Assignment Sample on International Human Resources

1.1 Introduction

An academic report is needed to be prepared that highlights the key issues of the practice of Human Resource management in a European country such as France. The report will identify the main areas of hardship faced by HR professionals to effectively improve the quality of service provided by the workforce of an organisation. France has been selected as the country that will be studied in this report because of the variety and diversity of the challenges faced by the country in HR management. The report will contain a PESTLE analysis of France and discuss the impact of the factors on its HR management.

1.2 Key Issues in Human Resource management in France

The primary problems faced by managing employees in any organisation is their lack of motivation towards work. Study shows that thousands of highly qualified individuals are working at jobs for which they are overqualified (Djabi-Saidani and Perugien, 2020). Such incidents create lack of motivation and overall productivity of the employees is lowered, causing a reduction in organisational efficiency. Another issue faced frequently by HR professionals is the high employee turnover in the organisations. Employees often leave the workplace after being trained in any company for several months or years and the organisation needs to bear expenses to find suitable replacements and train them. The employee management team often needs to think about new ways to retain talents with the organisation. Some of the methods include allowing more autonomy at work and providing monetary and non-monetary benefits to the employees, to prevent brain drain.

The HR professionals also face difficulties in effectively managing employees in some French organisation due to its organisational structure. In case of multi-layered organisational structure, instances of communication barriers such as misinterpretation of the conveyed messages, instructions and feedback are found. The main reasons for such ineffective communication is the lack of trust of the employees on the credibility of the decisions taken by the management. The employees are often convinced that the management will not consider the interests of the workers of the organisation in making the company policies (Troadec, 2019).

The HR professionals in France frequently experience challenges in recruiting suitable candidates for the specified job roles. Study shows that the educational policies followed in the country lacks higher emphasis on learning of professional skills along with academic learning. As a result, the employees often lack the necessary skills required for the job, thus making them inappropriate for the job. High rates of unemployment (10.5%) often force people to take up jobs that require less academic qualification of employees, leading to frustration and toxic work culture at the workplace (Bahers and Kim, 2018). Lack of vocational training of students to suit the demands of the labour market also results in recruitment of unmotivated employees by the organisation.

Table 1: PESTLE Analysis of France country profile

(Source: Created by Researcher)

The PESTLE analysis of France shows that different political, social and environmental factors are responsible for inefficient Human Resource management along with economic and legal factors. Social factors such as lack of entrepreneurial spirit often forces individuals to apply for jobs that they are not eager to work at because jobs are treated as steady income sources. It has been found that the company expenses in training and development of employees have been increased by 43.6% in between the period of 2001 and 2011 however an increase in unemployment rate has also been found in the same period of time from 8.5% to 10.5% (Yong et al. 2020).

1.3 Conclusion

Based on the above discussion, it can be concluded that the main challenges faced by the HR professionals in France is due to the skill gap of graduates who become future employees in any organisation. Recruitment of low skilled employees creates problems such as lack of productivity and rise in employee frustration in the workplace. Managing employees becomes difficult due to the lack of trust of the workers on the management. It creates a reduced level of wellbeing and motivation of the employees, resulting in high employee turnover and increase in costs of training new employees. A change in the national educational policy in France along with creating students equipped with greater professional training can solve the employee management problem to a great extent.

Task 2: An academic report on the role of a multinational business in addressing the problem of modern slavery

2.1 Introduction

An academic report is required to be prepared on the problems of modern slavery and role of a multinational business to reduce its impact. The multinational organisation selected here for the purpose of writing this report is ALD Automotive based out of France. It will highlight the steps taken by the company to tackle the issues of modern slavery such as bringing necessary operational changes in production, supply chain management and other areas. It will include the role of Corporate Social Responsibility programmes adopted by the business to tackle the issue of modern slavery among individuals associated with the company.

2.2 Role of a multinational business organisation to tackle the problem of modern slavery

Modern slavery is a form of forcing individuals into performing activities that may generate revenue for business. Instances of modern slavery is found in almost every type of business, industry or country. Study shows that an estimated profit of $46.9 billion was generated in the European Union and several other developed nations in 2014 (Wen and Zhao, 2020). The types of modern slavery include forced labour, sexual exploitation, human trafficking, forced marriage and debt bondage (Mende and Drubel, 2020). Examples of forced labour are frequently seen in several industries and ALD Automotive have taken effective steps to curb such practices.

ALD Automotive follows the guidelines of the French government to identify areas of the business where there are potential chances of violation of human rights. It has been found that most acts of human rights violation are carried out on children and women and the company needs to safeguard their interest. The company does not recruit any individuals who are under the legal working age. It also monitors the process of supply chain management to eliminate any chances of exploitation of humans in the form of forced labour. According to Caruna et al. (2021), 68% of the 20.9 million enslaved individuals are exploited in the form of labour and the company keeps a strict vigilance to eliminate any such practice in ALD Automotive.

