Chipping Stoneford Vets (CSV) is experiencing problems in the field of human resource management, which appeared as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. One of such problems is staff turnover due to low morale and the increased workload. Another problem is gender diversity and inclusion: 85% of the staff are women. To address these problems, the five directors of the CSV will have to take several steps that will be discussed further.
The first aspect that has to be addressed is the retention of the staff. Since many employees are absent due to stress and health-related problems, the directors will need to invest in solving these problems to demonstrate their interest in employees’ wellbeing. Employees should create a positive work environment and promote wellbeing and strong social relationships at work. According to Al-Suraihi et al. (2021), “social relationships create a sense of belonging and reduce the stress which induces employees to stay in organization” (p. 5). Thus, the directors could provide on-site or distant counseling to help workers deal with stress. Moreover, they should encourage social activities, allowing the employees to support each other emotionally in group settings or individually. Although such actions may seem to reduce productivity and take much time, they will unite the employees, create a positive work atmosphere, and increase their morale and desire to work.
Transformational or relational leadership approaches can also be used to reduce staff turnover. According to Halter et al. (2017), supervisor support, empowerment, including workers in decision making, promoting group cohesion, and other factors resulted in greater intentions of workers to stay in their positions and not change their workplace (p. 116). The CSV directors need to show that every employee is important and valuable for the company, and even if some clients use abusive language towards staff, the directors will always support the workers and take their stance. If the personnel do not feel support from the employer, especially in the pandemic, they will lose their interest and motivation and change their workplace.
To improve the CSV’s record in the field of gender diversity and inclusivity, the directors will need to hire more men and people from diverse demographic groups. Hiring personnel abroad will be a perfect solution because it will bring new cultural experience to the company. The directors do not need to travel overseas to hire new people. They can conduct the interviews online, thus evaluating the potential employees’ English level and proficiency. If a vet has a high standard of English, they will carry out language tests online, and only after that the CVS directors will hire them without the need to go overseas.
Moreover, the directors should also utilize inclusion practices to improve the current situation. Thus, an inclusive environment should be created to promote long-term employee satisfaction and comply with their needs of belongingness and uniqueness (Chaudhry et al., 2021, p. 2). Inclusivity can be attained with the help of transformational or relationship leadership. If all employees feel that they are a vital part of their team and their opinions are important, their performance and satisfaction will be improved.
One can see that all the recommendations mentioned above are feasible and effective. If the directors have no time to create a positive work atmosphere, hire new staff, and change leadership styles, they should employ one or several managers to help them attain their goals. Most of the recommendations do not need great financial investments, which means that they can be implemented immediately. However, overseas recruitment will require more time and money to carry out, but it will give positive results eventually.
References
Al-Suraihi, W. A., Samikon, S. A., Al-Suraihi, A.-H. A., & Ibrahim, I. (2021). Employee turnover: Causes, importance and retention strategies.European Journal of Business and Management Research, 6(3), 1-10. Web.
Chaudhry, I. S., Paquibut, R. Y., & Tunio, M. N. (2021). Do workforce diversity, inclusion practices, & organizational characteristics contribute to organizational innovation? Evidence from the U.A.E.Cogent Business & Management, 8, 1-24. Web.
Halter, M., Pelone, F., Boiko, O., Beighton, C., Harris, R., Gale, J., Gourlay, S., & Drennan, V. (2017). Interventions to reduce adult nursing turnover: A systematic review of systematic reviews.The Open Nursing Journal, 11, 108-123. Web.