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Introduction
This HR audit paper focuses on analyzing the human resource management of one of the world’s most significant telecommunication organization i.e. Bell Canada Telecommunications Company. It aims at studying the effectiveness and proficiencies of Bell Canada’s HR department by analyzing its organizational structure, HR functions, and its strengths and weaknesses. On the basis of this analysis, the paper proposes some recommendations that can help Bell Canada in improving the efficacy of its HR gatherings.
Bell Canada Telecommunications Company
Bell Canada Telecommunications Company – commonly referred as Bell Canada or Bell is a Canadian media and telecommunications company, which is headquartered in Montreal –Quebec. Bell Canada is the most significant asset of BCE Inc., which is Canada’s one of the largest business corporation and a publicly traded limited holding incorporation. The parent companies of Bell Canada form one of the biggest conglomerates of the telecom industry. This conglomerate is comprised of BCE Inc., AT&T Corporation, and American Bell. Bell Canada has a number of subsidiaries, out of which, some famous are Bell Media, Télébec, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, Bell Internet, Bell Mobility (which include Virgin Mobile Canada and Solo Mobile), NorthernTel, Northwestel, Bell Aliant, Bell Fibe TV, and Bell TV (BCE Inc. n.d.).
1(a) Organizational Mission & Goals Analysis
The mission statement of Bell Canada is a unique one as it simply comprised of one word i.e. “Delight”. Yes, delight is the only word that Bell Canada use to reflect its commitment towards its customers and other relevant stakeholders. Bell Canada commits to delight their customers by providing ever improving products and services, as well as, exceptional customer support. Additionally, the company promises to go all-out with a clear description of charges, rates, services, and terms & conditions.
Apparently, under their mission of "Delighting" customers, Bell offers a commitment to offering the products that facilitate people in their everyday lives while meeting their needs, demands, and expectations. Bell also commits that it always remembers that technology is there to excite and provide fun to their customers and therefore, they will always remain creative and will offer innovative products and services. It further commits that Bell will keep on striving harder to stay as much accessible as it can by optimally utilizing the preferred medium of customers’ choice e.g. online, Smartphone, in-store etc. (Shields et al. n.d.).
Bell Canada not only aims to please its customer but also its employees, and that is one of the reasons that it has been awarded as one of the best employers for the year 2016 by Canada’s Top 100 Employers’ Competition. It has also been selected among the Montréal’s Top Employers (2016). Bell Canada has been winning this title for several years. According to the selection panel of Canada’s Top 100 Employers’ Competition and Montréal's Top Employers (2016), Bell Canada has been selected due to its mental health support initiatives, its investments for the future generation by hiring more than 1000 students, by offering rotational programs, and by encouraging health and fitness features at workplace. Apart from that, Bell Canada received A+ and A rating in most of the evaluated criteria, which mainly include Employer Background, Physical Workplace, Communication & Workplace Atmosphere, Community Involvement, Employee Engagement, Financial Benefits & Compensation, and Training & Development Skills (Canadastop100 n.d.).
1(b) Organizational Structure of Bell Canada Telecommunications Company
Bell Canada employs 49,968 as of 2015. Bell has decreased its workforce by 7,266 employees as compared to 2014 as a result of selling off one of its call center subsidiary and workforce initiatives. Bell Canada is an obligatory local exchange carrier for DSL internet and telephone services (BCE Inc. n.d.). It covers the services region in most of the eastern Canada in Manitoba, as well as, northern & western territories of Canada. It is one of the three big telecommunication providers in Canada. The major competitors of Bell Canada are Rogers Communications and Vidéotron. The organizational structure of Bell Canada is mentioned below, which reflects the division of authority in various organizational positions.
Bell Canada has developed a comprehensive organizational structure that helps it effectively managing and controlling task and resource allocation, supervision and coordination. Bell Canada operates through a blend of divisional and functional structure, which is commonly known as Matrix structure (Dessler et. al 45). This helps a big organization like Bell to effectively delegate authorities precisely while evaluating them directly too. Matrix structure increases functionality and decentralization of the chain of command. The executive corporate structure of executive authorities is listed below (See Appendix I).
