Human Resources Management and Policies

Question: Discuss about the case study for Human Resources Management and Policies. Answer: Introduction The following report relates to the assessment of the human resource policies implemented by Fawaz Alhokair Group. It considers the employees as an asset of the organization and strives towards offering flexible working hours and various other amenities to the business organization. Hendry (2012) mentioned that it has adopted a transparent and rigid recruitment procedure to select the best available candidate from a pool of candidates. In addition, it has ensured proper employee management procedures and appraisal procedures to assess employee performance solely on the productivity of the employee. Besides this, there is no bias to any employee to gain loyalty and trustworthiness from the workforce. The FawazAlhokairGroup considers people as the most essential part of a business. As such, the workforce is provided with adequate facilities as well as responsibilities so that they are able to offer consistent performances in a regular basis (Storey 2014). Since it is retail and a real estate brand, it is considered essential to offer appropriate customer services to assist the organization in its growth. Thus, the workforce is provided with adequate training to increase their skill and expertise. It is expected that this would assist the organization to enhance its productivity rate (Bratton and Gold 2012). Besides this, appraisal policies are also conducted in regular intervals of time to assess employee performance and identify the discrepancies .Employee performance review is also conducted to assist the employees in their job role. The brand considers the employees as an important part of the organization, and therefore, flexible human resource policies are introduced in the o rganization to maintain an effective work e life balance. The relationship between the management and the employees of the organization has always been pleasant. The management of the business organization has assisted to enhance the work environment of the business organization (Abdelhak et al. 2014). As such, employee issues are handled appropriately helping the workforce to work effectively. The relationship also reflects the characteristics of trust, honesty and transparency to enable the workforce to have complete job satisfaction. In addition, employers provide an effective working environment to the employees of the organization. According to Armstrong and Taylor (2014), an effective working environment shall assist the organization to increase the productivity rate, thereby leading to organizational growth. In this regard, it can be said that the brand is known for providing effective human resource policies to accept employees from all backgrounds culture and nationality. It is an equal opportunity employer that does not discrimina te based on culture, caste and religion. Bratton and Gold (2012) mentioned that the organization has been following fair business practices in conducting its daily business functionalities. As such, it is essential that the business organization offer transparent policies to assist the employee of the business organization in its growth. As such, the following are the ethically and social moral principles followed by a business enterprise. Dealing with organizational issues - The organizational issues that can arise shall be dealt in an effective manner. Developing moral and ethical policies would assist a business organization to effectively deal with employees from various business organizations. The Fawaz Alhokair Group has been implemented fair human resource policies so that any workplace issues has been resolved amicably Appraisal policies- The appraisal policies shall be done effectively to prevent any pre-determined bias towards a particular employee. As such , the appraisal policies shall only serve the purpose of the business organization and therefore be effective only if employees are encouraged to share their honest feedbacks to the organization . In addition, employees shall voluntary participate in the appraisal procedures of the business organization. This would assist the business enterprise to properly asses the organizational performance and contribute effectively organizational growth. The group has been following effective appraisal policies to assess employee performance in a fair manner.According to Berman et al. (2015), the group has been implementing fair policies in quarterly or in six months interval to motivate employees to exceed their individual target. Fair employee compensation procedures - A fair employee compensation procedure is adopted in the business organization. Thus, employees are awarded for their rank or status and the achievement of individual targets as per the job role. There is no bias towards the employees and are judged solely on their performance. The fair employment compensation procedure adheres to the strict guidelines pre-determined at the formation of the organization set at the outset. According to Purce (2014), the compensation offered by Fawaz Alhokair Group is far higher than the average compensation awarded to other employees working for substitute brands. Socially responsible policies- The Fawaz Alhokair Group fulfil its corporate social responsibilities by offering financial assistance to the underprivileged of the society. In addition, the environment is not harmed due to the manufacturing offered by the business enterprise. Thus, human