HR’s Function as a Strategic Partner, Essay Example

Training is an essential component of HR’s function as a strategic partner. The organization I have selected for this evaluation is Wal-Mart. This organization requires training on two levels; corporate and local. Since the company has over 2.2 million employees, it is essential to develop a series of training goals based on an employee’s role in the company. As a consequence, training should begin from the top down; corporate personnel should be trained first, followed by store managers, and finally the cashiers and stockroom employees. The training goal will be to increase organization in the stores so that customers will be able to access the products they need more quickly and the restocking process will be more efficient. As a consequence, the objectives will be to train the corporate employees to understand the needs of the store, the managers should be trained to learn how to keep track of items and organize them efficiently, and employees should be trained to carry out the needs of their managers. Learning will be assessed by determining how long it takes for empty shelves to be restocked and a customer satisfaction survey will be randomly issued to customers during checkout.

Responses

• I think that providing refreshments to employees during training is a great way to keep them engaged and reward them for being willing to modify their efforts at work. In a sense, it shows them that their company really cares about them as individuals and willing to do whatever takes to keep them happy, which will motivate them.
• I think that the training necessary in Menard’s will take a long time because of it’s transition into a one stop shop, but the training goals you propose will help speed along this process. Feedback is an essential part of the learning process and should certainly be emphasized throughout the training.