Human Resource Management

This article discusses the importance of human resource practices in organizations and explores the initiatives taken by Woolworths, a leading retail organization in Australia. It covers performance-based, culture-based, and engagement-based initiatives in HR management.

Running head: HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
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Introduction
Human resource practices are important in organisations starting from strategic planning
to company reputation. As human resource practices improves company's bottom line with its
idea of the way human capital influences the organisation success, organisations tends to focus
greatly on Human Resource Management for deriving successful outcomes and establishing
thriving workforce (Methner, Hamann and Nilsson 2015). Furthermore as human resource
practices deals with issues related to employee compensation, employee engagement,
performance management, organisation development as well as benefits employee motivation
and training, it play a strategic role in managing people as well as workplace culture and the
environment. The following report will aim to highlight few HR initiatives taken by Australia
leading retail organisation, Woolworths.
Discussion
Performance-based initiative
Woolworths has recently aligned its incentive procedure with its performance
management system aim in order to improve the performance level of its workforce
(Woolworths.com.au 2019). The improved focus on consumer engagement has been initiated by
the company through the development of employee knowledge development and training
programs in order to support employees to acquire adequate skills and expertise for proficiently
delivering customers (Price 2016). Furthermore, the company has aligned its incentive procedure
for its executive and managers, which has improved their performance level and further,
increased the sales growth of the company across its food division segment. Reports of Methner,

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Hamann and Nilsson (2015) have mentioned that Woolworths to improve performance of
employees has started to implement cloud-based software whereby employees at all levels can
have accurate visibility into single source of truth for master data throughout the company. Such
an approach has resulted to an elevated rate of performance and confidence within employees
and thus have highly empowered employees to follow their career with Woolworths.
The company over the past few years has been supporting equal pay opportunities for all
its employees. Such an initiative has been progressed by developing strategies and goals to
facilitate employees in appreciating and receiving equivalent incentives, remuneration rewards,
resources as well as opportunities regardless of gender (Woolworths.com.au 2019). The
company has lately completed a Gender Pay Equity Review of its salaried members.
Furthermore, the company has been proficiently awarding its employees with an impressive
salary increase where gender based pay gaps have been identified. Cameron (2017) has noted
that presently Woolworths have remunerated a total of 85 roles and 820 remunerated team
members to receive equivalent compensation and 10 significantly improving their performance
level as well as engagement towards the company. Furthermore, the company has been
proficiently supporting the drive for women to fill senior positions in the company and receive
satisfying remuneration package for their continuous effort and dedication towards the company
(Methner, Hamann and Nilsson 2015).
Culture-based initiative
Woolworths continue to invest on its organisational culture, values and standards in order
to improve safety governance and further address challenges and develop a culture of carefulness
across their business. Woolworths has been efficiently reflecting on the communities it serve by

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employing over 20, 5000 people from diverse cultural backgrounds in order to support diversity
within the organisations cultural patterns and standards (Woolworths.com.au 2019). The
company has been establishing its business on a culture of inclusion as well as participation with
balanced representation of women as well as people belonging to different cultural and
indigenous groups. Such support for cultural diversity within the organisation has led
Woolworths to introduce and English learning program.
Reports of Price (2016) have mentioned that the initiative of Second Language Program
has been essentially designed for people of diverse ethnic backgrounds and strengthen their
English language proficiency. According to Seo (2019) , the lack of these communication
proficiencies has typically been considered as a major and hidden issue and whilst the workforce
of Woolworths may comprise of a well-established work principle, the incompetence of speaking
in English can be perceived as a critical obstacle for the company's success. As a result
Woolworths has introduced a Second Language Program for its employees which mainly focus
is on language related tasks which employees with limited English understanding can engage
into in order to reduce their inability in speaking in English in their regular work environment.
However, Klettner, Clarke and Boersma (2016) have noted that Woolworths through its
culture-based initiative has further aimed to assist over 150 of its team members per year to
improve their Second English language ability and further adjust areas of challenges, which
come into their way of accomplishment. This initiative has been primarily intended for
increasing the Indigenous employment opportunity in the business of Woolworths. Meanwhile,
reports of Deresky and Christopher (2015) have noted that Woolworth’s group along with the
Federal government as well as diversity dimensions has committed to employee over 1500
additional indigenous employees by 2019. Furthermore, the company’s 2020 target has been

