Recruitment of Personnel by Fantasia in Europe - Case Study Example

Introduction Given the background that the Fantasia Incorporated Company would like to recruit personnel for its new operation in Bordeaux France; several pertinent issues have arisen that are the subject of discussion here. The issues emanate from the fact that Fantasia has up to this moment been operating solely in the American market and so the European extension is a totally new frontier. The chief concern here, in the context above, is limited to matters of employees required to work in the new Bordeaux branch. These employees are of two distinct categories: 50 American expatriates to be employed by the company and 250 to be recruited by our Agency on behalf of Fantasia. Both sets of employees will be expected to orient themselves to the new environment and bond effectively so as to begin work together smoothly for the best possible results (Armstrong, 2006, p 2). There are a number of challenges to this noble intention that are duly taken into consideration and incisively discussed here. These challenges arise from the varied backgrounds from which the employees come and the experiences they bring along with them (Armstrong, 2006, p 3). These are considered against the new environment in which they are expected to work. Tackling the challenges accordingly shall lead to the success of the intended program (Bochner, 1982, p 36).The said factors appear below. 1. Anticipated Problems of Implementation Culture Clash One of the factors that are likely to affect the running of the new organizations is the clash of European and American cultures. Culture clashes are central in personnel management issues and in the their extreme form can make or break an organization (Ulrich, 1996, p 36). For instance France is a country with a strong Catholic Church tradition that makes Sunday a strict off work holiday. Whereas America is itself a God fearing country, the essence of religion is not as emphasized in daily life as it is. The Catholic Church does have its other holidays such as Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Christmas and the most popular in France is the day of patron saints of given towns (CIA, 2009). Any work arrangement must take into consideration that the native employees may find it hard to cooperate fully when it comes to working on such days. Culture also determines the kind of leadership that will exist in an organization. Power distance is defined as the extent of inequality in a society. The power distance is said to be higher in a society with higher levels of inequality. Where the difference in lifestyles between the poorest and the richest in society is very wide, the poor are far away from power and authority and thus tend to expect to be told what to do. Where the inequality differentiation is lower, leadership tends to be more consultative and thus democratic (Hofstede, 1991, pp 26-27). Most European societies including France have welfare state orientations that lead to lower power distance. As such the kind of leadership expected here is highly consultative with subordinates being consulted as much as possible in the decision making process. This is quite different from the American pecking order in which most decisions and responsibility rest with the top leadership. This is not to say that America is not a consultative society. It only means that in relative terms, Europeans tend to expect more consultation and less unilateral decisions. A delicate balance between obeying orders and being consulted will therefore have to be established to stem rebellions and unnecessary staff turnover (Bochner, 1982, p 38). Another cultural problem that is more obvious is the clash of languages. France is a primarily French speaking country and the people are very proud of their language (CIA, 2009). Though the country is now greatly bilingual; English/French, being able to communicate, and do so fairly fluently, in French is a great advantage especially to the management staff who will be called upon to communicate with the companies publics. Establishing a rapport and maintaining a cordial relationship with the community around is of fundamental importance (Clark, 2004, p 28). Especially so for Fantasia, because it is an entertainment and leisure company to which public relations is a lifeline. The best way to cultivate this relationship is to speak to the French in the language they speak and love most: French. It is also important to take into consideration the cultural aspect in the form of general decorum and behaviour. This is not a minor Factor at all considering that there is a lot of modesty among Europeans as compared to the open and highly liberal American society. Expecting Europeans for example to grab a snack from the fridge and go on with work is expecting too much. The French dejouneur or lunch is quite elaborate. It requires some kind of lunch break. Though employees should not be allowed to go on lunching trip at the expense of work at the company, it is safe to know that they will take some time taking lunch. That way, the management will not be forced to threaten or sack so many of them (Bochner, 1982, p 108). For the company to maintain a measure of respectability among the locals there must be some kind of dressing code for employees. Jumping into last nights jeans and zooming of to work is something that is frowned upon in a country that considers itself the fashion haut couture of the whole wide world. Maintain a formal dressing code at working hours will be important. You cannot afford to be to strict with the dressing code though, but it will still be important te enforce some basic minimum requirement for staff and other established companies in the City can be a point of reference on this issue. Culture clash can also occur from the work ethics expected of the employees (Bochner, 1982, p 