Strategic Human Resource Management at Starbucks

This article discusses the strategic human resource management practices at Starbucks. It covers topics such as employee engagement, best practices, training and development, and motivation. The article also explores the human resource policies implemented by Starbucks, including hiring policies, public policy, and anti-retaliation policies.

STRATEGIC HUMAN
RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................................3
Functional aspects of strategic human resource management for employees................................3
Strategic human resource policies ...................................................................................................5
CONCLUSION.........................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES..........................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Starbucks is the company which is dealing in providing the services to the customers,
services like providing the premium quality of the coffee to the customers. It was established in 1971
and it is the fastest growing companies of the world. The report consists about the human resource
policies at the company. It also includes the functional aspects of the strategic human resource
management which are applied on the employees of the company. These are improving the human
resource management policies of the company. The report is formed on the studies which are done
on the company.
TASK 2
Functional aspects of strategic human resource management for employees
An organization usually faces great amount of challenge in retaining the right kind of human
resource in the firm. Also, whom to hire and what should be their remunerated compensation is a
huge question to be answered when the strategic human resource management comes into picture.
Starbucks used the strategy of the right kind of people hiring the right kind of people. Considering
may it be the hiring policy, the workplace environment, the workforce diversity, workplace health,
safety and security or the wage and hour rules, all of them are analysed as critical strategies (Taylor,
Doherty and McGraw, 2015).
Employee Engagement
This term means how well connected the employees feel to the firm, Starbucks for the
matter here. Employee engagement is a very broad term where the commitment of the employee is
defined who is working for the firm. This term is also mixed with employee satisfaction but
employee satisfaction is just a meagre part of the employee engagement strategies in the
organization. Also, the quality and quantity of work one by the employee is a parameter to be
judged here on the basis of employee engagement. Employee engagement always remains on the
top of the list to see how involved the personnel is to his firm and the job (Bailey, Mankin Kelliher
and Garavan, 2018).
Introduction of best practices
A range of practices are applied by the human resource managers to achieve the
organizational goals. Creating a safe, happy and healthy workplace is one of the best practices used a
strategy in firms. A practice of 360-degree performance management is done and feedbacks are
later received for the same. Performance linked bonuses are also a very popular strategy practised
by the Human resource managers of many firms. Highlighting the best performers of the day, week,
month or year on regular basis to give employees a sense pf recognition and appreciation is also a
popular practice followed as a strategy for that matter. Designing an employee work in such a
manner so that he can achieve a Work life balance is a practice followed by the HR managers.
Teaching tools and techniques
There are various tools and techniques used as strategies of the human resource
management in teaching the requires skillset to the employees. An on-the-job training, coaching,
mentoring, group discussions, role paying or management games prove to be very effective teaching
tools in human resource management. HR Mashup is the new highly effective teaching technique
used these days where a mixture of two more teaching techniques is done as a tool to teach in the
most effective manner possible (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart. and Wright 2017).

Improve HR effectiveness
Improving the effectiveness of an HR is a key strategy to maintain the employee personnel in
the organization. It is one of the most important functional aspects of the HR strategies made and
followed. This can be done through development of an effective trainings by the HR. Tackling the
data properly for hiring new employees as and when needed can also help in improvement of the
HRs effectiveness. Taking and advantage of the available data and handling it properly is quite a task
but if used effectively it v=can result on the improvement of an HR’s effectiveness efficiently.
Training and Development
This phenomenon involves how to improve the effectiveness of a firm by improving the
performance of its teams and employees within, with the help of training and development
programs. This is a subsystem to be followed while considering the strategic policies of Human
Resource Management. Training is the process whereby individuals are educated about the skill they
must possess to perform the job in the most effective and efficient manner. On the other hand,
development of an individual by sharpening his entire required skillset and knowledge is gained for
the same. Thus, training and development is a strategy to enhance the skills and the total
performance of the employee as well as the firm as a whole.
Motivation
As we say, motivation is the desire to fulfil what we aspire to have. The strategies of the
human resource management indicate motivation as a key aspect to be used to fulfil an employee’s
desire by directing him to work for the organization and achievement of the individual as well as the
firm’s goals at the same time. Motivation are the objectives which the employees want to fulfil may
it be an internal or an external objective. Motivation to an employee could be of many types, may it
be intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation or an addiction. The policies and strategies of the human
resource management ae aligned in such a manner that they use these factors as per employees to
motivate them in order to get the work done and achieve the goal of the firm as well as the firm
effectively (Voegtlin and Greenwood, 2016).
Through these strategies star bucks would be able to improve the performance of the
employees which are working in the company. The employees of the company are motivated and
also trained to improve the performance.
Strategic human resource policies
Human resource policies are framed and developed by the Human Resource personnel of a
firm in order to make sure that the organization runs free of problems faced daily in an organization.
The process of forming strategic human resource policies to attain the goals of the firm is an
important part though (Collings, Wood and Szamosi, 2018). Creating a positive work
environment is quite a challenge for the human resource department and hence strategies are
formed for the same. Thus, the human resource department plays a major part in forming the
strategies to maintain a healthy and safe working environment for the employees to work there.
Hiring policy
Starbucks as a company provides equal opportunities to both males and females as their
hiring policy. As stated by Robbins and Judge (2013), Starbucks as a firm has selective organizational
practices which can help in accurately match the job and the organization. As per the Global Human
Rights Standard, providing equal opportunities to both males and females is the on-purpose strategy
by Starbucks. Every firm must have a hiring policy about the criteria and process to be followed
while selecting competent personnel for the firm. The best human resource policies and practices

