Uploaded byHolley Jacobs
Assessing Human Resource Issues - A Microsoft Account
Microsoft was founded in 1975 by William H. Gates III. The document discusses Microsoft's strategic human resource management practices including learning and development, employee engagement and retention, and addressing religion in the workplace. It provides details on Microsoft's training programs and virtual academy which provide courses in various products, services, and languages. The document also discusses the benefits of promoting religious and spiritual inclusion in the workplace such as increased retention, productivity and communication.
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Assessing Human Resource Issues - A Microsoft Account
- 1. Assessing Human ResourceIssues MICROSOFT
- 2. Founded in 1975by William H. Gates III Mission Statement āTo enable people and businesses throughout the world to realize their full potential.ā Microsoft Company
- 3. ļ§ Learning andDevelopment ļ§ Retention and Engagement ļ§ Religion in the Workplace Strategic Human Resource Management
- 4. ļ§ Critical aspectof human resource management ļ§ Encourages quality work ļ§ Increases retention rate and business success ļ§ Decreases turnover Employee Engagement and Retention
- 5. ļ§ Inspired anentrepreneurial spirit ļ§ Individual responsibility lost as they grew ļ§ Losing top talent ļ§ Processes important as outcomes Microsoft ā The Early Years
- 6. ļ§ Integrated humanresource approach ļ§ 1 of 13 companies on ā100 Best Companies to Work forā since 1998 ļ§ Success = drive of employees Microsoft ā Today
- 7. ļ§ Energized &Focused Employees ļ§ 85% recommend working at Microsoft ļ§ 93% feel they are treated with dignity and respect ļ§ 94% states Microsoft is a good corporate citizen Microsoft Human Resource Management
- 8. ļ§ An organizationāskey strategic issues ļ§ Determined by the extent human assets are viable Learning and Development
- 9. ļ§ Identify keyemployee skills and benefits ļ§ A method for training program design ļ§ Leadership assessments ļ§ Executive coaching Learning and Development Success
- 10. ļ§ Microsoft VirtualAcademy ļ§ Live training classes ļ§ Train in products and services ļ§ Web development courses ļ§ 14 different languages Learning and Development at Microsoft
- 11. ļ§ Professional Developmentfor Educators ļ§ Certificate upon completion ļ§ Assessments of work ļ§ Virtual learning ļ§ Onsite Professional Learning and Development at Microsoft
- 12. ļ§ Religion &Spirituality is a growing concern for companies ļ§ Due to increased globalization and technological growth over the past 20 years. Diversity, Religion & Spirituality in the Workplace
- 13. ļ§ Religion ispersonal, special and the core of many peopleās lives ļ§ Often employees unite as a single faith community ļ§ Crosses ethnic, racial and cultural barriers Why Workplace Religion & Spirituality Is Important
- 14. ļ§ Increases retention& productivity ļ§ Increases communication and management development ļ§ Promote teamwork ļ§ Promotes acceptance of differences based on race, class, gender & ethnicity Benefits of Religious & Spiritual Inclusion
- 15. ļ§ Religion āPractices associated with a belief in a superior being ļ§ Religion ā āFormalā expression of some form of deity ļ§ Spirituality ā How people communicate with their faith such as mediation or prayer What Is Faith?
