Apple Incorporated is a multinational business that specializes in the production and sale of software and electronic goods. This firm is renowned for manufacturing superior iPhones, iPods, and iPads. It is also popular for producing quality personal computers and laptops, including Macintosh. The iLife Suite, Mac OS X operating system, Logic Studio, iTunes, and iOS are among the software that this company creates. The current success of Apple Inc. lies in its effective human resource management strategies.
The leadership of this firm appreciates the contribution of the workforce to corporate growth; therefore it treats employees as invaluable assets. Since the era of Steve Jobs (the company founder), Apple is recognized for recruiting and retaining experienced workers. Indeed, this corporation is listed as one of the best firms to work at. Numerous factors enable Apple to hire and retain skilled staff, including competitive packages, career development opportunities, and employee recognition among others. This paper will discuss the human resource strategies that Apple applies to recruit, retain, and motivate its workforce.
Employment Remuneration and Compensation
Apple acknowledges that wages and rewards are two things that may persuade experienced individuals to join an organization. Consequently, this company offers competitive packages to its workers as a strategy to attract and retain qualified staff. According to Grant, employees are remunerated depending on their skills and physical location (20). Moreover, this company offers employee benefits, including insurance cover, bonuses, stock purchase programs, and product discounts. The management of Apple agrees that one way of motivating a workforce is allowing it to own a fraction of the business.
Thus, this company allows workers to buy shares, therefore welcoming them into its pool of shareholders. Jackson et al. allege that Apple has a program that helps recruits to choose benefits depending on their interests (11). This monetary reward helps retain skilled workers, thereby cushioning this firm from the costs associated with employee turnover. Armstrong and Taylor cite Apple’s agility as one of the qualities that enable it to have a motivated workforce (24). This business lets personnel work in different departments, hence equipping them with diverse skills. For instance, individuals who operate in the computer industry may move to the music division and later to the smartphone plant.
Career Opportunity
Apple appreciates the significance of hiring the right persons; therefore, it looks for applicants who suit its corporate culture. As per Grant, employees can improve their skills while they continue to work in a firm (12). However, it is difficult for a company to infuse its culture in workers, thus the emphasis on hiring well-suited candidates. Apple encourages recruits to build their careers by promoting on-the-job training.
Armstrong and Taylor maintain that this company offers job opportunities to individuals who serve under internship (31). This program is designed in a way that enables the interns to advance their future careers. It is essential to note that Apple’s internship program recruits the most brilliant scholars. As such, this company absorbs a majority of the interns, particularly those that display excellent performance. Students that fail to secure jobs in the company are instantaneously hired by other firms because Apple endows them with invaluable experience.
Training and Development
Contemporary workers, particularly the millennials, prefer to work in companies that offer growth opportunities. Therefore, many firms provide on-the-job training to facilitate employee development. Apple Inc is not exceptional, and this company encourages workers to try challenging assignments and make independent decisions to become self-reliant. Jackson et al. assert that allowing staff to make autonomous resolutions promotes skills development (24).
This firm supports job rotation which is critical in bequeathing workers with innovative skills. The human resources get an opportunity to serve in multiple divisions in the company. Grant alleges that Apple employs a unique method of assigning duties to workers, which enables it to guarantee that employees work on fresh things at all times (32). It underlines the reason why this company is regarded as one of the most ingenious businesses globally. The different groups of staff strive to create new products, thus enabling the corporation to innovate based on market demands.
Apple’s leadership organizes occasional group meetings to promote a culture of novelty and independent thinking. The workers get a chance to brainstorm and identify new projects that this firm can pursue. Rees and Smith argue that Apple does not hold training workshops; however, personnel is encouraged to learn from one another as they continue to discharge their mandates (41). The difficulties that the employees experience as they implement projects prompt them to be upbeat, consequently, being able to anticipate what might happen in the future.
Employee Recognition
Employee recognition refers to awarding workers for their input to the success of an organization. It serves as a motivating factor, prompting staff to devote themselves to the company’s goals. Nevertheless, if implemented wrongly, this reward system can trigger unhealthy competition within a business. Apple’s administration understands the role of employee recognition in its performance. Hence, Sparrow et al. say that this firm has a program dubbed Apple Fellows which rewards workers who make exceptional contributions to the corporation (31). In most cases, individuals who get this prize are promoted to head different units.
Storey says, “These leaders provide visionary guidance to the organization in their field of expertise” (41). The Apple Fellows program encourages personnel to work hard because they are guaranteed financial benefits. In return, this company benefits from improved productivity and quality service delivery. The major competitive advantage of Apple is ingenuity. Therefore, this business welcomes and values workers who are dedicated to modernism. Indeed, its workforce comprises a pool of committed, industrious, and inventive people.
Conclusion
Apple’s effective human resource management strategy has helped it to recruit and retain a team of talented employees. The company offers a competitive salary that assists in attracting experienced workers. Moreover, it remunerates staff based on employment status and geographical location. Allowing personnel to purchase Apple’s stock gives them a chance to be shareholders, thus becoming motivated. This company values corporate culture and hires applicants who suit its traditions. Moreover, it creates employment opportunities for students who get a chance to work at it under the internship program.
This firm hires a majority of the interns, while the rest are promptly absorbed by other corporations that operate in the same industry. Apple encourages employees to learn from each other and conducts job rotation to facilitate development. The workers get a chance to acquire varied skills and make independent judgments, thus becoming self-reliant. This corporation rewards employees for their role in its success, a strategy that helps it to keep a motivated workforce.
Works Cited
Armstrong, Michael, and Stephen Taylor. Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice. Kogan Page Publishers, 2014.
Grant, Robert M. Contemporary Strategy Analysis: Text and Cases Edition. 9th ed., John Wiley & Sons, 2016.
Jackson, Susan E, et al. “An Aspirational Framework for Strategic Human Resource Management.” Academy of Management Annals, vol. 8, no. 1, 2014, pp. 1-56.
Rees, Gary and Paul Smith. Strategic Human Resource Management: An International Perspective. Sage, 2017.
Sparrow, Paul, et al. Globalizing Human Resource Management. Routledge, 2016.
Storey, John. New Perspectives on Human Resource Management (Routledge Revivals). Routledge, 2014.