Southwest Airlines: Human Resource Management Functions

Introduction

Southwest Airlines is among the companies in the air transportation industry that offer low-fare services to its customers. This airline company is operational in more than 58 cities across the United States and has been able to acquire a competitive advantage in the market through its adoption of the low-cost model that puts it above its competitors. The human resource at Southwest Airlines operates under an organization that is characterized as the upside-down pyramid (Miles & Mangold, 2015). In this kind of organization, the top management exists at the bottom and has the responsibility of supporting frontline employees including experts. The human resource management functions at Southwest Airline may be described and analyzed through various aspects namely strategy and planning, equal employment opportunity, staffing, talent management, rewards, risk management and worker protection as well as employee, and labor relations. 

Strategy and Planning

HR Effectiveness

The effectiveness of the human resource strategy used by Southwest Airlines focuses on raising the satisfaction level of its employees. Presently, Southwest Airlines has its flight services distributed to in almost half of the country. Most travelers prefer to use Southwest Airlines owing the effectiveness of its human resource team in the delivery of satisfactory service. Besides, the management of this company has made considerable investments towards having a gradual but consistent expansion with the enhancement of technology. Rather than paying more attention to the practice of routine lowering of fares, Southwest Airlines has previously embraced the provision of satisfactory services through its human resource team as well as a permanent reduction of fares with the objective of establishing loyalty and profitability (Motwani, 2015). Moreover, Southwest Airlines is among the highest ranking companies in ensuring employee satisfaction which motivates its human resource department to perform its roles and responsibilities diligently and effectively (Miles & Mangold, 2015). 

HR Metrics

According to Dan and Xinde (2014), human resource measurements and metrics have a critical role to play in the determination of the effectiveness and value demonstrated by used to determine the value and effectiveness of initiatives driven by the human resource. Typical human resource metrics often include areas like return on human capital, training, rates of turnover, expenses incurred by the company per employee, and cost of labor among others. In that respect, Southwest Airlines tends to show its commitment towards observing human resource metrics by hiring qualified and experienced individuals as well as raising its return on human capital by ensuring they receive relevant training regularly (Noe, 2009).

HR Technology

The description by Carey (2013), presents the aspect of human resource technology as the consideration of hardware and software used in facilitating the automation of functions, roles, and responsibilities of the human resource in a company. In this regard, the human resource at Southwest Airlines Company has continuously been subjected to a gradual enhancement of its human resource technology through various measures. To that extent, human resource strategies in this company include performance management, workforce evaluation and analysis, acquisition and management of talents, automation of employee compensation and payroll as well as administration of benefits (Thomas, 2015). 

HR Planning

The strategic human resource planning adopted by Southwest Airlines focuses on the identification of both the present and future needs of its employees in the process of attaining its goals and objectives. In this way, some of the strategies that this airline company uses in its human resource planning processes provide a critical link between the management of human resource and the entire strategic plan for the company. Moreover, human resource planning plays a vital role in eliminating workforce surpluses or shortages. Some of the steps involved in human resource planning include analysis of the existing supply of labor, forecasting demand for labor, striking a balance between supply and projected labor as well as attainment of goals and objectives for the company (Hallowell, 2012). 

HR Retention

In Southwest Airlines Company, human resource retention places more emphasis on various measures that assist it to retain its employees and workers in different departments. For instance, this company offers incentives and benefits for employees who demonstrate exemplary and outstanding performance as a way of motivating and retaining them. Furthermore, the company, through its management, work towards improving its level of employee satisfaction among other strategies to lower the rates of turnover. According to Noe (2009), human resource retention is an essential means of reducing turnover and ensuring that the organizational memory and culture are maintained amongst employees. Besides, the human resource department in any organization plays a vital role in determining the rate of employee retention. 

Equal Employment Opportunity

Compliance

Compliance with the requirements and expectations of equal employment opportunity according to the Civil Rights Act plays a crucial role in ensuring that employees are adequately protected from discrimination that may be perpetrated by their employers. In its previous hiring and recruitments processes, Southwest Airlines has always demonstrated its compliance with standards of equal employment opportunities with the objective of providing all employees with a stable working environment that is appropriate personal growth and learning. Moreover, this airline company encourages innovation and creativity as a means of embracing compliance and enhancing the effectiveness of the productivity of its employees (Motwani, 2015). 

