Unit 23 Managing Human Resources Assignment – Walmart

Introduction

Human resources is the sum total of the inherent abilities, acquired knowledge and skills represented by the talents and aptitudes of the employees in the organisation. It is the process of bringing an organisation and its employee’s together so that their social objectives are accomplished. The Unit 23 Managing Human Resources Assignment Walmart will provide information about Guest’s model of HRM and differenent aspects of contract using the example of Walmart organization. In this task of managing human resources, the idea of Mr. Storey in respect to PM, IR and HRM and how it is implemented in business like Wal-Mart and implications of these to line managers and employees.

Task 1

1.1 Explain Guest’s model of HRM as applied to the organisation of your choice.

Guests model Of HRM states that HRM is distinctively different from traditional personal management. Guest proposes four crucial components that underpin organisational effectiveness. The four crucial components are: strategic integration, flexibility, high commitment and quality. At Wal-Mart, this model is adopted by the HRM department. It encourages its employees to have their ideas shared and apparently letting them know that their ideas are valuable to the organisation. A bottom-up decision making approach is implemented which requires its line managers clear knowledge about the organisations long term and short term purpose. Furthermore, communication between different hierarchical levels is frequent as a result of fewer levels and job enrichment. A six phased recruitment and selection process enables Wal-Mart to choose right person for the right job. (Jackson, Schuler, and Werner, 2011). Wal-Mart has reengineered its business process through changing organisational structure to a less hierarchical structure, whereby, job enrichment serves the opportunity for multi-tasking and a support network ensures collaboration.

1.2 Using an organisation of your choice, compare the difference between storeys definition of HRM, personnel and IR practices.

According to storeys definition of HRM human capability and commitment is what differentiates organisation. At Wal-Mart HRM is implemented into the organisational strategy and is integrated into the management functions as it assists Wal-Mart to achieve its goals properly. Storey’s definition of HRM identifies the following point of difference between HRM, IR and personnel practices:

• Personnel aim at careful delineation of the contract whereas HRM try to go beyond the contract.
• Personnel prioritizes devising clear rules whereas HRM pursues a can do outlook.
• Personnel guide to management action is based on procedures whereas HRM focuses on business need.
• Corporate plan goes side by side with Personnel whereas HRM is integrated with strategy.
• Pace of decision is a bit slow with Personnel compared to HRM.
• The key concern of Personnel is just labour management while HRM focuses on customer.
• With Personnel management’s role is transactional whereas HRM focuses on transformational leadership.
• Personnel maintain indirect communication whereas HRM follows direct communication approach.
• Selection is a separate task for Personnel whereas this is an integrated process for HRM.
• Personnel believe in fixed grade pay while HRM believes in performance related pay.
• Job design is based on division of labour with personnel while HRM aims to promote team work.

As we reflect HRM practices at Wal-Mart, we can see the storey’s model implemented as they have come to recognise the key physiological needs of human beings and therefore strategically engaged there employees in meeting these from non-financial rewards as they provide opportunities for employee promotion, for them to be involved in decision making, contribute to a team and to do variety of task that all contribute to Wal-Mart achieving its goals and also with the learning and development at in Wal-Mart HRM, the employees are nurtured to bring out the best in them and not monitored as in PM. (Snell, Morris, and Bohlander, 2015)

1.3 Asses the implications for line managers and employees of developing strategic approach to HRM for any organisation of your choice.

There are number of implications for both employees and line managers at Wal-Mart when developing strategic HRM approaches.

A number of benefits exist in using line managers as developers of people

• Line managers specialize in day-to- day people management.
• They can manage operational cost effectively.
• They can apply technical expertise where necessary.
• Line managers organise work allocation and rota.
• They monitor and evaluate work process.
• They measure operational performance and check quality.
• Line managers deal with customers and clients directly. (Jackson, Schuler, and Werner, 2011)

At Wal-Mart employees play the most important role in HRM since there sure the key asset and there are of the notion that high performing and innovative employees are the foundation of productivity.

