Human resource management – Starbucks

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Discussion
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

Starbucks prides itself as the largest coffeehouse in the world. As a matter of fact, the company has more than 17800 stores. In this case, it has operations in more than 49 countries (Starbucks 18). Most of the company’s stores are located in the United States of America. The company offers a wide range of coffee products. These include; deep brewed coffee, cold and hot drinks, salads and other drinks.

The company has an entertainment division that markets music, books and films. In this case, most of the company’s products are meant to suit a particular market depending on the prevailing season at that particular time. In addition, these products are developed according to the needs of that locality. As a matter of fact, it offers branded ice cream and coffee (Starbucks 38). The company has been expanding rapidly since it was formed.

A lot of expansion was witnessed in the 1990s where the company opened a new store in every single working day. After opening its first store in Canada (outside USA), it has continued to open other stores in different countries. As a matter of fact, its overseas stores constitute a third of the company’s operational activities. It should be known that the company had planed to open 900 new stores in 2009 (Starbucks 21). These stores were to be located outside USA in a bid to consolidate its market and operations.

On the other hand, the company had announced that it will be closing more than 900 stores in USA. Therefore, it should be known that the company has been subject to a number of protests (Starbucks 27). This has been in relation to issues that revolve around anti-competitive practices, labor relations, fair trade policies and environmental impact.

This paper will try to look at the successful execution of human resource management practices and processes at Starbucks. In this case, the paper will try to evaluate how these processes have enabled the company to achieve its goals. This is because human resource plays and important role in ensuring that a company achieves its goals and objectives.

Starbucks has been having a good human resource strategy to enhance its operations. As a matter of fact, the company has a recruitment department that ensures that it attracts the best talent in the market. Starbuck has a coffee master course that is supposed to be taken by all employees. All employees who have undergone this course wear black aprons. The company has also come up with a good mentoring program to ensure that senior and more experienced employees are able to mentor their juniors.

Discussion

Recruiting/selection

Recruitment revolves around attracting, screening and finally selecting the best individuals for a specific job in an organization. This process can be done by the firms’ professional recruiters or it can still be outsourced to other recruitment organizations (Legge 12). As a matter of fact, there are many stages that are involved in the recruitment process. Every firm or organization has its own ways of recruiting people or individuals.

Starbucks has continually recruited people to join its operations. Because the company has operations in more than 39 countries, it has been forced to ensure that it attracts the best talent to enhance its operations. In this case, the company manages a full cycle recruitment process. This means that candidates end up having a positive experience in the recruitment and selection process. As a matter of fact, the company has a recruitment department that ensures that it attracts the best talent in the market (Starbucks 17). The company has come up with an open recruitment process to avoid any complaints from different and diverse candidates.

Recruitment is a good topic that is supposed to be effectively addressed by all organizations (Ulrich 9). Therefore, there are many benefits that an organization can get by ensuring that it has an effective recruitment and selection process. When an organization effectively addresses this issue, it will save on time and ensure that its operations are not interrupted.

This process is very important because it speaks a lot about the organization and its activities. In this case, it will be a true reflection of the company’s professionalism and validity (Legge 14). This therefore explains why Starbuck has continually enhanced its recruitment process to build on its existing professionalism. A good recruitment process enables the company to hire the right people. These people are supposed to have the necessary skills and talent to undertake their duties and responsibilities.

Starbuck has settled on an internal recruitment process because it saves on costs. In this case, it has been able to save on time and thereby enhance its operations as time goes by. There are various problems that can arise from a recruitment and selection process (Legge 6). In this case, various candidates that were supposed to be recruited can experience issues and delays as far as the recruitment process is concerned.

In extreme cases, organizations might have problems in ensuring that their recruitment process is well organized. This means that they will be having a long recruitment process. In this case, an organization might end up with the wrong person for a given job (Ulrich 14). This means that all organizations should have a fairly efficient recruitment process. It should be known that delays can lead to various technical problems that can end up affecting the whole recruitment process.

Because the recruitment and selection process is an important aspect that relates to the general well being of the organization, managers are supposed to ensure that it is well addressed for sustainability.

Starbuck has put in place the right mechanisms to enhance its recruitment process by welcoming suggestions on how it can improve its recruitment activities and processes (Starbucks 15). Managers should ensure that the organizations recruitment process is open enough to attract the best talent. This will encourage various professionals to participate in the recruitment and selection process.

Training

Training is the acquisition of knowledge, competencies and skills that relate to a specific job or responsibility. It is an essential activity for organizations because it provides them with enough skills and knowledge. This ensures that an individual has the right skills to undertake a specific job or responsibility. Training provides the necessary and specific useful competencies that employees need to undertake their tasks (Legge 34). In this case, it provides the backbone of the content that is needed for sustainability.

Current business trends require people to continually undergo training beyond their initial qualifications. This enables them to maintain, upgrade and update their skills as time goes by (Ulrich 11). As a matter of fact, training can also be referred to as professional development. This is because it improves employee performance after they have acquired the necessary skills.