The distributors and suppliers for ALD Automotive are spread across different urban and rural regions. As it has been recorded that instances of modern slavery is more in case of rural communities, the company provides extra care in procuring materials from rural suppliers and prohibit them from recruiting underaged employees. The company prioritizes human rights over earning huge profits and its operations are designed accordingly. ALD Automotive adopts the policy of due diligence to implement a public plan known as “plan de vigilance” to mitigate the issues of violation of fundamental freedom and human rights, health hazards caused due to organisational activities and severe physical damages of the employees or of the environment (Christ and Burritt, 2018).

ALD Automotive verifies the authenticity of the certificates of the subcontractors before signing any contract to limit the chances of modern slavery. As a MNC, the company also cooperates and coordinates with its operational counterparts in all countries where their operations have been spread in order to ensure elimination of modern slavery practices from the organisation (Crane et al. 2021).

Extra-territorial reach of the administration of the company helps it to conduct its business with more transparency regarding the issue of modern slavery. The company also include the progress of modern slavery elimination process in its annual reports so that the stakeholders are aware of the mission of the company (Nolan and Bott, 2018). It also takes important steps to provide legal counsel to the victims of modern slavery without receiving remuneration from the victims.

Safety of the employees is one of the primary concerns of ALD Automotive as it monitors the process of employee wellbeing. It facilitates an atmosphere of trust among the organisational members that it would take exemplary steps in protecting the human rights of the individuals associated with the business (Voss, 2020). Along with support from the international forums, the company is successfully eliminating the instances of modern slavery from the organisational premises.

2.3 Conclusion

Based on the above discussion, it can be concluded that ALD Automotive has played a significant role to curb the impact of modern slavery in its organisational activities. It has streamlined its activities to comply with the national laws that champion the cause of human rights. The company management has prioritised the protection of human rights of the individuals associated with the business over earning huge profits at the cost of basic human freedom. It has taken efficient steps such as mandatory due diligence and checking of subcontractor certificates in order to reduce the impact of modern slavery and provide a sustainable growth for the business.

Task 3: An essay on the advantages of providing cultural training for international workers (Cross Cultural IHR)

3.1 Introduction

Cross Cultural International Human Resource is a significant area of HR management as it ensures effective communication between employees coming from different backgrounds in terms of race, language, ethnicity and nationality. It is important to build a strong culture in the organisation and it is achieved by deeply understanding the culture and values of the individuals working together. As operations of the MNCs are spread across different countries in the world, it involves dealing with talented people with different expectations and attitudes for work. An essay will be written that highlights the key areas of advantages of providing cultural training to international workers working in host countries or elsewhere.

3.2 A discussion on the advantage of providing cultural training for international workers

The importance of providing cross-cultural training to international workers can be understood in the light of the following dimensions. Initially, different barriers to communication exist while executing work in foreign lands where people are communicating between themselves in languages that an employee is not familiar with. The meaning of the instructions or feedback provided to the employees are misinterpreted, resulting in wrong execution of work. Hence, in order to improve organisational efficiency cross-cultural training can be very effective. The executives in business also need to collaborate with certain foreign nationals for a section of the company operations that are being outsourced to other companies located overseas. Sometimes, reliable suppliers are from different countries or regions, thus having a difference in language and culture than that of the company officials. Providing cultural training for employees can solve the problems of miscommunication, resulting in higher organisational efficiency (Kosheleva et al. 2018).

Cross-cultural training often consists of studying instances of misinterpretation of communication in the past. The reason for such type of miscommunication is found out and steps are taken to duly eliminate it in the future transactions of the company. It often considers the cross-cultural traditions and meaning of the terminologies used in formal and informal business communication. Such strategic elimination of communication barriers can lead to smooth working between teams and improves the level of cooperation and trust among employees (Paparoidamis et al. 2019).

A team-spirit is developed and greater attention is paid to the details of business communication by the employees. It has been noticed that the values and behaviours of the workers are directly connected to the traditions and customs prevalent in the culture that he belongs to. Hence, a deeper understanding of the cultural elements of the diversified workforce can improve the employee management factors (Chen, 2019).

Cross-Cultural International Human Resource management often deals with training of employees working in a specific country. There are some specific countries that are strict in observance of its culture and traditions at the workplace, even by foreign individuals who have come to work in the country. Ethos and morals of the suppliers, contractors as well as clients of the organisation are studied and employees dealing with them are trained accordingly. Employees are made aware of the “power distance” or the tolerance of inequality present in the culture of the host country of the MNCs (Bosley, 2020).

