Hansel Cafes Human Resource Department - Case Study Example

Human Resources Name: Institution Affiliation: Course: Course Code: Date: Table of Contents Introduction 3 Introduction to Hansel’s Human Resource Department 3 Human resource subdivisions 4 Organizing 5 Employee recruitment and selection 5 Human resource department evaluation 6 Human resource Roles based on Ulrich’s Model 8 Strategic partner 8 Administrative duties 9 Change agent 10 Employee advocate 10 The reporting structure and its importance 10 Ways to Improve Human Resource Functions 11 References 13 Introduction The Hansel café is a fast food store that begun it operations in the United Arab Emirates over thirty years ago. The company has its operations in more than 30 countries around the globe. Hansel was among the first, fast food stores in the United Arab Emirates. Over the years the store has improved in popularity and also in its operations around the United Arab Emirates. In order for the company to manage all these operations and to stay ahead of the market, there is great need for a good human resource department. The Hansel café has more than 50 outlets around the United Arab Emirates with the mot located around the major cities. This means that the company has a large workforce and therefore a large human resources department. The company relies heavily on the functions of human resources in order to achieve the success it has as of today. Introduction to Hansel’s Human Resource Department The human resource department of any company is considered to be the engine that runs the company[Arm92]. Human resource department deal with management of people in any organization. The management runs from the internal environment of the organization to the external environment of the organization[Arm92]. The internal environment is focused on the employees of the company and anybody the works for the organization. The external environment on the other side is focused on managing the people who affect the progress of the company from the outside. The external people that can affect the progress of the company will include the customers and the general public that is concerned with the company. The human resource department at the Hansel café is one of the largest in the in the fast food industry in the United Arab Emirates. This is due to the fact that the company has operations in more than 30 countries around the world. The company has more than 20,000 human resource employees which account for almost 30% of the total number of employees that the company has on permanent employ. In as much as the company has one of the largest human resource departments in the world it also has some of its downfalls and problems. Human resource subdivisions Human resource departments in all organization run all processes making it necessary for the to subdivide or departmentalize their service. The main cause for the human resource to departmentalize is to make sure that efficiency s achieved at all times. Hansel as a product and service company, requires attention to detail when it comes to the dispensation of its human resource services. At Hansel the human resource department has been subdivided to meet the needs of the clients, the employees and also the needs of the organization. In this way, efficiency is always achieved since all parties involved are satisfied. It can be said that the Hansel has focused the subdivision to take care of the internal and external environments of the business. The company has made sure that the HR department is divided to take care of, customer service and relations, employee welfare and finally the functional part that is focused on all the other functions like recruitment and performance appraisal. The three subdivisions of the human resource department help the company in gaining a competitive advantage in the market. Through the subdivisions of the human resource department, the company has managed to make sure that the effectiveness of human resource functions is felt within the company. Organizing Through organizing the human resources department at Hansel is able to create departments and divisions within an organization. Each department is always focused on handling a specific process of an organization that is vital to the overall success of a company. This helps in making sure that each department staffed with the right personnel i.e. persons trained in the particular field. Through the creation of departments, the HR is able to achieve efficiency and better production. Departmentalization of organization also helps in improving customer service since clients will be able to know where to submit their problems and suggestions. In a nutshell it can be said that through organization the HR department is able to create a system that coordinates all the activities of the business unit. At hansel café there are departments that are visible even to the customer when they get in. The company has different people performing certain tasks in relation to their fields of expertise. At the café, one can make a difference between the table waiters and the persons working at the counter. The cleaning crew also have their own workstations and uniform that differentiates them from other teams within the café. Through organizing how work is done, the human resource department has helped the company in increasing and maintaining their levels of efficiency. Employee recruitment and selection One of the major tasks to be performed by the human resource department at Hansel is the recruitment and the selection of new employees to join the organization at whatever rank in the company. The recruitment exercise is the initial acquisition of employee services to the company[Gbe10]. Recruitment and selection of employees is a very important operation to any organization. The recruitment and selection process hold a very high percentage in determining the success of the organization after the process[Noe02]. The human resource department and their managers are tasked with the duty of selecting and recruiting employees to work for the organization. It has been said the hiring of experienced and well informed employees helps in making sure that the needs of the company are met since the new employee will have the knowledge of what is to done on the job[Bre08]. Human resources play a major role in this process since it is the faculty within an organization that has the right tools for employee evaluation. The HR managers are used to ascertain the credentials of employees and to also gauge their prowess within their fields of expertise. This is an important function because if the HR department fail to assess the new employees and ends up hiring incompetent employees, the organization will be at risk of failing due to poor performance by its employees[Arm92]. On the other hand, if the HR manager are well trained and competent they will hire competent employees that will help improve the efficiency of the organization through production of quality work. Human resource department evaluation At Hansel, there is a model that the human resources use in order to make sure that the goals of the organization are met. This section of the paper will evaluate how the human resource works and to state what model it uses. Human resources over the years, had been believed to be the record keeping department in organizations. This however is no longer the case with the several advancements in the world of business, technology and also HR itself. Hansel has embraced the modern form of human resources which is focused on the use of both traditional and transformational human resource management. Studies focused on human resources have revealed that the combination of both aid in improving the performance of human resources. Traditional or transactional human resource is focused on the day to day activities of the business. Traditional human resource is mostly focused on the administrative duties of the HR department. Some of the functions that are carried out by when this model is used include, the creation of work policies and maintenance of the state of the workplace. The main administrative duties include the hiring, training development and termination of employee contracts. Through the use of this model the company has been able to manage all its administrative duties and to make sure that the company runs it day to day activities. Hansel has made sure that its human resource department