- 16. References ļ§ Alen, D.(2006). Retaining Talent: A guide to analyzing and managing employee turnover. Retrieved from http://www.shrm.org/about/foundation/research/documents/retaining%20talent-%20final.pdf ļ§ Bhuvanaiah, T., & Raya, R. P. (2014). Employee Engagement Key to Organizational Success. SCMS Journal of Indian Management, 11(4), 61-71 ļ§ Corporate Citizenship. (2015). Retrieved from Microsoft Website: http://www.microsoft.com/about Corporatecitizenship/en-us/working-responsibility/principled-business-practices/our-people ļ§ Facts about Microsoft. (2015). Retrieved from Microsoft Corporation: http://news.microsoft.com/facts-about-microsoft/#Employmentinfo ļ§ Fee, K (2011). 101 Learning and Development Tools: Essential Techniques for Creating, Delivering and Managing Effective Training. London: Kogan Page ļ§ Lockwood, N. (2007). Leveraging employee engagement for competitive advantage: HRās Strategic Role. SHRM Quarterly
- 17. References ļ§ Microsoft. (2015,February). Facts about Microsoft: Retrieved from Microsoft: http://news.Microsoft.com/facts- about-microsoft/#EmployementInfo ļ§ Microsoft. (2015). Global Diversity and Inclusion. Retrieved from: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/diversity/ business-of-inlcusion/default.aspx#fbid=Q9IYYOskDGR ļ§ Microsoft. (2015, February). MVA. Retrieved from Microsoft Virtual Academy: http://www.microsoftvirtual academy.com ļ§ Microsoft. (2015, February). Professional Development. Retrieved from Microsoft in Education: http://www. microsoft.com/en-us/education/training-and-events/professional-development.aspx#bid=3mKnZlhw8s ļ§ Mitroff, I. I., & Denton, E. A. (1999). A Study of Spirituality in the Workplace. Retrieved from: http://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/a-study-of-spirituality-in-the-workplace/ ļ§ Nocera, J. & Wheat, A. (2000). I Remember Microsoft. Fortune, 142(2), pg.114 ļ§ Von Bergen, C. W. (2013). God in the Workplace. Culture & Religion Review Journal, Vol. 2013 (1), pg. 111-126
Editor's Notes
- #2Ā Microsoft has made strides in the business world to be one of the leaders in technology and our research will show how they have maintained that title and how they will continue to be successful in an ever changing world. We have used research regarding human resource development and how that has affected Microsoft. Our research stems from articles, journals, books, and Microsoftās website. We will also include recommendations to Microsoft executives based on the outcome of our findings.
- #3Ā Microsoft Corporation was founded in 1975 by William H. Gates III. Their mission is āenable people and businesses throughout the world to realize their full potentialā (Microsoft Corporation - 2011 Annual Report, 2015). Microsoft Corporation is in a very competitive field ā information technology and software. They are located in Redmond, Washington, are a public company and offer a plethora of employee benefits including health insurance, work-life balance, diversity, training, and health. Microsoft Corporation ranked 72nd on Fortune 100 list and was listed as 86th on Fortuneās Best Companies to Work For 2014 (2014 Best Companies to work for, 2015).
- #4Ā There are two models of strategic human resource management. The first is the industrial organization (I/O) model which states that a companyās strategy if driven by external considerations. The second strategy, the resource-based view (RBV) deems that success is driven by internal considerations. The two models also differ in that the I/O model leads the debate in arguing that a companyās strategy will drive resource consumption while the RBV argues that resources determine the strategy (Mello, 2015). The process of strategic management consists of five processes. The first starts with the mission statement. Secondly, an environmental analysis takes place regarding the competition, regulations, technology, market and economic trends. The third process is an organizational self-assessment of resources and management systems. Fourth, goals and objectives are agreed upon which lead to the fifth process ā strategy (Mello, 2015).
- #5Ā Employee engagement and retention is a critical aspect of strategic human resources management and is becoming increasingly more important for sustained business success. From an organizational point of view, employee engagement can be defined as āsomeone who feels involved, committed, passionate, and empowered and demonstrates those feelings in work behaviorā (Bhuvanaiah, 2014, p. 62). Human capital is considered one of the 5 types of organizational assets evaluated to help increase business performance. However, due to the difficulty in measuring the value of human capital, it is often overlooked as a possible solution to organizational change (Mello, 2015). Implementing engagement practices create employees who are more energized to produce quality work resulting in a higher level of company loyalty (Lockwood, 2007). Organizations that have established a strategic human resources approach such as Microsoft, have experienced not only impressive retention rates but also business success. Research shows there is a distinct connection between engagement and employee retention. Retaining top talent is a significant goal for most organizations due to the high cost of turnover and not to mention the loss of an investment. Businesses suffer greatly when they invest in the development of their staff to then lose them to a competitor. Research suggests that ādirect replacement costs can reach as high as 50%-60% of an employeeās annual salary, with total costs associated with turnover ranging from 90% to 200% of annual salary (Alen, 2006, p.3).
- #6Ā Although Microsoft has been recognized as a great employer to work for, its employee focus was not always leading their business directives. In the 90ās, even though Microsoft maintained a low turnover rate, they were losing some of their top talent. These employees, who received excellent training and financial stability from Microsoft, were not leaving for a competitor, but they were venturing off to start their own businesses due to Microsoftās incredibly fast growth while starting to lack distinctiveness. Nathan Myhrvold, former Microsoft employee stated āthere seemed to be a pervasive feeling that Microsoft's size is hurting it in important ways. Microsoft has grown to the point where process has become as important as outcomeā (Nocera, 2000, para 21). ). In its earlier years, Microsoft engaged its employees by allowing and inspiring an entrepreneurial spirit and a sense of empowerment but as it grew, individual responsibility was lost.
