Developing Career

Since I was chief executive officer, I chose to advise the company to counteract several negative perceptions regarding functioning in retail. This was because the company needed workers who could face confronts brought by its standards and status. The company needed people who were seeking for a rewarding and exciting long-term profession with prospects and responsibilities. I knew that the challenge was to find and maintain workers with the correct mix of abilities and skills, who could be developed to turn out to be the future managers of the company. Functioning in a shop had traditionally been perceived as a low-skilled, poorly-paid, drudgerous and unpromising job. Nevertheless, since the quality was a priority at Harrods, I had to make sure that our workers were well-paid, had a comprehensible profession path wide open for them and were offered respect that they deserved. The senior managers assisted me a great deal. They made sure that employees’ requirements were given high priority. This has been manifested in the operations at the Harrods firm.

At first, the senior management thought that I was planning to excite the workers, a step that could lead Harrods towards a losing end. This was because we spent more money on training the workers with an aim of ensuring that their profession paths were defined. They thought that by reducing the working hours for our employees we consequently cut our production and hence the profit. Furthermore, promotion of workers goes hand in hand with the pay increase. This meant that Harrods had to spend more on paying the workers, an act that made the senior management think that we were heading to incur huge loses. This, however, did not happen because all this turned out to be advantageous to us. We ended up retaining almost all the workers as years progressed and our production improved.

Employees played a vital role in the company’s operations. Their loyalty was crucial for development. Training and development augmented their loyalty as they were equipped with abilities and skills. This made them act like competent future managers. As such, the future of Harrods was secure. Increasing their pay ensured that they got happy with their work and, therefore, had to deliver their highest levels of capabilities. The workers organized themselves in groups to perform various tasks productively. Their team spirit moved Harrods to greater heights. Motivated employees complied with all directives I issued. This helped us to realise our goals successfully within the set timeline. The managers at Harrods ensured that the workers were respected and their profession paths were also well-defined. Having workers on board, the company managed to move unidirectionally. This increased production tremendously.

Culture refers to the way people do their own things, what they believe and how they assume things are like. Harrods had a culture that brought together all the stakeholders. Culture is interpreted as a way of life. It is made stronger by values upheld by the company at large. Harrods core values were quality service to the customer at all times. This presented guidelines for all the stakeholders as far as daily operations and management were concerned. The workers in a shop were considered to be low-skilled but earned enough. The culture at Harrods allowed workers to receive training and get promoted gradually. Harrods had job positions such as salespeople, senior managers, and department managers. These departments functioned harmoniously to ensure proper progress of the company. The company functions as a system. This is because every level of the employment is an element of the system and each must function in harmony with other levels of production. The harmonious functioning of various levels of the Harrods Company ensured that the output was at its maximum. Culture comes into play where the workers’ backgrounds are distinct and contain varied life experiences. This background means some employees have little or no experience in the duties they end up performing in the Harrods Company.

When Jesus said that we should offer Caesar what belongs to him, He meant that money was part of life. One is not obliged to strain much in realising that payment is the main motivator. I chose this issue with an understanding that people go to work to earn money so that at the end they can afford their responsibilities. It is the reason why people go to their daily chores. Consequently, it is vital to realise that payment can either boost or diminish staff motivation significantly. I found the need to address salary and money matters as far as Harrods is concerned.

My position and reaction were simple but clear. Employees needed to receive payments equivalent to their level of cooperation. I made sure that Harrods workers were paid well. I proposed that the workers be given rewards such as an outstanding employee package. This package included better pay, discounts to workers and a favorable working environment. I came up with a measure of increasing sales. My main objective was to ensure that maximum sales were made at the highest level of employees’ ability. Sale bonuses and commissions for teams and individuals were offered. This made sales people work hard to earn large commissions. As a result, everybody was happy. The employees got higher pay while the management benefited from a higher level of production.

Currently, I still hold the position that pay rise is a motivator. This is because it makes employees feel appreciated and valued. It is also a sign that the management is concerned about the financial situation of their subordinates. High pay attracts high production and hence high profitability. My peers are of the opinion that team-building and spirit are the core issue at Harrods. However, they fail to realise that without pleasing pay there can never be team spirit.

In conclusion, the decisions that I made and proposed to be done were for the better of the Harrods Company. The view of this case has changed drastically and to the better after discovering other alternative sources of information. The decisions and proposals were to ensure that workers felt secure so as to boost their self-esteem. I was quite sure that this would lead to the increment of the overall production of the workers. The ultimate beneficiary of the whole process in terms of profit was the Harrods firm. This also gave it an advantage over its competitors. I understood very well that whenever the paths of the workers’ profession were well-defined, they would remain in the firm and thus the company would end up benefiting. Besides, when proposing that the company hire workers who are seeking a long-term employment, I knew very well that their experience would improve over time.

This would definitely benefit the firm since the staff’s performance would improve. Those steps also boosted their competency. By offering training opportunities to the workers, I knew that the company’s production would be augmented. All the actions that I took, the pieces of advice that I gave to the managers and senior managers and the policies that I implemented benefited the Harrods Company a great deal. I am happy now that the people working in the company and the community surrounding it are happy and benefiting from it.