Tesco's Business Issues: Technology and Work-Life Balance

This report examines several contemporary business issues facing Tesco, a major retailing company. It identifies workplace well-being, rapid innovation, millennial-driven change, work-life balance, and technology as key challenges. The analysis critically evaluates the impact of technology, highlighting both its benefits in enhancing productivity and potential drawbacks like increased unemployment and over-reliance. It also addresses work-life balance, emphasizing its significance for employee mental health and overall performance, and suggests strategies for Tesco to improve it, such as flexible working hours and adequate break times. The report concludes by underscoring the importance of technology and work-life balance for Tesco's success, noting how technology can improve customer satisfaction and work-life balance initiatives can boost employee morale and productivity. Desklib provides access to similar solved assignments and study tools.

Business Issues in
Business Management
(Tesco)

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................4
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................4
Identification of five contemporary business issues...............................................................4
Critically analysis of two main issues....................................................................................6
Impact of technology and work life balance on Tesco...........................................................8
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERNCES:................................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
Business management is a process of managing business operations and all activities for
smooth functioning. It is essential for every organization to analyse their issues and challenges so
that they can make effective plans and strategies to solve them as soon as possible. Business
management helps the company out to mitigate the negative impact of such challenges upon their
organization (Amankwah-Amoah and Wang, 2019). Some organizational issues that affects
company's overall performance include: lack of technology, lack of innovation, work life balance
issues and many others. This present study is based on Tesco that is a retailing company which is
founded in 1919 by Jack Cohen. It is headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, UK. The following
file covers five contemporary business issues, critical evaluation of technological impact and
work life balance issue of an organization. This file also covers technological impact and work
life balance issue on Tesco and the ways of managing these issues by Tesco.
MAIN BODY
Identification of five contemporary business issues
Every organization face some challenges and issues in their competitive industry.
Business management help companies in analysing business challenges and solving all problems
with appropriate strategies. Some contemporary business issues that Tesco is facing include:
Workplace well-being/ balance- It includes all essential factors related to work and
organization for an employee to achieve their set targets. It includes how a company's employees
are feeling about their work, responsibilities and duties. It also refers relations that employees
have with organization, employers and colleagues. It is essential for Tesco to focus on their
working environment and try to adopt that culture which will help their employees to boost up
their will power to work effectively and efficiently (Kuzin, 2021). Increasing work pressure,
changing situations, lack of flexibility and poor relation of employees with employers are some
raesons of poor working environment and workplace well-being problems. This problem affect
employees mentally and it lowers their productivity as well.
In context of Tesco, it is found that leaders and managers of this retailer are well
supportive and try to motivate their employees to work for organizational benefit so that
organization will provide them their benefits in return. Maintaining organizational culture
effectively by following the rules and regulations made by their senior authorities is also the part

of their working balance. They basically provide task to their employees which matches their
skills and experience so that their employees will face no issues to complete the task.
Fast innovation- Innovation is one of the most essential factors which every organization
need to adopt after a particular period. Basically innovation is adopted to satisfy customers and
offer them some new and unique product and services. On the other hand, fast innovation can
also provide damage to a company because here companies lack behind to adopt stability. Due to
fast innovation and changing requirements, employees find difficulties in performing their
functions. It increases work load and due to being in the competition, they strive hard and work
for extra hours. It affects their health and personal life. So, Tesco and all other companies need to
focus on this issue with appropriate strategies.
Innovation needs huge investment hence adopting innovative products and features in a
product can cause over expense for the company. Secondly, fast innovation can also lead to
confuse company to analyse the needs and wants of their customers. Hence, it is suggested for
the company that they can adopt innovation but at a particular period and after analysing internal
and external environment appropriately.
Millennial driven change- Millennials are those employees who are born between 1981
and 1996 and those who are born after 1997 are known as new generation (Saulius, Valanciene
and Bilan, 2020). An organization is the collection of both Millennials as well as new generation
employees who work together to achieve a single organizational goal. Tesco is also diverse
retailer where millennials and new generations work together but such culture has different mind
sets, beliefs, thoughts, way of working and many other factors did not match with each other.
Millennials basically prefer to complete a task by manually, and they prefer to work with
full discipline and rules and regulations. On the other hand, new generations are just opposite of
them, they prefer to work digitally and require flexible working environment to complete the
task. It leads conflicts that is one of the main business challenge. In context of Tesco, it can be
said that their millennials believe that they are the most important asset of their organization, and
they have the authority to manipulate their juniors which is not correct for the organizational
performance. So, it is the main business problem that diverse companies as like Tesco faces.
Work life balance- It consists of managing time for both professional life and personal
life for family. Most of the employees are unable to balance their working life and personal life

