Human Resource Management at Southern Foods - Essay Example

Introduction: Southern foods Limited manufacture and supply customized new items to the food industry. Their range includes a number of savory and sweet sauces, marinades and stuffing in a chilled or frozen form, which are developed in partnership with food retailer. This range of savory sauces alone encompasses some 65 different varieties from standards like cheese and bolongese to the more exotic spicy Mango, Salsa and Szechwan. SFL occupies a fully integrated processing plant near Chichester town center and employs 250 people. Problem Statement: The decision has been taken to pursue a strategy of human resource flexibility, which can solve many of the issues raised: To cover periods of employee absence. To develop a recruitment strategy for filling the newly created jobs. Planning for training implications. Implementation of new reward system. Plan for the problems associated with demanding level of job flexibility. Discussion: "Recent discussions around the flexible firm and human resource management models would suggest that the recruitment of a secondary labor force is a strategic and advantageous practice. In a research paper (Geary, 1992) was critical of these assumptions. He found that management's reliance on temporary employees gave rise to a number of contradictions and tensions, and in the end was considered to be disadvantageous. A major advantage of flexible human resource practices is the low cost of labor as cited by (Smith, 1998) in his article. In his study he concluded that a larger proportion of foreign-owned companies had lower labor costs as a result of the greater use of flexible work practices. The application of the most flexible work life balance policy not only increases the loyalty of employee but also increase the fame of the company as best places for employment. (Dex and Scheibl, 2001) Mostly women do not find it compatible to work in the technical field due to their care taking duty towards their family in this way a huge amount of talent is drop out of the talent pool. Due to the flexible environment by the firm a broader recruitment pool can be made available. (Center for Ethical Business Cultures, 1997; Evans, 2001) With providing the employees with the facilities of flexible working hours the firm can also get the benefit by offering increased service hours for the customers. Since in this age of competition and increased customer pressure in order to achieve a cutting edge in the business it is important for a firm to provide 24/7 service (Evans, 2001; Human Resources Development Canada, 2002). The provisions of service for longer hour's will not only improve the corporate image but will provide the firm with increased market share (Dex and Scheibl, 1999; Center for Ethical Business Cultures, 1997; Evans, 2001). With undertaking the flexible work practices there are also some areas which should be addressed by the management in order to effectively undertake human resource practices. Studies of some of the best United States and Australian organizations (Gray, 1992) also suggest that the cement which binds skilled and motivated employees to their organization, who are thus more enthusiastic, more committed and potentially more productive than their competitors' employees, is clear and ongoing communication between organization managers and their employees. The management of the SFL should also take the advantage of the communication process in order achieve the higher level of performance from the employees. A modern and a more permanent approach to motivation are through job enrichment (Wright, 2004). This involves putting meaning into jobs. In other words, it is putting Herzberg's two-factor theory into effect by building motivators into the job. These motivators include achievement, growth, responsibility, advancement and recognition. This approach can also work for SFL staff. According to the approach the organization should plan to change the job contents of the employees in order to motivate them as explained by Ross (1998) in his article A practical theory of motivation applied to organizations. A number of research studies (Rothbard, 2001; Niehoff, Moorman, Blakely & Fuller, 2001; Bloom, Yorges & Ruhl, 2000) have indicated that the job content is an important factor in motivating people. So the content of a routine or repetitive task must be restructured to provide motivation to the performer of that job. One way of restructuring the job is through job enrichment, or making jobs more meaningful. If a manager can include more of Herzberg's motivators, people who perform such jobs utilize their skills and potentials to the best of their abilities and be more productive on the job. Thus, the jobs would be richer and not just bigger. Keeping in view the case of SFL Organization following steps has been recommended to make jobs enriching: Selection of an area or job where an improvement in motivation will make a difference in performance or productivity. Clues such absenteeism, turnover, tardiness, poor quality, lack of interest and production delays may provide an answer in selecting an area or jobs to be enriched (Fichman, 1989; Krausz, 2000; Lee & Johnson, 1991), A more productive approach to employee motivation and commitment, involving a perception that it is " everyone else's responsibility (apart from front line workers) to, 'serve' those who directly serve the customer" (Heskett, 1990), will be enhanced by job rotation schemes, which provide both multi-skiling (for subsequent promotion and vacancy-filling options) and team-building opportunities. Job rotation schemes are currently in minimal use (less than 39.1% according to a recent survey (Nankervis, 1991). Development of criteria for measuring changes in productivity among the employees in the selected area or job. These measurements may include rate of absenteeism, number of products rejected, waste, etc. 1 Forming a committee of members who are familiar with the chosen area or job. Care must be exercised in selecting members of this committee. Members whose jobs are to be enriched should not be included in this committee. 2 The committee then brainstorms the job or area chosen for job enrichment and as a result it may come out with a list of changes that could be made in the content of the job in order to make it more meaningful. Answers to questions such as "How to make this job more challenging" "How to make this job more meaningful" and so on will help to formulate some changes in the job content. 3 Screening of the list of changes suggested by the members of the committee. Changes, which are not motivational in nature, must be eliminated. These must deal with Herzberg's motivators such as responsibility, challenge, advancement, recognition, growth and so on. 4 The sequence and time schedule in incorporating the selected changes must be determined. The committee must anticipate some obstacles, which may prevent some of the changes from being made. 5 The responsibility to check the implementation and progress of this task must be assigned to some specific individuals. 