In this company, employees are always subjected to equality regarding care, concern, and respect. On certain occasions, this airline company has gone to the extent of hiring the services of regulatory compliance analysts with the aim of ensuring that the processes of its human resource departments meet equal employment and opportunity requirements. Also, the regulatory compliance analysts are charged with the responsibility of ensuring that all the aircraft that are operational among the fleet of Southwest Airlines have all the requirements and certifications. In this respect, the requirements of the human resource processes and the airline operations are largely significant in ensuring that the Southwest Airlines Company complies with the Federal Aviation Regulations (Dan & Xinde, 2014).

Diversity

Workforce diversity in its various departments has always characterized the human resource culture and practice at Southwest Airlines. To that extent, the company acknowledges the uniqueness presented by all individuals who happen to be an integral part of the workforce. The employees of this airline company comprise of people from diverse genders, races, religion, and cultural backgrounds (Thomas, 2015). The management of this company considers embracing diversity as a means of achieving the requirements and expectations of equal employment opportunity. Besides, the idea of embracing workforce diversity is crucial toward enhancing the competitive advantages of this particular company. 

The management has always adopted and incorporated human resource diversity in its own culture and practices. The findings by Miles and Mangold (2015) have demonstrated that several challenges may be associated with the idea of embracing diversity including ineffective communication, inadequate acknowledgment of different skills from overseas, social isolation and high costs of training. Nonetheless, the diversity of the workforce in this airline company has its benefits such as lower turnover, increased opportunities to acquire knowledge from other cultures and lower rates of absenteeism among members of the company’s workforce. 

Selection

The process of selection used by Southwest Airlines entails evaluating and interviewing of various candidates with the objective of determining their qualification and suitability to perform specific roles and responsibilities in the company. Hallowell (2012) observes that the processes of selection and recruitment play a vital role towards the development of the workforce in a company since its overall performance and production value is largely dependent on the selection of the right candidates for different positions. Southwest Airlines Company uses various strategies in ensuring that it hires a dedicated team of employees. The human resource department in this company builds its interviewing techniques on specific requirements and expectations that form part of a job description. 

In that respect, this company uses interviewing questions that focus on behavioral aspects in determining whether the candidates being interviewed have appropriate attributes. For instance, the interviewing panel would be interested in establishing whether a candidate is capable of being a passionate and diligent team player. The company also performs a motivation interview with the objective of establishing the level of understanding of a candidate concerning the position that he or she applies for (Thomas, 2015). Moreover, the human resource management in Southwest Airlines focuses on establishing as alignment between the jobs desired by a candidate with his or her career objectives. 

Staffing

Job Analysis

The explanation by Appelbaum and Fewster (2013) presents the aspect of job analysis in human resource and staffing as a set of procedures that are used in the identification of the components of a job with concerning the attributes, requirements, and activities necessary in its performance. The process of staffing adopted by Southwest Airlines Company uses the aspect of job analysis to ensure that it obtains the relevant information that is applicable in determining the most suitable employees to be hired for particular jobs. In conducting the exercise of job analysis Southwest Airlines Company is always committed to the identification of the major competencies that a job seeker would be expected to demonstrate in his or her successful performance of specific roles and responsibility in line with a desired position or job (Thomas, 2015). 

Besides, this company has been practicing job analysis as a way of acquiring information regarding abilities, skills, and knowledge that are necessary for entry in different job positions that it offers. Both new and already existing positions in this particular airline company are usually assigned to a given zone and job family through the process of job analysis. The exercise is formulated and implemented with the objective of classifying different jobs and positions into various zones and families based on competencies, qualifications and assigned duties (Motwani, 2015). 

Recruiting

The views by Miles and Mangold (2015) consider the process of recruiting used in staffing as that which entails advertising, application, interviewing, shortlisting, selection and appointment of appropriately qualified individuals to occupy various job positions in an organization. Southwest Airlines usually conduct the unique process of recruiting that commences with the description of roles and responsibilities for a given job position. This description entails listing of various attributes that the company seeks among different candidates who apply for a particular position. In the recruitment process, Southwest Airlines becomes involved in the conduction of behavioral assessments as a way of establishing whether its prospective members of staff embody personality traits that are critical in the effective and successful performance of their respective roles and responsibilities. 

