HR Policy Making Human Resource Decision Making at Calgary Impoprters Ltd Calgary Importers Ltd is a

HR Policy Making

Human Resource Decision Making at Calgary Impoprters Ltd

Calgary Importers Ltd is a large importer of linens, china,
and crystal It has branch offices in 6 provinces and has long been plagued by
problems in its human resource practices These problems led to the following
discussion between the vice-president of human resources and the vice-president
of distribution:

Rob Whittier: You may not agree with me, but if we are going
to have consistency in our human resource policies, then key decisions about
those policies must be centralized in the human resources department
Otherwise, branch managers will continue to make their own decisions focussing
on different aspects Besides, the department has the experts If you needed
financial advice, you would not ask your doctor; you would go to a banker or
other financial expert When it comes to deciding compensation packages or
hiring new employees, those decisions should be left to experts in salary
administration or selection To ask a branch manager or supervisor to make
those decisions deprives our firm of all the expertise we have in the
department

Henry DeLahn: I have never questioned your department’s
expertise Sure, the people in human resources are more knowledgeable than the
line managers But if we want those managers to be responsible for the
performance of their branches, than we must not deprive those managers of their
authority to make human resource decisions Those operating managers must be
able to decide whom to hire and whom to reward with raises If they cannot make
those decisions, then their effectiveness as managers will suffer

1 If you
were president of Calgary Importers Ltd and were asked to resolve this
dispute, whose argument would you agree with, why?

2 Can you
suggest a compromise that would allow managers to make these decisions
consistently?