netrashetty
Netra Shetty
American Greetings Corporation, Inc. is the world's largest publicly-traded greeting card company. It is based in Brooklyn, Ohio[3] and sells paper greeting cards, electronic greeting cards, party products (such as wrapping papers and decorations), and electronic expressive content (e.g., ringtones and images for cellphones). In addition to the American Greetings brand, the company owns the Carlton Cards, Tender Thoughts and Gibson brands of greeting cards.
American Greetings is also famous for their toy design and licensing division, Those Characters From Cleveland (now American Greetings Properties). The most-popular copyrighted properties owned by this division include Strawberry Shortcake, the Care Bears, The Get-Along Gang and Holly Hobbie. American Greetings also holds an exclusive license for Nickelodeon characters.
Perhaps one of the most beneficial moves that the management can make is acknowledging the importance of the HR department in achieving the goals and objectives of the company. The management must view the HR department as a strategic partner rather than just a department in the organization. This is where Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) comes into play.
Linking HRM with the strategic goals and objectives of the company is the cornerstone of Strategic human resource management (Buyens and de Vos 1991). SHRM has came into view as a primary approach in achieving improvements in the competitive advantage of the organization (Burke and Cooper 2004). In order to reap the benefits of SHRH, the management must align the goals and objectives of HRM with the strategic plans and objectives of the firm. The role of HRM is to determine the human resources needed to support strategic objectives and to ensure that employees are selected, trained, evaluated, and rewarded in ways that further the achievement of business objectives. Strategic HRM is frequently described as a linear, balanced process that begins with the identification of goals that will guide human resource practices. The integration of the HR programs with the goals of the organization will result to the organization’s increased value. The recruitment, compensation, performance appraisal, promotion, training and other functions are designed and managed so that they work towards the strategic objectives of the firm (p.92). Strategic HRM has the purpose of improving the way that human resources are managed within firms. The main objective of strategic HRM is to improve organizational performance as judged by its impact on the organization’s declared corporate strategy (Brewster et al 2004, p. 29).
Key Roles of Strategic Management that add value
According to Ulrich et al (1995), HR has important value-added roles in the organization. These roles must be effectively delivered by the HR because they are essential to the achievement of the organization’s goals. The HR roles according to Ulrich (1997) are:
1. Management of strategic human resources
The focus of this role is on the alignment of the HR strategies and practices to the business strategy. The HR professional becomes a strategic partner that creates a concrete HR practices based on the organization’s strategy.
2. Change and transformation management
This role is also seen as a source of added value to the organization. The HR professionals must help to identify and implement the change processes all throughout the organization. The HR professionals act as mediums and guards of cultural changes.
3. Employee management
This role address issues such as the daily problems, expectations and needs of employees. Identifying and meeting the specific needs of the employees will result to better employee contribution.
4. Management of the administration of the organization
The role of HRM is to make sure that the administrative processes like involving hiring, training, evaluation and promotion are designed and delivered efficiently and correctly.
HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNING
Planning encompasses those guidelines which constitute a sound basis for efficient and effective HR Management in the Group around the world. They are in essence flexible and dynamic and may require adjustment to a variety of circumstances. Therefore its implementation will be inspired by sound judgment, fulfillment with local market laws and common sense, taking into accounts the specific context. Its spirit should be respected under all circumstances. As is operating all over , it is essential that legislation and practices be respected everywhere. Also to be considered is the degree of development of each market and its capacity to advance in the management of their human resources.
Should any HR policy conflict with local legislation, local legislation will succeed. These policies are addressed to all those who have a responsibility in managing people as well as to HR professionals. The Management and Leadership Principles include the guidelines inspiring all the employees in their action and in their dealings with others. The Corporate Business Principles refer to all the basic principles which endorses and subscribes to on a worldwide basis. Both these documents are the pillars on which the present policy has been built.
HR managers and their staff are there to provide professional support in handling people matters but should not substitute themselves to the responsible manager. Their major responsibility is to contribute actively to the quality of HR management throughout the organization by proposing adequate policies, ensuring their consistent application and coherent implementation with fairness.
