Best Practices at Best Buy

Best Buy is a company that makes use of the Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE). The company abandoned the traditional models of the working environment and promoted a freer working environment.  The company introduced the Results Only Work Environment that not entail the use of schedules.  Instead, ROWE involves changing the culture of the business rather than altering the plans. Changing the organization’s culture is more difficult to change changing the organization and schedule. The organization's leaders ensure that their employees work from ant where and at any time as long as they produce their results (Armstrong & Armstrong, 2011).  During the implementation of the ROWE, the change of culture commenced at the leadership position towards the entire corporation.  The second step during the implementation was communicating the philosophy of ROWE to the training managers and the corporate managers on maintenance and control of ROWE in workplaces.  Their step involved freeing the working units and leaving them to find out a how they will implement the changes.  Each particular team had a different way to maintain flexibility from getting chaotic. After the implementation of ROWE in the company, research was conducted which indicated that there was an increase in the manner productivity. Additionally, it was also observed that increased engagement of employees with their jobs also led to increasing ion sales. Therefore, Brest Buy’s working environment is an efficient environment which enables freedom for employee’s hence promoting productivity. The human resource management in the best buy has various roles of retaining, motivating and recruiting.  The human resource management entails, plans, programs, and policies companies adopt with a goal of utilizing employees to the fullest. There are various factors that Best Buy Human resource management should consider as they implement their new working model.  To start with, the organization needs to fathom that work performance is a function of motivation, work organization, capabilities, and employment relation (Boxall, 2015). During the implementation of the ROWE model, the HTRM plays a vital part.  It ensures that the model is affirmed by all stakeholders, the right policies, plan, and programs are in place to enhance effective communication.

Stakeholders

Stakeholders are vital factors of an organization. They could be creditors, employees, unions, directors, government agencies, or the community.  Before implementing the change in culture, the organization should ensure that every stakeholder agrees to the change process and understand the objectives of the change in the organization. This will enable smooth implementation without any hindrance like lack of finance, non-corporation from employees, and lack of unity.  Various stakeholders will focus on the success of the organization and change in its culture. The director and staff will be more interested in the changes in working environment since they are the immediate stakeholders who also work in the environment (Cronin et al, 2012). Additionally, creditors and debtors would also be interested in the company’s performance since they have invested some money in the firm. Therefore, human resource managers working the organization have to ensure that they put in place more effective policies, plans, and programs that will enable the increase in performance.