2. Assessment of Human Resource Management Department & Function of Bell Canada Telecommunications Company
While being selected among Canada’s Top 100 Employers’ Competition and Montréal's Top Employers (2016), Bell Canada’s human resource management is working meritoriously. Bell Canada realizes that for successful business development, every business organization needs qualified personnel, and to fulfill this objective, they need a competent human resource management (HRM) unit (Dessler et. al 23).
Bell Canada is also one of the largest employers across the globe which lead a workforce of 49,968 highly valuable individuals. The human resource unit of Bell Canada is one of the most specialized units in its corporate structure, which involves several most valuable and efficient human resource professional that are designated at various job position at Bell including HR officers, HR managers, HR specialist,s and technical HR personnel. They all assist Bell Canada in getting the best talent from every corner of the world while proficiently managing the staff of the enterprise. The primary responsibilities of HR at Bell is to develop job descriptions, specifying the key features and specifications for each item, search and select qualified candidates, and make sure that the enterprise is appropriately abiding employment and labor laws (Wilton n.d.).
Human Resources Management Technology Or Employee Portal
As one of the high-tech and innovative business firm, Bell is always enthusiastic to undertake modern technological initiatives that not only delight its customers but also facilitate its employees and business processes. Bell uses latest human resource management software that assists organizing, recalling, and consolidating information related to entire staff. Bell’s employee portal is one of the best examples of its modern HR process. Bell has developed a comprehensive employee portal system in a form of a secure internal website, which enables every employee to easily access, shares, and discusses information related to their job tasks and organization while keeping the workforce on the same page (Wilton n.d.).
Recruitment Processes
Like any other business organization, recruitment process responsibilities of Bell Canada involves activities undergone to discover a suitable candidate that meet up the needs and skills required at a given work position in the organization. Doing so, they first identify a job opening in the company based on the recognition of human resource needs in relation to the strategic arrangement of the firm. Bell uses a blend of internal and external recruitment. It uses internal recruitment as it favors internal mobility and helps to fill the vacancy by appointing a person who is already working in the company while being a low-cost implementation. Similarly, for external recruitment, it gives ads in radio, newspaper, the internet, social media, sponsorships/cooptation etc. (Albrecht et al. 15).
Selection Processes
Bell follows a non-discriminatory and fair selection process. The selection process comprised of a number of steps including application receiving, screening selection tests, employment interview, background investigation, medical examination, final selection as per organizational and job criteria, and apparently, selection or rejection of a candidate.
Training & Development
Bell always maintain high-stake in offering the best training and development resources to its employees. It always endeavors hard to find out training and development needs for its employees while facilitating them with the best available learning and development resources and facilities. Bell uses Balance Score Card to look at aggregated development needs of its staff at various areas (Wilton n.d.).
Performance Management & Career Development
Bell Canada uses 3600 feedback and Balance Scorecard as the performance management tools. It believes in reviewing employees' performance every 12 months while making performance decisions accordingly. It aims at assessing employee performance comprehensively in order to provide it appropriate opportunities, training, and development assistance, and resource autonomy required for career progressions. It uses tools like HRIS and SaaS to effectively practice performance indicators within the organizational premises (Albrecht et al. 20).
Compensation, Benefits & Services
A basic tool for retaining employees for future is a fair remuneration package of work (Dessler et. al 201). According to the evaluation of Canada’s Top 100 Employers' Competition and Montréal's Top Employers (2016), Bell Canada attained A-rating in the compensation package. According to this rating, Bell Canada offers an extensive range of multiple financial benefits to its employees. It also participates annually in outside salary survey and reviews individual compensation every 12 months. Apart from that their compensation and benefits list include long-term savings, life disability insurance, share purchase plans, yearly bonuses, referral bonuses, signing bonuses, and other additional financial benefits. Apart from financial benefits, other perks include lifestyle benefits, health benefits, health and family-friend benefits, spouse benefits, parenthood benefits, vacations, paid holidays, and personal time-off (Canadastop100 n.d.).
Reward & Employee Incentive Programs
Bell never steps back from recognizing the talent of its employees. In order to praise and appreciate them, Bell usually offers them monetary and non-monetary rewards that applause their contributions towards organization while also set examples for others. Bell upholds a number of employee incentive programs that aims at recognizing and applauding employee efforts (Albrecht et al. 7).