rights are not harmed any manner and employees are treated in a respectable manner. Therefore, Fawaz Alhokair Group fulfils its social responsibilities, which enables the employee to develop a better relationship with the employees. The group takes an interest in the life of the employees, thereby, creating informal relationship with the employees. This removes any hesitation on the part of the employees to approach the human resource department leading to better employer employee relationship. Effective recruitment procedure The effective recruitment procedures shall be based solely based on the qualifications and the experience of an employee (Mitchell 2013). Thus, the recruitment procedures shall not be biased to any particular candidate. In this regard, it can be said that a fair recruitment procedure have enabled the candidate to select appropriate candidates that can deal with any business crisis and would be able to handle the duties and responsibilities in an effective manner. The Fawaz Alhokair group has a fair recruitment procedure that would assist the organization in selecting the best candidates from the available talent pool (Storey 2014). As such, stringent recruitment procedures are implemented to assist the organization. In this regard, it can be said that there are several stages in the employee recruitment procedure. Since it is primarily a service-based organization, employees have to show their competencies and skills in relation to communication, job role execution as well as adaptability to the workplace surroundings. Thus, candidates are informed about the job role based in their experience and competencies and their responses are recorded. As such, it is pertinent that recruitment procedures adhere to the strict guideline established at the formation of the business organization set at the outset. Thus, this would enable the brand to select candidates based on organizational needs and wants. The following are the legal procedures that can be taken when selecting candidates to fulfill the organizational objectives Background verification - Essential background verification can be done to choose the right candidate. As such, proper verification should be done so that no legal applications arise after the joining procedures are completed. Thus, that proper verification of documents like passport, educational documents should be critically verified to have an extensive knowledge about the candidates background, qualification as well as experience. The interview process - The Interview process shall not be composed of irrelevant questions like- asking about children. The jobs specifications shall be informed to the candidate from before. This would include the long working hours required to constantly deliver the job roles. In addition asking about the medical condition of the employee would be irrelevant if the job does not compose of the physical condition of an employee. In addition, this can also lead to discrimination in the workplace. In addition, if another person working in the organization verifies the person, this connection shall be emphasized upon. Job history- Harvey and Allard (2015) mentioned that in the case of the Fawaz Alhokair group proper releasing letters is scrutinized in the case of experienced candidates. Emphasis is laid on the nature of release of the candidates. Therefore, distinction should be made between voluntary release or termination of the employees. Thus, the job history of a candidate should be critically analyzed to assist the business organization to select the right personnel for the job. In this regard, any poor behavior and discipline related issues are s critically analyzed by the brand before appointing personnel. The primary responsibility of the human resource department in Fawaz Alhokair Group is to select the right candidate that would assist the business organization beat market condition and assist the business organization in its growth. Employee performance measures shall enable a business organization to determine the levels of employee compensation, status of the employment and further opportunities provided to the employee. According to Kehoe and Wright (2013), The group has made essential performance measures that would assist the business organization to identify the discrepancies in the employee performance and respond accordingly. In addition, the employee performance standards have enabled the brand to judge employee performance against the yardsticks. The following are the measures that can be used to deal and assess with employee performance Graphic rating scales The graphic rating scales can be used to manage employee performance. The graphic rating scales can be assessed to develop a production oriented tool for the betterment of job performance. According to Bos-Nehles et al. (2013), the rating scale consist of 1- 5 for the assessment of a job performance of an individual employee. In this regard, it can be said that employees would be marked as per the scale of 1-5 in a business organization. The group has considered factors like the scale of operations, the nature of the product and the service line the organization is operating in and the working culture of the organization. Management by Objectives According to Buller and McEvoy (2012), the Management by Objectives or the MBO assesses the performance of employees based in the Managerial positions. Thus it can be said that the MBOs assist a business enterprise to set short term as well as the