At Wal-Mart the implication for employees is as follows:

• Effective leaders can set direction and execute a corporate strategy that builds commitment.
• Employees help develop performance metrics for continuous improvement.
• Support for employee innovation can dramatically increase productivity.
• Employee collaboration and best-practice sharing improves efficiency.
• Effective reward system for employees drive toward better performance. Non monetary factors like better stat can motivate employees in addition.
• Effective communication and knowledge from employees can reduce errors and frustration at work. (Jackson, Schuler, and Werner, 2011)

Task 2

2.1 Explain how a model of flexibility might be applied in your organisation.

Flexibility is a term that means willingness to adapt oneself with the change that is happening in the dynamic environment. The flexible working environment prevents the exploitation and failure of the employees which is necessary for the working of the organization. The organization enforces innovative and developed approaches to implement the models of flexibility at workplace. The implementation of models of flexibility helps the organization to meet its targets and goals. It supports organization with more options apart from organizational goals such as accomplishing the personal goals of the workers. The importance of flexibility can be elaborated with points such as development in technology and increase in production by increasing the number of working hours of the employees. 

Case
Company- Walmart (departmental supermarket)
Challenge- Meeting a balance between work and life of the employees.
Solution- Part time work, job sharing, flexible working hours.
Walmart increased working hours and gave its employees an option to work in any flexible timing such as 6 hours a day to 10 hours a day or 8 hours a fortnight. Also smart phones facilities have been provided to the employees whilst they are on a business tour. Minimal call charges and free net services have been provided to employees to save the time and finish the target within the given deadline. Providing mobile phones to the personnel on duty at the airport, and sales personnel to check the areas at which the sales can be highest and near to the service provider which gives employees flexibility and convenience to employees.

Walmart understands the significance of their employees and the management is providing flexibility in terms of technological innovations which will ultimately lead to increase in the productivity and its gains. (Peers, 2013)

2.2 Discuss the types of flexibility which may be developed by your organisation.

The rise in responsibilities of employees and changes in working structure have led to the situations where employees have to balance between personal and work life together. Such circumstances have made the need of flexibility at workplace more than ever. The Implementation of flexibility has not only led to the rise the production but also has resulted in concentrated inventory costs. The after-effects of the flexibility can be clearly visualized in the employees’ will to perform and their commitment towards organizational goals. Various types of flexible work practices that can be seen at Walmart are mentioned below:

• Compressed working hours: At Walmart employees are offered choices to choose the working hours like 6 hours or 8 hours of time slot. The part-time work employees usually avail this type of opportunity. This is usually done at the time of recession. Employees accept this as a challenge to give the best outcomes within limited hours of work which ultimately fulfil their personal requirements too. This can also reduce the absenteeism of the employees due to personal pressure.
• Work from home: The employees who prefer to stay at home are offered the flexibility to work from home. It not only saves the time but also the money of the organization and is considered as the most effective method. At Walmart, the supportive management provides such flexibility to female employees as they have to manage family and work both.
• Flexibility in the working days: Walmart encourages increased working hours of work instead of increased working days to support employees which provides them day off to relax at the end of the week. This method saves time and cost of the company.
• Job-sharing: Job is shared between two or more than two employees who ultimately save the time of the company. This option is not provided to the new interns as they lack training but is beneficial for the existing employees. For example the management at Walmart promotes job sharing which gives employees enough time to relax while other performs his tasks.
• Telecommuting: Telecommuting is that model of flexibility where employees are free to work from home or any other place that is convenient for the work. Preferably women are offered such flexibility at Walmart. Telecommuting is not provided to new interns as they are not much experienced and lacks training.
• Shift swapping: Workers are free to switch shifts among themselves ensuring that there is replacement while they are gone. At Walmart, female workers are substituted with male workers to secure the protection of women. Such type of flexibility at work provides freedom to the employees and willingness to perform the tasks. (Employment law clinic, 2016)

2.3 Assess the use of flexible working practices from both the employee and the employer perspective.

The employee-related motive of Walmart is to support an assuring career to the employees where they appreciate work instead of considering it merely a job. Keeping this in mind, the management of Walmart has implemented various models of flexibility. Job sharing and job rotation are the types of flexibility implemented at workplace. Part-time job and work from home are types of flexibilities offered to the mothers who have to manage both personal and professional life.

