Human Resource Management Assignment: Case Analysis of Bata & Microsoft

Question

Task

Human Resource Management Assignment Instructions:

You are required to answer questions based on two comprehensive case studies provided below:

Case Study 1: Gupta, V. 2001. ‘Bata India's HR Problems’, ICMR Centre of Management Research, 401–22

Questions:

1. The role played by the BMU is of a destructive nature. Comment.
2. Why has maintaining good IR been a problem for Bata? From your perspective, what advice could you give them to maintain sound IR?

Case Study 2: Shankar, Besta and Ramalingam, M. 2010. ‘Microsoft India's HR Practices’, ICMR

Questions:

1. Identify and make a list of all policies that Microsoft put in place.
2. What is the EVP (employer value proposition) of the company? How do you think the HR policies have helped Microsoft India to feature in the list of ‘Best Companies to Work for in India’?

Answer

Human Resource Management Assignment: Case study 1

Bata and its Employees relation issues

Introduction
Bata and its employee relations were weakened in the 1990s and it always made the headlines for all the wrong reasons. It was headed towards a major labour dispute as the Bata Mazdoor Union demanded the Bengal government to intervene in the matter of labour problems. Bata sells the most reasonable shoes in Indian, Europe and the Middle East. The headquarters are in Kolkata, India. The management of the company took charge of the problems happening in the company and almost 2/3rd of the employees were asked to quit.

The human resource department in Bata deals with the issues related to the people in terms of hiring, training, promoting, management, organisational development, employee motivation and much more. The work of each department varies from recruitment and selection, training and development, job analysis, employee relation activity and much more. The Human Resources Department imparts the fundamental obligation to the entirety of the organization's administration faculty in acquiring, creating, using, assessing, keeping up, and holding the number and kind of individuals expected to offer a worthy labour force for the firms. This labour force will empower any association to complete its general goals and business procedure (Budhwar & Bhatnagar, 2008).

The company's main objective to be an essential business partner taking the position of authority in creating strategies, methods, and projects which support the mission of the Company and the execution of the Company's essential arrangement. Recruit, train, hold and award representatives who have the characteristics important to accomplish departmental goals and thus Company's business targets. The HR is responsible to make an atmosphere that advances esteems, progression of learning, variety, cost-adequacy, and responsiveness to change. Guarantee that we have roused, able and execution arranged workers with camaraderie at all levels inside the organization. Foster compelling interdepartmental correspondence with all administrative staff. Guarantees that correct individuals are put in the right positions. They promote profession improvement program for quick trackers to adapt to future difficulties. The mechanical connection is exceptionally urgent and critical to smooth run the production line great modern connection is extremely essential. Bata Bangladesh keeps up great connection with Union, neighbourhood association pioneer, government work authorities. LTA endorsed through aggregate bartering refutation among association and the executives for the next three years. Representative relations one of the difficulties work for the HR office since worker connection is to make a useful and fulfilling work climate (Diaz-Fernandez, et al., 2015).

The Company is worried about the wellbeing and government assistance of representatives and perceives that having a protected, sound labour force is valuable to both the workers and their families just as to the organization. To satisfy this necessity the Company is proceeding with smooth and compelling Health and wellbeing program as per the Bangladesh Labor Act - 2006 through its ecological wellbeing and security advisory group (Kumar, 2014).

The Human Resource Managers have to look after everything related to the employees after the defamed incident of 2000. They have to take care of the attendance of the employees to the days of leave they take while working at the company.

Record-Keeping – Attendance: The administrators are needed to punch their cards at the primary door to stay away from disparities in participation and the number of hours worked through the closeness framework.

Worker Information: Bata Bangladesh look after HRMS (Human Resources Management System) programming, from joining to organization leaving of a representative all-out data are keeping in this framework,

Identity card: Every worker is furnished with an Identity card and the representative is answerable for its protected keeping. The card should be given up by the worker at the hour of leaving the business or whenever on being called upon to do that. Loss of the card should be accounted for to the Human Resources office without a moment's delay and another minded will be given on instalment of the real expense.

Individual Record File: The Company keeps up close to home record document for each worker where all the data identifying with the work of the individual representatives is kept till his retirement or end from the business.

Administration Agreement: All the administration worker will consent to an arrangement with the organization containing the term and state of the business.

Code of morals: The worker will sign the Code of Ethics of the Company containing the states of business shaping a piece of the Service Agreement.

Advancement: Promotion starting with one evaluation then onto the next is totally at the caution of the Company and will rely upon opening in the foundation and the worker's legitimacy, capabilities and effectiveness. If a perpetual worker is elevated to another post, he may, whenever, during the trial time frame, be returned to his old lasting post.

Additional time: No extra time will be considered for the administration staff yet for exceeding and occasion obligation it will be given amusement from the container. Besides, for such sort of exceed or occasion, the workers will be given genuine transport recompense with elective leave under the pennant of leave in lieu.

Move: The Company can move a representative starting with one office then onto the next division or starting with one production line then onto the next manufacturing plant for better organization or business necessity its sole circumspection.

