Strategy is a set of key decisions made to meet objectives.

A strategy of a business organization is a

comprehensive master plan stating how the organization will achieve its mission and objectives.

There are a lot of reasons why talent management is important for a successful business strategy.
Aside from this, other human resource strategies are also essential to be considered to make sure that
the growth and development phases of a business are well-guided. Variations of human resource
strategies can be used by businesses depending on their operations, the needs of the stakeholders, and
the demands of the industry where the business belongs. Since there is a wide range of how human
resource strategies can be made and implemented, it is important for businesses to properly plan and
develop these strategies so that maximum results can be achieved.

HR management has changed dramatically in recent decades. It was once largely an administrative
function focused on day-to-day responsibilities such as employee recruiting and selection and
managing employee benefits. Changing labor market conditions and new business thinking call for
HR business strategies that include recruiting and retaining the right people, as well as providing
ethical and cultural leadership, Enviable benefits packages, promotion opportunities, continuous staff
training and development. Here is some examples.

Performance Appraisals -Human Resource Management motivates the individuals working within
the organization to function in accordance to their potential and provides them recommendations
which can aid them to bring development in it.
In the same way, the team communicates with the staff individually on a regular basis and gives
them all the required data in terms of their performances and identifies their respective roles. This
is advantageous for it allows them to create a pattern of their anticipated objectives in much
precise terms and by that aids them perform the objectives with the most excellent efforts. It is
helpful to note that when performance appraisals were taken on a regular basis, these greatly
motivate workers.

Training and Development. Human resources administers needs evaluations for the firm’s present
workforce to identify the kind of skills training and worker development required for enhancing
qualifications and skills. Firms at the start or growth stages can gain from determining training
needs for current staff. It is much less costly as compared to the cost to hire more qualified
candidates and additional staff. Indeed, it is a strategy which also can minimize turnover and
enhance worker retention.

Recruitment and Training are a few of the primary responsibilities of the human resource team.
Human Resource managers create plans and strategies for hiring the appropriate individuals. They
formulate the criteria that are most suited for a certain job description. Their other tasks connected to
recruitment involve creating employee obligations as well as the scope of tasks assigned to her/him.

Founded on these two factors, the contract of a worker with the firm is prepared. When necessary,
they also offer training to the workers in accordance to the requirements of the company or
organization. Therefore, the staff members obtain the chance to sharpen their present skills or
enhance specialized skills which will eventually aid them to take up some other roles.

Motivating employees :one should note that the labour efficiency and loyalty towards
management can be expected only in an organization that operates under strategic management.
 Every guidance as to what to do, when and how to do and by whom etc, is given to every
employee.
This makes them more confident and free to perform their tasks without any hesitation. Labor
efficiency and their loyalty which results into industrial peace and good returns are the results of
broad-based policies adopted by the strategic management

Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is critical to a company’s success. After all, an engaged employee is a

productive one. To increase employee engagement, bring the following into your culture and HR
processes: Incentives: Financial and non-financial incentives, such as rewards and recognition, give
employees something to work toward. In addition, they reinforce attitudes and behaviours that will
help the organization succeed. You can make the process of tracking these incentives, and the
milestones that designate them, with an employee recognition and engagement platform such as an
achievers, Employee Surveys: Conduct surveys on a regular basis to let employees know that their
voice is being heard and valued., Performance Management System: To make goal-setting successful,
you need to have a tracking system in place. Without an advanced performance management system,
it’s difficult for employees to gauge their progress and stay motivated in reaching their goals. Not to
mention, keeping track manually can get messy and is less reliable.

Strategy is a set of key decisions made to meet objectives. A strategy of a business

organization is a comprehensive master plan stating how the organization will achieve its
mission and objectives.

There are a lot of reasons why talent management is important for a successful business
strategy Aside from this, other human resource strategies are also essential to be considered
to make sure that the growth and development phases of a business are well-guided.
Variations of human resource strategies can be used by businesses depending on their
operations, the needs of the stakeholders, and the demands of the industry where the business
belongs. Since there is a wide range of how human resource strategies can be made and
implemented, it is important for businesses to properly plan and develop these strategies so
that maximum results can be achieved.

