HR Practices: Addressing Cross-Cultural Differences in the Workplace

This essay analyzes the critical role of Human Resource Management in navigating the complexities of a globalized workforce. It emphasizes the impact of cultural differences on various HR practices. The paper explores how companies adapt their HR strategies, including recruitment and selection, and occupational health and safety, to accommodate diverse cultural backgrounds. It also examines international HR practices, highlighting the importance of understanding cultural nuances for effective management. The essay uses examples like IKEA’s recruitment challenges and discusses the significance of employee health and safety in different cultural contexts. It concludes by underscoring the need for HR professionals to be aware of cultural differences to enhance employee engagement and organizational success. The essay is a valuable resource for students studying human resource management, and it is available on Desklib, a platform offering AI-powered study tools and past assignments.

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RUNNING HEAD: Hr practices
HR Practices
Cross Cultural Differences

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Contents
Recruitment & Selection..............................................................................................................3
Occupational Health and Safety...................................................................................................4
International Human Resource Practices.....................................................................................4
Conclusion...................................................................................................................................5
References........................................................................................................................................6

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Introduction
This paper analyses the critical role of Human Resource Manager, it discusses about the
changing needs of culture worldwide. It is presumed that culture is the backbone of a nation, the
business houses who caters their needs well didn’t face any difficulty in their working operation.
As the company grows, the goal of becoming an International sets their pathways to growth and
opportunities. The workforce working in these corporate having different backgrounds and
cultural values, to manage that workforce, human resource plays a key role in managing all
these. Different practices used to operate and handle the employees of the organization because
of the cultural difference. Great care and special attention given while preparing the Human
Resource policies & resource management. Various compliances require the need of structured
HRM policies for the handling of different attitude, beliefs and mindset.

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Cross cultural Hr practices
Managing Human Resource is a complex phenomenon as different people come from different
backgrounds, their thoughts are different, their beliefs are varied in nature. According to Laurent
(1986) ‘a comparative analysis across national culture brings the startling evidence that there is
no such thing as Management with a capital M’. Human resource plays a significant role in the
management of the workforce and to make them utilize their maximum potential to get the
maximum from them. In the present scenario the HR domain getting bigger and gaining its
importance in the corporate world. Human Resource plays a significant role in managing the
workforce and all their operations, whether it is being related to their salary part or their health
issues.
Taking the examples of two HR practices to make the discussion more compatible:
 Recruitment and selection
 Performance appraisal
Recruitment & Selection
According to Budhwar et.al. (2012), recruitment and selection are the most crucial task for a
business nowadays, the companies are now facing the problem of attrition, the question is why
this is been happening, there are various elements to support this context but the basic one is the
cultural differences, people came from different background, having different set of knowledge,
thoughts, ideas, beliefs and their mindset. These factors are the most critical things to manage,
recruitment and selection has been done with wider set of HR practices by keeping the basic
requirement of the organization ,but to satisfy the need of organization compromises the
candidate’s potential and hence may lead to labor turnover, which is the most concerning issue in
the business environment.
When IKEA were recruiting their candidates they faced the problem of language, where
candidates failed to translate the world Humbleness Wittgenstein said “if a lion could speak, we
would not understand what it had to say to us’’, this is hard to find the right candidate for the job
because in present day the mark of stability arises and while obtaining the reasons, the findings
are the differences in culture which leads to internal conflicts between the employees.

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RUNNING HEAD: Hr practices
There are multiple ways for betterment in recruitment across the culture, such as organizing the
training program, seminars and mixed session of employees which makes them understanding
each other & their cultural diversity. Recruitment is increasingly a worldwide activity so to make
the decisions by having more realistic approach helps a lot.
Occupational Health and Safety
According to Brewster & Mayrhofer (2012), health and safety are the most emerging factors in
the present business environment, the employees are now more concerned toward their health
and safety before joining any organization. The labor intensive industry facing this issue as a
challenge, the organization had to provide health claim benefits to their employees beforehand.
This need had been arise due to the dealing in hazardous environment which cause any kind of
injury, due to the involvement of various technological advancement the hand work is being
totally furnished and machinery taken the replacement.
According Liu et.al. (2016) Occupational Health & safety differs from culture to culture, the
need and requirement of the employees varies from person to person due to having different
cultural backgrounds, different set of attitudes, beliefs and perception. The occupation now,
completed with the parameter health and safety. The organization provides adequate safeguards
to their employees, ensuring their interests could not be harmed and hence to get maximum from
them.
According to Boehmt et.al. (2014), the Human Resource management is working in the sphere of
protecting the employees of the organization, several policies laid down to preserve their
interests the organizations are becoming leading giants by working for the welfare of their
employees. The companies providing various beneficial policies such as –accidental policies,
injury coverage, health insurance and a lot more with different names. However the employees
sometimes, find difficult to cope up with the policies due to the different cultural background,
their mindset are different, their requirements are different, that will cause attrition and labor
turnover in the future. The recruiters, across the globe facing the issue of cultural differences.
International Human Resource Practices
According to Ash et.al. (2013), there are several theories in International Human Practices given
by the top notch organizations across the globe ,however the working style of each organization
differ from culture to culture where it is operating. Human resource is a much wider term which
work on different theories and practices, and each of these policies requires a great amount of
revision before implementing in an organization. In present day the competition is among the
nations the organization level of competition has been raised up to international level that
requires that quality level which is totally unbeatable, higher competencies is required by the
workforce.

