Objective - The objective of this is to show you how to design and apply modern HR concepts more effectively in a specific situation to improve employee satisfaction, cooperation and performance.

Procedure Note - The class is divided into groups. Each group has: (1) an HR manager, (2) two HR team members, (3) two union representatives, and (4) two observers of the meetings. The role of the observer is to observe and report on the various aspects of the role-playing sessions.

Situation

Mukesh joins as the HR manager of Spike Tyres and Tubes Limited. When he interacts with the employees of the company as part of the familiarization process, he finds out to his dismay that almost all the employees have one grievance against the organization or another. His subordinates in the department also inform him that the employees are never satisfied with the benefits offered to them. Peculiarly, when some benefits are given to one group of employees, the other groups become restive and demand benefits. For instance, when educational allowances are provided to the younger employees to pursue higher studies, the older ones get upset. The situation turns the other way round when retirement benefits are significantly increased. Further, the women, who have joined the company in large numbers in recent years, have a grudge that the company has no women-specific welfare measures like child-care centre and maternity benefits. However, when Mukesh scrutinizes the HR policies of the company, he realizes that the HR polices are the major source of troubles as they are old-fashioned and do not suit the diversified and well-informed workforce of today. Thus, he decides to conduct meetings to discuss the alterations and improvements required to be made in the HR policies and procedures in tune with the changing nature of the workforce.

Steps in the exercise

There are three steps in the exercise:

Step 1: The HR manager meets the union representatives (or select workers in a non-unionized firm) to ascertain their views on the proposed changes to the existing HR policies.

Step 2: The HR manager convenes a meeting attended by two HR team members to finalize the changes to be incorporated in the HR policies. The updated HR policy will subsequently be sent to the top management for approval.

Step 3: Observers analyse and provide feedback on the performance of the members in the role-playing session.