Human Resource Management DHL Express

Question: Discuss about the Human Resource Management for DHL Express. Answer: Introduction DHL Express is one of the top multinational companies in the world and has been rated as one of the top companies to work with in the United Arab Emirates. DHL Express is a division of Deutsche Post DHL, which is a German logistic company. Deutsche Post DHL is the largest company in the world when it comes to logistics, particularly in sea and air mail. The company was originally started in 1969 with an objective of delivering documents between San Francisco and Honolulu while the company started to expand its business in other parts of the world during the late 1970s. At present, the company has a workforce of 325,000 employees and has expanded its business operations to a number of other business units, such as DHL Global forwarding and DHL Supply Chain (Greatplacetowork.ae, 2017). Some of the human resource practices that are being followed by the company are discussed below. Human Resource Management Practices At Dhl DHL, in UAE, has been ranked as the number one company to work for from a human resource perspective. Speed plays a very important role in the transport and logistics industry and is one of the most competitive factors amongst the rival firms but with the changing market trends, other factors, such as customer satisfaction, have also started to play a crucial role. As a result, the employees also have an important role to play in the present day logistic industry. Employees are now the backbones of all business organisations and it has become imperative for business organisations to look after the welfare of their employees in order to optimise their performance levels. DHL Express also believes in managing its human resource in a proper manner so that it can lead the global logistic industry. Some of the human resource practices followed by the company are discussed below: Performance And Motivational Training The Company has been planning for the training and development program for its workforce very efficiently. It has introduced learning establishments, such as DHL Asia Pacific Learning Centre. In 2008, the company launched a new program i.e. Deputy Country Manager Programme that was aimed at grooming the employees to take up higher positions in the company in the coming future. Under this program, a Deputy Country Manager is made to work under the guidance of a local country manager in another country and is developed in areas like human resource management, operations, CSR, etc. DHL Express should lay a greater focus on its training and development program but its greater focus on employee learning rather than focusing on actual motivation and performance can prove to be a weakness in the management process. To improve performance and motivation in the employees, DHL Express should design a number of On-the-Job and Off-the-Job training and development programs, such as group exercises, vestibule training, apprenticeship, mentoring programs, etc. that can help in training and developing employees in the short run. 360 Degree Online Feedback Program The 360 degree feedback program in the company was started in order to achieve three aims i.e. performance management, talent review and senior leadership development program. The online program allowed managers from throughout the world to provide feedback using a highly streamlined structure. The company has the right approach towards managing the performance of its employees using an online 360 degree feedback program but can improve it further to achieve better results. The company can also start a 360 degree feedback program in all of its business units in order to improve the output of the program. Using this program, all the employees (juniors or seniors) can review each others performance in a better way and contribute their best towards the management of performance. Career Development the company understands the importance of career development in the management of its human resources. The company has an International Business Leadership Program, which allows its employees to build strong cross-divisional networks and in becoming familiar with the business strategies of the company. The company has also enrolled a number of its employees in Executive Masters of Business Administration program so that they can improve their management skills and become experts in the field of logistics and finance. Career development is an important human resource management function and should be carefully planned in order to engage and retain employees. The company should also undertake some small scale strategies, such as job rotation, job enrichment, job transfer, etc. that can help the employees in learning new things and developing new skills that can help them in development their careers in the coming years (Right.com, 2017). Diversity Management DHL Express believes that its employees are an important factor in providing a reflection of the society in which it operates. The company has a large pool of talented employees who originate from wide range cultural, social and ethnical backgrounds. The company believes that a diverse workforce allows it to offer products and services to a diverse customer base. In order to ensure that there is high productivity, creativity and efficiency in the organisation, the company has committed itself to manage diversity and avoid any type of discrimination in the workplace. The company also has its own Code of Conduct that demonstrates diversity management as an integral part of the companys corporate culture. DHL Express launched a Diversity Respect initiative that was aimed at increasing the interest of people, belonging to various countries, in a career in its industry. The company has also launched Women in Leadership in order to promote female employees who have t he talent to achieve higher positions. DHL Express has taken a number of initiatives in order to manage and promote workplace diversity. A company operating in such a large industry and with such a global presence should definitely promote diversity in the workplace in order to serve a diverse customer base and the companys diversity management capabilities are proving to be a great strength in the global market. The company should also start undertaking expatriates programs and send employees for foreign assignments in order to promote workplace diversity at a greater level (Guides.wsj.com, n.d.). Employee Retention DHL Express has been able to maintain a very high retention rate as it has registered an employee turnover rate of 1%. The company has been able to retain its talented pool of employees by offering them promotions from within and promising them career opportunities. DHL also offers awards to its employees in order to retain them within the organisation. The companys ability to retain its workforce is proving to be one of its ultimate strengths that is also helping it in outperforming its competitors. The company is doing all the right things that are required to keep the employees engaged and retain them within the organisation. The company should also start a performance and potential appraisal system in order to make the work environment more performance oriented, which would ultimately increase the level of employee engagement and help in employee retention (Researchomatic.com, n.d.). Conclusion DHL Express is the global industrial leader when it comes to logistics and is one of the best companies to work with in the United Arab Emirates. The company has been performing exceptionally well when it comes to the management of its human resources, which is evident from the outputs that the company has been experiencing year by year. DHL Express has been following some of the best practices in the management of its human resources but the company can still improve a number of its human resource functions by undertaking new strategies and designing new programs that would improve the work conditions for the human resources and motivate them to work harder. References Dhl.ae. (n.d.). DHL | United Arab Emirates | English. [online] Available at: https://www.dhl.ae/en.html [Accessed 10 Jan. 2017]. Greatplacetowork.ae. (2017). Top Companies to Work for in the UAE - Great Place to Work in the UAE. [online] Available at: https://www.greatplacetowork.ae/best-companies/top-companies-to-work-for-in-the-uae [Accessed 10 Jan. 2017]. Guides.wsj.com. (n.d.). How to Increase Workplace Diversity - Management - WSJ.com. [online] Available at: https://guides.wsj.com/management/building-a-workplace-culture/how-to-increase-workplace-diversity/ [Accessed 10 Jan. 2017]. Researchomatic.com. (n.d.). Human Resource Practices At Dhl Company | Researchomatic. [online] Available at: https://www.researchomatic.com/Human-Resource-Practices-At-Dhl-Company-36158.html [Accessed 10 Jan. 2017]. Right.com. (2017). Five Ways to Improve Career Development and Talent Planning | Right Management. [online] Available at: https://www.right.com/wps/wcm/connect/right-us-en/home/thoughtwire/categories/talent-work/five-ways-to-improve-career-development-and-talent-planning [Accessed 10 Jan. 2017]. UKEssays. (2015). Human Resource Strategies in DHL Express and FedEx. [online] Available at: https://www.ukessays.com/essays/business/human-resource-strategies-in-dhl-express-and-fedex-business-essay.php [Accessed 10 Jan. 2017].