HR management has changed dramatically in recent decades. It was once largely an

administrative function focused on day-to-day responsibilities such as employee recruiting
and selection and managing employee benefits. Changing labor market conditions and new
business thinking call for HR business strategies that include recruiting and retaining the right
people, as well as providing ethical and cultural leadership, Enviable benefits packages,
promotion opportunities, continuous staff training and development. Here is some examples.
1.Performance Appraisals -Human Resource Management motivates the individuals working
within the organization to function in accordance to their potential and provides them
recommendations which can aid them to bring development in it.In the same way, the team
communicates with the staff individually on a regular basis and gives them all the required
data in terms of their performances and identifies their respective roles. This is advantageous
for it allows them to create a pattern of their anticipated objectives in much precise terms and
by that aids them perform the objectives with the most excellent efforts. It is helpful to note
that when performance appraisals were taken on a regular basis, these greatly motivate
workers.

2.Training and Development - Human resources administers needs evaluations for the firm’s
present workforce to identify the kind of skills training and worker development required for
enhancing qualifications and skills. Firms at the start or growth stages can gain from
determining training needs for current staff. It is much less costly as compared to the cost to
hire more qualified candidates and additional staff. Indeed, it is a strategy which also can
minimize turnover and enhance worker retention.

3. Recruitment and Training - primary responsibilities of the human resource team. Human
Resource managers create plans and strategies for hiring the appropriate individuals. They
formulate the criteria that are most suited for a certain job description. Their other tasks
connected to recruitment involve creating employee obligations as well as the scope of tasks
assigned to her/him.Founded on these two factors, the contract of a worker with the firm is
prepared. When necessary, they also offer training to the workers in accordance to the
requirements of the company or organization. Therefore, the staff members obtain the chance
to sharpen their present skills or enhance specialized skills which will eventually aid them to
take up some other roles.

4. Motivating employees :one should note that the labour efficiency and loyalty towards
management can be expected only in an organization that operates under strategic
management. Every guidance as to what to do, when and how to do and by whom etc, is
given to every employee.This makes them more confident and free to perform their tasks
without any hesitation. Labor efficiency and their loyalty which results into industrial peace
and good returns are the results of broad-based policies adopted by the strategic management

5.Employee Engagement - Employee engagement is critical to a company’s success. After

all, an engaged employee is a productive one. To increase employee engagement, bring the
following into your culture and HR processes: Incentives: Financial and non-financial
incentives, such as rewards and recognition, give employees something to work toward. In
addition, they reinforce attitudes and behaviors that will help the organization succeed. You
can make the process of tracking these incentives, and the milestones that designate them,
with an employee recognition and engagement platform such as an achievers, Employee
Surveys: Conduct surveys on a regular basis to let employees know that their voice is being
heard and valued., Performance Management System: To make goal-setting successful, you
need to have a tracking system in place. Without an advanced performance
management system, it’s difficult for employees to gauge their progress and stay motivated
in reaching their goals. Not to mention, keeping track manually can get messy and is less
reliable.

Reference
Gomez-Mejia, R. L., Balkin, B. D. & Cardy, L. R. (2016) Making Human Resources
(8th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

Microsoft:

Microsoft is a really successful company with not only selling their many
technological products but their HR practices and strategies as well.

Organizations can be simply defined as two or more people working co-operatively

to achieve a common goal or set of goals. In this definition we can highlighted four
essential elements that need to be existed to become an organization, those are
people, location, activity and co-operation. Based on that above facts we can
redefined the meaning of organization as social systems of co-operation that have
been designed to develop individual effort aimed at goal achievement (Fox.W, 2006).
This design of an organization is a means to accomplishing the organization’s overall
goal and the structure is not an end in itself. In systems theory terms, the design
ensures that the appropriate inputs go through the necessary processes to produce
the required outputs to produce the intended outcomes. During the process human
involvement is very important in terms of managing the resources available in the
organization. HR function involved management of all the people in the organization
towards achieving organizational goals. Therefore we can define human resource
management as part of management that specialises in the management of people
in work organisations (Bratton & Gold 1999). As defined by Torrington, Hall & Taylor
human resouce management concerned with meeting four distinct sets of
organizational objectives: staffing, performance, change management and
administration.