Starbuck has a coffee master course that is supposed to be taken by all employees. All employees who have undergone this course wear black aprons. As a matter of act, this training educates them on coffee growing regions, coffee tasting, purchasing and roasting (Starbucks 25). The company therefore has its own training policies that are supposed to be strictly adhered to by all employees in the organization.

To accommodate fast growth, the company trains baristas and store managers on the best practices. This has enabled the company to build its image and thereby enhance its operations as time goes by (Starbucks 18). Training is a very important aspect that relates to human resource development. This is because it enhances and improves employee commitment in the organization.

Training keeps employees motivated to continue working for the organization. The business world is continually changing and organizations need to train employees throughout their career. This will enable them to stay ahead of competition as they will be motivated to face various challenges. New skills and knowledge can help employees to reduce boredom (Legge 24). As a matter of fact, it increases their confidence in the organization.

An organization should continually invest in training programs for sustainability. This increases the morale of employees because they will feel that they are very valuable for the organization to invest in them. In a broad perspective, training can be used to create positive attitudes (Ulrich 13). This is done through the clarification of attitudes and behaviors that are expected in the organization.

The most outstanding benefit of training is that it is very cost effective. This is because it is cheaper to train existing employees in relation to specific industry requirements than to hire new ones (Legge 45). Hiring new employees is very costly as they have to be integrated into the organization for sustainability. There are various problems that can arise from employee training. For instance, it is difficult to handle diverse and distinct employee attitude problems.

Some organizations might lack the necessary communication skills that are needed for effective training. Starbuck has come up with performance improvement discussions to enhance its training activities as time goes by. Productivity can be affected if various attitude problems are not dealt with as expected (Ulrich 23). There might be cases where supervisors do not have the necessary skills to carry out training activities in their respective portfolios and departments.

To enhance training programs, managers need to come up with the best and acceptable practices that will make the organization more competitive in the market place. In this case, they should be able to understand the most common causes of attitude problems in the organization (Legge 41). To address this topic effectively, they should enhance team work in the organization and encourage cooperation among employees.

This will enable them to come up with better ways of enhancing their work. As a matter of fact, a manager should undergo management training programs to remain competitive. This will increase confidence and the comfort level that mangers need to deal with various problems.

Mentoring

Mentoring is an important personal development and empowerment tool that all organizations are supposed to have for their own sustainability. This is because it encourages and supports people/ individuals and employees to maximize their potential (Legge 14). This is normally done to develop their skills and enhance their individual performance. Effective mentoring can enable employees to become what they want to be as far as their duties and responsibilities are concerned.

As a matter of fact, mentoring can help employees to progress with their careers. In this case, it is a partnership between two people who might be working in the same field (Ulrich 13). In a broad perspective, these employees might be sharing the same experiences. Mentoring should help employees to boost their confidence and morale to continue working for the organization.

Starbuck has come up with a good mentoring program to ensure that senior and more experienced employees are able to mentor their juniors (Starbucks 24). In this case, mentors rely upon their past experiences to gain a good empathy and understanding on different issues. This is because employees are supposed to be encouraged to undergo different trying moments in the course of undertaking their duties and responsibilities.

This has allowed the company’s employees to explore new ideas with confidence. In the process, they have become creative in coming up with better ways of enhancing the company’s operations (Starbucks 15). Through mentoring, employees have been able to identify new opportunities that the company can explore to its own advantage.

There are many benefits that come out of mentoring programs in an organization. Mentoring programs enable employees to do the right thing thereby encouraging them to perform their duties more effectively. In this case, it speeds up the process of redeploying employees to new places within the organization (Legge 19). Mentoring has also been known to enhance employee satisfaction. This is because employees who participate in mentoring programs end up with a high job satisfaction.

Another benefit of addressing employee satisfaction can be seen in employee productivity. This is because they will have a good mechanism of getting the right answers at the right time. As a matter of fact, employees can be able to rediscover and reinvent good solutions to different problems (Armstrong 27). Mentoring programs enhance career growth and succession planning. In this case, an organization can be able to grow its employees into senior positions without hiring new ones at high costs.

Mentoring gives employees synergy while reducing the levels of frustration. This is because employees who do not know how to go about their jobs and can end up being frustrated. Frustrations affect employee turnover by bringing about morale problems (Armstrong 21). This topic is very important because it is directly linked to the quality of work. There are various problems that can arise from a mentoring program.

Organizations might find it difficult to establish a good mentoring relationship between employees. This can be as a result of different rules and regulations that guide a given organization. Conflicts at work can hinder the accomplishment of a mentoring program (Armstrong 18). It might also be difficult to establish a mentoring agenda that will suit an organizations needs.

To establish an effective mentoring program, managers need to come up with a good curriculum for mentor development in the organization. This will enable them to deal with various issues and challenges that might arise as far as mentoring is concerned (Pfeffer 16). Managers should know the value of mentoring programs in their organizations as time goes by for sustainability. This will enable them to remain competitive in the ever changing business world.