is efficient in the performance of all administrative duties since it plays a major role in the success of the company. Traditional human resource is focused on the process mater of human resources in an organization. By the use of this model, Hansel is secure that all people relations will be well handled. The company also uses transformational human resources because if the effect it has on the strategic plans of the company. This is mostly focused on the processes of the company. Most of these processes are focused on development and growth of the company. Transformational HR is focused on making sure that HR goal are in line with the overall organizational goals. Through transformational HR the company is able to use the assistance of HR into pushing the company towards growth and development. With the development of business and technology the only tools that an organization can use to ensure viability in the market is transformational human resource management. Transformational human resources help in instilling the goals of the company to the employees. It also assists the company move forward by setting up strategies that can keep the employees motivated to work towards that goal. This as a tool of HR is extensively being use by the Hansel café. Through the use of technology such as time stamps and employee motivation tactics, the company has always been able to achieve its goals. This can be seen through their expansion programs and the rewards they give to their employees for recognition of their good work. Through this incentive the employees work harder contributing to the growth of the café over the years. Human resource Roles based on Ulrich’s Model According to Ulrich, good human resource management has to make sure that it covers the processes in an organization as well as duties to do with people relations. The theory states that when the people and process aspect of an organization managed by the HR then there are good chances of progress. The model also state that for HR to be effective it has to be concerned with the day to day activities as well as plan for the future of the department and that of the organization. When HR is managed like this, the author states that performance and efficiency will improve for the department and the company at large. Ulrich stated that HR has four main roles in an organization being; Strategic partner When HR act as business partner, it makes sure that the goals of the organization are met. This is done by aligning the goals of the HR department with those of the organization[Con96]. This is the part of HR focusing on the processes of the organization. Human resources when used as a partner to the organization, it helps by chipping in on the decision making process of the company. At Hansel most of the data that is used in making future goals for the company is drawn from the human resource department. When it comes to the expansion of a specific store or closing it down, mostly it is the human resource manager that provide the insight for such decisions. Through the use of HR as a strategic partner the company has been able to strategically make its workforce aim for development and growth. Through an evaluation of this role of human resource management, it can be concluded that HR plays a major strategic role in the organization. By aligning up the objectives and pushing the workforce towards development, it helps strategically move the company up the ladder in the fast food business. Through its use as a partner to the company HR has a strategic role in the management of change within the company and the training of employees and manager on the new changes. By assisting through transition, it helps by saving time and commencing production with efficiency. Administrative duties This is what is considered to be the traditional duty of human resource management. According to the model, HR makes sure that all business process and functions are delivered with effectiveness and efficiency[Con96]. In this context the HR department is supposed to make sure that the business is conversant with technology. Looking at Hansel it can be said that the human resource department is working well to achieve this goals for the company. This is part of the processes of the company. Through quality and standard recruitment procedures by the company, it has been able to give quality services to its clients building up a reputation. The administrative duties of the company can be seen through the day to day activities of the company with the managers and supervisors of each store working together for the betterment of the client’s experience. Change agent According to Ulrich, HR is supposed to foster for changes in the organization when it sees that some processes are not returning the investment as they are supposed to[Con96]. This makes the human resource act as the agent for change within the company due to the fact that it helps the managers make decisions on major changes within the company. At Hansel café this is applicable since all major changes are made from the directions given by the HR department. Employee advocate Employees interact on a daily basis with the HR department. The HR is the bridge between the employees and the executive of the company. In all companies the employees are under the protection of the HR department as long as they are working within bounds. This is called employee welfare. Fairness, ethics and equal treatment of employees is what is championed for in this function. At Hansel all employee requests, compliments and complaint are handled by the HR department. This has helped in building cordial relations between the management and the staff fostering for efficiency at the workplace. The reporting structure and its importance Reporting structures in any organization refers to the chain of command or the flow of process within an organization. Reporting structures help in bringing about organization within an organization. Reporting structure are also helpful in increasing the levels of commitment among employees since one is always answerable to someone[Rut15]. There are two reporting structures within Hansel. There are administrative and functional reporting structures. The administrative structure at the company deals with the relation between a junior employee and a senor employee. It is when you report to someone who has the power to assess your work then credit or discredit it. Functional structures refer to a situation where you have to report to someone because they have higher functions than you but cannot give final comments on you work. Through this model Hansel has been able to make sure that all processes and matters within the company are taken care of not to affect the running of the business. Through a reporting structure the company has managed to improve efficiency through the delegation of duties. Ways to Improve Human Resource Functions Hansel café is currently performing well in the market courtesy of its HR department. In as much as the company is performing well in the market, there is need for it to continuously improve the HR department for more success. The first step that will aid in the effectiveness of HR is consistency. After HR has set up the constructs for operation within the company it has to be consistent in the implementation. Consistency in employee treatment goes a long way in showing the seriousness of the HR department. When consistency is prioritized there are higher chances for employees to accept change than when there is no consistency. For HR to remain profitable within an organization, it has to embrace the use of technology. At Hansel the HR department would improve the customer experience by installation of electronic payment system to allow for use of all international payment cards. The use of technology by human resource helps in reducing cost and saving time[Lip05]. The third thing that is effective in improving HR function within an organization is motivation. When the HR department understands what motivates the employees, they have a better chance at improving their performance. At Hansel, the HR department uses perks and reward at the work place as one of the ways to motivate the employees towards achieving a certain target. References Arm92: , (Armstrong, 1992), Gbe10: , (Gberevbie, 2010), Noe02: , (Noe, 2002), Bre08: , (Breaugh, 2008), Con96: , (Conner, 1996), Rut15: , (Mayhew, 2015), Lip05: , (Lippert, 2005), Read More