The company’s personnel is one of the most important resources for the successful development of a business. Along with financial and material resources, it is also subject to management. It should be built in such a way that the achievement of the company’s goals is supported by adequate measures for changing the organizational structure and streamlining the responsibilities of managers and employees. The main condition for the successful development of any enterprise is the balance of interests of its owners, staff, and customers (Braganza et al., 2017). Therefore, organizational improvement and personnel management are becoming one of the most important functions of the company’s management. This paper aims at discussing the roles and objectives of the primary human resources functions on the example of such Ontario-based tech companies as Cisco and Ubisoft.
Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems is a well-known Ontario-based multinational technology company whose direct activity is the development and sale of special network equipment. It specializes in the field of modern high technologies and strives to present to its customers the widest possible range of modern original equipment. Cisco is rightfully called a world leader in modern network technologies. Cisco Systems’ culture is a fusion of leadership and employee initiative, and its goal is to create a worldwide network of customers, employees, investors, and partners, providing them with unparalleled opportunities and value (Chen, 2017). The company’s mission is to be a favorite supplier by surpassing the competition in customer satisfaction, product quality, market share, and profitability.
Cisco encourages communication at all levels, constantly informing employees about the company’s vision, mission, strategies, and goals to provide an overall direction for development. All employees have the necessary authority to make decisions and achieve results. The company creates working conditions that take into account the needs of each individual so that people from different cultures and ethnic groups work in harmonious and diverse teams (Chen, 2017). Diversity reflects cultural values around the world and creates an open atmosphere for all employees. Cisco Systems provides employees with a free schedule of work, including remote and part-time employment, depending on job responsibilities and the decision of managers. It strives to create a work environment that empowers employees with high levels of motivation, multiple opportunities, recognition, and overcoming creative barriers (Chen, 2017). The atmosphere of the company is based on the energy of employees who achieve common success and strive for excellence.
The company’s human resource management also contributes to the increased engagement of its employees. It uses various kinds of remuneration, such as promotion and intangible recognition, according to the results that the employee shows. The company also helps to increase the involvement of professionals by the opportunity to tackle interesting problems, undergo professional training, and various types of incentives for initiatives. Cisco Systems develops projects and initiatives in which many professionals can participate, for example, implementing new automation projects, developing new products and services that leverage the power of technology (Chen, 2017). The employees also have the opportunity to make many valuable suggestions for optimizing work processes and other issues related to working in the company.
Ubisoft Toronto
Ubisoft Toronto is a growing company that specializes in the development of computer games. The company’s management understands that the motivation of technology professionals is different from other employees. Besides stability, social guarantees, health, and safety policies, the company attracts its employees by the opportunity to participate in interesting projects, the chance to gain unique knowledge, and work with a team of professionals. Moreover, the HR department of Ubisoft Toronto has managed to correctly build career trajectories within the company and ensure transparent professional growth for specialists (Chiambaretto et al., 2019). In such a way, there is no serious shortage of highly qualified employees, unlike in organizations with a lack of professional ladder and employee loyalty.
The company provides its employees with the ability to make independent decisions. The corporate culture is also important for Ubisoft. A positive attitude, openness, democratic leadership, and the absence of stereotyped approaches are characteristic of the company. The company has undergone significant changes in the vision of what and how to teach, and how to evaluate the final result. If previously the emphasis was mainly on professional skills directly related to the position, now the trend has changed in the direction of spiritual, physical, and intellectual development (Chiambaretto et al., 2019). Ubisoft uses non-material rewards for its employees in the form of training and interesting projects. It is useful not only for work but also for personal purposes, which together leads to high employee loyalty and an increase in performance level.
Ubisoft uses team building as a productive tool for the employees and a great opportunity to open up. It also allows knowing how the team feels about their workplace and improves communication. Performance is improved when there are no communication barriers that can cause many problems. Team building activities also highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each team member, and this is used to improve the level of performance (Chiambaretto et al., 2019). It not only increases productivity but also enhances teamwork, which is essential to the success of the organization. The team learns to solve problems, which in turn improves productivity. When employees know how to solve problems in close coordination with each other, they acquire real skills. which can be beneficial in the long run. Team building also helps your team explore their creative side.
The company finds creativity important to productivity, and it helps a lot in teamwork. When these actions are introduced, teams find new ways to solve the problem. Trust is also one of the key performance factors. A confident employee can prove his or her logic, and an insecure employee always hesitates, even if he or she is right (Horney, 2016). Thus, the company always encourages the team to work together towards a common goal. It helps to understand each other’s strengths, and as the employees work towards a common goal, they learn more about the importance of teamwork.
The Specifics of HR Management in the Technology Industry
Human resource management in the technology industry organizes recruiting, adaptation, training, and other types of work with personnel, like other industries. However, the content of these processes, as well as the search for the required specialists, the level of their salaries, and the policy for attracting and retaining employees, is specific (Peccei and Van De Voorde, 2019). Technology companies strive to fully satisfy the needs of employees by applying individual elements of staff incentives, expressed in the form of rewards. In the reviewed companies, the technology for attracting and retaining personnel and key employees has been carefully worked out (Peccei and Van De Voorde, 2019). This ensures the necessary level of loyalty to the company. Employees will not look for a new job and will focus their attention on the quality performance of the work entrusted to them.
Concerning non-material motivation tools, significant changes have taken place. An increase in the level of personnel involved in the life of the company includes not only mandatory corporate events but also intellectual rings, business duels, and others (Kew and Stredwick, 2016). The main expectations of top management from the HR department are a clear understanding of the strategy and personnel policy based on the goals and objectives of the company (Kew and Stredwick, 2016). The effective recruitment of personnel, high-quality and prompt selection, as well as effective and targeted training with subsequent measurement of its effectiveness, create a comfortable microclimate in the companies.
Conclusion
Technology companies developing software products differ from the ones in other industries since the staff is the main expense item, and its quality largely determines the potential and capabilities of the company. Therefore, human resource management is one of the most important elements in the activities of technology companies, and the HR policy is an object of close attention from senior management. When it comes to recruiting, training, and retaining the staff, the main thing for technology industry leaders is to develop the right corporate culture, and especially one that allows employees to feel supported by the employer. The peculiarities of the HR strategy, as well as the goals and objectives that the human resource management faces, were considered in the example of such organizations like Cisco Systems and Ubisoft. Having analyzed the HR functions of these companies, it can be concluded that the alignment of such HR functions as planning, recruitment, training, development and performance management is important in the technology production processes. Moreover, it is a powerful tool for improving the quality of the company’s products.
References
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