HRM And Workplace Relations Practices: A Critical Review Of Recruitment And Selection In Wal-Mart

Evaluation of Recruitment and Selection Practices in Wal-Mart

Questions:

The purpose of this assignment is for you to develop and demonstrate an understanding of relevant theory and best practice related to HRM and workplace relations practices, and to critically review a fundamental HRM practice in light of such theory and practice.  Accordingly, the assignment draws on your understanding of relevant HRM practices covered in Section Two of the course, as well as your understanding of HRM, workplace relations and organisational behaviour theories and concepts. 

Task

1. Conduct an evaluation of a fundamental human resource management (HRM) or workplace relations practice (or set of practices) in an organisation that you are familiar with or have access to. 

2. Identify the key aspects of the organisation’s environment relevant to the practice(s).  Drawing on relevant theory, scholarly literature, and professional literature, critically discuss the key issues facing the organisation and why these are important, and make recommendations for the organisation.

3. In your evaluation you should discuss effectiveness and efficiency of the practice(s) and the implications of this practice on other aspects of HRM and workplace relations as applicable.

4. Depending on the organisation’s strategic goals and/or current challenges, you may choose to focus on a specific practice (e.g. recruitment), or it may be more appropriate to review a set of interrelated practices.  You may wish to use a pseudonym to protect the anonymity of the organisation. 

Context, strategy and challenges

One of the major objectives of this research paper is to examine the human resource management issues in Wal-Mart, one of the leading retailers in the world. It has been observed that the company faces some issues in employee selection, training and the overall development of the corporation and thus this part is required to look at carefully. It can be seen that employee selection is a significant factor in Wal-Mart at the time they hire their staffs and diversity in this case plays a significant role. This multi-million dollar company has always been committed to maintain strong diversity as a part of their continuing efforts to become the pioneer in the existing industry (Alfes et al., 2013). However, it can be stated that the most recent complaints in this regards can be seen that Wal-Mart has mistreated and underpaid their staffs for quite a long time. Besides this issue, it can be seen that Wal-Mart has been accused for not treating the rights of the employees as well as not being as much up to date with technology as they must be. Therefore, it has been seen that training and hiring has become one of the major faults of this leading retail company and the human resource management activities have been accused for this (Bratton & Gold, 2012).

Practice to be examined

In spite of being generally applauded for the organizational culture, Wal-Mart has been severely criticized for some certain aspects of the culture. In spite of a strict policy on the overtime, it is observed that the employees of this organization worked between 5 to 15 hours overtime each week, whether the company had a 40 hours’ work week. It has been observed in this regards that since overtime in the organization is prohibited, the store managers of many stores often ask the employees to clock out after their shift was over and after that continue working. It has been noticed that many workers had worked for more than 3 hours in a store before clocking in officially in the organization. Another major human resource fault noticed that the store management used to lock the doors of the store at the end of a shift to prevent employees from leaving at the scheduled time. Therefore, it can be stated that this incident often enraged the employees as well as their relatives and the families and at the same time created a poor image of Wal-Mart (Buller & McEvoy, 2012).

Key Issues and Challenges Facing Wal-Mart

Aims of the report

The primary objectives of this report have been mentioned here.

Focusing on the working practices, recruitment and selection in Wal-Mart

Discussing associated barriers and challenges related to the present working situation

Provide analytical research work to design the transformative strategies and solutions to deal with the present working issues in Wal-Mart

Approach to be taken in the analysis

In order to gain in-depth knowledge of recruitment, selection and healthy working conditions, a literature review has been conducted.

Relevant limitations and assumptions

During conduction of the research work, time constraints are one of the strong barriers for making a detailed and critical analysis. Moreover, it can be stated that being an outsider, getting access of all data and real incidents in the organization are another obstacles at the time of preparing the research work (Hendry, 2012). 

Concise review of the current practices

It can be stated that the human resource team of any of the organizations are responsible to look after maintaining the rights of the employees, creating a positive workplace where the employees would enjoy working and look at the point where the employees would not be exploited. It can be stated that the HR departments of the company generally do not talk with the managers and the employees on a regular basis. But, when the emergency situation arises, the need to communicate with both of them for analyzing the actual situation and incorporate some effective policies to deal with the situation carefully. Moreover, it can be stated that many incidents regarding the improper working culture were not entertained by the HR of the company and thus, based on the situation; no such policies were taken into account (Jiang et al., 2012).

Apart from that, Jiang et al. (2012) have stated in his research work that the HR managers of the company do not like to confront the employees when they do something wrong and this has been largely noticed in Wal-Mart. Besides, creating proper workplace for the employees and maintaining the rules and the regulations of the workplace falls in the main to-do list of the employees. Therefore, it can be stated that creating such an environment free from the unnecessary hazards is one of the strategic roles of all the human resource managers of the organization. Kehoe and Wright (2013) have stated that the strategic roles of the human resource managers with respect to the employee training and overall development procedure makes the workplace for the future positions within the existing organization.

Klassen and Vereecke (2012) have stated that the workers spend a major part of their life, almost eight to ten years at their workplace and thus it is essential for them to get a positive workplace where they would enjoy their work. If the employees do not get a safe and friendly working environment, they might not become committed to their job and thus their contribution to the society would be little. In Wal-Mart, it has been seen that the employees are exploited with overtime, gender discrimination, poor quality of health care services, low wages and unavailability of maternity leaves. These all have affected the entire reputation of the company in the existing retail market and the human resource managers have been accused for these nuisances (Purce, 2014).