appropriately through which their professional career get degraded. Hence, it is one of the most
essential issue which could be focused by companies to solve.
In context of Tesco, in case their employees do not perform good then their managers or
supervisors ask them the reason for their bad performance. If they found the reason is poor work
life balance then they send their employees for coaching where they were taught that how they
can manage time appropriately to achieve their organizational goal as well as to achieve their
personal goal. Poor work life balance may affect employees mentally and it can affect overall
quality of products that they provide to customers.
Technology- Technological issues are one of the most common issues which is basically
faced by SME. Lack of technology affect productivity and profitability of organisation in
negative aspect (Klopotan, 2018). Excessive use of technology will also provide negative result
for the mental health of employees and make them lazy too. Using technological devices and
tools to the great extent will also impact upon organizational communication networks. Hence, it
is essential for Tesco to analyse the need and requirement of their technological tools and
machines appropriately and adopt those machines only which is actually required in their
organization and which can increase their productivity and profitability effectively.
Critically analysis of two main issues.
1. Impact of technology- Technology can be defined as application of scientific
knowledge to a specific purpose and aim (Barreto, 2020). Technology can discussed as
advancement in the tools and machines within a company which will help them to increase their
productivity. There is a huge impact of technological advancement upon a company. For
example, Tesco, big retailer that uses advanced technology, can produce more products and earn
more profit by guaranteeing the quality of products. Secondly, technological advancement also
help this retailer to gain better reputation in the market. It is essential for Tesco to adopt advance
technology because it further helps them to maintain the quality of their products.
Lack of innovation or excessive use of advanced technology in the organization can
impact negatively because here companies will lack behind to analyse their existing
environment. Other main disadvantage of making use of technology to the great extent is
increased unemployment. Advance technology can be used in each department of organization
whether the company is arranging resources or hiring new employees. One of the most essential
use of technology is noted in manufacturing or production department where companies

manufacture their products. Some problems that Tesco may face if it uses technology in either to
great extent to nothing at all:
Poor quality of product: If Tesco uses tools and machines to great extent then it may
increase pressure on employees. It may increase errors because technologies do not work as like
humans. So, it needs to make use of technological tools to some extent where required. >It will
help the company to produce their products with less wastage of raw material and in appropriate
and required time limit. Total quality management is also being used by Tesco where some
upgraded machines are hired by the organization to analyse the quality of their manufactured
goods to satisfy their customers.
Increase unemployment: By making use of technology in an ineffective manner and to
the great extent, it can increase unemployment rate. It can lower moral and confidence of people
who does not get employment opportunity. So, Tesco needs to make use of technology in a
proper manner.
2. Work life balance- It is one of the most effective and important issue which is faced by
today's generation in their professional life where they are unable to manage their professional
timings and personal or family timing appropriately due to which they become stressed and
unhappy. It is most essential for employees of Tesco and other companies to manage their
working life effectively and decide how much time they must give to their jobs and how much to
family (Starmer and et. al., 2019). Companies must focus on this issue because if their
employees are unable to manage their working life then it will provide negative impact upon
their performance. They are unable to give their best efforts in their jobs. Hence, it is one of the
most important issue which can be focused by the companies. Some issue of poor work life
balance along with ways which can be followed by companies to manage the work life balance
of their employees and few of the ways are mentioned below-
Poor work life can affect employees mentally. It makes them frustrated and when employees
focus on their professional life only then they suffer family problems like conflicts. IT disturbs
them to the great extent. Providing flexible working hours is one of the effective way for Tesco
to offer to allow employees to manage their personal and professional life. They should be
allowed to complete their task in the way which is suitable for them. This will help to gain the
trust of employees as well as help to maintain the mental health of employees.