Recently, Southwest Airlines Company has been committed to making considerable investments in technology as a means of streamlining and enhancing the efficiency of its recruitment process (Appelbaum & Fewster, 2013). To that extent, the company has an online platform where the preliminary stages of the process of recruiting are usually conducted before they proceed to more advanced levels such as interviewing, shortlisting, selection and appointment. The recruiting policies at Southwest Airlines Company usually compel its human resource management to spend an inordinate duration in the entire process of hiring and recruiting.

Selection

Southwest Airlines uses a selection process that involves evaluating and interviewing of various candidates with the objective of determining their qualification and suitability to perform specific roles and responsibilities in the company. According to Noe (2009), the processes of selection and recruitment are crucial in the development of the workforce in a company since its overall performance, and production value is largely dependent on the selection of the right candidates for different positions. Southwest Airlines Company uses various strategies in ensuring that it hires a dedicated team of employees. The human resource department in this company builds its interviewing techniques on specific requirements and expectations that form part of a job description. 

In that respect, this company uses interviewing questions that focus on behavioral aspects in determining whether the candidates being interviewed have appropriate attributes. For instance, would focus on determining whether a candidate is capable of being a passionate and diligent team player. The company also conducts a career motivation interview with the aim of assessing the level of understanding of a candidate concerning the position that he or she desires. The human resource management in Southwest Airlines enhances its staffing processes by adopting a selection technique that aligns the qualifications and competencies of a candidate with his or her roles and responsibilities in the desired position (Dan & Xinde, 2014).

Talent Management

Orientation

The management of talent at Southwest Airlines plays a crucial role in ensuring that new employs with various unique talents and capabilities are appropriately integrated into the human resources culture of the company. In this regard, orientation assists new employees by aligning their abilities, skills, and knowledge with their new roles and responsibilities at the company. Other than orientation, Southwest Airlines uses various social events and mentoring as ways of ensuring prudent management of talents for its employees. According to Hallowell (2012), Southwest Airlines is associated with a culture of thorough engagement of its new employees through the orientation process. Part of this engagement is an extensive process of onboarding which places more emphasis on nurturing of various talents possessed by members of the company's workforce.

Training

The human resource department in this airline company is always on ensuring that the performances capabilities and output of the members of its workforce is enhanced through regular sessions of training. Talent training at Southwest Airlines Company provides its workforce with both long-term and short-term rewards concerning their loyalty as well as company fusion and enhancement of the general performance. Most of the strategies used by this airline company place more emphasis on the management of talents for its various employees focus on training as a long-term investment. Effective training sessions conducted by this company are critical in leveraging on various decisive moments where its employees have involved their career paths with the objective of attaining more impactful measures of performance and productivity (Noe, 2009). 

HR Development

According to Appelbaum and Fewster (2013), talent management plays a vital role in human resource development and improvement of the efficiency and productivity of the workforce in an organization such as Southwest Airlines Company. In this particular airline company, human resources development normally involves career development, training, organizational effectiveness, and personal improvement to achieve a holistic efficiency of service delivery to its customers. Further, this company has invested significantly in the development of major competencies that equip and empower its employees to perform their present and future roles and responsibilities as effectively as possible. Furthermore, the aspect of human resource development used by Southwest Airlines has been useful in the provision of a framework that has been assisting its employees to improve their organizational and personal knowledge, abilities and skills. 

Career Planning

The observation by Thomas (2015) indicates that career planning is part of career management that enables an employee to establish his or her future value. The incorporation of talent management into career planning by Southwest airlines has been critical to members of its workforce in facilitating their contributions towards the definition of their choices and preferences in their respective career paths. Career planning is important in encouraging employees in a company or an organization to participate in the processes of exploration and acquisition of information. These processes allow employees to obtain competencies, synthesize information, set objectives, make decisions and take actions concerning the present and future of their careers. To that extent, Southwest Airlines Company has always encouraged its employees to participate effectively in the process of planning their jobs. 

