HR practices in the Woolworths Group-Free-Samples for Students

Question: Discuss about the HR practices in the Woolworths group. Answer: Introduction: Engagement is the concept which is used in the context of the drive which the employees experience with regard to their work. Engagement is the level to which the employees are passionate regarding their vocation and the level to which they devote themselves to it. Engaged employees go the extra mile to give towards the success of their establishment. Engagement means that the employees work with excitement and are capable of expressing themselves in a physical, emotional and cognitive manner. Therefore it is necessary for the organisations to ensure that the employees are taken care of and valued and they are given opportunities and facilities which will help them stay loyal towards their establishment for a long time frame. Importance of the concept of employee engagement and its presence in organisations: Engagement is a crucial HR variable for a majority of organisations. It facilitates the organisation in delivering a superior performance and also in gaining a competitive advantage. Engaged employees make additional efforts, learn and know more and faster and are much more creative. In addition to this they are the organisational ambassadors. Employee engagement is one of the best predictor of customer satisfaction, personnel retention, productivity as well as profitability. Engagement levels in an organisation are responsible for taking employees to the next level of allegiance towards their company (Saks and Gruman 2014). However it needs to be understood that the notion of employee engagement can be challenging. This is because plans for keeping employees engaged and happy can often backfire. This needs to be ensured while preparing a strategic plan for employee engagement (Kompaso and Sridevi 2010). Overview of Woolworths: Woolworths is the largest supermarket chain of Australia. It operates in more than 995 stores in all of Australia. Woolworths is dependent on their team members which exceed 115000 comprising those in the stores, distribution centres and support offices (Mialon et al. 2016). These members are responsible for providing customers with greater service, range, value and expediency. Woolworths prides itself on having worked with Australian growers and farmers. This has been done to ensure that top products are always accessible to all the customers. Above 95% of fresh fruits and vegetables and 100% of fresh meat are sourced from Australian farmers and growers. This is responsible for making Woolworths as the most popular and dependable supermarket chain (Price, Bailey and Pyman 2014). Being one of the most innovative retailers of Australia it is clearly understood by Woolworths that the consumers are looking for newer and simpler ways in which they can shop. Consumers can shop from the reassurance of their computers at residence or on their way to vocation in any sort of public transport of their choice. The supermarket app of Woolworths makes it possible. The groceries are delivered to the kitchen bench at a go. HR Strategy of the organisation: Woolworths is one of the most renowned human resource organisations in Australia. The organisation has a dedicated human resource department, with the help of a few important as well as significant approaches to human resources. Developing and recruiting talent, matching staffing with the requirements of business, retaining and training as well as downsizing have been the key approaches to human resources which have been adopted by the organisation (Dos Santos, Svensson and Padin 2013). Evaluation of the HR practices existent within Woolworths: On a deeper understanding and study of the human resource practices which have been adopted and implemented by the organisation it can be said that there are certain places where it falls short in the implementation of the changes and strategies. There are certain functions which have not been undertaken by the human resource team of the organisation. The cyclical procedure which involves the long term flexibility and changes in the Human resource department is not undertaken by Woolworths. There are certain HR functions which are outsourced by the company and the procedures such as recruitment or payroll administration are possible to be executed with the help of an external supplier (Arli et al. 2013). In case of Woolworths limited the Human resource functions are operated at the strategic and functional level. The practitioners are involved with activities of planning and implementation. The company follows both the trait theory and the contingency theory for their human resource management. The trait theory has its disadvantages in the sense that the physical characteristics of the leader are taken into consideration. The contingency theory can be considered to be most appropriate in this particular regard as this theory helps in exercising control over the employees by all possible actions. Current state of employee engagement: Woolworths tries to make sure that they recruit the right kind of people. Woolworths also tries to improve as well as assess the ability of the line managers in managing their employees. It is also seen that the organisation gives importance to the collection of constant feedback from the employees so that they are able to manage their own career and career growth. The most important point to be noted in this regard is that the company always gives preference to the talent of the employees. This particular retail organisation always drives proactively the talent mobility among the employees of Woolworths and therefore their productivity can be enhanced by the increase of the motivational level of the employees (Dos Santos, Svensson and Padin 2014). Plan for the initiatives to be taken: After properly analysing the on the whole human resource management oriented factors of Woolworths limited, a initial project plan is given by the HR management team of the organisation in order to ensure that the prevalent strategic dealing conditions of the organisation is modified. There needs to be a proper analysis of all the factors to ensure the changes which are thought of can be implemented properly. Overall it can be said that the rate of employee disengagement has been found to be less for this particular organisation. It is seen that the organisation is facing challenges from the human resources perspective and the cost of the redundancies is a huge issue which might be a problem in the particular situation. One of the most crucial issues for the HR is to keep managing the staff morale and minimize the atmosphere of fear and uncertainty that rises when the job refuge of the employees is threatened. It is desirable that HR department plays a key role in the reduction of the uncertainty including the minimisation of the number of staff cuts and also keeping their staff members informed of their potential to obtain a continuing role in the business with a buyer or other redistribution options. Engaged employees are bound to invest extra time towards the betterment of their organisation and achievement of organisational objectives, to contribute to the ultimate business success. In addition to being more stimulated steadfast and dependable the engaged workers are typically better performers and produce superior results for both the customer as well as the corporation (Albrech 2011). The first and most important part of the plan can be ensuring that the organisation has an inspiring leadership plan. Competent passionate and hands-o leaders are crucial to the phenomenon of employee engagement. Enquiring about the daily status of their work and showing them how the workplace situation can be improved by meetings and interesting discussions is the key towards keeping them engaged (Wang and Hsieh 2013). Another way to ensure the engagement of employees is to provide opportunities for their growth. No employee under any situation should feel left out or underutilized. There can be frequent discussions with the employees regarding their career plans and also the best possible utilization of their strengths and energies (Anitha 2014). There should be meaningful work for all employees at all stages of their work life. There also need to be rewards and recognition for their better performance. The celebrations can be small but need to be meaningful in order to leave a lasting impression on the minds of the employees. The people need to considered the centre of importance in the organisation. Initiatives which help employees to balance their life and work easily need to be given importance in the organisation. Employees need to be encouraged to engage in hard work and balance it with socializing and fun activities (Alfes et al. 2013). Conclusion: It has always been the long standing aim of the Woolworths group to give importance to their customers with regard to their products and services which they provide. It is time therefore for the company, to give crucial importance to its employees as employees are the backbone of any organisation. Therefore for a huge and immensely famous supermarket chain like Woolworths, the importance of employees should not be undermined in any way whatsoever. As employees have the power and the capability to make the organisation reach huge heights. References: Alfes, K., Shantz, A.D., Truss, C. and 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), pp.330-351. Andrew, O.C. and Sofian, S., 2012. Individual factors and work outcomes of employee engagement.Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences,40, pp.498-508. Anitha, J., 2014. Determinants of employee engagement and their impact on employee performance.International journal of productivity and performance management,63(3), p.308. AO Dos Santos, M., Svensson, G. and Padin, C., 2014. 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