The communication skills of the HR staff must be appropriate to deal with all delicate matters as they occur frequently in human relations issues. They gain their credibility not only from their professional contribution but also through the care and the excellence of their communication skills. (5)
RECRUITMENT PROCESS
According to latest count, thousands of employees are working in nestle. This is an approximate figure as more hiring has been done in the recent past. Nestlé follows a set process for hiring more employees. The major document in this connection is the "Recruitment Requisition Form". This document is used in all three instances; such as for:
REPLACEMENT
Filling of a near position. Additions to the existing workforce
A recruitment opportunity may arise either after discussing or budgeting a position on the resignation of some employee or on an urgent need basis. In all three situations, the department head has to obtain approval from the Managing Director (MD). If the request is budgeted, then the Divisional Head fills up a "Recruitment and Budgeted Form". This form contains the complete information; i.e. the following particulars:
• Date of initiation
• Date the employee is needed Profile
• Job description
After receiving the document the human resource department puts up an advertisement in the newspaper or it directly contacts placement officers at various institutes. Approximately eight to ten best resumes are selected and presented to the divisional heads. On their recommendation the candidates are called for interviews and the most suitable are finally selected.
MANAGEMENT TRAINEES
The procedure for selecting fresh graduates at Nestlé is bit different as the trainees cannot be short listed through their CV's. Management trainees are fresh graduates or they have one year experience at the most. Management trainees are not called directly. They are contacted through their placement officers. Salaries or benefits of the management trainees do not vary with their specialization. Similarly the training period is the same, whether they are selected for marketing or finance.
SUCCESSION PLAN
The succession plan at Nestlé is made by the department head. He chooses his own successor. It is the duty of the departmental head to train someone for his work, so that there is a person to takeover in case he is transferred.
JOB ASSESSMENT
There is a classified system of job assessment at Nestlé. Accountability incentives in the form of business or facilities are provided to employees performing well. Employees form the internal equity of the company. Therefore, equally justifying measures are taken to satisfy and motivate the employees.
TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
We know “Learning” is part of the Company culture. Each employee, at all levels, either a fresh or old, is conscious of the need to upgrade continuously her/his knowledge and skills. The willingness to learn is therefore a non-negotiable condition to be employed . Training and Development is done on-the-job. Guiding and coaching is part of the responsibility of each manager and it is crucial to make each one progress in her/his position. When formal training programs are organized they should be purpose oriented and designed to improve relevant skills and competencies as Nestle does. Therefore they are proposed in the framework of individual development programs.
As a consequence, attending a program should never be considered as a reward. Role of each manager at is to assess progress, achieved as a result of training programs. The objective is to retain and motivate employees by offering attractive but realistic career moves allowing them to develop their skills over a long-term period within the framework of economic reality and a changing environment. Each manager has the duty to act as a mentor for his employees. At formal assessment take place on a standard basis, preferably once a year. Its purpose is to provide feedback on past performance and future potential as well as on other relevant aspects concerning a staff member’s work including the development of his skills and competencies.
American Greetings is also famous for their toy design and licensing division, Those Characters From Cleveland (now American Greetings Properties). The most-popular copyrighted properties owned by this division include Strawberry Shortcake, the Care Bears, The Get-Along Gang and Holly Hobbie. American Greetings also holds an exclusive license for Nickelodeon characters.
Perhaps one of the most beneficial moves that the management can make is acknowledging the importance of the HR department in achieving the goals and objectives of the company. The management must view the HR department as a strategic partner rather than just a department in the organization. This is where Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) comes into play.
Linking HRM with the strategic goals and objectives of the company is the cornerstone of Strategic human resource management (Buyens and de Vos 1991). SHRM has came into view as a primary approach in achieving improvements in the competitive advantage of the organization (Burke and Cooper 2004). In order to reap the benefits of SHRH, the management must align the goals and objectives of HRM with the strategic plans and objectives of the firm. The role of HRM is to determine the human resources needed to support strategic objectives and to ensure that employees are selected, trained, evaluated, and rewarded in ways that further the achievement of business objectives. Strategic HRM is frequently described as a linear, balanced process that begins with the identification of goals that will guide human resource practices. The integration of the HR programs with the goals of the organization will result to the organization’s increased value. The recruitment, compensation, performance appraisal, promotion, training and other functions are designed and managed so that they work towards the strategic objectives of the firm (p.92). Strategic HRM has the purpose of improving the way that human resources are managed within firms. The main objective of strategic HRM is to improve organizational performance as judged by its impact on the organization’s declared corporate strategy (Brewster et al 2004, p. 29).
Key Roles of Strategic Management that add value
According to Ulrich et al (1995), HR has important value-added roles in the organization. These roles must be effectively delivered by the HR because they are essential to the achievement of the organization’s goals. The HR roles according to Ulrich (1997) are:
1. Management of strategic human resources
The focus of this role is on the alignment of the HR strategies and practices to the business strategy. The HR professional becomes a strategic partner that creates a concrete HR practices based on the organization’s strategy.