Performance Management

The techniques of performance management employed by Southwest Airlines Company in managing talents among members of its workforce entail ensuring the presence of consistency in aligning different talents with the goals of the company. Dan and Xinde (2014) indicate that aspect of performance management in human resource functions may choose to focus on the efficiency and productivity of an employee, a department, processes or an organization among several other areas. The system of performance management used by Southwest Airlines also considers its interrelation with various other systems and processes in the airline industry. Performance management of employees at this airline company focuses on the alignment of organizational objectives with competency requirements, agreed measures, plans for development and delivery of outcome associated with their employees. The emphasis is usually placed on development, learning, and improvement of the performance capabilities for various employees as a way of achieving an efficiently performing workforce. 

Rewards

Compensation

Attractive compensation of employees at Southwest Airlines is one of the strategies that it uses in retaining and acquiring quality members of staff. In this respect, the compensation package used by this airline company includes bonuses, salaries, wages, and structured commissions. According to Hallowell (2012), appropriate compensations given to employees is crucial in ensuring that a company attracts and retains individuals with top talents and immense competencies. To that extent, it is essential for an organization to ensure that its compensation strategy is structured in a manner that effectively meets the expectation of its quality employees under the prevailing circumstances as defined by the market. 

Moreover, the idea of offering attractive compensation packages to its employees has played a considerable role in ensuring that Southwest Airlines Company maintains or boosts its competitive advantage. According to Thomas (2015), compensation entails payment made to an employee in exchange for his or her contribution, performance, or productivity in a given organization. Mostly, compensation is offered by employers to employees as a variable pay or base pay. The basis for base pay is the role played by the organization and the existing market concerning the role or responsibility of an employee. On the other hand, the basis for using variable pay as a form of compensation is the level of performance displayed by an employee while performing a given role or responsibility.

Incentives

Recognition incentives offered to employees in various organizations such as Southwest Airlines Company may include issuing employees with certificates of accomplishments, salary increments praising employees, promoting employees and, thanking employees among others. Southwest Airlines uses incentive strategies that offer recognition to its employees through a structured program. This airline company ensures that its employees are adequately motivated with a purpose that is more significant compared to a paycheck (Appelbaum & Fewster, 2013).

Owing to the strategic forms of recognition incentives that Southwest Airlines has been offering to its employee in more than forty years of its operation, its employees and executives have always strived towards improving their, culture, dedication to service, performance, and loyalty to customers. In January 2013, Southwest Airlines participated in the unveiling of its new purpose and vision as part of the incentives meant to motivate its employees. According to Motwani (2015), the establishment or re-establishment of a vision by an organization may be considered as an incentive to employees since it assists in casting a dream for the achievements that a company may make. To that extent, the purpose and vision of an organization should focus on being audacious and ambitious in pursuing its various goals and objectives. 

Benefits

Carey (2013) posits that the benefits enjoyed by employees in various companies may include, but not limited to, various forms of non-wage compensations. Southwest Airlines Company ensures that its employees and executives are offered benefits that are commensurate with their efforts and performance in their various roles and responsibilities. For instance, there are situations in this airline company where benefits are issued to employees in the form of health insurance cover, alternative and flexible work arrangements, retirement benefits, disability income protection paid and non-paid vacation, and sick leave among others. Other benefits offered by Southwest Airlines to its employees include communication connections, personal training and development, employee engagement and travel, community outreach, wellness assistance, and financial rewards. 

Risk Management and Worker Protection

Health and Wellness

Some of the health and wellness measures undertaken by Southwest Airlines in promoting health and wellness as a means of risk management and worker protection include primary safety training, provision of protective gear, proper organization of work schedules and safety modification of equipment. Moreover, that company has managed to introduce a structured wellness program that assists its employees to live better while at work and away from work by enhancing health. Availability of medical cover is another means through which Southwest Airline Company has always shown its commitment towards worker protection and management of risks. In this respect, employees have a wide range of options from which to choose regarding medical coverage such as high deductible health plans among others. To this extent, health and wellness plans are facilitated through the role played by this company in setting aside some finances obtained from monthly payments (Hallowell, 2012).

