BlueScope Steel: HRM Issues in International Manager Relocation

This essay identifies and discusses the human resource management issues that a HR Manager employed by BlueScope Steel in Port Kembla would have to consider when relocating a manager from Australia to manage a subsidiary branch of this organization located in Burlington, Ontario in Canada. It assesses the HRM and employment relations issues that will impact the working life of this manager in Canada, highlighting differences in work culture, labor laws, climate, and lifestyle between the two countries. The essay emphasizes the importance of training and motivation by the HR manager to address challenges related to individualism versus collectivism, climate adjustment, lifestyle changes, family separation, and varying labor regulations. It concludes that effective HR management is crucial to converting these challenges into opportunities for the relocating employee, ensuring a successful transition and continued growth within the company.

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Human resource management issue
Essay
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Introduction
Selecting new workplace spaces and relocating there is the procedure that many
organizations are going through years. Not only is this transfer procedure a important occasion in
the sequence of an organization’s lifespan because it carries a interruption to the business
operations, the choices about location and office clarification regulate the upcoming working
situation which can have a important influence on efficiency, effectiveness, employees pleasure,
and meeting the complete business purposes (Whitaker, 2010). Previous studies regularly
focused on the importance of the location or business operations. But this changing location also
give arise to many challenges for the person working under this business environment. As per
study it has been found that change of location have different impact on the life flow of the
person (Andresen & Margenfeld, 2015). Most cases are triggering towards the negative side of
this change. Work culture of Australia is completely different from the work culture of Canada.
Even the policies related to the labor laws of Canada are different from that of Australia. Also
geographical difference adds one more point in life style of Australia as compared to that of
Canada (Aziz et.al, 2011).
HR management challenges face in relocating from Australia to Canada
Recently the US government has given an announcement according to which they are
exempting BlueScope steel product from US steel trade which had changed the business
environment of the company (Bluescope, 2018). Although the BlueScope Steel Company is
same in both countries, but their working culture, demographic and even their geographic is
completely different. The people of Canada are friendlier and love to work in groups while in
Australia people are not so friendly and love to work in individual style (Shaw, McPhail &
Ressia, 2018). They do not like working in groups and always go for taking individual
responsibility because they do not trust on any other person. But in Canada the people give value
to joint efforts they have a common slogan “working together, winning together”. They hate
individualism kind of personality (Christersson & Rothe, 2012). In Canadian culture
individualism person means a mean person which only thinks about his benefit and tries to
exploit others for the same. As, the manager has been working in BlueScope steel company in
Australia branch from many years so naturally the person has adopted the working culture of
Australia that is Individualism. Hence it will not be easy to transfer that person in that working
culture which is completely opposite of the Australia. In fact they hat this kind of culture, hence
the HR manager has to put lot of effort to make that person ready to change his personality and
adopt new culture (Njagi, 2012). This can be only possible with the help of training or it can be
said that training is the most important phase in this kind of situations. Another issue which HR
manager will face is the nature or climate difference of the two countries. The Canada country is
totally surrounded with hills and it climate change is sudden while in Australia it is surrounded
with sea so it has almost fixed climate (Wright & Lansbury, 2016). Adjusting in this sudden
climate change will be big challenge for the person who is habitat of living in Australian climate
and has suddenly had to adopt new living climate. This is a kind of issue in which HR manager

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cannot do much, the HR manager just use his/her motivation skill by triggering the positive side
of the relocation regarding price, nature etc.
The other issue for HR manager is that the adjustment of this person in different life
style. As Australia is counted in one of the developed country of the world while Canada is still
in developing mode, the life style of Australia is rich, beach following as compared to Canada
which is following average expense life style (Whitaker, 2010). Other issue for the HR manager
is that though the citizen of Australia are working in Individualism work culture but they are
very emotional towards their family and it will not be essay for the person to leave his family and
working in other country (Martinez-Gomez, 2014). In this case, HR manager has to put lot of
efforts to motivate that person by putting some family benefits as a positive motivator like
Australia is more expensive than Canada so the person can save good amount of money for his
family. In Canada employees from associations of the employees which act as a wall and protect
them against from the actions taken by organization management which seems against them
(Campolieti, Hebdon & Dachis, 2016).One of the most important issues is regarding the
difference of labor laws and relations of two countries. In Australia the minimum wage rate per
hour is $18.29 while in Canada it is $11.43/hour written (Government of Canada, 2018). In
Canada labor law on the employees which are permanent comes under employment law. In
Canada the majority of contract employees are not made in. A simple verbal agreement or Just a
formal letter is enough to hire a person. While in Australia even contract persons are also
covered under employment law and without written contract agreement not person can be hired
in Australia even on contract base (Amine, 2012). Also the maximum working weekly hour in
Canada is different from Australia. Hence, the person should be aware of all these laws who are
going to transfer to Canada. This will increase the duty of the HR manager of BlueScope Steel
Company to convert this person in full readymade package for Canada’s Burlington, Ontario
region (Choudry & Thomas, 2013).
Conclusion
The work of HR manager is becoming more and more challenging in present time.
Especially the issues related to the relocation of the employees. As every is current in growing
phase so it is expanding its operation in other countries of the world. This expansion has
generated the stage of relocation which is not an easy task because a person working in one
particular working culture with constant geographic climate will face lot of difficulty in adjusting
in other part of the country. Hence, HR manager of BlueScope Steel Company has to put it best
effort to train the person who is going to be transfer from Australia to Canada in all possible
criteria like labor laws, climate adjustment, personality adjustment, life style adjustment. HR
manager of this company has to convert all these issues in to a platform of opportunities for the
relocation employee with the help of full energetic motivation so that the person will see growth
in this relocation instead of issue. It is the duty of HR manager of this company to make this
employee ready emotionally to leave his family behind in Australia for better growth of family.

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