The clinical offices additionally cover the spouse or husband of the worker in educating minor youngsters less than 18 years under the organization's clinical arrangement. Bata coordinated a healthcare awareness program for better health and living of employees. It has also provided the employees with child education allowances where the children of the employees get money from the company to study. The students are given scholarships and all the employees are insured under the group insurance scheme given by the company (Lopez-Cabrales & Valle-Cabrera, 2020).

There are three different programs for the company's employees for the regulation of work that is a small business unit initiative program used for team building, a long service award given to employees who have been working for more than 25 years in the company, and a short service award is given to the employees of different departments based on their performances.

Recommendation
Bata Bangladesh has a focal climate, wellbeing & safety council to start and guarantee the execution of government and BSO strategy with respect to climate, wellbeing and security. The Company has a solid putting out fires group that involves a worker who is prepared and can take any preventive means during a fire and to ensure the life and property of the Company. Clearing drills are likewise held chance to-time to make mindfulness among the representatives

Conclusion
The HR strategies include the development of an annual training program, continuous evaluation of the employee's performance and effectiveness of the training, maintaining the industrial workers through outsourcing, having transparent communication, and regulating the performance of the labours. They have a lot of programs for the employees and their families to maintain employee and labour relations. They have the duty to maintain good relations among the labour class, employees, stakeholders, and other government organisations. Every one of the workers is provided with free medical facilities including hospitalization in a recommended clinic. The organization additionally delegated clinical officials in the factories.

Questions

• The BMU played a negative role in the issue faced by Bata India, as it was not necessary to include the state government in a private affair. The labours could have rather contacted the authority of the company to look into their issues and would have got better results.
• Maintaining a good international relation has been very difficult for Bata because first of all, the person assigned to turn around the downfall of Bata was a foreigner who was not familiar with the local labours and their working conditions. Secondly, there was a communication gap between the employees and employers.

Good international relations can be made when the diversity of a country is taken into account while making decisions for the different working classes of such countries. There should be schemes that work in small segments after being appreciated from the labour class.

Human Resource Management Assignment: Case study 2

Microsoft India

Introduction
Microsoft is one of the world's wealthiest and most successful corporations. Even more essential from the standpoint of human resources is the fact that Microsoft is highly assertive of employees. When other firms build their achievements on improved production procedures or technology, Microsoft bases its success on the efficacy of its workers. Moreover, Microsoft values and recognises the value of its employees. This emphasises on the fact that the employees might spread to all firms in the future. While establishing an IT firm in India, the hiring process has been a challenge for the companies.

The HR policies of Microsoft India have been very friendly all across India which resulted in the growth of HR’s foundation. The functions performed by HR vary from the recruitment process, selection and induction at the primary level. The selection process starts from taking an interview initially followed by a couple of interviews arranged by the HR manager only. In Microsoft, the IT professionals are selected on the basis of their computer science skills and the ability to understand the technology, creating a superior quality of software. They also have special criteria for hiring women; they have a formalised structure for helping out every recruit. All of these works are done under the human resource manager (O’Boyle, et al., 2016).

Under the training policy of Microsoft India, the personal and technical skills of the fresh employees are honed. They also have a mentoring system where the employers are guided through the learning process. The company identifies potential workers that can be beneficial towards the company's growth. Microsoft follows some practices that make the employees work with great enthusiasm and collective goal. The work timing for the employees is very flexible and they can work according to their own suitable time. Microsoft promotes growth for its employees in all aspects of their working career. Their policies are very innovative and are followed by other companies as well. For example, the bring your child to work policy is one such policy where the female employees have the freedom to bring their child to work where their child could be nourished while their parents can work in the office without getting distracted. The best recruitment policy for females in the IT sector is done by Microsoft where they have a special recruitment drive for females to ensure women empowerment.

At the initial stage, Bill gates believed that appointing intellectual staff can help in the growth of the company. The employees are considered to be the greatest assets to the company. Because of their requirement for the greatest individuals, Microsoft employs different recruitment strategies than many other firms. Gates understood the value of his employees, which is shown in the compensation systems, which not only reward for present accomplishment but also reward stocks to those who are viewed as significant future resources of the organisation. This is a perfect illustration of the emphasis on a partnership; individuals considered helpful to the organization are compensated with shares that will increment in value even as they help in driving the organization forward. Microsoft effectively selects appropriate workers and focuses on the right kind of individual over the right kind of expertise level. Microsoft utilizes HR to acquire an upper hand, depending on having the best individuals in the business and inspiring them to be the best. This is the thing that brings about Microsoft's unique employing techniques. HRM capacities ought to have the option to re-examine their different capacities, like training and development, performance evaluation, correspondence, etc, from a diverse perspective. Regardless of whether representatives have an undeniable degree of specialized mastery, a partnership may have to zero in on creating different abilities like correspondence and social abilities. Moreover, the acceptance cycle is basic in this kind of corporate extension to coordinate new individuals into the Microsoft culture and objective. On account of the induction process, all gatherings should concede to regular standards for HR supply. Contingent upon the area, the organization may approach HR and it could be more affordable to get them than to recruit from the mother firm (Nayak & Mohanty, 2017).

