instilling training arenas at the work place to increase efficiency, they should design job grades in which staff will fall into in cadre depending on area of specialization, this should be made common knowledge to staff members. There should be clear defined routes on which members of staff can pursue in order to reach certain career destinations in the firm; this should be well defined in order to increase motivation among staff members who want to be promoted. The HRM should open communication lines by creating an office in the department this will improve communication lines in the organization. (Jentz 2001)
Another human resource management initiative is the performance management system for its good coordination the senior management team should allocate required resources to the departments in abundance; this will demonstrate their support and commitment in performance of a department. All appraisers employed should be well trained in order to be able to work fairly, practice openness, and apply objectivity in the appraisal process. The company should be able to gauge and improve its performance through implementing and spear heading training to its employees. On the other hand the staff members should be made to understand that performance in the company relies on them and is a joint responsibility between the appraise and the supervisor, also they should not performance management is an all year thing other than an end of year event. The system of performance management should be carried out to evaluate the developmental needs of staff members and how the information can be used to upgrade them in promotions at the work place. The company should take the initiative of reviewing its performance management system frequently. (Sleezer and Catherine 2002)
Training and developmental initiatives, this should be done in accordance to the set departmental strategic objectives, the company should diverse its training from oversee training to attachment, training and development initiatives should run hand in hand with performance management systems and manpower management hence the need of the company to be able to liaise with the three initiatives in synchrony. After training, there should be supporting evidence to show improvement in work quality and efficiency. If positive, the managers should be able to note by giving the employees positive feed back. All new staff should be provided with in-training at the departmental stage. (Jentz 2001)
Service quality enhancement should be instilled in the company this will only be seen if the following are taken to effect, productivity should be enhanced, staff should have a strong initiative to serve, they should learn how to focus on the customer and implementing service culture as outlined in the company’s procedure, policies and practices. For the above to take place then the human resource manager is supposed to implement a mode of measurement to track service delivery this can be inform of questioners’ posed to the customers. If all is well done, then customer satisfaction will be enhanced thus contributing to profits at the end of day and maintaining its clientele base. (Sleezer and Catherine 2002)
Contradiction and Consistency
Analysis of riverside branch HRM strategy, policies and practices will be discussed in relevance to good HRM practices in an organization as discussed above. What are they doing right according to set good human resource management practices and what are they doing wrong that is contradicting the policies through this, the major human resource problem at riverside will be uncovered. This will be analyzed using five major points which are; strategy, manpower development, training development, performance management and service enhancement. (Jentz 2001)
Strategy
Their main strategy at riverside branch is that of cost reduction and quality enhancement. To ensure that this strategy takes the right course the head office closely monitors the store level managers at all levels. This is done by setting budgets and adhering to set targets. By the fact that it has an existing strategy in place it can be rated as a consistency, but it poses a contradiction to good human resource management practices because the store level managers human resource responsibilities are not reviewed, evaluated or scrutinized by any one directly. As long as they meet the set targets and budgets from the head office are maintained they are off the hook. Due to a tight budget which is endowed to produce quality service the store level managers won’t have a sense of commitment in relation to good human resource management practices, this is because they aren’t being offered managerial incentives by the top management. This also brings the question of lack of enough resources being offered to the branch hence low production levels this creates a problem in service delivery of the end product. Their whole strategy initiative is a scam in that they have it but don’t but supportive measures to implement it and see the success of it thus a contradiction.
Manpower Development
At riverside branch man power is not given full support by the head office top management. Section managers join the system as school leavers hence they wages are low as they are offered promotion from the most basic starts on their way up. From this it is deducted that the management at riverside is incompetent. In case of grievances the section store managers get involved in the initial stages and discipline process, the personnel manager often adopts advisory roles in the matter at latter stages of the process. This clearly indicates a contradiction to good human resource practices in that it doesn’t have an open flexible and caring system that opens up dialogue. The management should open its doors on its top level management by introducing an effective information system. Manpower development is non existent at riverside branch, this by the fact resources are limited in supply because of a lean budget, this will automatically dictate low production levels and service enhancement will be derailed.
Workers are overworked especially part timers, while full timers are given allowances on hours worked overtime, part timers don’t receive anything on top. This scenario makes part timers feel non committal, they only report to work, do their hours and leave for home there is no sense of belonging on their part, hence they cannot uphold the company’s set objectives and strategies. Although the branch needs more full timers recruitment is always put at a halt because of a restrictive budget that is in place this kills production, motivation, morale and misuses workers who are underpaid and overworked. The whole manpower development at riverside branch is a contradiction to good human resource practices.
Training Development
Riverside branch has an existing training manager whose main function is ensuring that corporate customers service training packages and central induction programmes are carried out effectively. This is a consistent according to good human resource practices but having an initiative that is never implemented turns it into a contradiction. This is in the sense that the responsibility of training and development of new staff on tasks is left to be carried out by the section managers who for one are incompetent. Thus productivity will be negated and service will not be up to date. Section managers are also delegated on carrying out interviews. While the top management takes a wide berth leaving a gap to a more problematic issue, staff recruited will not be qualified enough to increase productivity this brings about contradiction on good human resource management practices. Store level managers are left with the responsibility of managing human resource policies, which is supposed to be carried out by section managers thus assignment of duties at the store pose a contradiction to good management policies. This is to say the top management should be exclusively be involved in recruitment hence they will have a kind of standard on whom to employ and those not to be employed.
