PDHR7029 - HR Professional Development for Leaders: A Case Study

This report examines the people issues at Johnston Ltd, a stationery supplier considered for acquisition by CardCity Company, focusing on concerns like sex and racial discrimination, ad-hoc appraisals, erratic performance evaluations, and a significant age gap among employees. Recommendations are provided to address these issues, including systematic appraisals, avoiding discrimination, fair performance evaluations with improvement plans, fostering a climate of tolerance, and ensuring age diversity within the workforce. Furthermore, the report emphasizes the importance of gathering additional information about employees' marital status, dependents, health issues, and personal lives to facilitate a smooth takeover and maintain a comfortable work-life balance. The goal is to ensure a successful merger by addressing the prevalent people issues and fostering a positive work environment.

Running head: HR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR LEADERS
HR Professional Development for Leaders
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1HR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR LEADERS
Task 1
Introduction
The CardCity Company is a leading provider of cards, gifts and other important
stationary items in the United Kingdom. The CardCity Company’s products are known for
their perfection and finesse, and the company has managed to acquire quite a prominent
position for itself in the United Kingdom, with branch officers in operation in several parts of
the company and with main operations being conducted from the company’s headquarters in
Birmingham. Johnston Ltd happens to be one of the most important suppliers of stationary
items, that the CardCity Company markets in turn to consumers in the United Kingdom. The
Johnston Ltd is undergoing a change in leadership, and it has been proposed by the leaders of
the company, that the CardCity Company now buy it instead. This is an arrangement that is
likely to work quite well for the CardCity Company as it will now have full and complete
control for the supply of the stationery items that it needs in order to run its business with
success. Yet the Johnston Ltd is also a company that is plagued by a number of people issues,
that have caused employee tribunals to be held every now and again in order to get these
resolved. This report outlines the people issues at the Johnston Ltd Company that the Board
of the CardCity Company needs to be aware of should it consider a merger or a complete
takeover of the company, provides recommendations that can be taken into consideration by
the Board of the CardCity Company in order to get such people issues resolved, and mentions
what further information is needed in order for the merger or takeover to be as smooth and
hassle free an experience as possible.
1. People Issues at the Johnston Ltd Company
One of the most important people issues that is prevalent at the Johnston Ltd
Company and which the Board of the CardCity Company needs to be aware of if considering

2HR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR LEADERS
a merger or a takeover is the fact that sex discrimination takes place at the time of recruitment
of employees into the company. More often than not, potential employees have been rejected
from being hired into the company on grounds of them belonging to the fairer sex or being
trans-gender. The Johnston Ltd Company has preferred hiring male employees for the most
part and has avoided recruiting women and transgender people on grounds of gender bias.
This is highly wrong and unfair, given that women and those belonging to the transgender or
LGBTQ community have enough potential to serve as a part of the employee base of this
company.
Racial discrimination is also something that is carried out by the Johnston Ltd
Company in the United Kingdom quite frequently. Blacks and people of color are seldom
recruited into the organization and those who do serve on the payroll of the company are
maltreated quite often. Fair treatment of employees belonging to all races and gender is
something that the Johnston Ltd Company in the United Kingdom is seen to avoid, and this is
one of the people issues at the company that needs to be addressed immediately if CardCity
Company intends on taking it over, given the fabulous work culture that prevails in the
branches of the CardCity Company.
Appraisals at the Johnston Ltd Company are those that are awarded in quite an ad-hoc
manner. Managers decide when it is that they want to award an appraisal and the percentage
of the appraisal with the opinions and thoughts of employees on this matter not being taken
into consideration. It is the managers who have complete decision making authority when it
comes to the awarding of appraisals, something that is not taken lightly at all by those who
are working at the Johnston Ltd Company.
Performance evaluations are not carried out in an organized manner at the Johnston
Ltd Company. This is also one of the people issues at the company that the Board of

3HR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR LEADERS
CardCity Company needs to be aware of at the time of takeover, if it wants to take over at all.
Performance evaluations are done in an erratic fashion and at times, employees have even
been unfairly dismissed by the company on the basis of performance. This is not something
that a company that is of good standing can really afford to do. If a company needs to operate
successfully in the market over a long period of time, then it has to do everything that it can
to retain employees instead of dismissing them at the earliest possible instance. Hence the
Board of the CardCity Company really has to bear this in mind at the time of considering the
possibility of taking over the company.
Finally what needs to be remembered by the Board of the CardCity Company at the
time of taking over or merging with the Johnston Ltd Company is the fact that most of the
company’s employees are those who are in their middle age, and very few of them are
youthful. Hardly any of the employees at the Johnston Ltd Company are in their youth. Most
of them are old and there appears to be quite a significant generation gap between the older
and young members of the work force at the Johnston Ltd Company, which in turn
contributes to people issues more than ever (Vaara et al. 2016).
2. Recommendations to Address the People Issues at the Johnston Ltd Company
The following recommendations ought to be taken into consideration when addressing the
people issues that are so prevalent at the Johnston Ltd Company.
 Appraisals need to be awarded by the managers on a yearly or bi-yearly basis if the
employees are to receive the pay hike that they justly deserve, for all the hard work
that they do round the year. The appraisals need to be systematic in the way that these
are done, and managers need to avoid conducting appraisals as and when they want
to, giving employees a sense of security in the process. The rate at which the
appraisals are awarded should also be done quite fairly, with ten percent being the