long term goals of a business organization. As such, it remains essential to develop pertinent MBO performance standards to assist the management of the business organization to set- predetermined goals for the business organization (Flamholtz 2012). The MBOs shall consist of an evaluation period where quarterly meetings are held to assess the progress of the organization (Armstrong and Taylor 2014). The necessary amount of resources and period shall be re-emphasized to make necessary alterations to the product constituents and the pricing policies offered in a business organization. As such, the Fawaz Alhokair Group has made pertinent MBO policies to assist the executive level employees to execute their job roles on a consistent basis with in a designated period. Mendenhall and Osland (2012) mentioned that the Fawaz Alhokair Group has been using MBO performance requirements to assess the achievement of goals of an organization. It has been a useful tool to assess the performance of the executives in the business organization. Forced Ranking The forced ranking method has been adequately used for the purpose of employee assessment procedures (Delahaye 2015). As per the forced ranking procedures, employees are categorized as per the following three procedures - top performers, the middle ranked performance and the lower ranked performers in an organization. The forced ranked procedures shall consist of comparing the existing performance of an organization on against the past performance of an employee. This shall assist the business organization to identify the existing trends of a business organization and respond appropriately to enhance employee productivity. According to Jiang et al. (2012), the forced ranking method should assist a business enterprise to gather appropriate knowledge about employee performance. This would also enable the business organization to identify the discrepancies in the operational policies of a business enterprise. The forced ranking method has been adequately used in the times of emergencies . The following are the steps adopted by the organization to complete the recruitment procedure 1. Advertise in job portals and newspapers- Regular advertising in job portals and other advertisements shall enable a business organization to inform the prospective candidates about the vacancy. The Fawaz Alhokair group has been using the above methods 2. Developing a time period- Establishing a required timeframe within which the necessary recruitment procedures have to be established. 3. In the case of Fawaz Alhokair Group, the procedure consists of six steps in the recruitment procedure. These include the following preliminary screening, group discussion, aptitude test and the personality interview. It is expected that these procedures shall assist the business organization to implement a stringent procedure to select the best possible candidate available from the talent pool. In the case of Fawaz Alhokair Group employees who deliver consistent performances over a period of time , are offered a pay hike and advancements in their careers. Markaki et al. (2012) mentioned that enough financial as well as non-financial initiatives are offered to personnels who exceed their individual targets are offered greater responsibilities so that they can achieve individual and organizational targets. The organization promotes flexible working benefits to the organization. In this regard, it can be said that leaves are generally offered to the candidates in the case of exams, maternity leaves and in the case of emergencies. Mitchell (2013) mentioned that the company offers pertinent human resource policies to enable the employees have a flexible working schedule and a proper work life balance. In addition, the management of the organization shall look into the issues o f the employees and care that they are not duly stressed. In addition, it is essential that they not have to work long after the working hours, thereby, maintaining a proper work life balance. The organization assists employees by managing stress at the workplace by giving proper opportunity to take appropriate breaks between the intervals (Mendenhall and Osland 20120 Besides this, sick leaves are also offered to the employees of the business organization in order to ensure that employees remain healthy. The workfor ce is also offered medical incentives to ensure that there are no shortage of funds on the part of the employees. According to Armstrong (2014), medical incentives are also a part of the human resource policies of the Fawaz Alhokair Group. This measure has been an essential constituent of the human resource policies that have ensured the well-being of the employees. To manage stress in the workplace it is essential that employees are offered adequate training to deal with work stress and achieve individual targets (Harvey and Allard 2015). Changes in the working environment are also a source of stress to the employees. Thus, group bonding activities are established, to enable the workforce to work together to achieve the common objectives and goals of the organization. The employees are also provided with the opportunity to work from home in case they are unable to come to office Delahaye (2015) mentioned that to deal with stress employees are also offered the services of a professional counselor that would offer professional help to the employees. As such, the group has identified the discrepancies in each employee performance and shall be able to enhance the