108). On this one the company cannot afford to compromise. Strict keeping of time and working according to set schedules should not be an option; it should be the only option. It is up to the management of the company to instill its work ethic on the employees without taking into consideration any forms of laziness, callousness and ineptitude that anyone may have grown up with. Human beings by nature are not all that willing to work and will not hesitate to give excuses for poor performance given the chance. Generally, there is no society that encourages laziness or indifference to duty. Employees cannot therefore be allowed to quote their culture as an excuse for poor or no performance (Clark, 2004, p 86). The next often ignored culture clash can arise from the implementation of change. Change is an inevitable eventuality not only in organizations, but also in life in general. Yet change is one of the most challenging phenomena to manage for most people (Hofstede, 1991, p 86). When an organization such as Fantasia cross oceans and continents to land in a place like Bordeaux France, they inevitably carry with them a strong wind of change which is bound to change the manner of doing business in Bordeaux. At the same time, they are bound to undergo transformation too in order to fit snugly into the new environment (Clark, 2004, p 28). This is the reality of human existence. But whereas everyone finds it very easy and convenient to persuade and expect others to adjust to their way of life, it is quite the contrary when it comes to accepting the other people’s way of life. It is a great source of friction when one group remains rigid even where it is more convenient to change. The management of Fantasia must therefore approach their new environment with an open mind, a listening before answering policy and desire to understand where their new charges are coming from (Clark, 2004, p 11). Only those changes that do not directly jeopardize the operations of the company should be taken into consideration. It is a delicate balancing act, knowing what to accept as new company policy and what to reject out rightly. Unfortunately the best teacher here is experience; pure and simple. Suggested Solutions Recruitment and Selection Every organization that wishes to succeed must be able to employ and sustain the best available talent in the market that it can realistically afford. The employing bit must however take into consideration the diversity present in the immediate society. France as a country has its fair share of Whites, Hispanics, Blacks, Arabs and Asians. This mix comes from a long history of the assimilation policy which made colonial subjects citizens of France (Bochner, 1982, p 12). This mix constitutes the immediate market available for Fantasia and any other company. It is diversity reflected, even if to a lesser extent, in other European countries. Given that Fantasia itself is headquartered in the US where such diversity is nothing new, it is easy for the company leadership to understand why it is imperative to reflect this diversity in terms of the employees chosen. Many people will only identify with an organization that resembles them in some way (Bochner, 1982, p 18). The point here is that whereas academic credentials, experience and general ability count for a lot in an employee, the suave business persons know that Public Relations determine the share of the market they control. And what better way to gratify the publics than to make some of their own part of the company. One factor to avoid when employing are the sans papiers. These are the illegal immigrants into France who have no papers to be there. Most of them are desperate for employment and simply do any kind of work, for any kind of pay. Employing them, however tempting it may be for being cheap and convenient, is a disaster. It goes against the authorities wishes and that can be very costly to any business. Even the noble intention of helping out with their situation is no defense. The thing is to give them a wide berth (Bochner, 1982, p 48). . Induction Training For EU Nationals There will be a need to carry out induction training for the European Nationals who will be employed by Fantasia. The need for this training is to induct them into the mode of operations of the company. This will be a good opportunity to introduce them to the intricacies of company policies, mission, goals, history, achievements and the general direction in which they shall be expected to take the company (Bochner, 1982, p 21). It is especially important to train them on the manner in which things shall be expected to run (Torrington, 1994, p 81). This is because some of them will definitely be hired from other organizations already in the field and their general assumption will be that it shall be business as usual. Unless they are enlightened on what is expected of them, this could cause confusion later. There may also be unrealistic expectations of the new company among them based on myth, rumour and fallacies that always accompany the arrival of anything foreign. Some of these expectations, and even fears, can then be thrashed down to size. In addition, the training is likely to raise issues from the EU group that could go a long way in helping to create or recreate company policy. These issues can also form part of the syllabus for the general training to follow later. Induction Training for US Nationals This training shall enable the US nationals to familiarize themselves with the new environment in which they will be working. The familiarization is in terms of cultural awareness, general decorum, Public Relations and government policies (Torrington, 1994, p 84). This will empower them to operate in new environment. It is of primary importance to carry out this induction training after that for the EU staff so that issues arising from the previous training can