Resource based view of strategy explains when developing competitive strategy firm
primarily in the application of the bundle of valuable resources at the firm. In other
words it is an inside – out approach to develop a successful strategy to achieve the
competitive advantage. As per the VRIO model of resource based view explains
valuable, rare, less imitable and organization embedded resource help to develop a
successful strategy for the company. In the majority of organizations people factor
are now the biggest asset and when it comes to Microsoft they have differentiated
themselves from the other players through following effective HRM strategies in the
company. Because of this reason Microsoft always tend to recruit the best people in
the market to introduce the best product to the software market. Microsoft’s mission
is to help people and business throughout in the world to realize their full potential.
Their corporate strategy is to develop software to bring these objectives realistic.
Therefore people factor of the organization plays the biggest input for that strategy.
The knowledge, skills and abilities have helped them to differentiate themselves from
the rivals to create value. Therefore HRM function does a major contribution in
strategy development. As a result we can say that alignment between corporate
strategy and human resource strategy is crucial in achieving organizational
objectives.

The company believes that its five business divisions of windows and windows live
division, server and tools, online service division, Microsoft business division and
entertainment and device division offer the greatest potential to satisfy their
customers. Therefore the company’s corporate strategy is decided based on the
mission and values of the company and their business strategies have been cascaded
down through the five business unites mentioned above. Therefore when deciding
human resource strategies such as recruiting and selection, motivation, retention,
training and development etc. they are always consider what the company’s
expectations in delivering the service to the customer. As an example they invest
enormous amount of money on training and development because they expect their
employees are constantly update with the business environment which is ultimately
help the company to update and improve their product with the changes in the
technologies. Further detailed analysis of the human resource functions will be
addressed in this report later section. Therefore, we can say that the company
maintains a strong link between corporate strategy and the human resource
strategies in their operation.

Recruitment means creating pool of candidates who are suitable for the company’s
requirements and selection process is where select the best suitable candidate for the
company’s role. Selection process is generally known as a two way process where it’s critical
for the candidate as well as the company, because the wrong selection decision may
negatively impact on the both parties. Therefore Microsoft maintains strong screening
process when selecting a candidate to the company to make sure they will take the correct
decision at the first time. Microsoft advertises on websites and in the papers. Applications
are made online and are screened to find the best candidates. Interviews, tests, CV
evaluation etc. are the main techniques used by the company in the selection process. As an
example when they selecting software design engineer, first they evaluate the candidate
through their CV to match with the job requirement. In the second stage candidate will be
evaluated through a telephone conversation to identify his technical knowledge, logical
thinking, background knowledge etc. After this he is being called for face to face interview
and different people from the company such as Human resource department, technical
people will be talked with the candidate and go through various sorts of psychometric
testing to gauge their aptitude and personality. This is to evaluate their technical
competency and suitability to Microsoft culture.

Google:

Human capital and its management have become more important than ever in the 21st
century. However, few are as good as Google at this art. Google has proved that it relies
upon innovation in every aspect of its business, even HRM. It has established an employee
centered culture at whose core is employee empowerment. The HR function is a strategic
partner at Google and it has focused on benefiting the company’s core operations by hiring
and retaining only the best. Apart from Google’s technological capabilities, innovative and
efficient HR is the reason that it has acquired so much success and fame. It differs from
most others in terms of its focus on employees. When it comes to making its employees
happy, Google believes in nothing less than the best. It favors ability over experience and
hires only the smartest people. Several things are different about Google’s HR approach.
Most outstanding thing about the tech giant is its mix of salaries and perks that are meant to
keep its employees more than motivated. Moreover, nothing is sufficient in today’s world.
You have to do things that place you much higher above the mark to beat the competition
and get noticed even in HR.

The search engine giant provides a variety of internet and cloud based services
meant for individual, professional and business use. Google has reached the
position of the best with the help of a highly talented and motivated workforce that it
has managed with great care.