productivity of a business organization. According to Flamholtz (20120, the following objectives are developed by the organization to ensure that employees are able to deal with workplace stress. Step back The dynamics of the workplace have an essential impact on the culture of the business organization. Therefore, the Fawaz Alhokair Group has made essential measures to develop positive organizational dynamics to assist the employees of the business organization in enhancing the productivity. Team bonding - The Fawaz Alhokair Group through effective human resource policies has enabled the workforce to achieve total job satisfaction Kehoe and Wright (2013.As such, it can be said that employees from different backgrounds and culture have no issues in achieving the common goals of the business organization. A culture of team bonding is fostered in the business organization where employees work together to achieve individual objectives and goals. (Kehoe. and Wright 2013). Making essential alterations - It is essential that human resource policies are made to enable the organization to make changes to the existing working conditions. The Fawaz Alhokair Group has made essential changes to the structure of the workforce as well as departmental transfer of a business organization. Transition policies - The Fawaz Alhokair Group has made the transition to a flexible as well as effective working environment possible by facilitating a smooth transition to change in the organization. As such, it can be said that the human resource policies implemented by the Group has been effective in retaining the talented workforce for the growth of the business organization. This has also drastically reduced the attrition rate in the recent years. The Group has taken the following measures for the well-being of the employees. As such, it can be said that the Group has ensured the well-being of the employees by not allowing work be the only relevant factor in an employers life. Thus, personal well being of the employees and the family is an essential and relevant attribute that the brand considers when framing the operational policies of a business enterprise. According to Abdelhak et al. (2014), stress has an adverse influence on the physical and emotional balance of an employee. Well being as well as stress management issues form an essential responsibility of an employer towards its workforce. According to Phillips et al. (2012), if this aspect is ignored it can lead to many adverse influence on the productivity of each employee. The negative effects include - reduction in productivity, discrepancies and errors in the job performance as well as conflict with fellow colleagues. Besides this, it can also lead to low morale of the employees and arising of issues. The Fawaz Alhokair Group has implemented essential HR policies to assist the growth and the well-being of the employees (Armstron and Taylor 2014). In this regard, it can be said that the brand has included the following items in ist Hr policies to enable the business organization to have an effective work culture - counseling sessions, equal treatment to each individual irrespective of the background, race and nationality. Providing financial incentives for recreational and entertainment. In addition, there are flexibility in individual targets in the case of an crisis or medical condition of a particular individual. Regular yoga sessions are conducted in the organizations to enable the employees to deal with any situation. The requirements of the empl oyees are analyzed by the business organization and therefore the measures are taken to make employees feel comfortable in the workplace. The workplace environment is kept relaxed for enhanced productivity and achievement of individual and organizational goals. Recommendation The following are the essential recommendations that can be made , to assist Group in enhancing their human resource policies 1. Feedback and communication - It is essential to gather feedback from the employees regarding their motivation as well as jobs satisfaction levels. In addition, their perception about organization should be measured accurately. 2. Continuous up gradation of skills - Enough opportunities must be provided to the workforce to enhance their skills and aptitude in their respective fields. This will provide the required motivation to the employees to enhance their skills and knowledge. 3. Incentives - The employees must be offered with incentives apart from their monthly compensation. This would act as a catalyst which shall encourage the workforce to be responsible and accountable to their respective job roles Conclusion It can be said that Fawaz Alhokair Group has been following constructive human resource policies to deal with employee issues and enhance productivity of the workforce. Employee performance is measured in a proper way, which ensures authentic representation of the employment status and further advancements in job role. The brand ensures the physical and the psychological well being of the employees. The workforce is provided with a proper work life balance so that enough time could be given to manage other priorities in life. References Abdelhak, M., Grostick, S. and Hanken, M.A., 2014. Health information: management of a strategic resource. Elsevier Health Sciences. Armstrong, M. and Taylor, S., 2014. Armstrong's handbook of human resource management practice. Kogan Page Publishers. Armstrong, P., 2014. 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