also be discussed at the latter (Barlett, & Ghoshal, 1992, p 130). In this way the US nationals will have a clear idea of what they are dealing with. General Training It is quite advisable to conduct training to all new employees on what they are expected to do once work commences at company. This training also known as induction or orientation helps to achieve a number of important things. These are: introducing company policy, discussing the mode of operations to be employed, fixing schedules and differentiating roles (Torrington, 1994, p 90). However, no matter how complex the content may be, training should not go on for more than a month at most. Any training that goes beyond that may result in the employees not remembering where they started. Moreover, the concentration span for adults, especially those already qualified in specialized fields, isn’t all that long. In fact, what really matters is just to enable the employees get the hang of things and document all the required procedures for reference as time goes by. Consequently, it is important to include manageable content for the trainees to handle over a reasonable period of time (Bochner, 1982, p 18). Since one of the main aims of the training program is to introduce company policy, it is important that this bit of the training be done by the individuals who shall eventually be responsible for implementing them (Barlett, & Ghoshal, 1992, p 130). This means that the future supervisory staff from different departments should be part of the team formulating the syllabus for the training and explaining to the trainees what policy issues will apply to them. There are three distinct advantages for using the future employees (Bochner, 1982, p 68). One, the trainees get to know who will be handling them. This is much better than simply introducing them. Two, they give the required authority and authenticity to the policy issues better that some glib tongued training facilitator from outside the company. And three, the trainees will naturally seek information on them on the same issues later. It is also important to note that this teacher- student situation is a great opportunity to begin bonding between the supervisory staff and the employees (Bochner, 1982, p 108). The second aim of the training is to discuss the mode of operations to be used. This is a discussion and may be conducted by a training specialist discussant. Here, it is not just a matter of ramming ideas down the throats of the employees, but it is also a good opportunity to get feedback on them. Though the trainers must be provided with a pre-planned modus operandi, the important thing is that there is room for reaction and adjustment to the program (Barlett, & Ghoshal, 1992, p 132). At this point also the trainees may get the opportunity to discuss policy adjustments as well. In this way it is ultimately possible for the company to come up with a middle ground that fits well into the new environment with give and take from both the locals and the foreigners who have come in. The third intention is to fix schedules. This can be done towards the end of the training program. Though the company management has the upper hand on these issues, once again nothing is set in stone. If for instance traffic jams will mean no one can get to work by 8.00 am in the morning, then 9.00 am will do provided that it shall be honoured by all. Try to stick strictly to the 8.00 am schedule may lead to continuous friction between the employees and their supervisors for the entire life of the company, provided that the jams are still at their peak at eight. To avoid the “we told you so” syndrome, it is better to just begin work at nine (Barlett, & Ghoshal, 1992, p 124). Finally, the training is intended to differentiate roles which is a very important element of the induction process. It is foolhardy to assume that because a Human Resource Manager in the US is in charge paying personnel, he is responsible for the same in the French context. It may turn out that in France, all financial matters are strictly handled by the Finance or Accounting department with the Personnel department having absolutely no role to play. It is therefore up to the company to define all the available departments and their roles and also to explain the roles of the employees (Barlett, & Ghoshal, 1992, p 128). One of the biggest causes of confusion in any organization is the failure to define roles. This gives room for ineptitude to go totally unnoticed as individuals pass the buck and avoid responsibility. It is crucial that everyone understands what they are employed for, from the very beginning, before they get used to doing the wrong thing before being asked to change. Change as has been pointed out earlier is very difficult to effect (Cox, 1993, p 103). Another big advantage of defining roles during the training is to ensure that employees not only understand their own roles, but understand the roles of their colleagues as well. That way they know exactly where to go when they need something done. This helps to foster closer cooperation among staff and smooth operations in general. The results of many such orientation activities in which roles are defined have been better coordination and synchrony once the work proper begins. The important thing to remember is that this is mainly a cross-cultural training which adopts a comparative approach (Cox, 1993, p 103). The cultural systems under comparison here are the American and EU cultures and management methods. The training will also aim to achieve team building. If everyone plays a part in the training it is easier to relate with whatever is resolved collectively. Working together at it also enhances synergies, not just among the individuals, but also between the interacting cultures. Eventually, a new organizational culture will emerge to define the new Europe based company (Cox, 1993, p 