Paper Example on HBO HR Dept Promotes Employee Engagement, Diversity & Inclusion

Introduction

Home Box Office (HBO) has an appropriate Human Resource Department that promotes employee engagement in the organization (Levine, 2009). HBO applies different approaches to creating a conducive working environment for all employees on their premises. HBO focuses on promoting diversity and inclusion within the organization to retain customers and enhance employee engagement through decision-making processes (Argenti & Barnes, 2009). In this case, the Human Resource Department at HBO hires employees from diverse backgrounds to promote teamwork and collaboration. Also, Human Resource fosters a workforce based on an equal opportunity, respect, individual, responsibility, and trust through diversity and inclusion at HBO.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Human Resource Strategies

A human resource strategy is a long-term business plan that determines human resource practices and aligning human capital with business activities. It is critical in setting the direction for all activities in the human resource department (Tryon, 2015). A crucial evaluation of HBO activities focuses on the structures of its human resource strategy. The human resource strategy, together with the company's corporate culture, establishes the successes and failures of its plan (Tryon, 2015).

Some policies include working closely with other departments to ensure the identification of high potential talent (Tryon, 2015). Regular communication with the top management is a way to ensure proper management of the company's unit and organizational goals achieved. Human resource strategies also work to resolve any issues arising between the company and employees positively to ensure a peaceful working environment for everyone (Mesce, 2015).

Organizational Structure

An organizational structure is a framework that determines the operations and performances of an enterprise (Tryon, 2015). It makes members aware of how an organization operates. Structure describes the election of leaders and members and the procedures taken to implement decisions. Organization structure shows the hierarchical authority within an organization. Characteristics of the organizational structure of the HBO include division of labor, a hierarchy of power, the span of control, decentralization, and line vs. staff positions. Being under Warner Media, the leadership of HBO is centralized to increase collaborations with other businesses and brands (Brown, 2018).

A CEO heads the HBO. Richard Plepler, the last CEO, exited HBO, and was known for the quality work he produced (Brown, 2018). The president of HBO programming Casey Bloys is in charge of all operations in the organizations (Levine, 2009). An organizational structure aligns all activities of HBO Company; therefore, ensuring productivity. HBO applies a centralized organizational structure because it allows effective management. Also, the centralized corporate culture is essential because it makes all employees responsible for their operations. In this case, the CEO oversees the performances of all departments and individual employees through HR.

Also, a centralized organizational culture is essential because it creates teamwork and collaboration among all employees and departments in HBO Company (Jakobsen & Thrane, 2016). The centralized structure creates a corporate culture in the organization. In this case, an organizational structure is crucial in minimizing gaps between workforces and increases productivity in HBO. Decision-making processes and existing roles of all employees and departmental units are essential factors to be considered in the development of an effective organizational structure (Jakobsen & Thrane, 2016). Human Resource Managers are critical to providing quality components that must be addressed in designing the centralized corporate structure (Mantravadi, Wern, Fimbres, & Sharma, 2012).

The CEO is responsible for controlling all operations conducted in the company. Different departmental units are developed in HBO to enhance productivity and collaboration. Tasks are distributed to various departments based on employees' competence. The legal department is responsible for developing appropriate policies regulation for managing the operations of HBO Company (James, 2011). Different departments are further sub-classified into small units to improve specialization in HBO.

Corporate Culture

HBO has established and implemented a culture that allows employees to attain the required performances in the organization (Akass & McCabe, 2018). Also, employees from diverse backgrounds work together to improve the performances of HBO. The presence of employees from different cultural backgrounds promotes unity and collaboration in the organization. According to James (2011), corporate culture leads to innovation and overall productivity in a business organization. HBO empowers its employees by encouraging them to volunteer and take care of social issues that matter to them by allowing paid time off (Crawford, Crumley, Egan, Elmore, Grosse, Jensen & Williams, 2017).

The company covers employees' services and programs that include healthcare because it believes in investing in people. Such services include access to learning and growth opportunities from online classes and workshops. HBO has a unique workplace culture that allows for personal thinking and creative freedom. HBO also welcomes passionate people committed to delivering content that is quality. The company makes it a priority to unite employees to elevate social issues connected to the community. According to Hofstede's corporate culture, differences in social beliefs and languages among people determine the performances of an organization (Orr & Hauser, 2008). Hofstede's corporate culture has been used by HBO to discern the differences that occur due to diversities among employees. Hofstede's corporate culture has enabled HBO to define their value systems and attitudes of different consumers in many countries based on the strategies applied by the salespeople. The several factors influencing the culture of a workplace, as proposed by Geert Hofstede, include masculinity, feminism, individualism, and power distance.

Code of Conduct

A code of conduct defines how employees should carry themselves on an everyday basis. HBO code of conduct entails its commitment to running the company according to the highest standards of ethics and integrity. It is disseminated to its employees and existing stakeholders, such as partners vendors. HBO ensures nondiscrimination in recruitment hiring, termination, and retirement based on race, color, origin, or sex. The company avoids child labor by not employing persons under the age of 15 years (Akass & McCabe, 2018). Workers under 18 years do not perform duties that may harm their health (De Massis, & Kotlar, 2019).

