HRM Strategies: Improving Employee Relations at Better Shoes Company

This report provides an analysis of Human Resource Management (HRM) strategies at Better Shoes Company. It identifies key areas where a new HR manager should focus, including improving employee morale, addressing high turnover and absenteeism, and resolving labor disputes. The report outlines four strategic HR objectives: developing new HR policies and regulations, fostering teamwork, promoting social engagement, and building a robust HR department. It also identifies problems hindering HR strategy implementation, such as poor management and authoritarian leadership, and suggests improvements through participative leadership. Furthermore, the report explores strategies for aligning business goals with employee motivation and outlines the differences between traditional and modern HRM approaches at Better Shoes. Desklib provides access to this and other solved assignments for students.

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Running head: HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Human Resource Management
Name of Student
Name of University
Author Note

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Table of Contents
Question 1........................................................................................................................................2
Point of involvement identified....................................................................................................2
Question 2........................................................................................................................................3
Strategic HR objectives explained...............................................................................................3
Question 3........................................................................................................................................4
Identification of the problems and the suggestions......................................................................4
Question 4........................................................................................................................................5
Strategies for aligning the goals of the business..........................................................................5
Question 5........................................................................................................................................5
Changes and differences provided...............................................................................................5

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Question 1
Point of involvement identified
I think that the new HR manager should become involved with the changes in the
organizational culture and the working environment they are in right now. The HR manager
should be able to enhance the morale of the employees as the production workers are not getting
the facilities they want it. It is seen that there is a high employee turnover and absenteeism rate is
around 15 percent. The new HR manager should work on the bad attitudes of the workers and it
is needed to be improved. The HR manager should also be trying to focus on improvement of the
labour disputes as well. The HR manager should also be looking for the changes to be done on
the unsafe working practices. The HR manager should be able to develop new policies for the
unsafe working practices to be involved and how the unsafe working practices to be addressed at
workplace. The HR manager should also be trying to change the compensation policies of the
production workers along with the remuneration and compensation packages to be done in a new
way so that it should motivate the production workers to work at Better Shoes. I think the new
HR manager should be developing comprehensive HR laws and policies which needs to comply
with the requirements and benefits of the production workers. The company does not have a
proper HR manager in the past and the HR department is led by the administration and the
payroll officer which is not justified for the growth and sustainability of Better Shoes. I think the
HR manager should also try to develop employee engagement practices at Better Shoes so that
better relations between the production workers and the managers could be developed.

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Question 2
Strategic HR objectives explained
If I am the HR manager of Better Shoes I would be developing four strategic objectives
which I need to be achieved over the next 12 to 24 months. So the four strategic objectives are
depicted below
Development of new HR policies and regulations- It is fact that I as the HR manager of
the company should be trying to develop new policies and regulations. I should be developing
the new compensation structure and benefits scheme for the production workers working in this
company. I would like to develop the incentive remuneration packages for the production
workers so that the production workers are motivated and dedicated to do the activities.
Team Work- If I am the HR manager of this company I would like to introduce team
work among the production workers. I would like to provide advice and develop strategies of
how the employees should be working a s a team in order to provide effectiveness and justice
through their effective roles and responsibilities given to the production workers in accordance
with the desired capabilities of the workers in this company.
Social Engagement- The HR manager should be trying to design social activities inside
the premises with the adoption of cultural events, implementation of games and other
recreational activities so that they can be able to change their attitudes and behavior and could be
able to work within the environment.
Development of HR department- According to the case scenario, when the company has
started there was no HR department. The functions of the HR manager were done by the

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administrative and the payroll officer. So the HR manager should be developing and
implementing proper HR department by which the HR related issues could be resolved properly.
Question 3
Identification of the problems and the suggestions
In accordance with the case scenario, the most common problem which hinders the
implementation of the new HR strategy for Better Shoes could be the poor management at this
company. It is seen that there has been labour disputes and there has been ‘them and us’ attitude
took place between the staffs, line managers and the senior managers. The top management s
held responsible for the recruitment and hiring of the new HR manager and if the management is
poor then how the HR strategy to be implemented at Better Shoes. The next problem could be
the authoritarian leadership style to be adopted by the management could make the relationship
between the workers and the managers to be very bad. The production workers are not been able
to take part in any effective decision making. So these are the problems which hinder the
implementation of any HR strategy.
The suggestions should be that the relationship between the senior management, leaders
and mangers should be improved with the production workers through the development of
participative leadership style. This will help the production workers to gain trust and loyalty with
whom they are working and this changes the perception of the production workers. It is also seen
that there has been huge investment to be done in the new production process technologies for
the company so for the implementation of any new HR strategy becomes difficult. So it is
important that there is the need of spending much more in the development of HR department.

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Question 4
Strategies for aligning the goals of the business
According to the case study, the HR managers should be motivating the employees
working there through effective incentive remuneration schemes and other employee
engagement practices to be involved. This will be aligning the organizational goal of providing
high quality products to the customers. The HR manager should be developing new laws and
legislations and applying it to the staffs in accordance with the requirements so that the good
relationship could be developed. This will help in fostering the growth and sustainability of the
business. The HR manager should also be developing appropriate working culture inside Better
Shoes by which the production capacity could be enhanced which brings in higher revenues for
the business.
Question 5
Changes and differences provided
In accordance with the case, the company is owned by Shaky Corporation. After that it
continued high return on investment, but after the hare market crash in 1987 the Shaky
Corporation has become vulnerable in the market and it has faced intense pressures die to
international competition. At that time since 1981 there was no HR strategies and Hr department
was formed in better Shoes. After that with the decline in the performance of the company, there
is the appointment of new HR manager with new strategies to b built up.
The differences between the traditional and the modern approach towards the HRM are
that when it was started the HR structure was different, he HR department is controlled by the
administration and the payroll officer. Secondly, in traditional approach the performance is

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measured by tasks only. In modern approach it is based on task, role and culture as well. Thirdly
in traditional approach, there were no incentive remuneration schemes which are there in modern
approach. Fourthly in traditional approach, human involvement is huge in production process but
in modern approach human involvement is less for HRM.