4HR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR LEADERS
minimum that is awarded in terms of a pay hike and the maximum being around thirty
to forty percent (Ashforth et al. 2016).
 Sex and racial discrimination is something that needs to be avoided by the new
management at the Johnston Ltd Company at all costs. If the Board of the CardCity
Company considers a takeover of the company at the earliest possible instance, then it
will have to make sure that employees who are recruited into the company and those
who are serving on the payroll are not discriminated against on grounds of race and
sex, as this is likely to lead to a high employee turnover in the long run. Care should
also be taken not to discriminate against employees on grounds on religion and
freedom should be given to employees to practice their faith in the office premises as
and when they feel the need to do so (Brown 2015).
 Performance evaluations need to be carried out by the new management of the
Johnston Ltd Company as carefully as possible. The performance evaluations are
those that need to be carried out within a certain degree of fairness as these will
impact the rate of appraisals that are awarded to employees at the end of every year or
at the end of every quarter, depending on the financial resources of the company. It is
important to note that employees should not be unfairly dismissed because of poor
performance and those who are not capable of performing well should be given the
opportunity to try and make an improvement in this respect as much possible.
Performance improvement plans need to be put in place for employees who are not
able to meet the requirements of the job at the time of joining, and such performance
improvement plans need to be followed up on, if employees are to benefit from them
and improve rather than finding every incentive to leave the company (Brown et al.
2015).

5HR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR LEADERS
 A climate of tolerance and fairness needs to be inculcated at the workplace by the new
management of the Johnston Ltd Company. The CardCity Company is already one
that is well known for its transformational leadership, and it should implement such
leadership if it takes over the Johnston Ltd Company as well, taking the views and
opinions of employees into consideration at the time of making decisions rather than
dismissing their views easily (Bryson 2018).
 Employees at the Johnston Ltd Company should not only comprise of those who are
in their middle age. There needs to be a fair distribution where age is concerned
(Taylor et al. 2015). The company should have equal number of employees who are in
the age group of twenty five to thirty, thirty five to forty five, and in the age group of
forty five to sixty. The older employees at the company should not be allowed to
dominate the younger members of the workforce but rather, should be encouraged to
guide them and motivate them to do the best that they can (Diliani 2017).
Further information required for an Efficient and Smooth Takeover of the Johnston
Ltd Company by The Board of the CardCity Company
If the Board of the CardCity Company intends on taking over the Johnston Ltd Company
then it will have to make sure to acquire more information about employees in order to
ensure that the takeover is as easy as possible on both the employees at the management.
 The management of the CardCity Company needs to find out how many of the
employees of the Johnston Ltd Company are married, and who have dependents
of all ages at home to take care of (Gaglio 2018). Knowing this will enable the
company to know who will have to be given leave, when and for how many times
in the course of the business year, in order for such employees to maintain a
comfortable work life balance when serving on the payroll of the new company.

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Married employees are people who require leaves far more frequently than single
people who do not have any children or older parents depending on them at home
(Sanghi 2016).
 Every effort must be made on the part of the CardCity Company to find out if
there are any employees working at the Johnston Ltd Company who suffer from
severe health issues (Hermann and Hermann-Nehdi 2015). This is very crucial.
Those who do suffer from health related ailments must be asked to provide the
management of the CardCity Company with detailed information and
prescriptions, so that the management can prepare itself on how to handle a
medical crisis should it arise while an employee is at the office working, or if an
employee has to be given leave from work urgently because of a health related
issue (Ginter et al. 2018).
 The management of the CardCity Company must make an effort to know the
employees of the Johnston Ltd Company personally, prior to a takeover (Mair et
al. 2015). The CardCity Company is already a company that is quite renowned
for the good relationship that it enjoys with its current employee base, largely
because of the fact that it tries to know its employees personally and engage with
them on a one on one basis instead of isolating them completely at the work place.
The same rules should be applied at the time of a takeover so that the employees
of Johnston Ltd feel comfortable working for the new management (Martin et al.
2015).
 The Board of the CardCity Company should find out if there are employees at the
Johnston Ltd Company who suffer from mental conditions such as depression.
Depression is known to be a major deterrent when it comes to ensuring
productivity at work, and companies that do not take cognizance of the existence

7HR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR LEADERS
of depression among employees often have a high employee turnover over and
above the unfortunate incidence of employee deaths by suicide (Rosenbach 2018).
Hence investigating into issues of depression must be done prior to a takeover so
that the new management can address such issues among the employees of the
Johnston Ltd Company well enough (Reiche et al. 2016).