HBO requires that partner vendors treat all employees with dignity and respect and will not use corporal punishment or threats. The company expects that business vendors provide employees with a safe working environment with hygiene and access to sanitary facilities (Van Oostendorp, 2012). It also requires that all business vendors comply with environmental laws and regulations, and all permits obtained (Sands & Peel, 2012). Some of the critical environmental laws include the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act (Morgera, 2009). The rules determine the measures applied by HR in providing a conducive working environment for the employees within the premises of the HBO organization.

Conclusion

In conclusion, human resources strategies are essential in business planning, employee recruitment, and training, policy implementation, ensuring legal compliance, and developing an appropriate culture in the organization. The code of conduct also requires that HBO comply with governmental laws rules and regulations. Features of the centralized or corporate organizational structure applied in HBO include job design and chain of command.

References

Akass, K., & McCabe, J. (2018). HBO and the Aristocracy of Contemporary TV Culture: Affiliations and Legitimatising Television Culture, Post-2007. Mise au Point. Cahiers de l'association Francaise des Enseignants et Chercheurs en Cinema et Audiovisuel, (10). https://journals.openedition.org/map/2472

Argenti, P. A., & Barnes, C. M. (2009). Digital Strategies for Powerful Corporate Communications. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Retrieved from: https://rgio.pw/goxu_vexaf.pdf

Bourdaa, M. (2014). This is not Marketing. This is HBO: Branding HBO with Transmedia storytelling. Networking Knowledge: Journal of the MeCCSA Postgraduate Network, 7(1). Retrieved from: http://ojs.meccsa.org.uk/index.php/netknow/article/view/328

Brown, C. (2018). HBO: Richard Plepler. https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=mclp

Crawford, C. W., Crumley, J., Egan, A., Elmore, R., Grosse, I., Jensen, K., & Williams, H. (2017). True Detective: Critical Essays on the HBO Series. Lexington Books. https://rowman.com/isbn/9781498566940/true-detective-critical-essays-on-the-hbo-series

De Massis, A., & Kotlar, J. (2019). Case Studies, Movies, TV Shows, and other Family Business Resources. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alfredo_De_Massis/publication/331795066_Case_Studies_Movies_TV_Shows_and_Other_Family_Business_Resources/links/5c92119f45851506d71d6700/Case-Studies-Movies-TV-Shows-and-Other-Family-Business-Resources.pdf

James, G. A. (2011). HBO: Brand Management and Subscriber Aggregation: 1972-2007. Retrieved from: https://ore.exeter.ac.uk/repository/handle/10036/3139

Jakobsen, M. L. F., & Thrane, C. (2016). 11 Public Innovation and Organizational Structure. Enhancing Public Innovation by Transforming Public Governance, 217. Retrieved from: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Jakobsen%2C+M.+L.+F.%2C+%26+Thrane%2C+C.+%282016%29.+11+Public+Innovation+and+Organizational+Structure.+Enhancing+Public+Innovation+by+Transforming+Public+Governance%2C+217.&btnG=

Levine, E. (2009). The Essential HBO Reader. American Studies, 50(1), 246-247. Retrieved from: https://muse.jhu.edu/article/419747/summary

Mantravadi, S., Wern, D., Fimbres, M., & Sharma, S. (2012) Organizational Structure: Practical Example of Time Warner Inc. In 2012. Congratulations. 77. Retrieved from: https://swamfbd.org/uploads/SWAM_Proceedings_2015.pdf#page=77

Mesce Jr, B. (2015). Inside the Rise of HBO: A Personal History of the Company that Transformed Television. McFarland. https://doi.org/10.1080/01956051.2016.1201410

Morgera, E. (2009). Corporate Accountability in International Environmental Law. Retrieved from: https://pureportal.strath.ac.uk/en/publications/corporate-accountability-in-international-environmental-law

Murschetz, P. (2016). Connected Television: Media Convergence, Industry Structure, and Corporate Strategies. Annals of the International Communication Association, 40(1), 69-93. Retrieved from: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/23808985.2015.11735256

Orr, L. M., & Hauser, W. J. (2008). A Re-inquiry of Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions: A Call for 21st Century Cross-Cultural Research. Marketing Management Journal, 18(2), 1-19. Retrieved from: http://www.mmaglobal.org/publications/MMJ/MMJ-Issues/2008-Fall/MMJ-2008-Fall-Vol18-Issue2-Orr-Hauser-pp1-19.pdf

Radivojevic, Z., & Raicevic, N. (2012). The Application of International Environmental Law in Armed Conflicts. Zbornik Radova, 46, 39. Retrieved from: https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/zborrado2012&div=7&id=&page=

Sands, P., & Peel, J. (2012). Principles of international environmental law. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Sands%2C+P.%2C+%26+Peel%2C+J.+%282012%29.+Principl...