Environmental factors

During the transition from tradition work environments to ROWE working environments, there is a need to fathom the benefits and the limitations of the ROWE model.  The major advantage of this type of working environment is that it enables employees to balance both their personal lives and their career lives. Organizational managers should fathom that flexibility, work life balance and happiness are significant components of a fulfilling and well-balanced career life. Therefore, employers and managers should ensure that their employees balance the work and personal lives to make sure that they are happy, motivated and productive.  The results only working model has been characterized by the employee happiness, flexibility, and productivity.   ROWE has associated with an increase in employees’ motivation as well happiness (Hernandez & O'Connor, 2010). The focus on results only frees ‘the employee from scheduled working to a freer working environment in which an employee works when it’s most convenient for him or her.  This type of working model has led to increases in productivity. This model forces employees and managers carry out positional examinations within organizations and set significant objectives for each team member.  This enhances individual analysis of employees hence being a position to point out any employee who isn’t using his or her time wisely.  This model also ensures that workforce is comprised of motivated, strong and self-driven employees hence ensuring that there are maximum output and performance. The working environment is of great significance in determining the success of an organization.  Best buy has adopted a different working environment that aims at increasing productivity by facilitating a better life and work balance as well as freedom. To achieve their objectives, the organization has to ensure that it maintains a friendly and supportive working environment.  Theoretically, it has been proposed that the improving the working wellbeing and conditions of employees is more likely to improve productivity (Levoy, 2007).  This is due to the minimization of uncertainty, hostility, risks hence increasing motivation and happiness as well as job satisfaction. On the other hand, there are various factors that could affect the working environment of organizations. Best Buy is also an organization which the limiting environmental factors would affect their productivity. A major environmental factor that could affect this organization is goal setting. In goal setting employees should be involved in the setting of significant organizational performance goals. This could be conducted informally or as part of a company’s formal performance management process. Research has shown that employees are a motivated by various factor apart from payment.  Setting objectives is also another source of motivation for employees and organization.  Through setting goals, employees have a vivid perception of hat they intend to achieve hence develop a plan and a way of achieving it.  Research has shown that the setting of more specific goals than generalized goals motivates employees since they understand what is needed of them.  Therefore, as Best Buy assimilates the new working environment and culture, it is of great significance to ensure that they pay keen attention to goal setting. The company should incorporate the employees in making goals and objectives. Additionally, the management of the organization should ensure that they set specific goals for their employees hence making it easier to achieve them as well as enable better preparation and planning on how to achieve them.  Notably, provision of relevant feedback is of great significance in setting goals since it improves efficiency. Through effective goal setting, it is possible to higher working behaviors chances as well as aid in generating commitment to the organizations and the goals. Another environmental factor that could have a significant impact on the Best Buy Company is the performance feedback. Performance feedback is the exchange of information and process of conflict resolution between the supervisor and employee.  It entails both negative and positive feedbacks on the employees’ performance on the performance as well as feedback on how to improve the performance.  Supervisors and managers should feel comfortable while working with an all workplaces factors that affect the employee performance. According to research, performance feedback is the conflict resolution and information exchange process that occurs between supervisor and employee. Provision of feedback to the employees enables them to provide feedback on the requirements. Information exchange could be conducted through formal and informal ways.  Therefore, Best Buy managers should ensure that they provide a feedback frequently and often on their employee's performance to ensure that the employee can assess his or her performance. Failure to provide feedbacks leads to low motivation since the employees do not understand how their work is sand also leads to low performance since employees do not understand on which areas to improve on. Supervisor support is also another major environmental factor that could affect the Best Buy. It is always vital for employees to finish their in successfully.  The supervisor’s major obligation is encouraging or facilitation positive interrelation and increases employees confidence; leading to improvement in employee performance. Respected and skilled personnel’s should be available to employees to aid them in improving their performance in their present duties as well as helping them develop their future roles (Phillips, 2012). Immediate supervisors play the role of employees advocate hence gather and distribute resources required by employees and provides encouragement for any jo that is well executed.  This factor could impact Best Buy Company since the company’s working environment is not scheduled or constrained in the office. Therefore, the management has to ensure that employees who are working at home or in other location are also supervised or have a way of interacting with the supervisor. This is also a vital factor that also facilitates better performance from employees. Best Buy Company is making use of ROWE In this model, the organization has to ensure that its employees are fit for the task and exhibit all other significant qualities required.  There is various process through which the management of the organization should use to ensure that the employees recruited are qualified and possess the required traits. The first selection and recruitment methods are through job analysis.  This process entails selecting and developing a method of assessment that enables understanding the requirements of a particular job and shows the required abilities, skills, and knowledge of effectively handle the job. This analysis method could be used to evaluate an individual’s ability to clearly communicate, self-confidence and precisely utilizing, eye and gestures. The ability to show professional appearance and demeanor and the ability to show calmness during stressful tasks. Information in job analysis is utilized as a basis for creating assessments. In particular, assessments are created to show measurements of the most crucial tasks. Some assessments could entail work samples encouraging job candidates hence requiring applicants demonstrate that they can execute the task effectively. Additionally, other assessments techniques measure abilities that needed to execute task effectively like physical abilities, mental abilities or personality traits on the requirements of a job.