Health & Safety & Wellness Programs
Employee health and safety is always at the first priority for Bell Canada. One of the most significant features highlighted by Canada’s Top 100 Employers’ Competition and Montréal's Top Employers (2016) was onsite fitness initiative of Bell that it has taken for the wellbeing of its employee. Apart from them, Bell has taken a ‘Let's Talk’ initiative that aims at spreading awareness related to mental illness. Furthermore, Bell follows OSHA guidelines for maintaining the highest safety and health standards at its workplace (Bratton et.al, n.d).
Diversity Programs
Bell aims at maintaining high effectiveness in diversity management as it always aims to achieve a productive overall atmosphere in the company by encouraging social diversity and equal rights for minorities. By doing so, Bell wants to fulfill its strategic objective of increasing its ability to adapt to changing market conditions by creating a unique and inimitable human capital. Diversity management at Bell aims at the operational focus on increased ability to solve problems of heterogeneous groups. Bell include a great percentage of women, minorities, disabled and people from different ethnic and religious background in its workforce (Stone 139).
3. Analysis of Organizational Strengths & Weaknesses of HR Department
Strengths
Bell Canada is a renowned name in the industry and it has the largest number of subscribers for its wireless operation and network connections.
Bell has a strong brand image, which serves tremendously for the company and developing brand loyalty.
Bell cover approximately 97% of the Canadian population by at least one of its service.
Bell offers a matchless range of smartphones, superphones, and tablet technology (Bratton et.al, n.d).
Weaknesses
Wireline segment of Bell is decreasing rapidly. This covers more than 55% of firm revenues and if this would keep reducing than the profitability of the firm would also decrease automatically.
Retaining commitment from the customer to the business.
There are still better employers in Canada that offer A+ rating compensation plans.
People are consistently looking for better opportunities and employee benefits, and keeping with this trend is bringing increasing cost.
Employee turnover rate is increasing as people are keep looking for better opportunities and remuneration.
4. Recommendations for Bell Canada’s For Increasing its HRM Effectiveness
On the basis of above discussion, as well as, strengths and weaknesses analysis of Bell Canada, the organization is inclined towards constantly looking for technological upgrades in order to find new innovative products and services to diversify the risk that is posed by the declining market share condition of wireline segment of Bell’s business.
It should also focus on increasing referral opportunities for existing and new customers in order to expand its customer base, as well as, its market share.
HR department of Bell Canada is also recommended to craft effective employee retention strategies in order to cope up with the future competition.
They are further advised to devise and implement more comprehensive compensation packages to retain employees.
It is also suggested that Bell undertakes more all-inclusive initiative related to employee well-being and social welfare.
5. Reflection & Decision
Based on the above evaluation of Bell Canada and its human resource management, I believe that Bell Canada is truly one of the best and most sought after employers and desired place to work for. No organization is perfect and has some weak areas, and therefore, after reviewing its SWOT, I still believe that being a capacious, learning, and efficient organization, Bell can proficiently come up with a solution for its weaknesses and can overcome them in near future. While being impressed by the dignity that they offered to their employees, their social initiative, non-discriminatory hiring, their A-rated compensation plans, wellness programs, and high standards of employee health and safety, I would feel privileged to work with an employer like Bell Canada Telecommunication Company.
Works Cited
Dessler, Gary, Gini Sutherland, and Nina Dawn Cole. Human resources management in Canada. Pearson Education Canada, 2005. Web. July 20, 2016
Albrecht, Simon L., et al. “Employee engagement, human resource management practices and competitive advantage: An integrated approach.”Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance 2.1. 2015. Web. July 20, 2016
BCE Inc. Official Website. 2016. Web. July 20, 2016
Bratton, John, and Jeff Gold. Human resource management: theory and practice. Palgrave Macmillan, 2012. Web. July 20, 2016
Canadastop100. Official Website. 2016. Web. Retrieved on July 20, 2016
Shields, John, et al. Managing Employee Performance & Reward: Concepts, Practices, Strategies. Cambridge University Press, 2015. Web. July 20, 2016
Stone, Dianna L., and Diana L. Deadrick. “Challenges and opportunities affecting the future of human resource management.” Human Resource Management Review 25.2. 2015. Web. July 20, 2016
Wilton, Nick. An introduction to human resource management. Sage, 2016. Web. July 20, 2016
Appendix I
