Analyzing Foxconn's HRM Issues Through Job Design Theory Application

This case study examines the human resource management challenges at Foxconn, particularly focusing on issues like employee suicides, overwork, and low motivation. It applies the job design theory to propose solutions, emphasizing the importance of task standardization, employee training, and motivation. The analysis suggests that Foxconn can improve its HRM strategy by restructuring tasks to reduce workplace pressure, allocating reasonable working hours, and fostering better relationships between management and workers. Addressing issues like lack of communication, excessive working hours, and insufficient employee benefits is crucial for creating a sustainable HRM strategy and improving overall employee well-being. The study concludes that implementing job design theory can help Foxconn address problems such as suicides, underperformance, and low skills, leading to a more productive and supportive work environment. Desklib provides similar solved assignments for students.

MANAGING HUMAN RESOURCES 1
MANAGING HUMAN RESOURCES
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Managing Human Resources
Based on the nature of work and various issues associated with the management, there
are different things that need to be done in this company to ensure there is roper job design. To
address these issues, the management will need to employ the concept of job design theory in
order to formulate the workplace in a manner that can make it to yield high productivity.
According to Stacey (2014, P. 58) job design theory emphasizes standardization of tasks and
adequate training of employees to equip them with skills that can enable them accomplish their
tasks.
From this company, there are various things that are likely to impact employees from
being productive. For instance, the company is made up of many employees with few of them
having gone beyond secondary education. The case also implies that many low skilled
employees likes working with this company than other firms. Considering the job design theory,
having skilled staff members in workplace is important because it aids in production of quality
work.
To address this issue, the concept of job design theory can be employed by making the
management to understand the importance of training their staff members and hiring qualified
and skilled staff members. The management should develop training program that will assist in
equipping both new and old employees will proper skills. Nathanael (2013, P. 25) affirms that
training make organizations to realize better production because it helps employees to understand
the concepts of doing some of the complex things in the tasks they undertake.
Although there is division of tasks in this organization, the long working hours may be a
barrier to experiencing the benefits of dividing these tasks. Job design theory state that for a

MANAGING HUMAN RESOURCES 3
structure of jobs to be effective, both time and quantity of tasks allocated to each employee
should be considered. For this matter, the management should allocate proper working hours for
each employee. Eric (2016, P. 79) affirms that overworking employees impact their performance
because when they become tired, the chances of underperforming are always high. From this
case, some of the people are working even late in the night to spot check production lines or
assist in repairing the machines. This may be a barrier to better performance because long
working hours impact employee commitment to work.
Job design theory also states that motivation is one of the key factors that make
employees to perform better. From this organization, there is lack of motivation because the
management thinks the organizational benefit is more important than employee benefits. Loise
(2014, P. 89) affirms that both employee and organizational benefits are fundamental because
each one of them depends on the other. The management, in this case, should motivate the staff
members through rewarding those who perform better, providing incentives, empowering them,
providing opportunities for advancements and so forth.
To enable flow of informations and sharing of ideas, the management should allocate
different tasks to different people and allow communication on the production line. Prohibiting
communication and yelling at employees will impact performance because people need to
communicate with their colleagues while undertaking tasks so as to seek assistance on issues that
challenge them. Yelling at employees is not advisable because it instills fear, which end up
impacting concentration.
Suicide issues in this company can be addressed by use of design theory. According to
Premkumar (2010, P. 158), sometimes when employees get frustrated at work, they think of

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doing away with their lives as one of the ways of dealing with stress which arise. At this
company, work pressure may be the major cause of these suicides because employees are being
overworked, given no chance to communicate with their colleagues, given opportunity to access
bathrooms after long durations and for only few minutes, and yelled at from time to time (Irena,
2012, P. 549). This issues can be addressed by employing job design approach to organize tasks
in a manner which makes the workers to experience less pressure. This can include job divisions,
allowing team work, correcting in a friendly manner, continuous motivation and so forth.
Requesting employees to sign “no suicide “pledge or 1.5 million square meters of nets cannot
solve the problem because the workers can still use other means to commit suicide. The most
effective way of addressing this issue would be dealing with the cause of the problem, and in this
case, it would be reducing workplace pressure.
The other way in which Foxconn can use job design theory is to implement proper
relationship between the management and workers. Singh (2013, P. 59) affirms that when
employees relate well with their leaders, job pressure reduces because this kind of relationship
makes the management to easily identify things that influence the wellbeing of their staff
members. For this company, it seems there is lack of proper relationship because some of the
leaders like Mr. Gou, for instance, is not minding the wellbeing of his staff members. He majorly
emphasizes on the benefits of the company than those of employees and makes them to engage
in conditions that make them to develop workplace pressure. Leaders in this organize should use
job design theory to structure tasks in a manner that will make the employees to feel the
management is valuing their presence in this organization.
In conclusion, Foxconn can use job design theory to design a sustainable HRM strategy
that will make the staff members to realize minimal pressure in the tasks they undertake. This

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may include structuring the tasks in a manner that will give employees minimal pressure, and
allocating reasonable working hours. The company can also use the concept of this theory to
understand the importance of employee motivation, training programs, and rewarding workers
who perform better (Don, 2011, P. 68). Using this theory will assist the management to address
most of the problems facing the company such as suicides, underperformance, overwork, low
skills, among others.

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References
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Loise, N. K. (2014). What Do Social Processes Mean for Quality of Human Resource Practice?
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Nathanael, M. K. (2013). Human Resources Management: Big Problem for Small Business?
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Premkumar, J. R. (2010). Management Styles, Productivity & Adaptability of Human Resources:
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Stacey, M. (2014). Human Resources and Emergency Planning: Preparing Local Governments
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