103). Opportunities for Further Training It is unwise to imagine that the organization will get exactly the kind of training it requires in the personnel it hires. Amore practical approach is to hire as closely as possible to the skills required and then offer opportunities for further training for the employees. In this way it is possible to gradually zero in on the exact kind of skills required for the purposes of the company (Evans, 1989, p 34). Many countries offer training only according to their needs and circumstances. Training for the purposes of the hospitality industry for instance will therefore be oriented towards the existing needs of the industry in the country. It is quite possible to find a more tour operators in a country that offers tour safaris, and more ecologists in another that mainly offers ecotourism. So it is up to the person introducing safaris in the latter country to transform the ecologists into safari guides. As such Fantasia must just be prepared for a similar scenario and be ready to offer further training for its employees even overseas in America if the need arises. This will greatly improve relations between the company and its employees. As far as the employees are concerned the company will be giving them opportunities to improve their status in life, without realizing that indeed it is the company that will be improving its status (Oded, 1995, p 40). The downside of this training, however, is that the employees may be tempted to bolt for greener pastures once they receive the training. It is therefore important that they sign some kind of contract binding them to offer their services for at least five years after completion of the training. Contravention of this contract should have financial consequences commensurate with the investment the company has put into training the individual. To further control the risk, the employees should be made to shoulder part of the costs of their training (Evans, 1989, p 41). The option of giving employees paid leave to pursue their own training is usually counterproductive since the employee may not see the need for the training an may therefore opt out of it to the detriment of the company’s intentions. Subsequently, it is always in the best interest of the company to sponsor part if not all of the training costs incurred. A further incentive for such training is promotion on completion of training or at least better remuneration. This will make people aspire to train thus making the running of the program easier (Oded, 1995, p 40). Rewards Employee benefits and compensation concerns are usually crucial in determining the future of the company and its employee’s welfare. Employees always make the company and their issues always need to be attended to if their efficiency is to be enhanced. It is therefore imperative to consider well in advance how the employees will be compensated for their time and effort (Ulrich, 1996, p 36). In a situation where two cultures such as the American and European meet, disparities always arise in terms of remuneration systems. It is notable that on average, the American wage system pays higher than its European counterpart (Porter, 1990, p 26). This is a challenge to the company regarding how to compensate expatriates and the locals without having very big imbalances while at the same time remain competitive in the European market. Paying unusually high salaries by local standards may affect the competitive edge of the company against other players in the EU market (Ulrich, 1996, p 38). While paying too low may cause some of expatriates to quit. A delicate balance must therefore be established to satisfy both sides. But whatever decisions are arrived at, all employees in the same rank must fall within the same salary range regardless of where they come from. Extraneous allowances may vary if some have to travel to the US while others simply take a train home (Ulrich, 1996, p 38). A reward system that encourages hard work and commitment must also be in place such that good behaviour such as punctuality, dedication, consistency, innovation and good character are rewarded annually. This will encourage commitment and motivate those recognized to work even harder. Conclusion The success of the new branch of Fantasia International in Bordeaux France, will depend entirely on the amount of dedication everyone involved puts into overseeing this success. The measures above will go a long way in ensuring just that success. References Armstrong, M. (2006). A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice (10th ed.). London: Kogan Page. Pp 2-5. Barlett, C. A. & Ghoshal, S. (1992)"What is a Global Manager?" Harvard Business Review 70: pp 124-132. Bochner, S. (1982). Cultures in Contact: Studies in Cross-Cultural Interactions. New York: Pergamon,. Pp 12- 109. CIA. (2009, 2nd November). World Fact Book. Retrieved on 2nd July. Available online at Clark, T. (2004). Human Resources Management. New York: Blackwell. pp 11 – 98. Cox, T. (1993). Cultural Diversity in Organizations: Theory, Research and Practice. San Francisco: Berrett Kochler. p 103. Evans, P.A. et al. (1989). Human Resource Management in International Firms. London: Macmillan. pp 34-41. Hofstede G. (1991). Cultural differences significantly influence management approaches and the performance of employees within organizations. New Jersey: Routledge. pp 26-86 Oded, S. (1995). Global Perspectives of Human Resource Management Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. p 40. Porter, M. (1990). The Competitive Advantage of Nations. London: Macmillan. p 26. Torrington, D. (1994). International Human Resource Management. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. pp 81-90 Ulrich, D. (1996). Human Resource Champions. The next agenda for adding value and delivering results. Boston, Mass. Harvard Business School Press. pp 36-38. Read More