8HR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR LEADERS
Task 2
1. Background and Personal Information
Curriculum Vitae
Nosakhare Nelson Agbonifi
33 Landmann House Rennie Estate Galleywall Road London SE16 3PF 07958375001
[e-mail]
Educational Qualifications
 Diploma in Human Resource Management, University of Sussex
 Certificate in Global Human Resources Management, University College of London
 Certification in Interviewing and Recruiting People with Exceptional Talent,
University of Sussex
 Certificate HR Professional, London Institute of Human Rights
 Certificate in Generalist Program on Human Resources, CASS Business School,
London
Professional Experience
2015 – 2018 – Director of Human Resources, Deveboise and Plimpton, London, UK
 Oversaw the entire process of human resource development starting with the
interview and selection of candidates to transfer and promotions, training and
development and awarding of employee benefits and incentives for performance
enhancement
2011 – 2014 – Human Resources Manager, Price Water House Coopers, London, UK

9HR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR LEADERS
 Involved in the interviewing and hiring of suitable candidates
 Payroll responsibilities
 Training and development
2009 – 2010 – Human Resources Executive, Satchi and Satchi, London, UK
 Engaged with employees on a one on one basis to understand their needs and
requirements
 Shortlisted CV’s for interview and selection process
Key Skills and Competencies
 Immigration requirements
 Budget
 Compliance
 Facilitation
 Force reduction
 Acquisition and mergers
 Payroll
 Employee benefits
 Team motivation
 Team leadership
 Training and Development
 Recruitment
 Interviewing and selection
 Hiring
 Inter personal communication
Memberships and Affiliations

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Member of the Human Resources Professional Association, (2010 – 2014)
Member of the Society for Human Resource Management, (2011 – 2014).
Member of the Annual Conference Chair Person, (2015 to present)
Technical Skills
Proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word and Outlook), ADP Pay Expert
2. Four Important Personal Characteristics to be a Successful HR Manager
The four important personal characteristics that I have, which I believe can help me to secure
the position of an HR Manager are as follows –
1. I am a people oriented person and love to be surrounded by people at all times,
whether I am at home or outside. I come from a family of four members, with my
family being comprised of my father, mother, my sister and myself. I make it a point
to engage and to interact with my family members as often as possible, in order to be
in on the loop with them, to know what is bothering them or keeping them happy, and
whether there is anything that I can do in order to make their lives better.
2. I am fluent in my conversational style and do not stutter or stammer. I am quite
eloquent in my manner of speech as a result of which people take pleasure in
communicating with people. Many people have complimented me on my ability to
speak well on topics of general knowledge and for being a well-informed person.
3. I am patient, and this is a quality that I believe will firmly stand me in good stead as
far as working as an HR Manager is concerned. I am patient and do not get deterred or
agitated too easily, even in the most critical of situations. I have the calm and cool
disposition that is needed in order to navigate through a crisis well enough. There is

11HR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR LEADERS
no possibility of me having a breakdown or suffering from a nervous disorder even in
the most critical and challenging of situations. I can take on challenges very easily.
4. I am persevering, and this is yet another quality that will stand me in good stead when
I apply for the post of an HR manager. I do not know how to give up easily and since
the role of an HR manager is essentially one that involves motivating employees at all
times to do the best that they can at their respective jobs, I can be a success at this
rather easily. I have what it takes to see things through until the end and since I don’t
give up easily without a fight, I can motivate employees at the organization to do
much the same.
3. Evidence of Development and Effectiveness in the Following Six Skills –
a. Effective Management of Self within the Professional Context – I have been a
working professional for quite some time now, and am able to carry myself with the
decorum and the decency that is required at a workplace. I know how to conduct
myself professionally and to avoid engaging in inappropriate behavior that is not
likely to be well received by the higher management at a workplace, and can teach
employees in an organization to do the same.
b. Management of Interpersonal Relationships – As a person who always believes in
engaging one on one with fellow employees, managing interpersonal relationships is
something that I can do well enough. I am not the type of person who is likely to pick
up fights with fellow employees or who will run into disagreements with other
employees very easily. I am capable of taking a highly neutral stand on most matters
and this is something that helps to handle my one on one relationships with people
very well, a quality which is needed on the part of every HR manager in order to be a
success at the workplace.