IHPR5025: HR Practices, Diversity & Global Networks in Unilever & GSK

This report provides a comparative analysis of Human Resource (HR) practices at Unilever and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), focusing on recruitment strategies, workforce planning, diversity management, global network management, and the impact of wage gaps. It highlights that both companies prioritize diverse workforces and have organizational cultures designed to support them. The report discusses Unilever's outsourcing and resume screening recruitment strategies, contrasting them with GSK's similar approach that incorporates knowledge and reasoning tests. It also explores how both companies leverage virtual teams to enhance communication, knowledge sharing, and market understanding across geographically dispersed locations. Furthermore, the report evaluates the management of global networks, addressing cultural shocks, and the impact of cultural differences on productivity. The role of training programs in enhancing employee skills and organizational structure in supporting a diverse workforce is also examined. The report concludes that both Unilever and GSK foster a diverse workforce with organizational cultures aligned to support this diversity.

Running head: INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RESOURCE
International Human Resource
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Introduction
Unilever, headquartered at London is deals with personal care products while
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is a pharmaceutical company operating globally.
Discussion
Recruitment Strategies
At Unilever has chosen outsourcing as well as conducting application screening,
interview and resume screening as its recruitment process. It ensures to gain potential
employees from online job portals and after careful consideration of their resume (Suedekum,
Wolf and Blien 2014). In this manner Unilever has been successful in having diverse
workforce with the best potentiality as one of its corporate goals. Unilever has aligned its
human resource department with the recruitment section in order to gain a strategic
competitive advantage. In case of GSK its selection process is same like that of Unilever with
the careful reviewing of online application form (Murray 2018). The interview is
characterized by knowledge and reasoning test through which they assess their candidates.
Workforce planning
Workforce planning or manpower planning involves the careful alignment of the human
resource department with the requirements of the organization. The company assesses the
current workforce as well as the lack and shortages present in the workforce that can impact
on achieving organizational goals and objectives. Workforce planning is also responsible to
integrate necessary changes in the organization keeping in sync with the current issues and
problems present in the workforce. With an effective workforce planning the organization
can assess whether they have the required human capital that would be fundamental in
addressing needs in the future (Santos, Pache and Birkholz 2015).

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International Diversity
Both Unilever and GSK have a culturally diversified workforce. In case of Unilever its
products are used by a third of population each day.
Virtual Teams
Virtual teams at multi-national companies like Unilever and GSK enjoy the benefits of a
smooth communication thereby enlarging networking, since the virtual teams are
geographically dispersed with varied cultural background, they are benefited from ground-
breaking perspectives and ideas, allows employees to share knowledge and innovative ideas
beyond borders. At GSK AND Unilever the virtual teams have acquired a better
understanding of the market and community they are catering thereby leading to the
acquisition of new markets.
Global Network Management
At GSK the human resource team plays an active role in implementing culture and
policies that would support their diversified workforce situated at a global level. GSK’s
virtual team is responsible for managing operations across 150 countries and 86
manufacturing units (Santos, Pache and Birkholz 2015). The technical aspect is taken care by
the Virtual Collaboration Technical Analyst. Important meetings take place via video
conference and social interactions on social media platforms. Unilever’s broad networking
system is consisted of adherence to strict policies regarding organization, management and
employee training sessions. Both of the organizations are technologically robust for
managing the teams.
Wage Gap

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Wage gap differences can create lower motivation amongst the deprived workers even
after doing equal work with similar qualification and can damage harmony in workplace.
Strategies
As a HR strategies would include pay audit that would identify pay inequalities and
implement a justified salary structure.
Cultural shock
Cultural shock results when an individual is placed in a different culture estranged from
familiar symbols and cultural tenets. It is characterized by loneliness, uneasiness and loss of
identity (Santos, Pache and Birkholz 2015). This can hamper productivity, his/her
unwillingness to conform to the organizational culture, communicational gap resulting from
cultural fatigue, emotional stress and failure to deliver the best.
Difference and Productivity
Cultural differences like language, communication and symbol can result lead clashes in
opinion regarding important decisions and different interpretations of symbols or dominant
cultural norms. These result in growing discontent and delay in implementing strategies at
GSK and Unilever (Newsinger 2015).
Affect in MNC Employee Performance
In MNC factors like lack of rewards and recognition programs for employees, workforce
diversity, organizational management, social incentives and psychological incentives like job
security and promotion can affect employee performance (Ashkenas et al. 2015). Both the
companies are focused on enhancing employee productivity through various training

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programs especially with GSK so that they can easily achieve their organizational goals and
missions.
Training Programs
Training program includes sessions about the different departments of organization based
on on-job training and web based learning. At Unilever apprenticeship, educational trainings,
programmed learning are provided to enhance employee skills. Other types of training
provided in Unilever are audiovisual-based learning, simulated learning and off-job training
(Murray 2018).
Organizational Structure
Unilever and GSK are identified as global leaders, Unilever catering to customers
with more than 400 brands in different countries. Cultural differences could produce
language barriers and disrupt communication, differences in opinion on major operations that
need collaboration. Unilever has an organizational structure of four-tier hierarchical that
supports diversified workforce that would ensure product innovation for global business. At
GSK the organizational culture is structured in tall hierarchy model that specifies clear
divisions and responsibility of workers.
Conclusion
Therefore it can be concluded that both companies encourage a diverse workforce and
have organizational cultures aligned to support the same.

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