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purposed for the indigenous employee base, which has been projected to comprise at least 5% of
the company’s store team, and graduates.
Engagement-based initiative
Woolworths’ organizational strategies primarily deal with industrial relations
performance management as well as engagement management. The strategic planning of the
organisation is identified as the individual responsibility of the senior management of the
organisation. In order to increase the engagement level of the company Woolworths efficiently
uses to align the performance of the employees with the predefined long-standing employee
relation strategy and objectives. According to Pringle et al. (2018), employees’ health and well-
being initiative have been proven to be highly effective mechanism for Woolworths in order to
develop substantial motivation and enthusiasm within the employees and increase the
engagement level of the employees towards the company and further improving the connection
between the organisational behaviour and its employee base.
Reports of Kraut, Chandler and Hertenstein (2016) have revealed that Woolworths
proficiently identify the need of implementing special health management packages for its
employees. The company has recently initiated employee welfare and assistance programs in
which the employees have complete access ability to arrange structured as well as professionally
aged wellbeing programs, which mainly assist the employees both in the workplace as well as at
their residential. This initiative however includes regular sessions of counselling, executive
health check-up, waste management, and stress relief sessions in addition to smoking
termination as well as flu injection. Furthermore, reports of Deresky and Christopher (2015)
have revealed that Woolworths recently has introduced self-insurance licences in all states and

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territories in Australia for its employees. This initiative of self-insurance for employees has been
identified as a privilege status for its employees as it requires conformance to highly stringent
individual care standards in comparison to the initiative required by State operated work cover
schemes. Moreover, the advantage of the self-initial science initiative has resulted to an
improved engagement based approach, which focuses on the competence to make internal
decisions on the management of personal injury claims rapid as well as effective return to work
of employees and treatment of injured workers (Woolworthsgroup.com.au 2019).
Recommendations
Woolworths in order to improve the performance level of its employees must focus on
providing wide ranging and creative approach of recruitment and retention strategies.
Woolworths must emphasize on engaging people at all stages of their lives and promote a highly
inclusive Human Resource Practice to enhance organizational values and status in the market.
On the other hand, Woolworths have a range of initiatives for its culture-based management by
building LGBT community and serve to broader customer base (Deresky and Christopher 2015).
Moreover, for its performance based initiative the company is aiming to reduce the risk
of manual handling injuries of employees. Thus, to achieve this aim Woolworths must engage
proficient ergonomist in order to conduct a self- regulative assessment of the company's business
operations. The suggestions will be mainly based on ways in which the organization can improve
its work design for the team members in order to successfully mitigate any types of critical
injuries (Klettner, Clarke and Boersma 2016). The company must work closely with Pride
Diversity in order to attain the goal of acquiring the top position of Gold Tier employer in
Australian Workplace Index (AWEI).

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Additionally, the company should aim for engaging into initiatives such as Wear It Purple
Day along with other internal programs to improve its HR practices. Furthermore, Woolworths
in order to improve its engagement level must adopt advanced technological expertise and skills
and aid its newly recruited employees with adequate training and skills for serving proficiently to
its ever-increasing customer base.
On the other side, to facilitate Woolworths in achieving its vision as an excellent retailer,
the company must make nutrition understanding a core competency for all its employees.
Furthermore, the key purpose of the company is to engage all its employees as healthy lifestyle
advocates who will be able to promote health and wellbeing among other Australians through
their efficient services (Pringle et al. 2018). Thus, Woolworths must introduce a Nutrition
Academy to provide its employees with easy accessible training and information.
Conclusion
Therefore, from the above discussion it can be concluded that Human Resource
Department is playing the most significant role in relation to achieving employees' satisfaction.
Thus, establishing a well-organized and competent organization must rely on the performance,
culture as well as engagement of the people working within the company. Consequently,
Woolworths exceptional and commendable Human Resource practices and People Management
have helped the company to attain its aims and objectives. However, the answer has been found
that the way policies and practices function can improve the way employees interact, while
reducing the personnel complications and challenges that frequently rise in modern workplaces
and safeguard the business from expensive litigation.

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