Coca Cola HBC's People Management Strategies During COVID-19 Pandemic

This case study analyzes Coca Cola Hellenic Bottling Company's (Coca Cola HBC) approach to managing its workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic. It identifies challenges such as protecting employee health and well-being, maintaining effective communication, and dealing with uncertainty. The report highlights the role of leadership, decision-making, corporate social responsibility, ethics, and globalization in navigating these challenges. It also evaluates the application of the Bridge decision-making model to address business and management problems, emphasizing the importance of clear decision-making, empowering employees, gathering information, scenario planning, committing to action, and continuous learning. The company's strategies included allowing remote work, implementing strict safety measures, and providing protective equipment to ensure employee safety and business continuity.

Managing People

Contents
Contents...........................................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................1
Analysing and identifying the challenges or issues faced by the company during COVID 19
pandemic......................................................................................................................................1
Evidence of understanding and basic application of relevant academic theory..........................2
Identified and evaluate a business and management problem applying theories........................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
Managing people is an important task for the management of every organisation in order
to accomplish tasks on time as well as achieve their goals and objectives on time. This makes
company to ensure that their employees should work well on a project by collaborating with their
other colleagues as well as accomplishes their task on time (Zhao, 2018). It is important for the
managers to develop several skills that helps in managing the employees in the organisation in
better manner. The following report is about the case study of Coca Cola HBC company in order
to analyse their company culture transformed for managing the people on Covid-19 pandemic.
The Coca Cola Hellenic Bottling Company that provides alcohol free beverages in all over the
world. The company was founded on 1969 and its headquarters is in Steinhausen, Switzerland.
The company has more than 30000 employees that are working in 28 different countries on three
continents. The report covers the identification of issues or challenges faced by the company in
COVID 19 along with the evidence on understanding and application of basic application of
relevant academic theory. It also identified and evaluate a business and management problem by
applying theories.
MAIN BODY
Analysing and identifying the challenges or issues faced by the company during COVID 19
pandemic
Corona virus pandemic impacts all over the world in effective manner. Many companies
found difficulties in managing their employees properly during pandemic which also affects their
business operations in effective manner (Helgadóttir, 2018). Maintaining safety and health of
their employees also an important responsibility for the company which makes company to take
several steps that help in managing their employees in better manner. As the Coca Cola is a
multinational company of UK and has many employees in their organisation which creates
problem for the company in order to manage them properly. The issues and challenges faced by
them during pandemic are described below:
Protecting health and well-being employees- Maintaining safety of the employees is
the highest priority of Coca Cola HBC. In Covid-19 pandemic lock down was announced in all
over the world in order to stop the spread corona virus in effective manner. This makes Coca
Cola HBC to allow their employees who can perform their task from their home in order to
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decrease the social gathering in workplace. This will also help in managing the employees in
Covid-19 pandemic in better manner. The company also uses all safety measures in order to
protect the employees in their working environment.
Proper communication- Communication plays an important role in order to manage
employees and make them motivated in order to give their best in the organisation. During
covid-19 pandemic many companies faces problem of proper communication in order to interact
with their employees in better manner (Phillips, 2020). As the many employees of Coca Cola
HBC is performing their work from their home which makes problem for their management in
order to motivate their employees in better manner.
Uncertainty- It describes that the uncertainty can be arise anytime on anyone which
makes difficulties for the management of the company in order to manage their employees along
with the uncertainty. As the corona virus is also an uncertainty which affects Coca Cola HBC
business environment in order to manage their employees in better manner. It was the
responsibility of their management to provide proper safety to their employees in better manner
in order to motivate them to give their best in their performance that helps company to operate
their business operation smoothly during Covid19 pandemic.
Evidence of understanding and basic application of relevant academic theory
As the many factors of Coca Cola HBC that help in managing their people and business
operation during Covid 19 pandemic in better manner. These factors effective culture in the
organisation that makes their employee motivated and engaged in order to work effectively as
well as help company to achieve their goal and objective in better manner. These factors are
described below:
Role of leadership and management- Leadership and management plays an important
role in order to manage their employees (Chemuturi and Chemuturi, 2019). Strong leadership
and management make employee engaged which help company to operate their business and
overcome the challenges in effective manner. During Covid19 period leaders and managers of
Coca Cola HBC allows their employee to perform their work from their home in order to
maintain their safety as well as operate their business while overcoming the challenges in better
manner.
Decision making- The decision is making is important for every organisation as it helps in
solving the problem in better manner. The manager and leader of Coca Cola need to make
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important decision in order to maintain the safety of their employees as well as healthy and safest
services to their customers. As the se decision may affects the growth of the company which
makes managers and leaders to analyse their problem properly in order to make their decision
effectively.
CSR-Corporate social responsibility make company to operate their business by providing
support to the society and environment properly in order to make their company as reputed brand
in the industry (Salomons, 2021). The Coca Cola HBC is providing proper support towards the
society and environment during Covid 19 pandemic which helps in overcoming the challenges in
better manner.
Ethics- This describes the certain practice of the company need to follow in to operate
their business in ethical and legal manner. During Covid 19, the company implemented strict