Advantages of the Flexible Work Practices
Advantages for the employer: Flexible work practices helps in diminishing the absenteeism of the employees which in turn increases the morale of the employees. It enhances the public image of the company as working hours could be utilized to handle the customer services

Challenge faced by Walmart- little space and less number of employees
Solution- After adopting flexible working arrangements organization like Walmart may employ more no. of employees as they could work at any shift of certain hours (8 hours a day or 10 hours fortnight) from their comfortable places such as homes which will help the organization to cut down its expenses by preventing installation of machines and expanding business as most of the employees would prefer to work from home.
Advantages for the employee: Flexible working conditions helps in balancing the life of the employees so that they could provide equal attention towards their professional and personal responsibilities. It leads to contentment of employees which will increase their commitment in their work. At Walmart, the flexible working conditions ensure healthy relation between employees and employers. They work as team to achieve organizational objective. This reduces tension and motivates the employees. Flexibility is implemented to bring change at workplace which motivates employees to improve their skills and diminish their weaknesses. (Peers, 2013)

Disadvantages of Work Practices
Disadvantages for the employer: The lack of training could rather than turning beneficial could turn into disaster for an organization. For example, an employee who tends to work in its flexible working hours is using that time in his entertainment or the facilities of cell phones and vehicles provided to employees are used for personal interest rather than professional work. It not only wastes money and time but also affects the work. Lack of communication is also the biggest disadvantage when provided with different working hours.
Disadvantages for the employee: The flexible working conditions could make the efficient employees exhausted in managing both the personal and work that could have a negative impact on work in terms of efficiency and dedication. Due to compact working hours, it is hard for the employees to balance their personal and work life. Therefore flexibility in work may sometimes be difficult. (Kokemuller, 2016)

2.4 Discuss the impact that changes in the labour market have had on flexible working practices.

Labour market flexibility means the efficiency of the labour to respond to the alteration in the market changes. To adapt to the demand and supply of the market, it is referred as an important factor. Due to the innovation of internet and high speed broad bands in homes and workplace made the working more flexible. It has provided much aid to female workers and the employees who prefer to work part time, freelancing or job sharing as through these developments the workers can manage their professional as well as personal lives and could do more work at a less amount of time. Walmart also applied such changes which have proved beneficial for them. For example, Walmart has become more credible by providing flexible labour practices which reduces travelling expenses. They recruit those candidates who rather being efficient in one department are capable of handling various divisions through which multitasking can be achieved.

It also encourages the organization to give opportunities to the skilled and efficient employees which could help them in obtaining the organizational goals. It further adds the feeling of belongings among the employees and builds the team spirit among them. Apart from that it also reduces the mobility of the labour. At Walmart, employees are swapped from one job to another which has increased the efficiency and led to the development of the employees. They are not only efficient in their job but are also capable of performing jobs of different departments. (Economic help, 2016)

Task 3

3.1 Explain the forms of discrimination that can take place in the workplace using examples of recent discrimination cases which has made the news.

Employment discrimination refers to the biased treatment with someone on the grounds of prejudice. It has always been a matter of concern since it could harm the public image of the organization. Several cases of discrimination have been reported at Walmart and management has taken some strict steps to sort out these issues.

• Gender discrimination: Usually management at the top level carry out discrimination based on gender. It could be related to offering more opportunities to male workers than female workers due to which potential of women are underestimated and remains unrecognized. Sexual harassment, negative treatment and biased promotion are also types of gender discrimination. At Walmart, these issues are solved at managerial level as managers provide equal opportunities to both the genders.
• Racial discrimination: One of the most general discrimination is based on races and caste. People from all over the world are hired under the same roof to work together. They face negative treatment like passing unethical comments from the local community. The management at Walmart makes sure that the people are judged on the basis of their work instead of exploiting them on the basis caste or religion. They try to maintain harmony and peace among employees.

In order to avoid discrimination at workplace Walmart uses preventive measure such as maintaining healthy working environment, treating all the employees equally and providing equal opportunities to both female and male workers which ultimately increase the reputation of the organization. (Malone, 2016)

3.2 Discuss the practical implications of equal opportunities legislation for an organization.

Considering the recent scenarios, various laws and rules have been implied on each organization to abstain the exploitation of the employees and procuring their interest for the rhythmic functioning of the organization. The company also applies rules to shield the interest of its customers who are actually plays the significant part in engrossing the products. The law applied in Walmart is Employment Equality Act. Employment Equality Act, 1998 was made in order to dispirit the exercise of discrimination among employees except for the reason based on some valid and logic ground such as more educated would be provided with crucial areas of work.