Workplace violence

Workplace violence is the violence that is witnessed in different firms and organizations. As a matter of fact, it originates from various employees and employers. It should be known that workplace violence can end up threatening employees as far as their work is concerned (Pfeffer 16). This can end up affecting employee morale and productivity in the organization. In extreme cases, employees can suffer or end up being exposed to violent scenarios.

It has been known that an unpleasant work environment can increase the probability of work place violence in an organization. Employees can be stressed up as time goes by because of a poor working environment (Armstrong 27). Starbuck has been enhancing employee relationships to reduce incidences of work place violence (Starbucks 16). In this case, they are always reminded that their security is the organizations priority.

Communication and training has been occasionally done to ensure that employees are comfortable as far as their jobs are concerned. As a mater of fact, the staff at Starbuck undertakes periodic work place violence awareness programs (Starbucks 9). This enables them to be informed of the current work place violence issues. In this case, employees should be aware of all issues that relate to work place violence.

Training employees on workplace violence can save lives. This is because some of these activities can end up being fatal if they are not properly dealt with. Employees can also benefit by coming up with a good conflict management system that will end up enhancing an organizations activities (Pfeffer 20). As a matter of fact, employees will be in a better position to understand each other well. This enables an organization to create a good working environment for its employees.

There are various problems that can come out as a result of work place violence. In this case, it might be difficult to understand different employee attitudes (Armstrong 17). This is because work place violence is brought about by employee misunderstanding in the course of carrying out their duties and responsibilities.

Current managers are supposed to address this problem because it affects employee productivity and morale. In this case, they are supposed to come up with good training programs to educate employees on work related issues. This should be done by educating them to treat each other with respect. In the long run, they will have a good working relationship that will increase their own productivity.

Disciplinary procedures

Employers are supposed to use disciplinary procedures at work to tell employees that their behavior or code of conduct is not in line with the organizations expected ethics (Armstrong 23). As a matter of act, disciplinary procedures can be used to encourage improvements in productivity. It should be known that a disciplinary procedure can be used to tell an employee that something is certainly wrong as far as his duties and responsibilities are concerned.

Starbucks has different supplier social responsibility standards that it expects from its employees. In this case, suppliers are supposed to implement and come up with reasonable procedures of disciplining various employees. As a matter of fact, Starbucks uses monetary fines for its disciplinary practices (Starbucks 11). This is done to ensure employees are able to comply with the company’s expectations as far as their work is concerned.

The company encourages its employees to continue being disciplined. This has ensured that they perform their duties within the company’s expected code of conduct. Discipline procedures at work enable organizations to set good standards of conduct at the work place (Pfeffer 18). In a broad perspective, they ensure that an organization has fair and consistent mechanisms of treating employees.

Employers will be able to deal with various problems that relate to their employees code of conduct in the organization. As a matter of fact, an organization will be able to deal with various problems that relate to employee productivity (Legge 16). There might be problems in dealing with a given organizations disciplinary procedures. This might be seen in documenting good procedures to deal with disciplinary problems.

Overlapping grievances can also come up as a problem in executing disciplinary procedures. Problems can also arise from contractual policies that a given organization might be having as far as employment issues are concerned (Armstrong 27). This is because every organization has its own way of undertaking employment issues.

Managers should effectively understand disciplinary procedures because they have an impact on employee productivity and morale. Good disciplinary procedures will enable them to deal with distinct and emerging employee related issues.

Conclusion

I think that the company has a good approach to human resource management. This is because it has not had any human resource problems in its operations. As a matter of fact, the company has a very high rate of employee productivity. In this case, I will continually support the company as it enhances its operations in the ever changing and competitive market.

Starbuck has continued to have good human resource practices for its own sustainability. In this case, it has always reviewed its human resource practices in relation to existing industry standards and expectations. This is because it has operations in more than 49 countries.

As a matter of fact, the company has a recruitment department that ensures that it attracts the best talent in the market. The company has come up with an open recruitment process to avoid any complaints from different and diverse candidates. The process of recruitment and selection is very important because it speaks a lot about the organization and its activities.

In this case, it will be a true reflection of the company’s professionalism and validity. This therefore explains why Starbuck has continually enhanced its recruitment process to build on its existing professionalism. A good recruitment process enables the company to hire the right people. These people are supposed to have the necessary skills and talent to undertake their duties and responsibilities.

Works Cited

Armstrong, Michael. A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice. London: Kogan Page, 2006. Print.

Legge, Karen. Human Resource Management: Rhetorics and Realities. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004. Print.

Pfeffer, Jeffrey. Competitive advantage through people. Harvard: Harvard Business School Press, 1994. Print.

Starbucks. Our Company. 2010. Web. https://www.starbucks.com/about-us/company-information

Ulrich, Dave. Human Resource Champions: The next agenda for adding value and delivering results. Boston, Mass: Harvard Business School Press, 1996. Print.

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