Southwest Airlines HR Strategy Plan

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Executive Summary

The fast growth of the company has been primarily attributed to its robust human resource strategy. the firm has ascended the list of the top 100 by creating an engaging work environment and promoting fun within its workforce. The organization has also reminded its employees of the hardships of the industry and offered them opportunities to overcome the challenges. Among the benefits, the leading opportunities that the HR department offers at the company are training and development, career progression, and various support during hardships. This report, therefore, seeks to explore the current strategies and issues, develop and justify the business strategies for each of the 3 HRM implications, and determine an HRM strategy.

Southwest Airlines HR Strategy Plan

1. The Current Strategies and Issues
   • The type of Strategies South East Airline is Following
     • Employee Experience

The employee experience forms the top of the list of strategies that the company currently follows in its HRM system. According to the report from the president of the company, employee experience begins the moment an individual gets employment at the company (South East Airlines, 2020). The orientation process is as seamless as possible to ensure that a worker is well informed of the roles, the reporting structure, and expectations from the company. The approach conforms to the findings of the study by Guest (2017) which posits that employees who are well inducted yield the best outcomes for their respective firms.

Implication. Firstly, the rate of labor turnover is significantly reduced. Secondly creating a conducive environment ensures a safe, secure and admirable work environment, thus barring employees from leaving

• Adapting to Change

The company has adopted a strategy that helps its employees to aptly adapt to change. The approach is mainly aimed at ensuring that environmental or economic changes do not affect the operations of the company in affected regions. It is due to this reason that the company was able to retain most of its workers despite the COVID-19 situation. the decisions about change have equally been all-inclusive. The move is seen in the statement “We want to make sure that we are bringing people along with the journey and involving our HR professionals [and stakeholders] with these decisions. That way, we all own this transformation” (South East Airlines, 2020).

Implication. Reduced risks of jobs cuts during pandemics. Adopting change prepares employees for eventualities that may occur, impeding their operations

• Recognition of diversity and inclusivity

The company has been at the forefront as the best in terms of catering to the needs of working parents. Among the examples Life Care’s Milkship program which caters to the needs of breastfeeding mothers (South East Airlines, 2020). The latter program does not only offer these mothers time off work to feed their children but also ships breast milk home to mothers who cannot make it in time.

Implication. Increased profits because the approach implies that everyone within the workforce is appreciated. The recruitment costs are equally reduced. The same can equally increase the number of positive feedbacks received from the employees

2. Determining an HRM strategy

Whereas all the three strategies have proved to be effective, creating an employee experience-based environment seems to be most crucial in this case. The main reason being that it incorporates almost all the aspects of the other two.

References

Guest, D. E. (2017). Human resource management and employee well-being: Towards a new analytic framework. Human Resource Management Journal, 27(1), 22-38. doi:10.1111/1748-8583.12139

South West Airlines. (2021). Southwest Airlines Flies to the Top of the 2019 Workforce 100. Workplace Culture. Retrieved from https://www.workforce.com/news/southwest-airlines-flies-to-the-top-of-the-2019-workforce-100