The various points which deals with employment equality act 1998 are as follows-

• Equality in promotions, wage payment and increment in wages.
• Equality in work.
• Providing equal opportunities to all the employees.
• Abiding by the guidelines of Employment Equality Act 1988, and ensuring that the policies are explained to its employees.

Walmart adopted the Equality Employment Act and thus maintained a comfortable atmosphere at work. However, if the above mentioned features were not adapted by Walmart then following could happen within the organization-

• Bad impact on the reputation and decrement in brand image in the eyes of its customers.
• The pension rights could be finished.
• If discrimination is done by the organization might have to pay penalty whereas if the employee practice any king of discrimination that person could be fired from the job and the employee will not be entitled to the dues.

Walmart organization believes that the employees are the main assets for the success of an organization and they are the main factor of a company which promote the work culture. The employees must be appreciated and provided equal opportunities to prove their skills and talents. (Furber, 2010)

3.3 Compare the approaches to managing equal opportunities and managing diversity. You should give examples from a selected organisation and discuss the similarities and differences in their approaches to managing equal opportunities and diversity.

Walmart is a kind of organization where management functions are carried out gently and it is the duty of management to upgrade the working system according to the dynamics of the market which proves to be profitable for the company. With the change in market trends company has outgrown itself. Apart from structure and size of Walmart, it also needs the employees in large numbers to execute the working of company in a systematic way. Employees are the biggest resource of the organization and in order to make them happy the company has to sustain the diversity and should give equal opportunities to every employee in the organization. It is important for the company or an organization to maintain diverseness as it provides favourable circumstances to every employee from different background to show what talents they hold. Another approach used by Walmart to manage equality among employees is implementing gender equality. Be it male or female worker, the company assigns post on the basis of their qualification and capability to perform the task. The organization targets in achieving the company goals along with enhancing the skills of employees. Every employee is given right to express their thoughts and views regarding the issue of discussion which also promotes law of equality. One of the techniques applied by the management at Walmart is the application of effective communication skills which enables the employees to present their opinions in front of management and be heard. (Sutton, 2002)

Task 4

4.1 Select an organisation you work or have worked for, identify and compare the performance management methods used.

Walmart is among the best organizations in the market of business world to work with. It never overburdens its employees with responsibilities. In order to get results and profits, management at Walmart guides and instruct its employees towards organizational objectives. The motivational technique used by the management at Walmart is in form of bonus and incentives for their extraordinary performances. Some of the approaches used by the company to enhance the performance of the employees are:

• The company invigilates the performance of the employees regarding goals and standards so that management collects the important data regarding the performance of the employees and accordingly feedback is given.
• The management should be prepared for the performance review meeting. In order to make meeting effective and energetic, the management at Walmart ensure that everything is on track for the performance appraisal. It also targets on motivational needs of the employees by investigating them about their ideas and thoughts before presenting their own.
• The management provides feedback, particularly criticism, to the employees about their performances in a way that does not appear hard on the employees. There should be a proper explanation about the after effects regarding the performance of the employees so that there is a scope of improvement.
•  The management of Walmart conducts an exclusive sessions on regular intervals where they motivate, criticise, appreciate and gives support. With the response they get, they understand how to manage it and enhance the performances of the individuals.(Joan,2012)

4.2 Assess the approaches used to managing employee welfare in your organisation.

It has already been discussed employment welfare is an important factor for the Walmart. The management considers values employees and ensures that the basic needs of the employees are fulfilled. The organization offers various provisions such as health and life insurance to ascertain that employees are healthy and provides pension schemes to ensure that their future. Ignoring these problems can result in lack of focus and commitment of employees toward the company. Satisfied employees tend to offer increased productivity and effective results. There are other provisions for the employees such as sickness leaves, leaves needed for vacations, maternity leaves for female employees etc. The company provides voluntary retirement scheme in case of the termination of the employees. Walmart make analyses and ask the suggestions for the betterment of employees Harrods believed in employee welfare thus launched a reward card for its employees as a way of thanking them for the dedication they have put towards work. Through the card system they can avail the products at Walmart at a price less than offered to the customers and the reward points will be added in the card which could be termed as loyalty points and could be redeemed in future. Other than this, various facilities like crèches and work from home, canteens, recreational activities are provide by Walmart to the employees. (Walden, 2014)