Performance Management Systems
At riverside branch the section managers are delegated to carry out annual performance appraisal among members of staff. This can be termed as a consistency but by the fact that the section managers are being overworked by playing so many roles they become ineffective. They tend to concentrate on meeting targets and operating a low cost budget in the aim of enhancing service something that cannot work, this tends to undermine and distort human resource initiatives, despite the introduction of performance appraisal system by the head office the section managers are too overworked to implement it hence workers are ignored and become a neglected lot. Due to the high influx of part timers the section managers argue that it’s a time consuming exercise and this time can be allocated to meet set targets. Thus in conclusion performance management system at riverside branch is like a taunting ghost that is there but cannot be seen nor felt (Desimone 2003)
Poor Manpower Management, Recruitment and Ratio balancing
The above can be termed as the main problem, afflicting the riverside branch when it comes to good human resource management of policies, strategies and practices. The whole work force at the riverside branch are afflicted this encompasses the section managers to full timers to part timers each of them experiences some sort of problem as they work at the branch. This tends to bring imbalances at the store that leads to reduced efficiency and production levels. (Desimone 2003)
Section Managers
They are overworked as they are left to delegate on duties, observe budgetary matters, and implement ways of meeting targets plus recruiting. By their level of education they tend to operate in mundane ways hence it’s not easy for them to follow and implement human resource initiatives set by the head office. Incompetence is characterized in the whole system at the riverside branch in that as they are given the mandate of recruiting they won’t recruit people who are more educated than them thus degrading the company’s standard on the level of education their employees should have. The human resource at retail co should make the initiative of employing managers at the section level who have a background on human resource issues meaning they should at least be colleges graduate. By this they will be able to manage and implement human resource initiatives as directed from the head office. The duties of section managers should be well spelt to prevent overworking which erodes motivation. The human resource at retail co should also instruct the personnel office to task up its role in listening grievances from workers and implementing an open information system at the branch. The personnel officer should also be delegated on the duty of recruiting, and employing staff by the standards set by the head office. (Malik 1997)
Lack of Specialization
For the company to realize its goals/ strategy it should be able to implement on labour specialization. This will increase production and efficiency, for instance in the case where by instead of the company employing appraisal officers they delegate this duty to section managers who are busy trying to meet targets on a restrictive budget. It becomes impossible for the performance system initiative to take root. Another example is where by the training manager training service staff only for them to be deployed later to other sections to help during rush hours. This kind of incidence deludes motivation at the work place making workers feel misused. Hence the human resource at retail co should initiate a specialization policy where every worker reports to work knowing what is expected of him and where he should report this will also save time and increase service delivery. (Desimone 2003)
Training Development and Service Delivery
The head office should implement ways on how to effectively offer in house training to their staff members. The human resource manager at the head office should instigate, and approve on the best ways on which to train their staff members. Especially because their business is service oriented then a service culture should be established. For instance training the staff on leadership styles while serving, will facilitate them with the capability of serving without assuming attitudes that would end up portraying the company in bad light. Out door training such as group mentoring should take effect well by the fact that it will promote team work. In the case of riverside branch the problem of disorientation comes into play by the fact that most employees come to riverside as workers they don’t consider it a family, this can be altered by organizing retreats enhancing working relation among staff members which in turn contributes to good service delivery. (Malik 1997)
Lack of a Trade Union and Ratio Balance
The man power at riverside branch consists mainly of part timers who account almost up to 71% which is a total of 320 out of 450 workers the rest are full timers. This poses a problem to the branch because they cannot register a trade union. The human resource at riverside should initiate a policy that will allow more part timers to be elevated to full timers hence they can exercise their freedom, open communication between them and the management in turn this will lead to sense of belonging to the member of staff to the company, hence increasing motivation leading to high production levels and enhanced service delivery at the end of the day. Full time workers should not be allowed to work overtime after which they are paid incentives this opportunity should be given to part timers because they work in periodic hours. When full timers are given this overtime work they don’t offer their best in terms of production this is because by this time they are already wasted and their minds are set on leaving for home. By turning the ratios of full timers and part timers it will be a plus to the company as mentioned on the trade union part. By turning the ratios the issue of overworking staff will not be there, the human resource should also ensure after implementing workers on full timer basis, they be facilitated to report to work in shifts, which can be divided into three equal periods per day, this will enhance service delivery. (Gupta 2003)
Conclusion
For a company to realize its full potential it has to care about its employees, because they are the main manpower behind the production sector that sets to deliver services to customers. The employer’s needs should be taken care of before the management starts dealing with disgruntled workers whose impact will show on levels of production and quality of service rendered. Thus: the need of a company to be able to establish, a good human resource management front, in terms of initiatives and implementations. As in the case of riverside the work force doesn’t have a say, by the fact that most of them are part timers hence they lack basic work force rights, their pay is low, and their management system is not well coordinated. In fact most workers don’t know who the top managers are thus the need of an organization to have a well thought out and established information system. (Malik 1997),
Inclusion of the whole working system as a whole should be encouraged. The human resource manager at Retail co it being the head office should diverse his office to the branches. This will increase efficiency this can be implemented through a hierarchical order. On the branch level there should be a human resource office that will deal with human resource issues at the branch level. This action will increase effectiveness when it comes to instilling of company’s strategies and policies. It will also improve relationship from the branch level to the top level management hence segregation and neglect will not be prone at the branch level. (Gupta 2003)
Retail co being a large company needs care full attention when it comes to its employees. Going by its strategy they really need to be keen in their issues, or else any stagnation caused due to demonstration or strikes can paralyze the whole system bringing numerous losses and creating bad impression which will be associated with the company.
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