- #7Ā Microsoft today has integrated an HR approach into their overall strategic business plan and has remained āone of only thirteen companies to be included on Fortune Magazine's annual list of the ā100 Best Companies to Work Forā every year since the list began in 1998ā (Corporate Citizenship, 2015). In 2015, Microsoft states their ācurrent success is based on the drive of their 100,000 employees and to continue their success they believe they āhave a responsibility to create a respectful and rewarding work environment for themā (Corporate Citizenship, 2015).
- #8Ā This responsibility is the essence of employee engagement and it focuses on the valuation of human capital. Microsoftās energized focus on people has helped regain and build their employee engagement practice whereas now they boast ā85% of employees would recommend Microsoft as a great place to work, 93% percent feel they are treated with respect and dignity by their managers, and 94% percent feel Microsoft is a good corporate citizen in their communities and around the worldā (Corporate Citizenship, 2015).
- #9Ā Kathleen Hogan leads Human Resources for Microsoft Corporation making her responsible for 122,935 employees worldwide. She may lead the HR department but Microsoft Corporation is still a male dominated workplace with almost 71% of their employees being male. Baby Boomers and Generation X account for over 50% of the average age of the employee population. In the United States, 60% of employees are Caucasian, 29% are Asian, and other minorities make up the last 10% of the ethnicity pool of the company. Microsoft Corporationās engineering department is 49% of its operational functions; sales and marketing support group lead second with 45%; finance, HR and legal only account for 4%. These daily functions are housed in over 800 facilities throughout the world, with a 133 of those buildings owned by Microsoft Corporation (Facts about Microsoft, 2015).
- #10Ā Learning and development programs have always had a vital role to play in helping any businesses survive and thrive for success.Ā Learning and development programs help organizations build and maintain internal capabilities so they can successfully execute their work plans.Ā These programs also reduce external hiring costsĀ by evolving and developing internal employees and preparing them to take on greater leadership roles. Learning and development programs increase employee preservationĀ by visibly demonstrating to the employees an investment has been made in their career for development and growth (Fee, 2011).
- #11Ā Through forty years of success Microsoft has incorporated their learning and development program giving employees the necessary skills and knowledge to be part of an ever changing company. Microsoft also displays its competitive edge by showcasing the top students in the course through a point system. As of today over two million students have registered for training (Microsoft,2015).
- #12Ā Microsoft not only offers training for employees but they offer training and development for customers as well. Professional Development for Educators offers training to teachers and other educators on how their services work and how to incorporate them into the classroom. They offer a certificate of completion once training has been completed to show that the educator has completed all assessments and understands the material. Through the many pages of this site teachers can choose to join a virtual learning classroom or sign up for an onsite professional to join their school for learning and development training (Microsoft, 2015).
- #13Ā Workplace religion and spirituality is a growing concern for an increasing number of organizations, employees, and job seekers. If corporations are going to keep up with a rapidly diversifying global landscape they will need to make accommodations for this new trend.
- #14Ā With globalization on the rise companies are seeing and increase in the diversity of their companies in the area of religion and spirituality, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of l964 prohibits employers from discriminating against individuals because of their religion in hiring, firing, and other terms and conditions of employment (Pluralism, 2014). Title VII also requires employers to reasonably accommodate the religious practices of an employee or prospective employee, unless doing so would create an undue hardship upon the employer (Pluralism, 2014). Coupled with the fact that multinational corporations are increasing the incidence of collaboration it has been found that making accommodations along with proper diversity training is key for attracting and retaining a skilled workforce.
- #15Ā Microsoft is providing itās leaders with cultural competency training and strategies for managing global diversity and inclusion best practices. They also offer a robust portfolio of diversity and inclusion training courses for all levels of employees and leaders around the world (Microsoft, 2015). Key courses include Managing Inclusionā¢, Building an Inclusive Culture: Understanding Conscious and Unconscious Bias, Cultural Dexterityā¢ and Consulting for Diversity Hiring developed specifically for its international HR and staffing teams focused on gender diversity (Microsoft, 2015). These training programs help to produce the benefits listed in the present slide.
- #16Ā Spirituality rejects this dualism and speaks of us and them. Religion is often about loyalty to institutions, clergy, and rules. Spirituality is about loyalty to justice and compassion, religion talks about God, spirituality helps to make us godly (Spirituality & Health, 2015). There is a consensus that the majority of individuals interviewed feel that religion should not be discussed at the workplace while even greater numbers feel that spirituality is appropriate.