4.3 Discuss the implications of health and safety legislation on human resources practices.

The health and safety legislature means all the rules which are made for the health and safety of the employees to be fulfilled by employer and the responsibility employers have towards employees. It is the responsibility of the HRM to ensure the issues related to health and safety of employees in the organization. The management is prohibited to brag about the implications of safety and health policies at workplace. At Walmart employees are contented with the policies made to safeguard their well being. The various implications Walmart have adopted for health and safety are:

• Reviewing the arrangements regarding safety made for employees.
• Hiring the expert team with knowledge to review those arrangements and to fore come default if any.
• Preparation for future emergency in the organization.
• Spreading awareness among employees about the machines and proper training of handling them must be given to them.

Every organization is abided under the obligation to follow the safety and health legislations set by the government of that country not only for the employees but also for the citizens. Specific training are conducted every now and then at Walmart campus in order to take cautious measures at the time of emergency. (Markwell, 2009)

4.4 Evaluate the impact of another topical issue on human resources practices.

Many arguments have been faced by the business world in the yester years. So in order to survive in the market, it is important to be upgraded with the current market approaches.

Impact of Another Topical Issue on Human Resource Practices

Labour supply could be the topical issue. Labour supply is of two types-

• under labour supply or over labour supply. In over labour supply the labour is in surplus than required r which can have a negative effect on the company as the work done is less which will create mess resulting in paying extra wages to employees by the employer for the less work which will increase the cost of production. This will increase the prices of the goods in market and reduction in profits. On the other side, under labour supply is a condition where in the no. of employers is in shortage than required. In this situation the work will not be completed on time as no. of workers is less which will result in shortage of stock. Also it over burden the work on the employees and due to this burden they will feel exhausted and will not give their best.
• Another topical issue that has affected the human resource practices at Walmart is its culture. It conducts various levels of interview which elaborates the skill of applicants at every stage. It is in the hands of the management to hire the ones are talented enough to face the future challenges. (Carnwell, Carson, 2011)

Conclusion

From the above Unit 23 Managing Human Resources Assignment Walmart it can be concluded that the organizations have taken initiative towards the wellness and safety of employees. To provide better working atmosphere to the workers and to increase productivity are the main motives of the organization. They are provided with the necessities ensuring their security and health. In the end this conclusion can be drawn that in order to attain higher productivity the companies have to look after the welfare and requirements of the employees as happy employees tend to give higher results rather than the unsatisfied ones.

References

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Employment law clinic, (2016), common types of flexible working, [Article], Available:http://employmentlawclinic.com/flexible-working/common-forms-of-flexible-working/ [Accessed: 6 July, 2016]
Furber, L., (2010), equal opportunities and discrimination equality act 2010, [Article], Available: https://www.crunch.co.uk/blog/small-business-advice/2010/09/30/equal-opportunties-and-discrimination-equality-act-2010/ [Accessed: 6 July, 2016]
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Kokemuller, N., (2016), advantages and disadvantages of flexible scheduling of employees, [Article], Available:http://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-disadvantages-flexible-scheduling-employer-21190.html [Accessed: 5 July, 2016]
Joan, (2012), 9 essential performance management techniques, [Article], Available:http://www.10mmt.com/2012/performance-review/9-essential-performance-management-techniques/   [Accessed: 7 July, 2016]
Malone, M., (2016), types of discrimination in workplace, [Article], Available: http://www.ehow.com/facts_5016263_types-discrimination-workplace.html [Accessed: 5 July, 2016]
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The Unit 23 Managing Human Resources Assignment Walmart will provide information about Guest’s model of HRM and difference aspects of the HRM using the examples of Walmart organization, Locus Assignment Help UK posting units solutions so scholars can explore Assignment Help in UK and get review the quality of our work.