Effectiveness and Efficiency of Recruitment and Selection in Wal-Mart

Relevant organization environment characteristics

The human resource management team of the company must focus on maintaining favorable workplace culture that would enable the employees to work properly and provide significant contribution to the overall growth of the company. Renwick, Redman and Maguire (2013) have stated while the employees require belonging, be liked as well as be respected, at the same time they are required to be creatively and efficiently contribute to the overall organizational goals. Moreover, it can be stated that management must tap into worker potentialities and avoiding wasting untapped resources. The employees are required to be allocated based on their area of specification and this would help the company to gain maximum business growth (Scherer, Palazzo, & Seidl, 2013).

Apart from that, it can be stated that human resource managers must help in discovering the hidden talents of the employees and make sure that all the workers are able to entirely use their range of talents to assist accomplishment the organizational goal. However, it can be stated that the management must encourage teamwork and continually look for the greater areas where the teams can easily exercise more control. The working environment must not be such, where the rights of the employees would be hampered (Storey, 2014).

Relevant literature and theory

Resource based theory has been one of the leading steps in the human resource management procedure, as this explains a new point of view of the success of the organization. All the organizations are heterogeneous and based on the nature of the work, the resources are required to allocate. Therefore, resource based theory is one of the most discussed theories in this regards and the human resource management ream is required to look at this part to maintain proper sustainability in the workplace (Storey, 2014).

Besides this resource based theory, it can be stated that Theory X and Theory Y is another major theory in the human resource management. Employees in this sector dislike working and tend to avoid responsibility and need to be directed.  However, it can be stated that X-Type organizations tend to be top heavy, with the managers and the supervisors required at each step to control them. On the other hand, Theory Y states that employees like to take responsibilities and are motivated automatically to fulfill the objectives. Apart from that, they seek and accept responsibilities and thus need not much direction. Therefore, it can be stated that the human resource management team of every organization need to motivate the employees to reach the Theory Y point (Scherer, Palazzo, & Seidl, 2013). 

Conclusions

After focusing on the human resource management issues, it has been seen that the employees of Wal-Mart are not satisfied with the working atmosphere of the organization. Therefore, based on the identified human resource issues, some effective recommendations are required to provide in this part, so that management incorporate these policies into practice to enhance the present market situation.

It can be recommended that the human resource functions of Wal-Mart demand improvements in the following areas and they are recruiting and selection, training and development, performance management, focusing on employees’ rights, compensation and benefits as well as the labor relations. Considering the procedure of recruitment and selection, it can be state that this is highly critical and thus the process needs to revise. A conventional human resource management procedure is required to adopt keeping balance with the increasing competition. The employees are required to recruit based on the human resource requirement in the organization. Moreover, the company is advised to focus on incorporating flexible training programs in order to motivate the employees. Apart from that, the load of overtime is required to revise immediately to maintain fair workplace in the company. The human resource management policies of the company are required to revise immediately, as the policies are not favorable for the employees. The maternity leaves policies and overtime compensation policy are two major parts that are required to revise.

Specific	Revising the existing human resource policies is specific enough, as this would help the company to revise the existing company situation.
Measurable	After revising the human resource management policies, the result can be seen through employee feedback. Therefore, this is measurable enough and can be relied on this.
Attainable	The measurement is attainable enough, because the human resource managers can revise the policies and look at maintaining the interest of the employees.
Realistic	Wal-Mart is one of the leading international companies that have branches in different parts of the world. Therefore, to hold on the market position, the human resource policies are required to revise immediately.
Time Specific	After incorporating necessary changes in the existing human resource policy, the result must be assessed within the time period of 2 months. The obtained result would be assessed and thus it can be started that this is enough time-specific.

References

Alfes, K., Shantz, A. D., Truss, C., & Soane, E. C. (2013). The link between perceived human resource management practices, engagement and employee behaviour: a moderated mediation model. The international journal of human resource management, 24(2), 330-351.

Bratton, J., & Gold, J. (2012). Human resource management: theory and practice. Palgrave Macmillan.

Buller, P. F., & McEvoy, G. M. (2012). Strategy, human resource management and performance: Sharpening line of sight. Human resource management review, 22(1), 43-56.

Ceniceros, R. (2014). “Bias suit against Wal-Mart gets class action status”. Business Insurance, Vol. 38, Issue 26.

Featherstone, L. (2005). “Is Wal-Mart Really Going Green?” The Website of AlterNet.

Hendry, C. (2012). Human resource management. Routledge.

Jiang, K., Lepak, D. P., Han, K., Hong, Y., Kim, A., & Winkler, A. L. (2012). Clarifying the construct of human resource systems: Relating human resource management to employee performance. Human Resource Management Review, 22(2), 73-85.

Jiang, K., Lepak, D. P., Hu, J., & Baer, J. C. (2012). How does human resource management influence organizational outcomes? A meta-analytic investigation of mediating mechanisms. Academy of management Journal,55(6), 1264-1294.

Kehoe, R. R., & Wright, P. M. (2013). The impact of high-performance human resource practices on employees’ attitudes and behaviors. Journal of Management, 39(2), 366-391.

Klassen, R. D., & Vereecke, A. (2012). Social issues in supply chains: Capabilities link responsibility, risk (opportunity), and performance.International Journal of Production Economics, 140(1), 103-115.

Purce, J. (2014). The impact of corporate strategy on human resource management. New Perspectives on Human Resource Management (Routledge Revivals), 67.

Renwick, D. W., Redman, T., & Maguire, S. (2013). Green human resource management: a review and research agenda*. International Journal of Management Reviews, 15(1), 1-14.

Scherer, A. G., Palazzo, G., & Seidl, D. (2013). Managing legitimacy in complex and heterogeneous environments: Sustainable development in a globalized world. Journal of Management Studies, 50(2), 259-284.

Storey, J. (2014). New Perspectives on Human Resource Management (Routledge Revivals). Routledge.