It may affect productivity of employees. Stressed and frustrated employees are less likely to
focus on their work that may affect performance of company. Most of the company’s focus to
increase the working hours of employees so that they will provide better performance. This can
impact negative upon mental health of employees and can cause ineffective work life balance.
Hence, managers of a company must focus on productivity and quality of work provided by their
employees within a fix working hours rather than forcing them to work for extra hours.
In addition, it can be suggested that Tesco should provide appropriate break time in their
working hours to their employees for refreshment. Secondly, they can also allow trip leaves at
annual basis for their employees which help them to gain the trust of employees and allow their
employees to enjoy with their family on weekends. This will help their employees to manage
their working life balance appropriately.
Impact of technology and work life balance on Tesco
In context of Tesco which is a retailing company, technology plays an important role and
help them to earn an appropriate profit (Дорогая and Камински, 2021). Technology also help
them to satisfy their customers by providing them the facilities of online shopping, virtual stores,
online payment and many others. Hence, technology is an important factor in Tesco. Advantages
of using advanced technology by Tesco are given below-
 Upgraded machines and tools will help Tesco to satisfy their customers in better ways.
For example, paying the bills through cash will take too much of time and customers
have to stand in large queues for payment. After technological advancement and adopting
online payment structure, customers of Tesco can pay their bills through online mode
which do not force them to stand in large queues. Hence, technological advancement will
help to satisfy more customers.
 Better technology helps Tesco to gain produce better quality of products and achieve
their organisational goal. They use advanced tools and machines to check the quality of
products which they offer to their customers. Secondly, with the help of advancement in
technology they also increase their productivity with less employees’ efforts because
most the tasks are done digitally.
 Technological advancement also helps Tesco to create a strong brand awareness among
their customers. Social media marketing, e-mails and many other forms of digitalization
help the company to promote their brand and reach to customers at global level.

There are many disadvantage of using artificial intelligence at Tesco which are mentioned
below-
 It is very costly to adopt advance tools and machines especially robotic machines for
Tesco. Their maintenance also covers huge amount of charges (Chung and Van der
Lippe, 2020). Hence, in case Tesco adopt high technology then it will be costly for them
to maintain their tolls and machines.
 Secondly, more advancement in technology will impact upon working environment of
Tesco, their employees depends more upon technology and making employees lazier to
do any task manually.
Ways by which Tesco can cope up with work life balance problems
In context of Tesco, they basically focus on work life balance of their employees and perform
some task to manage it in better ways which are mentioned below-
 Tesco managers needs to set specific working time and do not force employees to work
for extra hours within their organisation. In case their employees work for extra hours
then they are paid a good amount for this extra working hours which is one of the good
way to motivate employees.
 Tesco is having a fixed shift pattern which means their employees are well aware about
their shift timing and their managers did not call their employees in another shift for any
official work.
 Tesco can allow working from home to some employees which help employees to
manage their time for office work as well as for their families.
 Tesco need to have well-being weeks in their organisation where they focus on the issues
of their employees and share some thoughts and perform some fun activities so that they
will gain refreshment from the heavy burden of jobs.
CONCLUSION
It has been concluded from the above study that there are many organisational issues
which an organisation has to face on daily basis but the way of managing the issue is most
effective because it will decide that whether the issue will impact badly or do not impact much
upon organisation. Some of the common issues are fast innovation, work life balance, lack of
technology and many others. It is essential for an organisation to manage their technological

factors and keep focusing on the ways where they can provide their employees a good working
life.

REFERNCES:
Books and Journals:
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overview and new research agenda.
Barreto, S.A., 2020. The impact of technology evolution on organisation governance and trust
relationships (Master's thesis, NTNU).
Chung, H. and Van der Lippe, T., 2020. Flexible working, work–life balance, and gender
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Ganda, F., 2019. The impact of innovation and technology investments on carbon emissions in
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contemporană (pp. 317-322).