Workforce Planning

Workforce Planning

Workforce planning is the process that is used to ensure that the organisation’s needs and those of the workforce are aligned with the overall legislative, regulatory, production, and organisational objectives. In Unilever, the workforce plans are long term, medium term, and short term. The long-term plans are focused on financial and investment planning. The medium-term plans are concentrated on analysing the requirements of the workload and headcounts. The short-term plans, on the other hand, are updated on a weekly or intraday basis to ensure that material control is done along with scheduling. The advantage of workforce planning in Unilever is that it takes account of various scenarios and timelines. On the other hand, it can lead to significant losses if there are disruptions in the company’s operations.

Recruitment and Selection

Recruitment is the process used to gather a large number of people for a vacancy in an organisation while the selection is the process of shortlisting only the candidates who are qualified and legible for the job. HR at Unilever follows a thorough process to determine the skills, abilities, and flexibility of the required employees. The recruitment policy at Unilever is simple and straightforward and involves the branch management informing the head office in case there is a vacancy. The head office is responsible for placing an advertisement in major newspapers containing all the information that is relevant to the job. The policy also ensures that the company’s name is not mentioned in the advertisement because hiring is done through a third party.

The selection follows standard processes whereby after the application is received, the employee does an evaluation and employment test. This involves testing of analytical abilities, computation abilities, skills such as verbal and writing, and a test of general knowledge contained by the applicant. The recruitment and selection processes used by Unilever have helped the company gain qualified employees who have helped the company grow and increase its market share. A weakness of the processes is that they have been criticised for lacking transparency in some instances.

Development and Training

Training is the learning process that new employees are involved in so that they can acquire the essential skills for the job. It is also done to existing employees when there are changes in the way things are done.  On the other hand, development is continuous and a long-term process. The types of training that are provided by Unilever include managerial training, skills training, quality training, professional and legal training, training about technology, and safety training. The training covers a large variety of topics and segments and ensures that the employees are fit for the job. The training methods include coaching, conferences, web-based training, mentoring, and seminars. On the other hand, development is done continuously through established events and training seminars which are mandatory for the staff. Training is both in-house and external. External training is provided by trainers who have training institutes and involves the taking of feedback about the effectiveness of the training. On the other hand, in-house training is done by the managers to their subordinates. The use of both in-house and external training in Unilever increases the exposure that the employees have and ensures that they gain varied skills. However, the process is at times, not enough some employees have been found to lack fundamental skills

Performance Management

Performance management in Unilever ensures that there are activities which are meeting the goals of the company efficiently and effectively. In involves the setting of performance goals, the delegation of responsibilities, coaching employees to ensure that they stay committed, motivating the employees by recognising their contribution, evaluating their performance, and planning for career development. The organisation’s mission is at the core of performance management and is supported by strategic objectives, strategic goals, performance goals, initiatives, and programs. There are performance indicators and targets which ensure that the employees stay connected to the overall plan. Performance management at Unilever is aligned with the mission of the company, and this has helped it maintain a clear focus.

Rewards Systems

The reward systems are offered by the company are extrinsic. These are direct and indirect financial rewards, non-financial rewards, performance-based rewards, and membership-based awards. Examples of performance-based rewards at Unilever are individual bonuses and commissions. Rewards based on membership are annual increments of salaries and yearly bonuses. Financial rewards, such as house rent are also offered to some of the employees. Indirect ones are transportation and medical allowances. Finally, non-financial rewards are parking spaces, good offices, and preferential work assignment. The reward system in Unilever has been criticised for being unfair and beneficial for some of the high-level employees only. However, the company provides an excellent medical cover which is a great reward.