Assessment methods

There are various the Best Buy company can make use of make external or internal selections. Internal selections involve hiring or recruiting individuals within the organization while external selection involves hiring and recruiting individual outside the organization. The first major assessment method could be Cognitive Ability Tests. This kind of assessments take measurements of various mental abilities like mathematical and linguistic ability, reading comprehension as well as reasoning ability (Truss et al, 2012). This test is successful in making predictions of job performance hence significant in selection and recruitment process. The personality test is also another assessment method that assesses traits that are of significance to the performance of a job. The major personality factors frequently assessed include extraversion, agreeableness, emotional stability, conscientiousness as well as openness to experience. Biographical data could also be used as an assessment method which entails biodata inventories that question applicants on their personal interest, characteristics as well as the background. The significance of this data is that it enables employers to forecast an applicant’s future performance using the past performance. An integrity test is also major assessment methods that measure an applicant’s experiences and attitudes associated with the applicant's trustworthiness, honesty, and dependability. Likewise, the management could make use structured interviews as an assessment method. This kind of interviews are made up of particular question sets designed to assess crucial abilities, and skills that are needed for a particular job.

Criteria for evaluating and selecting assessment methods

Best Buy comp-any should ensure that theory make use of the most appropriate assessment methods while conducting their recruitment. There are various factors that the organization should consider. They include; validity of the assessment methods. Validity refers to the extent which a method is significant in the prediction of subsequent task performance. Another factor to consider is the adverse impact of a method. This is the degree to which the groups under protection have a lower score during the assessment compared to the majority group. The cost of administration and assessment of an assessment method is also a significant factor to consider. Additionally, the management should also consider the applications response and reaction towards assessment methods. Negative reactions from the majority of the applicants could mean that an assessment method is less effective.

Retaining Employees

Various techniques and factors will ensure Best Buy Company retain their employees.  Apart from freedom, three major factors will assure employee retaining.  To start with, vivid communication is a major factor that makes employees feel Important and part of the organization.  Managers need to communicate their objective of the organization as well as employee goals and explain the connection between the employee and organization goals.  This can be achieved through the use of tools like The Great Game of business. In this tool, employees are shown how each of their contributions has aided the organization to achieve its objectives (International Conference et al, 2012). Additionally, Best Buy managers should ensure that the mission statement vividly shows the objectives that keep the employees motivated and focused towards the success of the organization. Additionally, the managers should ensure that there is alignment between objectives and values are shown in the mission statement (Herzberg et al, 2010). This leads to higher commitment levels. However, this occurs only if the employees understand the purpose commonalities. Likewise, listening is also an essential management factor.  While holding communication with employees, managers should ensure that they carefully listen to employees’ comments, questions and make honest responses to them. This enables managers’ point out several problems facing the organization.  Additionally, employees should also be part of the decision-making process.  This indicates that their opinions are taken seriously and count. This creates more respect and trust between employers and employees.

Development and Training

Most employees seek companies that will enable them to learn as they work. Creation of development opportunities enables managers to understand that they are valued and its one of the most desirable traits of an employer.  Development and training can be conducted in various ways.  It could include [providing mentorship and job training. These forms of development are the easiest to manage and aid in retaining the best people. Mentoring of employees requires managers to develop trust between employers and staff.  Therefore, this requires that managers maintain close relationships with their employees. Moreover, training enhances employees obtain skills that could aid them to improve and advance their careers within the organization. Promotion of development and learning within an organization enables managers to understand how their employees perform in differing situations.

Acknowledgment and Praising.

This is among the easiest ways through which a manager can engage employees and maintain high production. This involves the use of simple terms like a great job, thanks to you, congratulation, which makes employees feel valued and important. Studies show that 70% of employees allege that absence of recognition is a primary reason they opt to leave their present jobs.   Praising of people after they achieve a goal or do something positive has a longer lasting effect on the staff compared to giving punishments (Vischer, 2012).  When praised, other employees know about and always work harder to get a similar acknowledgment. For managers to find acknowledging and praising easy, they have to ensure that they appreciate employees and do not take them for granted. Therefore, through the above report, Best Buys organization shall ensure that it will retain its employees and also increase their productivity.

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