2. Change and transformation management
This role is also seen as a source of added value to the organization. The HR professionals must help to identify and implement the change processes all throughout the organization. The HR professionals act as mediums and guards of cultural changes.
3. Employee management
This role address issues such as the daily problems, expectations and needs of employees. Identifying and meeting the specific needs of the employees will result to better employee contribution.
4. Management of the administration of the organization
The role of HRM is to make sure that the administrative processes like involving hiring, training, evaluation and promotion are designed and delivered efficiently and correctly.
HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNING
Planning encompasses those guidelines which constitute a sound basis for efficient and effective HR Management in the Group around the world. They are in essence flexible and dynamic and may require adjustment to a variety of circumstances. Therefore its implementation will be inspired by sound judgment, fulfillment with local market laws and common sense, taking into accounts the specific context. Its spirit should be respected under all circumstances. As is operating all over , it is essential that legislation and practices be respected everywhere. Also to be considered is the degree of development of each market and its capacity to advance in the management of their human resources.
Should any HR policy conflict with local legislation, local legislation will succeed. These policies are addressed to all those who have a responsibility in managing people as well as to HR professionals. The Management and Leadership Principles include the guidelines inspiring all the employees in their action and in their dealings with others. The Corporate Business Principles refer to all the basic principles which endorses and subscribes to on a worldwide basis. Both these documents are the pillars on which the present policy has been built.
HR managers and their staff are there to provide professional support in handling people matters but should not substitute themselves to the responsible manager. Their major responsibility is to contribute actively to the quality of HR management throughout the organization by proposing adequate policies, ensuring their consistent application and coherent implementation with fairness.
The communication skills of the HR staff must be appropriate to deal with all delicate matters as they occur frequently in human relations issues. They gain their credibility not only from their professional contribution but also through the care and the excellence of their communication skills. (5)
RECRUITMENT PROCESS
According to latest count, thousands of employees are working in nestle. This is an approximate figure as more hiring has been done in the recent past. Nestlé follows a set process for hiring more employees. The major document in this connection is the "Recruitment Requisition Form". This document is used in all three instances; such as for:
REPLACEMENT
Filling of a near position. Additions to the existing workforce
A recruitment opportunity may arise either after discussing or budgeting a position on the resignation of some employee or on an urgent need basis. In all three situations, the department head has to obtain approval from the Managing Director (MD). If the request is budgeted, then the Divisional Head fills up a "Recruitment and Budgeted Form". This form contains the complete information; i.e. the following particulars:
• Date of initiation
• Date the employee is needed Profile
• Job description
After receiving the document the human resource department puts up an advertisement in the newspaper or it directly contacts placement officers at various institutes. Approximately eight to ten best resumes are selected and presented to the divisional heads. On their recommendation the candidates are called for interviews and the most suitable are finally selected.
MANAGEMENT TRAINEES
The procedure for selecting fresh graduates at Nestlé is bit different as the trainees cannot be short listed through their CV's. Management trainees are fresh graduates or they have one year experience at the most. Management trainees are not called directly. They are contacted through their placement officers. Salaries or benefits of the management trainees do not vary with their specialization. Similarly the training period is the same, whether they are selected for marketing or finance.
SUCCESSION PLAN
The succession plan at Nestlé is made by the department head. He chooses his own successor. It is the duty of the departmental head to train someone for his work, so that there is a person to takeover in case he is transferred.
JOB ASSESSMENT
There is a classified system of job assessment at Nestlé. Accountability incentives in the form of business or facilities are provided to employees performing well. Employees form the internal equity of the company. Therefore, equally justifying measures are taken to satisfy and motivate the employees.
TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
We know “Learning” is part of the Company culture. Each employee, at all levels, either a fresh or old, is conscious of the need to upgrade continuously her/his knowledge and skills. The willingness to learn is therefore a non-negotiable condition to be employed . Training and Development is done on-the-job. Guiding and coaching is part of the responsibility of each manager and it is crucial to make each one progress in her/his position. When formal training programs are organized they should be purpose oriented and designed to improve relevant skills and competencies as Nestle does. Therefore they are proposed in the framework of individual development programs.
As a consequence, attending a program should never be considered as a reward. Role of each manager at is to assess progress, achieved as a result of training programs. The objective is to retain and motivate employees by offering attractive but realistic career moves allowing them to develop their skills over a long-term period within the framework of economic reality and a changing environment. Each manager has the duty to act as a mentor for his employees. At formal assessment take place on a standard basis, preferably once a year. Its purpose is to provide feedback on past performance and future potential as well as on other relevant aspects concerning a staff member’s work including the development of his skills and competencies.
Last edited: