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Briefly describe the human resource strategies of the organization you selected for your Organizational Dynamics Analysis

Assess their effectiveness in aligning employees to the organization’s mission and goals.

What is the impact of human resource strategies on the success or failure?

Bath & Body Works has a flexible human resource strategy that believes if they invest in their employees, they will produce better products, stronger consumer relationships, and happier employees. It creates an environment where people management is more correlated with their business strategy (Eynde & Tucker, 1997). I say it is flexible because it changes based on the stores management team.

Bath & Body Works offers competitive wages, health benefits, 401-K options, and flexible scheduling for associates who work more than 20 hours a week. In chapter 6 it mentioned when the relationship between the company and the people is good, the employees find meaningful and enjoyable work, while the company gains talent and energy that is needed to succeed, and that is exactly what Bath & Body Works does (Bolman & Deal, 2017, p. 133).

Another thing Bath & Body Works does really well is gaining and retaining strong customer relationships. Fragrances are a very personal thing for people, and Bath & Body Works focuses on highlighting that diversity by offering products for everyone, and seasonal products that keep their customers coming back every year. They believe in their products and their associates to sell the products, but when you are working in the store, the success and happiness of your employees is driven from the Store Manager (SM).

To give an example of success and failure in their flexible strategy I will explain how different Store Managers impact the store's productivity. I had two completely different Store Managers during my 3 years at Bath & Body Works, and the difference in company morale and sales was HUGE. My first manager, Jen, was very appreciative of her associates and showed weekly (if not daily) recognition to all associates that she felt stepped up to the plate and made our goals attainable. She did this in a variety of ways; from product freebies to buying lunch/snacks for associates to have during their shifts, writing notes on our employee lockers, and/or being flexible in scheduling. Jen was always willing to work with an associate if they were flexible in helping her meet our store goals.

For most of our on-call or seasonal staff, if Jen asked them to cover a shift because someone called out, more times than not they would do it because they knew they were appreciated. Yes, they get the monetary aspect as well, but they believed in the success of our store. The other SM I had was Becki, she did not operate like Jen did when it came to employee appreciation. Her appreciation for your work only came out if there was something in it for her and it showed in our staffing. We went from having 20 on-call workers to 3 in a matter of 2 months that Becki took over after Jen. This decrease had a few different factors, but the main factors were employee appreciation and company morale.

References:

Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2017). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership.

Hoboken, NJ: Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Brand.

Eynde, D. F., & Tucker, S. L. (1997). A quality human resource curriculum: Recommendations from leading senior HR executives. Human Resource Management, 36(4), 397-408.