However, with time it has grown famous for its employee friendly environment and policies
just as much as for its search engine and other IT products. Being ranked continuously as
the best employer requires intense focus on HR management. However, Googlers
themselves tell the stories of how great it feels inside those offices. Google has not
achieved these things by managing an airtight environment like Apple. Instead, every
individual employee is given enough space to use his talent and perform at his best. In this
regard, you can say, it has managed to maintain higher transparency than others. The focus
is also on the use of technology to drive performance. The focal point of its HR strategy is
maximum care and assistance so that its employees can work with dedication. The perks
Google provides its employees are awesome that entire industry quotes with awe. Apart
from job security, the high risk reward ratio at Google guarantees job satisfaction. A well
designed training and performance management system ensures everyone receives
appropriate guidance and support.

The secret of Google’s success is its innovative work culture. This culture drives
commitment. Some key facts about its culture are as follows:

 Committed employees driven by a passion for innovation

 Efficient leadership that empowers and strives to create an environment of
trust.
 Recognition and incentive system that encourages performance and
innovation.
 Learning environment that ensures continuous learning and growth.
 Top leadership committed to technological innovation
 Inclusive policies that encourage diversity

Google’s success is because of its culture and work environment and its HR has
played a major role in sustaining these things. Google’s organizational structure
supports a system made to pursue innovation. Google’s HR nurtures its creative and
innovative company culture by formulating policies that hire and retain the best
talent. If Google has stood at the top as the best employer for years continuously,
the reason is its focus on HR management is exceptional.
Human resource policies begin from great hirings. Every year more than 2 million
applicants apply for a post at Google. Each vacancy gets thousands of applications
in response. The main focus of Google’s recruitment policy is to have the right
person in the right position. It does not officially reveal its number of recruiters but
sources say that more than 400 internal and external recruiters were working for
hiring new Googlers in 2009. These recruiters are well paid professionals, many of
which are brought from outside especially for recruiting. In 2012, the number of new
recruits Google hired was more than 8000. Recruiters focus on hiring staff that is
highly talented and culturally compatible. Culture plays an important role when it
comes to hiring new people. How culturally compatible you are with Google decides
how well you will perform once you are inside. The role of culture and cultural
compatibility has also been highlighted by research and more culturally compatible
employees mean higher overall productivity of an organization.

However, the recruitment process is not so straightforward. Instead, the applicants

have to be through a lengthy and complicated process. The budget for recruitment at
Google is also high. Productivity matters at Google and so there is a lot of
investment in hiring every new staff. It tests everything before it lets somebody in.
To some, it may appear too complicated but then things are complicated inside any
technology company and it is also why their turnover rates are higher. Surviving the
pressure is not possible for everyone and in this sense Google is not wasting money
by spending it on recruitment. The way Google does it has become a lesson for the
others in the industry.

Recruitment is not the task of only the HR, but the entire organization is
involved. Another key focus of Google’s recruitment strategy is diversity. It has
partnered several organizations to make its selection process a success and to bring
a highly diverse workforce together. Diversity is not just an HR matter, instead
something visible in all aspects of Google’s business. Google itself notes, “There’s
no one kind of Googler, so we’re always looking for people who can bring new
perspectives and life experiences to our teams. If you’re looking for a place that
values your curiosity, passion, and desire to learn, if you’re seeking colleagues who
are big thinkers eager to take on fresh challenges as a team, then you’re a future
Googler”. Google has erected an efficient recruitment system made of efficient
people that fill distinct roles. The recruitment team has members in roles like
recruiting research analysts, candidate developers, process coordinators, candidate
screeners and several others. Handling such a high number of applications as
Google receives each year is not an easy task and requires a lot of planning and
coordination.