6 The committee set up for the purpose of job enrichment must review the progress of the work periodically to evaluate the impact of the changes that have been made. Ross (1998) explains the above process in his article. Once the result indicates that job enrichment works in one area, efforts can be undertaken to enrich other jobs and areas. In essence, job enrichment provides the worker with more responsibility and freedom in carrying out a complete task and with timely feedback on his performance. (Powers, 1972) job enrichment creates a self-managed job where the phases of the task. (Myers, 1968) A number of companies which have successfully implemented job enrichment program report improvement in the production. Team building: is an important solution to the problem facing the organization as suggested by many experts in the hospitality industry all over the world (Parseghian, 2002). A team according to Adair (1986) is more than just a group with a common aim. It is a group in which the contributions of individuals are seen as complementary. Collaborations, working together are the keynote of a team activity. Adair suggest that the test of a good (i.e. effective) team is: 'whether its members can work as a team while they are apart, contributing to a sequence of activities rather than to a common task, which requires their presence in one place at one time.' Solution proposal in terms of theory: The key variables that determine the relative effectiveness of groups in achieving their goals and satisfying the needs of their members. These variables, which have to be addressed if there is to be any chance of building a successful team, SFL managers should take into consideration for creating the successful team. They are: The size of the group The nature of the task The environment in which the group operates The leadership requirements of the group The roles played by individual members The knowledge, skill, motivations and other attributes of the group-members The potential for / desirability of group cohesiveness The work and social norms of the group (Parseghian, 2002) For instance the organization can take advantage of notion by building team leaders within their kitchens and do away with chef-dictator atmospheres, which would allow the chefs themselves to enjoy more humane schedules. Adair (1986) emphasizes the importance of careful selection of team members. The key factors here for individuals are not only technical or professional competence, but also the ability to work as a team member, and the possession of desirable personal attributes' such as willingness to listen, flexibility of outlook, and the capacity to give and accept trust. Effective groups: In order to create a successful team at SFL organization following steps should be taken: The atmosphere should be informal and relaxed. The aims and tasks of the groups should be clearly defined and understood by the group members. The group members should be committed to achieve these goals. The members should have the courage to listen to each other's advises. All the conflicts should not be avoided or hide they should be dealt fairly and openly. The final decisions should be made with the consensus of all group members. Every body in the group should be free to express their ideas. Conclusion: Conclusion: Flexible working policies and other work-life balance practices are now becoming the norm in our workplaces, spreading out from larger organizations and the public sector. The key issue is how to implement and operate those policies in practice, to create a positive and supportive culture, and to deliver the potential benefits they offer, both in terms of competitive performance and employee well-being" (CIPD, 2006). Since there are a variety of people working in SFL organization, it can be useful for the managers to apply a combination of the motivation theories to get outstanding performance from the employees. It should be also kept in mind that an individual effort cannot the height of achievement till the time it is combined by the efforts of other people. Team building can serve the purpose. There are some important factors, which should be taken into consideration while building a team. References Bloom AJ, Yorges SL, Ruhl AJ. (2000). Enhancing student motivation: Extensions from job enrichment theory and practice. Teaching Psychol 2000; 27: 135-7. Center for Ethical Business Cultures (1997) Creating High Performance Organizations: The Bottom Line Value of Work/Life Strategies. www.cebcglobal.org/Publications/WorkLife/WL_Report.htm CIPD, (2006) Work Life balance: fact sheet, January 2006, Available at http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/wrkgtime/wrktmewrklfbal/worklifeba.htm Dex, S. and Smith, C. (2002) The nature and pattern of family-friendly employment policies in Britain. Bristol: The Policy Press for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.www.jrf.org.uk Evans, J., Lippoldt, D.C. and Marianna, P. (2001) Trends in Working Hours in OECD countries. OECD, Labor Market and Social Policy Papers, No. 45.www.oecd.org Fichman, M. (1989). Attendance makes the heart grow fonder: A hazard rate approach to modeling attendance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 74, 325-335. Geary, Francus, J., (1992). Employment Flexibility and Human Resource Management: The Case of Three American Electronics Plants, Work, Employment & Society, Vol. 6, No. 2, 251-270. 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R., (1991), "Human Resource Management in the Australian Organization Industry", Working Paper No. 79, September, Faculty of Commerce, University of Western Sydney (Nepean), Sydney Niehoff BP, Moorman RH, Blakely G, Fuller J. (2001). The influence of empowerment and job enrichment on employee loyalty in a downsizing environment. Group Organization Manage 2001; 26: 93-113. Parseghian, P., (2002). Feast of culinary studies readies grads hungry to enter hospitality industry - Culinary Currents - Brief Article, Nation's Restaurant News, Sept 30, 2002, retrieved as on September 14, 2006 from http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_39_36/ai_92458936 Ross, D., L., (1998). A practical theory of motivation applied to organizations, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management Apr 1998, 10 (2), 68 - 74. Rothbard NP, (2001). Enriching or depleting The dynamics of engagement in work and family roles. Admin Sci Q 2001; 46: 655-84. Smith, Horwitz, M., (1998). Flexible work practices and human resource management: a comparison of South African and foreign owned companies, International Journal of Human Resource Management, Volume 9, Number 4, 1 August 1998, pp. 590-607(18) Wright, B. E., (2004). The Role of Work Context in Work Motivation: A Public Sector Application of Goal and Social Cognitive Theories, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 14:59-78 Read More