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According to Absar, M. M. N. (2012), generally the multinational corporation adopts the same
policies for their workforce worldwide that requires the standardization and a monitored
structure which does not harm the interests of employees. Also in these MNCs to safeguard their
interests there is a separate department called EMPLOYEE CARE, working for them. According
to Caligiuri (2014) Other than MNCs the other organization also making the environment
soothing for their employees to combat with the challenge of cultural differences. The Human
Resource practices across the globe framing their policies by keeping the cultural background of
a nation if it is, a MNC or else it is a national one than it focuses on the local or social
requirement of the employees to cope up with the issue of cultural differences.
Some of the international Human Resource Practices are,
 International Staffing,
 Performance management in international assignment,
 pre –departure training in international assignment,
 Repatriation,
 Compensation issues in international assignment
According to Taylor (2014), the issue of cultural differences as well as workforce differences in
the operations of the organization has caught the attention of HR managers, as the world is
narrowing its boundaries the viability to work in a cross cultural environment becomes the most
valuable asset for any executive. Now there is work diversity in the organization, as the
economies are developing, the business houses are also expanding and so are the various
challenges. The study of culture is a lot more require than ever before, and to manage them
precisely. The internationalization of the businesses directly reflects its blooming productivity
and that is only possible with the quality workforce. According to Conway et.al. (2016), due to
the direct impact on the economy, there is a need of sound HR practices, which understand the
employees well and their culture. Globalization, HR is the global center of this change, involving
in both acquiring and deploying the talents.
Conclusion
From this paper, it has been concluded that the, HR practices differentiates from culture to
culture. These practices depends upon the situatons and the working environment of different
culture. These Today HR is the more diversified sector than ever which includes recruiting,
staffing, training, and different appraisal program to appreciate their talent and to make them
better utilize their potential, understanding of employee culture.

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References
Absar, M. M. N. (2012). Recruitment & selection practices in manufacturing firms in
Bangladesh. Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, 436-449.
Ash, R., Hodge, P., & Connell, P. (2013). The recruitment and selection of principals who
increase student learning. Education, 134(1), 94-100.
Boehm, S. A., Kunze, F., & Bruch, H. (2014). Spotlight on age‐diversity climate: The impact of
age‐inclusive HR practices on firm‐level outcomes. Personnel Psychology, 67 (3), 667-704.
Brewster, C., & Mayrhofer, W. (Eds.). (2012). Handbook of research on comparative human
resource management. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Budhwar, P. S., & Debrah, Y. A. (Eds.). (2013). Human resource management in developing
countries. Routledge.
Caligiuri, P. (2014). Many moving parts: Factors influencing the effectiveness of HRM practices
designed to improve knowledge transfer within MNCs. Journal of International Business
Studies, 45(1), 63-72.
Conway, E., Fu, N., Monks, K., Alfes, K., & Bailey, C. (2016). Demands or resources? The
relationship between HR practices, employee engagement, and emotional exhaustion within a
hybrid model of employment relations. Human Resource Management, 55(5), 901-917.
Liu, Y., & Woywode, M. (2013). Light‐Touch Integration of Chinese Cross‐Border M&A: The
Influences of Culture and Absorptive Capacity. Thunderbird International Business
Review, 55 (4), 469-483.
Taylor, S. (2014). Recruitment and selection. Strategic Human Resource Management: An
International Perspective, 10(6), 139-14.

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