are a very important criteria in shaping the success of the firm. As per the Standards of Business
Conduct a suitable hiring policy to be framed in order to hire the personnel for the company which is
non partial is very important (Brewster, Mayrhofer and Morley 2016).
Public policy
An unbiased treatment where all the ethical standards are followed and thus promotes a
value system is the public policy which is followed by firms in the human resource department. This
public policy is a consideration of thee public structure and administration as a whole. Having a
value-based system in the form where appropriate hr policies are framed and followed under the
supervision of the human resource department as a whole. Under the public policy, it is the function
of the human resource manager provides its employee personnel to manage the heath, safety, work
environment, promotion, enhancement, benefits and compensation as a whole while working in the
firm. Also, under the public policy, various employee benefits and compensation as well as the
discipline of the employees is taken care of.
Anti-retaliation policy
An employee anti retaliation program is to designed for the compliance concerns of the
employee. Starbucks has framed the anti-retaliatory policies where the employees don’t become the
victim on any pf the concerns. According to the Standards of the business conduct about the policy
of Starbucks, retaliation means any of the negative job actions which could be demotion, firing,
salary reduction, etc. Any job or shift reassignment is also a part of retaliation done by the employer.
Hence, in order to prevent all this, anti-retaliatory policies are framed by the human resource
department of Starbucks as a major strategy to make sure the employees feel safe and secure about
the job possessed and performed by them.
The diversity of the Starbucks talks about employees with their unique capabilities, strengths
and differences turn to be an advantage to the company. Starbucks has a strict code of conduct and
rules to be followed against any malpractices taking place at the workplace. This may include usage
of alcohol, illegal drugs etc. when we talk of the workplace environment, the employees of Starbucks
give respect and dignity to each other. The Starbucks quality and customer protection are a very
important criteria to be cleared in order to make sure that the customers’ health and safety is
maintained in a proper manner (Brewster 2017). The workplace health, safety and security talks
abide the rules framed to be followed. The employees are expected to follow all the safety rules
which are necessary to maintain the decorum of the workplace. A safety training is organised in
order to enhance the workplace security and also information about the same is given to all the
concerned employees of the organization.
Consumer protection is an important criterion to be paid heed to where quality comes into
consideration. Quality is an important consideration as a parameter to be judged especially in the
case off Starbucks. The consumer must always consume good quality food which is an important
parameter in this case. Also, the employees must fully co-operate with all the quality standards to
protect the dignity of the firm. as afar as their safety and protection is concerned, all the employees
must fully cooperate to all the rules and regulations of the firm. All or any of the incidents occurring
then and there for that matter must be immediately reported as accidents or any unsafe conditions.
These polices are made for improving the performance of the company. Safety of the employees of
the company is managed and looked by the human resource department of the company (Bailey,
Mankin, Kelliher. and Garavan, 2018).
Through these polices company would satisfy the employees and also the company is using
the strategies which would increase the productivity of the employees. The company would also use

these strategies to improve the performance of the employees and also company is focusing on the
maintaining the employee relations between the employee and the employees and also between
the employers and employers as well. The company would provide the training facilities to the
employees of the company which would also improve the performance of the employees.
CONCLUSION
Human resource management is the art of handling and involving employees to attract the t
the organization to achieve the goals collectively. Starbucks has performed their human resource
management job well which can be judged by the goals the firm is reaching today. This is all due to
the efficient and hard work done by the employees of the Starbucks so that the firm is able to reach
on the new heights of success like this today. May it the national or international borders, the
employee personnel of the company and their efficient work has played a very important role in the
success of Starbucks today. The motives and goals of the human resource department of Starbucks
have reflect in the position of the organization as a whole. Thus, from this case study we understand
very well how the strategic aspects of the human resource department, the strategies and policies
used and applied b y them have played a very important role in the success of the firm.
REFERENCES
Books and journals
Bailey, C., Mankin, D., Kelliher, C. and Garavan, T., 2018. Strategic human resource
management. Oxford University Press.
Brewster, C., 2017. The integration of human resource management and corporate strategy.
In Policy and practice in European human resource management (pp. 22-35).
Routledge.

Brewster, C., Mayrhofer, W. and Morley, M. eds., 2016. New challenges for European
resource management. Springer.
Collings, D.G., Wood, G.T. and Szamosi, L.T., 2018. Human resource management: A
critical approach. In Human Resource Management (pp. 1-23). Routledge.
Noe, R.A., Hollenbeck, J.R., Gerhart, B. and Wright, P.M., 2017. Human resource
management: Gaining a competitive advantage. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill
Education.
Taylor, T., Doherty, A. and McGraw, P., 2015. Managing people in sport organizations: A
strategic human resource management perspective. Routledge.
Voegtlin, C. and Greenwood, M., 2016. Corporate social responsibility and human resource
management: A systematic review and conceptual analysis. Human Resource
Management Review. 26(3). pp.181-197.
Wilton, N., 2016. An introduction to human resource management. Sage.