For every organisation aligning the business strategy with the key functions and operations is elementary. Human Resources form an important aspect of the strategic management. In this analysis we take a closer look at the HR operations of Ford Motors and how their strategies influence the business plan of the organisation. The company website has a separate section for the careers which makes it convenient for the aspirants to take a look at the existing job opportunities available in the company. The jobs have been segregated depending on two factors including the location and the experience. To add on the page also gives a glimpse of what are the main functions of the HR department that gives the aspiring candidate a gist of the HR mechanism. Based on suitability applications can be dropped for respective job openings which will be further taken up by the HR team if found suitable. As a HR team member I would ensure that the latest updates are available online for aspirants interested in trying for the underlying roles within the organisation. This would mean hiring the right people that will eventually reflect a strong work culture forming a strong basis for a successful team helping the business achieve the business goals and even surpassing the expectations.
As put across by Dyer & Reeves (1995) HR strategies are internally consistent set of practices that needs to be improvised at every step. Every HR role contributes to the success of the team and the organisation. Having a diverse and a skilled team that thoroughly understands the need and works towards business objectives is a must have. It is important to choose a team that has an appropriate mix of experienced employees, fresher, women, and employees from different nationalities and backgrounds. This will drive the team to explore and make optimal utilisation of the advantages that come with the diversity. The mix must be spread across recruitment, training and development, grievance and other related activities of the team. I would prefer to be a part of the recruitment team as interacting and selecting the right skill for the company is an essential. Some of the HR positions I would try would include HR recruitment manager, HR executive (Recruitment), HR Lead, IT recruiter and others. Internal and external recruiting together form the strategic part of the decision.
Some of the HRM strategies to improve the business competency are as listed below:
Talent management must be emphasised as even the candidates have several job opportunities from varying companies in the same industry to choose from. How the organisation portrays itself becomes important here. Highlighting the right practices and advocating the same will build the confidence in the applicants (“HR strategies”, 2010).
Constant improvisation of processes and having a useful knowledge management will help the organisation build on its strengths. Regular feedback from existing employees must be collected and gaps must be identified using the same information. Rectifying measures must be immediately addressed and put in place so that employees also feel that the organisation is taking care of their woes and is working every possible way to overcome the shortcomings.
Retaining quality resources is the key to success. Apart from this efficient training and development programs will help in increasing the working ability and focus of the employees. Appropriate pay and reward measures will be one of the key elements in controlling the employee turnover ratio. The organisation must ensure that the pay scale offered is matching the industry standards, not to forget the perks and incentives that usually lure the workers.
Employee relations is sensitive and usually neglected in bigger organisations. Efficient communication at regular intervals and keeping the workforce updated about the current affairs is a great measure that needs to be maintained. Addressing employee grievances is another way of handling the same.
Strategic HRM is a continuous process that needs to be constantly upgraded to keep the business in the lead. Diversity is mandatory for the success of any HR team for which planning must be given equal amount of focus. HR planning must focus to fulfil the requirement of stakeholders involved in people management (Boxall & Purcell, 2003). Diversity brings in a variety of talent that encourages the overall profitability of the organisation in the long-term. Below mentioned are some of the measures with which the firm can increase the existing diversity and become more employee friendly and focused.
Having more women workforce needs adequate measures. Some of them are on-site day-care, childcare facilities, flexible timings and work from home opportunities. These features indicate that the organisation is open to explore and offer opportunities that are women friendly. This encourages more female candidates to come forward and apply for the job openings underlying in the organisation. Women with families also will feel encouraged and will apply. These measures allow flexibility and removes the sceptical perspective of the aspirants. However, transparency is important for increasing the diversity. The organisation must ensure that whatever the measures are taken are clear and do not demotivate the employees in any form.
Encouraging people with disabilities to be a part of the team must be one of the priorities of the organisation. It is known that such employees lack in senior level positions. Hence the company must formulate policies that treat every applicant as an equal without any disability being a form of hindrance. Any kind of physical disability must not stop the aspirants from applying for suitable jobs. The company can even have a separate section on the web portal with a list of existing jobs for such specific candidates. It must also create an appropriate work infrastructure that makes it as convenient as possible for such employees.
The HR policies must be open and must not discriminate any applicant or existing employee based on caste, colour or any related factor. The policies must be in such a way that they accommodate all kinds of employees. Mock tests, interviews, face-to-face discussion, panel interviews, written tests are some of the recruitment practices that allow thorough check of the candidates without considering any other factors apart from their abilities.
Thus, with these above stated practices it is clear that the organisation can leverage its existing workforce with diverse work culture spread across that optimises business operations and eventually will lead to profitability of the business. Ford as one of the leading companies in the motor world has already addressed these issues in detail. Being one of the top leaders in the market their HR practices are intact and ethical.
References:
Dyer, L., & Reeves, T. (1995, May 31-June 4, 1995). Human resource strategies and firm performance: What do we know and where do we need to go? International Journal of Human Resource Management 6:3 656-670.
Raghunath, K.V.J. (2010). HR Strategies. Hrinfo. Retrieved from http://www.hrinfo.in/2010/09/contact-us.html
Boxall, P. and Purcell, J. (2003). Strategy and Human Resource Management, Basingstoke and New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