Facebook

Several researchers and important authors in Human Resources have researched and
highlighted the HR strengths of Facebook. Managing your human capital requires focusing
on several things from salaries to perks and a respectful environment. In some regards
Facebook’s and Google’s strategies are similar. Both are driven by the strategy to create
highest satisfaction for their employees. In case of Facebook, its environment is known for
higher openness and energy. It has adopted several unique practices that have helped it
gain an advantage in the area of HR. Employee convenience is a key focus at both the
giant’s offices. Facebook’s practices in this area are quite notable. It has used several
strategies to reduce the pressure on its workers and office design is one of them. Far from
the cubicle culture, it has established a unique open floor structure. Life inside the cubicles
can be suffocating for the employees and therefore an open office design is used at
Facebook to let the employees have more space. While it allows more space to move and
breathe, it also allows for higher level of meeting and collaboration. This is clearly logical.
There are workplaces where employees remain locked inside their chairs and have little
space to move their hands and feet. This can give rise to work stress and can drive the
churn rate higher. To reduce the churn rate, you must keep your employees interested and
engaged. A dull workplace and work environment can lead to loss of interest and morale. An
important message that Google and Facebook have been able to send is that employee
productivity does not come from using the whip. It comes from letting them feel like important
stakeholders whose engagement matters.

ree food with great variety – Facebook takes care of its employees’ taste and has made
available a large menu with higher variety. Being a young company, the menu at Facebook is
designed as per the taste of its employees. A large variety of ice creams, cookies, and other
milk products and other kind of food including barbecue is available for the workers to tingle
their taste buds. If you go over the entire list, you are going to feel spoiled by the variety and
quality of the menu. (Dr. J. Sullivan, ERE, 2013). The way to your employees heart goes
through their belly. The quality of food served at Facebook can be as good as in some of the
world’s best restaurants. Eating arrangements in the open under the sun make it as enjoyable
as a picnic or party. Gourmet meals at Google are famous but as John Sullivan highlights
Facebook is at a clear advantage in terms of knowing the taste and interests of the millenial
generation. One thing that very few employers care about is the energy level of their
employees and that they need to sustain it. Your HR policies and work environment must
be structured in a manner that employees’ energy level is not affected. If employees are full
of energy the worker morale challenge is to an extent solved. Facebook very well understands
the challenge. It is why for most employees working at Facebook is a pleasant
experience. Food does not just give energy; good food gives pleasure, keeps people happy
and their energy flowing. A pleasant work environment sustains both worker morale and
energy. The millennial generation has grown familiar with these challenges and so selects
their employers with caution. It is a foodie generation and treating it with delicacies is a
simple method of keeping it happier. Now, that’s the value of good food and the quality, as
some insiders know is matchless that only some of the best restaurants in the world can
challenge. A job at Facebook can be a treat and that’s why the approval ratings of the CEO
have remained so high (98% plus is a tough to match arrival rating). Most of the reviews on
Facebook show very high job satisfaction. Facebook also makes alcohol available to its
employees on Fridays. CEO Zuckerberg knows some great ways to engage his employees.
The new parents have some amazing rewards for them – parental leave, baby cash and other
forms of rewards like reserved parking spaces for the pregnant mothers. It also helps at the
retention of the female engineers.

Hobbies, Exercise and Other Forms of Engagement

Facebook has engaged its employees using a large variety of techniques. Exercise, play and
hobbies are also a part of its overall employee engagement strategy. When it is all just tech
inside an organisation, employees may grow confused and bored. It is why a tech company
must allow its employees to follow their hobbies. There is a wood workshop at Facebook
which engages the employees allowing them to pass their time making wooden sculptures.
This helps lose stress and also allows them to use their creativity plus imagination. Such
strategies are the best in terms of helping employees stimulate they creativity and respond to
their love for art. Employees make personal items as they love. Facebook’s ecosystem is
different from that of Google where the jobs can be more complex. It has an open fitness
centre and lots of space for skateboarding and cycling. Movie theatre and video games also
keep the employees busy and happy. The campus location at SanFrancisco bay offers a great
view for the bikers. This arrangement as Dr John Sullivan notes is great for employees
mental and physical health. Facebook is clearly using an employee centered strategy. The
formula is simple and straightforward. If you keep your employees happy, they leave you
happier. Facebook employees are happy for some other reasons too. The company caters to
their personal needs right on the campus. No need to go off campus for any personal needs.
Laundry services, hair cut, dry-cleaning, even medical assistance and acupuncture are all
available on the campus. Employees can stay after work hours to run their personal errands.

