Human Resource Management

2005 Words5 Pages

HR practices vary from one company, or organization, to another. This happens for many reasons such as tradition, not understanding strategic HR, being ok with the status quo, and the lack of time, money, or personnel to change the organizational paradigm. Whatever the reason, one can usually see the differences between companies who have progressive HR practices and companies who do not. Here, we will compare and contrast the HR Practices of REI, Inc. and the Charlotte Fire Department (CFD). I have chosen a local government entity since I work in the fire service myself. Traditional public agencies, like a fire department, often differ greatly in the ability to provide certain policies and initiatives as compared to a private organization. A noticeable distinction of HR Practices exist between REI and the CFD, and HR practices such as Analyses of work design, HR planning, Recruiting, Selection, Training and development, Compensation, Performance management, become pivotal dimensions to evaluating differences between the two organizations. A public service organization such as a fire department does not have competition when providing services. A fire department has a specific jurisdictional area that no one else can operate within unless the fire department requests mutual aid. Unlike REI, who competes with other sports equipment outfitters who also sell outdoor equipment, a fire department only competes for tax revenue to run the business. REI sells a product to gain revenue, and a fire department provides a service sustained by a tax base. As REI is accountable to its coop and the customers and members it serves, a fire department is also accountable for their actions, but to the citizens and customers who expect a quality ser... ... middle of paper ... ...ent companies, one private and one public, but they generally value certain priorities such as diversity, recruitment and retention, and compensation, they just happen to carry out these priorities a little differently. On the human resource side, I believe REI is more strategic in nature than the CFD. On the other hand, the CFD is more hierarchical and functional in nature and naturally remains more traditional when comparing human resource management. The CFD constantly strives to make improvements concerning HR initiatives, and I hope they continue to move in the direction of a more integrated strategic human resource management philosophy. Works Cited Noe, Raymond A., et al. Human Resource Management: Gaining a Competitive Advantage. 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2010. Print. Recreation Equipment Inc. REI.com. N.p., n.d. Web. Sept. and Oct. 2011.

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