The purpose of this assignment is to analyze the human resource practices of Toys ‘R Us, a toy store chain which operates on a national level. In addition, I will also be analyzing alternative human resource activities which I believe would greatly improve the public relations of the company. I was unimpressed by the observations that I have made at Toys ‘R Us, and believe that through more effective, accurate communication, a more earnest desire to deliver the excellent customer service that the company strives for and a happier environment in which customers and employees alike can enjoy.
Toys ‘R Us is a large toy superstore franchise which operates internationally. With over 60,000 employees across more than 1,500 stores, there naturally needs to be some sort of human resource structure in place. From personal experiences, Toys ‘R Us is essentially a stereotypical warehouse-style store that happens to specialize in selling toys. The employees typically act as such, with most showing minimal effort in providing happy service to suit the ambiance of a toy store. Many of them don’t seem to know much about toys or the whereabouts of the store where certain items can be found. There also seems to be confusion among some of the associates, if not downright indifference to the duties and knowledge that should come with job training. A happier, more communicative staff who are knowledgeable in their line of work.
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"The Human Resource Frame".
From what I’ve observed, the customer service of the team members has always been rather lacking. According to Westbrooks (2012), one of the most crucial values of the Human Resources Frame is communication. Good customer service and active, positive communication are often associated with each other. The employees that are typically encountered clearly try to avoid interaction with customers as they stare intently in opposite directions or use their cell phones in the presence of customers. In the event that one of them might give attention to a question, many crew members tend to be unsure of the layout of the store. If this isn’t enough for some shoppers, many of the associates don’t seem to have much genuine interest in helping the customer find what they are working for in the first place.
The Human Resources Frame is principled around the idea of accommodating the common human needs of a workplace in an organized manner (Oltman, 2013). It would appear that many employees who are working at Toys ‘R Us do not care about what they are doing for a living. At most, many simply aren’t educated to the extent that any employer should train their hires. Obviously, being in an environment where one is uncomfortable and unknowledgeable takes away from their motivation to perform their job duties to the degree that they should be. This is why I think that the human resources department should implement a training reform in all of the stores across the United States. Such training would include an emphasis on positivity and maintaining a happy and accommodating attitude. This will give shoppers a more pleasant experience, making them more likely to return more often. This will also benefit the employees, as they will be surrounded by contagious good energy in a fun work environment. Additionally, this training regimen will be thoroughly implemented and reinforced to ensure that all associates remain knowledgeable about what pertains to their job. Job and store knowledge should be assessed regularly to monitor the progress and competence of each associate.
In order to increase customer service through active communication, I believe that employees of Toys ‘R Us should be incentivized by the human resources department. In this, I mean that employees should become motivated with the thought of some sort of bonus or commission. It has been shown that bonuses with a large monetary amount are usually the most common among many establishments who use money-based incentives (Chung, 2015). Also, this is typically the least favored method of associates, as it doesn’t give much of a chance to the ones who aren’t among the most outgoing employees. With this said, the most practical option would be to integrate a commission or customer satisfaction survey bonus with positive feedback resulting in an appreciable bonus. This could be done through many other possible methods, or in a combination of methods. Still, this should be consistent with the other two elements of improving the human resources frame of this store in becoming mandated and enforced. While it might be convenient for stores to use different methods of providing extra compensation for their most outstanding employees, I believe that this, in some degree, should also be mandated throughout all of the stores in the U.S.
Another thing that should be mandated and enforced throughout the franchise is the periodic testing of employees’ wellbeing and knowledge of their jobs. I believe that the incentive activity could go hand-in-hand with this, with the most successful of the candidates being rewarded or promoted upon the successful completion of these assessments. This will also provide an opportunity to see which employees need to be refreshed in certain areas of expertise around the store.
While there might be room for improvement among the Toys ‘R Us locations, the discussed changes to their human resources frame will strengthen it immensely. Employees and customers should both be satisfied in order to run a successful company. Likewise, associates need to know this as well and how to apply it to their jobs. Proper and constant education (and reeducation as needed) is also necessary, as well as a proper means of rewarding and motivating employees.