A Culture of Being Bold, Moving Fast, and Taking Risks

At Facebook, it is all about being bold, taking risks and breaking the norms. If you have
never broken a norm you did not move fast enough. In the world of IT and social media
things have to move faster than usual. Failure can happen but that does not mean you should
stop taking risks. You must not be afraid of making mistakes because they stop you from
being what you can be. It is critical to grab opportunities than to lose them and remain afraid
of having made mistakes. Throughout its office facilities, there are slogans painted all over
the wall. It signifies a high energy corporate culture. Rather than trying to achieve perfection,
you have to try and get things done. At Facebook, they encourager bold decision making and
risk taking. If you do not take risks, it implies a situation of stagnancy. Its a fast
changing world and taking no risks only a guarantee of failure. In this world, the normal
course is the riskiest and finding new courses can help you stumble upon better
opportunities. This attitude helped the company shift its direction and be successful on the
smartphone platform. The company had realised it years ago taht smartphone was going to
become the next important platform to drive revenue. The shift Facebook made years ago
has helped it grab a larger share from online advertising.

Employee Convenience Matters:

In the technology world work pressure can be very high and researchers and authors have
also emphasised upon too. In such a scenario, most companies have adopted various
strategies to provide their employees more convenience. One of them is work from home.
However, Facebook manages it in another way. It has established a come to work culture. To
make things easier for its employees, it offers free wifi shuttle buses. These buses do not just
offer higher convenience, they allow the employees to collaborate on the go. Apart from it,
the company offers free train passes, van pools as well as free auto parking. There are very
few firms that treat bicyclists with as much pride as Facebook. There is a full service bike
shop on the campus. There are no meetings on Wednesdays and that allows a no interruption
day for work. Meetings can affect the flow of work so keeping one day free allows
programmers to remain in flow. Many employees use this day to work from home if they
want. The level of convenience and engagement at Facebook keeps pressure at check. If work
life becomes as convenient who would not love to work at Facebook? The most loved social
media platform is also the best place to work because of how much it loves its workers.

An Excellent Performance Management System

Performance management has grown even important to the management of your employees’
careers. Continues feedback is necessary to guide the employees and teams and in this regard
Facebook is doing a great job. It provides its employees continuous feedback. Performance
appraisal happens twice an year. It is based upon the results obtained from employees and
managers using online tools. Typically seven people are involved in the process of feedback.
Real time success metrics quantifying the results help with ongoing feedback. Rewards at
Facebook are based on performance. However, all the endeavour is data driven. Performance
results and coworker feedback is used to provide rewards. Facebook uses rewards to guide
performance. If there is a wide gap in the rewards obtained by two performers on the same
level, it can be because of the gap in performance. Sometimes the gap can be as high as 300
percent. Two things happen in this way – one performance is rewarded, another performers
are retained. While it gives the message that performance is important, it also sends the
message that performance will be appreciated for sure.

Conclusion:
The overall picture of Facebook is of a young, happy and aggressive company. It is a young
brand and to form a clear picture would take more time. However, in this limited period it has
continued to impress its employees. At the technology firms sustaining the employees’
energy level and keeping them engaged can be a tough question. Facebook’s culture has
some inherent strengths that differentiate it from other technology brands. It has a young, fast
moving and energetic culture and environment that makes the employees feel welcome
everyday. All the benefits and perks are designed in a manner to drive higher satisfaction and
greater engagement. CEO Zuckerberg has managed things in a pretty happy manner so
everyone feels included. An environment of inclusion fosters collaboration and works to
retain employees for longer. Most technology firms face high churn rate but if you know how
to keep your human capital engaged and satisfied, you can make them create wonders for
you. Facebook has its new headquarters at Menlo Park, California. Hope it will continue to
amaze its employees and keep them happy in the coming years too. This is where the real
charm of these young tycoons like Facebook and Google lies. Very few have been able to
push the line of HR happiness this far.

Sources:

https://www.ere.net/a-case-study-of-facebooks-simply-amazing-talent-management-
practices-part-2-of-2/

https://www.ere.net/a-case-study-of-facebooks-simply-amazing-talent-management-
practices-part-1-of-2/

https://www.glassdoor.com/Award/Best-Places-to-Work-LST_KQ0,19.htm
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