The tradition and extent of individualism present in the country where the business is operational is also taken into consideration.  The training consists of making the employees aware of the values of independent activity prevalent in the society of the clients and serve them accordingly, resulting in improved business relations (Alexandra, 2018).

Listening to the actual demands and queries of the customers regarding the products and services offered by the business is greatly enhanced with the help of cross-cultural training of employees. The customers are not always familiar with the business terms however their opinions about the products can create an awareness among the employees about features that should be developed in the products (Walsh et al. 2020). A thorough listening to the customers will create a competitive advantage for the company using the cross-cultural program to train its employees (Basuki and Riani, 2018). The market will be provided with better and finer products, leading to greater customer satisfaction and higher profitability for the company.

3.3 Conclusion

Based on the above discussion, it can be concluded that Cross-Cultural International Human Resource management is essential for organisations dealing with individuals from different countries, regions, ethnicities or languages. Cross-cultural programmes help the companies to build greater brand value and increased customer loyalty. It helps the company to stay connected with its customers located in diverse locations and interpret their demands faster than others, providing them a competitive edge over others.

Task 4: Personal reflection regarding module content

The module included writing of reports and essays on topics related to International Human Resource management, modern slavery and cross-cultural training of employees. The research topics of the module encouraged identifying the impact of these issues on the overall performance and efficiency of the organisation. I have collected information on the comparative International Human Resource management, multinational Human Resource management and cross-cultural International Human Resource management and used it in the module. I have learnt about the importance of national educational policies of a country on the skill development of employees. I tried to find out reasons for the high unemployment rate in France that have been discussed in the country profile of the report. It had direct links with the gap found in the education of graduates who were later hired by the companies.

In order to study multinational Human Resource management, the company selected was ALD Automotive. The steps taken by the organisation to curb modern slavery was discussed in the academic report. The research made me aware of the scope of the problems of modern slavery and the worth of illegal business that has been running by forcing the enslaved people. I became aware of the plight of more than 20 million people across the world who are involved in forced labour, human trafficking and other forms of modern slavery. The methods adopted by the company to eliminate the instances of modern slavery from the organsiation was discussed. The changes made in the supply chain management of the company and the services it provides to the victims of modern slavery for finding justice have been mentioned here.

4.1 Three most important topics in the module and their future use

I have identified three most important topics within the scope of the module that can be used for future reference. They are the situation of modern slavery, cross-cultural training of international employees and talent management for employee retention. I have learnt about the hardship and intolerable experiences of several individuals forced to work under debt bondages or other factors. I became aware about the roles that can be played by the organisations in order to reduce the practices of modern slavery. I learnt about different laws and regulations adopted by the national governments in order to abolish the practice of modern slavery form businesses, industries and communities.

I got a new perspective for improving organisational efficiency by providing training to the employees about the practices and traditions followed by different cultures. The study of cross-cultural training of international employees gave me an opportunity to understand the difficulties in business transactions created due to miscommunication caused due to difference of culture or language of both parties involved in the business. I gained knowledge about the power distant countries such as UAE and their strict observance of culture at the workplace. I understood that cross-cultural training can improve the group dynamics among the members of the team collaborating for a project. The importance of cross-cultural training was highlighted in the context of effective listening to customer demands by the organisation. I got an idea about the impact of such services on the product development and revenue generation of the company.

The third topic that deserves special mention in the module in the effective talent management conducted by the HR professionals in order to increase the retention of employees in the organisation. In the study of International Human Resource management, I found that HR professionals face difficulties in recruiting new talents into the workforce as well as sustain their tenure in the company. In order to cope up with the difficulties, they are adopting talent management strategies to look out for better talents that suit the job roles being offered in the organisation. This factor helps to reduce employee frustration at the workplace and the employees find more meaning in the work that is being executed by them.

I have also learnt about other problems faced by HR professionals when the employees do not trust the management and its decisions. A conflict of interest between the employees and management can often reduce organisational efficiency. It also increases the employee turnover of a company and frequent recruitment increases the employee management cost of the organisation, leading to reduced profitability. While researching on the topics, I got a comprehensive understanding of the key issues of application of International Human Resource management principles. I can use the insights gathered from the research of all the three topics in my career at executive as well as managerial positions in any business organisation.

References

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Bahers, J.B. and Kim, J., 2018. Regional approach of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) management in France. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 129, pp.45-55. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S092134491730335X

Basuki, R. and Riani, A.L., 2018. PREDICTING EMPLOYEE’S INTENTION TO LEAVE: THE ROLE OF HOMESICKNESS AND CROSS-CULTURAL ADJUSTMENT AMONG EMPLOYEES ASSIGNED ACROSS INDONESIA. International Journal of Business and Society, 19(S4), pp.605-619. Available at: http://www.ijbs.unimas.my/images/repository/pdf/Vol19-S4-paper8.pdf

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