health and safety measures for their employees in order to maintain their safety. This makes their
ethical duty to protect the health and well being of their employees in better manner.
Globalisation- Coca Cola HBC operating their business many countries which makes
challenging for the company to operate their business as well as manage their national and global
employees. The working culture of the company is more effective that help their national and
employees tow work effectively in the organisation during Covid 19 pandemic also.
Identified and evaluate a business and management problem applying theories
In order to manage effectively the employees within an organisation the management of
the company need to take important decisions (Mascovich, 2018). While making any decision it
is important for the company in order to analyse all factors that are relevant for the decision
making. The Bridge decision making model help company to make their decision more effective
that helps in managing the employees in Covid-19 pandemic in better manner. In case of Coca
Cola, how this model helps in making decision in order to manage their employees in Covid-19
pandemic are described below:
Be clear about the decision- This refers to the first step that help company to make their
decision effective in order to manage their employees in COVID 19 pandemic. This makes
management of Coca Cola HBC to be clearer about their decision while making during Covid-19
pandemic in order to manage their employees in order to protect their health as well as make
their business smooth in order to solve this problem in better manner.
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Empowering others- This makes important for the management of company in order to
manage as well as guide their employees about their decision so, they can work effectively
according to their decision (Nguyen, 2021). As the company was faced many problems during
Covid-19 pandemic which makes Coca Cola HBC to guide about their decisions to their
employees which makes helps them in performing their task by maintaining safety.
Gather and organise the useful information- This refers to important step for the
company which makes their management to collect all the information that are need to make
their decision more effective. This makes the management of Coca Cola HBC to identify and
collect information related to Covid-19 pandemic as it is necessary to make the decision in order
to manage their employees with their task. This will company to achieve their goals more
effectively even in covid -19 pandemic in better manner.
Play out few scenarios- This is also an important step for the company in order to
analyse that their decision is effective or not in order to solve their problem in better manner
(Malik and Sanders, 2021). The management of Coca Cola HBC need to play out few scenarios
before their implementation in order to understand that their decision is effective or not. This will
help them to make their decision effective that helps in managing their employees in Covid -19
in effective manner. As it also necessary for maintaining the safety and health of their employees
from the impact of corona virus.
Decide, commit and act- This makes the management of company in order to analyse
the different alternative for their problems which helps in solving them. The managers of Coca
Cola HBC need to decide about the different alternatives that helps in solving the problem and
then commit about the decision and then act on different solution in order to make effective
decisions. This will also help Coca Cola HBC to make their decision effective that help in
managing their employee in Covid-19 pandemic in better manner.
Measure, learn and adapt- This refers to final step of this model that makes managers
of the company to measure the different solutions related to the problems that has been identified
in the organisation (Day, 2020). This will help management of Coca Cola HBC to focus on every
aspect that help in making their decision effective in order to solve their problems in better
manner. This help company to manage their employee properly during Covid -19 pandemic.
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CONCLUSION
From the above mentioned report, it has been concluded that managing employees is essential
for every organisation in order to achieve their goals as well as overcoming the challenges in
better manner. In the case study company faces many challenges in order to manage their
employees During Covid19 pandemic, one of the hardest challenges for Coca Cola company is
protecting health and safety of employees which describes their main responsibility in order to
manage and engaged employees in better manner. Proper communication and uncertainty are
also strongest challenges for the company in order to manage their employees in Covid 19
pandemic. Manging employees’ safety and health are not only important for the company but
they need to follow certain measures in order to safe the life of their customers in better many.
The managers and leaders make effective culture in the organisation that helps in motivating the
employees in better manner as well as help operate their business in Covid 19 pandemic more
effectively. They use Bridge model of decision making in order to make effective decision that
help in solving their problem related to Covid19 pandemic in better manner. As this model
includes six steps that help in decision making and that are be clear about the decision,
empowering others, gather and organise the useful information, play out few scenarios, decide,
commit and act, measure as well as learn and adapt. The company is also allowing their
employees to conduct their work from their home in better manner as well as maintain their
health and safety. The company implemented strict safety and health measures in their
organisation in order to maintain the safety of their employees in better manner. The company
also provide protective equipment to their employees so, they perform their task in better manner
as well as safest manner.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals:
Zhao, Y., 2018. Managing Chinese millennial employees and their impact on human resource
management transformation: an empirical study. Asia Pacific Business Review, 24(4), pp.472-
489.
Helgadóttir, G., 2018. Herding livestock and managing people: The cultural sustainability of a
harvest festival. In The Routledge Handbook of Festivals (pp. 333-343). Routledge.
Phillips, B.D., 2020. Disaster Volunteers: Recruiting and Managing People Who Want to Help.
Butterworth-Heinemann.
Chemuturi, M. and Chemuturi, V., 2019. 6 Managing People at Work (pp. 117-138). River
Publishers.
Salomons, D., 2021. Managing People at the United Nations. International Organizations
Revisited: Agency and Pathology in a Multipolar World, p.153.
Mascovich, K.A., 2018. The nesting ecology of sea turtles: managing people, infrastructure, and
habitat (Doctoral dissertation, University of Georgia).
Nguyen, M.H., 2021. Managing social media use in an “always-on” society: Exploring digital
wellbeing strategies that people use to disconnect. Mass Communication and Society, 24(6),
pp.795-817.
Malik, A. and Sanders, K., 2021. Managing human resources during a global crisis: A multilevel
perspective. British Journal of Management, 10, pp.1467-8551.
Day, M., 2020. Covid-19: ibuprofen should not be used for managing symptoms, say doctors and
scientists.
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