Microsoft utilizes HR to acquire an upper hand, depending on having the best individuals in the business and inspiring them to be the best. This is the thing that brings about Microsoft's unique employing techniques. HRM capacities ought to have the option to re-examine their different capacities, like training and development, performance evaluation, correspondence, etc, from a diverse perspective. Regardless of whether representatives have an undeniable degree of specialized mastery, a partnership may have to zero in on creating different abilities like correspondence and social abilities. Moreover, the acceptance cycle is basic in this kind of corporate extension to coordinate new individuals into the Microsoft culture and objective. On account of the induction process, all gatherings should concede to regular standards for HR supply. Contingent upon the area, the organization may approach HR and it could be more affordable to get them than to recruit from the mother firm.

Effective performance management systems work to encourage productivity starts from setting collective goals for the company. The goal-setting starts with meeting with the employees and preaching about the company's collective goals, the resistance in reaching those goals and obstacles. When the employees are given the charge to develop their own goals and work towards achieving them on their own terms they will do better than when some targets are implemented on them. Another strategy is transparent communication and collaboration between the employees and the managers. They want transparency where the employees are told everything happening in the company and a healthy relationship is built between the employees and HR managers. This will need regular feedback and honest discussions about the employees’ performance (Malik, et al., 2018).

Every employee should feel special and wants to be recognised by the company. They should be appreciated and valued in the company for the work they have done for the company. Getting recognition is important for self-motivation among the employees.

Recommendations
Performance appraisals are more also referred to as discussions. Now they are adaptable enough to accommodate ongoing input, development plans, and more formal reviews. HR managers may rapidly create simple meetings for two individuals, such as a one-on-one meeting, or may develop a more complicated review that corresponds to the company's review procedure. A one-on-one meeting is a simple revision on the topic that needs a short name, a detailed explanation of the meeting's motive, and the schedule of the meeting. A simple review comprises the same information as well as the review period under consideration. Managers will also be able to see the name of the person for whom the review is being created (Balasubramanian & Raja, 2010).

Conclusion
Microsoft takes human resource operations such as recruiting and selection, training and development, performance evaluation, and reward management incredibly genuinely on the grounds that they need the best individuals to work for them and their drawn out maintenance inside the firm is basic to their prosperity. Thus, they enlist individuals for their present abilities as well as for their future potential. Microsoft strives to ensure that it generally recruits the best representatives. The current worker organization relationship depends on a mental agreement. This is particularly essential for associations like Microsoft, where workers' capabilities, abilities, and information decide the organization's market heading. Subsequently, HR work strategies assume a huge part in achieving its objectives.

Questions

1. The policies started by Microsoft are:

   Bring your child to work policy

   Compensation policy including professional counselling and support services for employees and family members.

   Flexible work timings policy

   Career management policy

   Leap Engineer Acceleration Program which is a training policy

2. The Employee Value Proposition is a program made entirely for the employees and so that they could enjoy themselves while working in an energizing environment, the company has employee-friendly benefits as well. It also provides recreational facilities at the workplace such as XBox, video gaming and other activities.

   The HR policies of Microsoft India have made it stand out from the other IT companies in India. The policies have been completely employee-friendly and have given the right work environment to the employees to create new technological advancement in their respective areas as well.

References
Alaparthi, C. S. (2019). Microsoft AI Challenge India 2018: Learning to Rank Passages for Web Question Answering with Deep Attention Networks. arXiv preprint arXiv:1906.06056.

Budhwar, P. S., & Bhatnagar, J. (Eds.). (2008). The changing face of people management in India. Routledge.

Balasubramanian, S., & Raja, M. V. A. J. (2010). Hrm Practices Of Indian Software Organization. Ijm, 1, 76-79.

Diaz-Fernandez, M., Bornay-Barrachina, M., & Lopez-Cabrales, A. (2015, April). Innovation and firm performance: the role of human resource management practices. In Evidence-based HRM: A global forum for empirical scholarship. Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Kumar, D. M. (2014). An Empirical Study on Relationship between Leverage and Profitability in Bata India Limited. International Journal of Advance Research in Computer Science and Management Studies, 2(5).

Lopez-Cabrales, A., & Valle-Cabrera, R. (2020). Sustainable HRM strategies and employment relationships as drivers of the triple bottom line. Human resource management review, 30(3), 100689.

Malik, P., Lenka, U., & Sahoo, D. K. (2018). Proposing micro-macro HRM strategies to overcome challenges of workforce diversity and deviance in ASEAN. Journal of Management Development.

Nayak, S., & Mohanty, V. (2017). Green HRM for business sustainability. Indian Journal of Scientific Research, 102-106.

O'Boyle, E. H., Patel, P. C., & Gonzalez?Mulé, E. (2016). Employee ownership and firm performance: a meta?analysis. Human Resource Management Journal, 26(4), 425-448.