Safety

In considering worker protection, the safety of employees at Southwest Airlines is paramount. In that regard, the company commits to ensuring that the security and safety of its workers and customers are guaranteed where safety forms its number one priority. This airline company has always worked towards fostering and creating a culture of security and safety that is involved inn he proactive identification and management of workplace and operation risks before leading to incidents, accidents to injuries. Moreover, the company has been able to establish governance and policies that play a considerable role in directing its focus and that of its employees towards upholding security and safety (Thomas, 2015). In connection with this establishment, the leadership and employees at Southwest Airlines have a responsibility to establish and uphold acceptable levels of security and safety in their various workplaces as well as in the course of their operations such as management of flights. 

Security

As a way of observing the highest levels of security, Southwest Airlines demonstrates its commitment by ensuring compliance with all the security and safety policies provided by governmental and non-governmental regulatory bodies. The company is also involved in a proactive identification and reporting of hazardous situations or circumstances in its operations which substantially boosts its security and safety cultures as well as performance. Besides, this company is committed to the establishment of an annual review of the objective related to its safety measures. This review entails tracking, evaluating and monitoring of the security objectives developed by the company to address any new developments of threats to safety. The airline company also embraces a security model that promotes and facilitates processes of reporting among employees with the objectives of having rapid responses to situations, circumstances, actions, processes, or conditions that might have adverse effects to the state of security (Dan & Xinde, 2014). 

Disaster and Recovery Planning

According to the observation made by Motwani (2015), disaster occurring at an airline company may be attributable to natural calamities or other mundane ways like configuration challenges, human error. Generally, disasters may happen in the form of earthquakes, tornadoes, floods or fire. Southwest Airlines Company places considerable emphasis on disaster and recovery planning as a way of managing risks and ensuring the protection of workers and employees. Proper preparation of disaster and recovery management operations at an airline company is critical in ensuring that disruptions and damages to the data center are prevented or minimized in the event of a disaster. The quality of technology and infrastructure installed by Southwest Airlines Company has always placed a crucial role in ensuring that the processes and measures of disaster and recovery planning are efficient and effective. Moreover, this company has previously shown the tendency of conceptualization of data protection and disaster recovery as ways of improving its planning processes. 

Employee and Labor Relations

Employee Rights and Privacy

According to Thomas, (2015), the privacy rights of employees entail the availability confidentiality associated with the work activities and personal information of workers. Companies usually have a legal obligation to ensure that the privacy rights of their employees are adequately respected and protected. In some situations, the policies of an organization or a company may dictate the systems, structures, and frameworks used in protecting the rights of employees. Considering that Southwest Airlines Company acknowledges and appreciates that its employees have some basic rights, it has put appropriate measures in place to ensure that its worker is entitled to freedom of expression, freedom from discrimination, the right to fair compensation, and the right to privacy among others. This airline company ensures that its human resources management does not discriminate its workers based on religion, national origin, race, gender, cultural background or age. While at work, Southwest Airlines' employees are usually entitled to the right to protection of their privacies in the sense that no third party is allowed to gain unauthorized access to the voicemail messages or telephone conversations of workers. 

HR Policies

The human resource policies used by Southwest Airlines comprise of guidelines, rules, and regulations that govern, hiring, recruitment, selection, staffing, training, and rewarding of the members of its workforce. Carey (2013) clarifies that human resource policies may be established as a way of assisting an organization to have both external and internal demonstrations of its commitment towards meeting the requirements of ethics, diversity, and corporate governance. 

For instance, the dismissal of an employee from an organization such as Southwest Airlines has to be conducted according to the human resources policies of that particular organization as well as the labor relation laws and regulations. Corporate culture is an aspect that plays a crucial role in guiding the establishment and implementation of human resources policies on various occasions by the Southwest Airlines Company (Miles & Mangold, 2015). To this extent, human resources policies used by this airline company are critical in laying the foundation of standards of behaviors as well as setting out company obligations. 

Union/Management Relations

A labor union comprises of workers who come together to enhance their presence and impact while negotiating for favorable working conditions and wages with their employers. Workers in Southwest Airlines Company such as pilots and mechanics belong in labor unions whose bargaining processes often influence relations with the company's management. According to Dan and Xinde, (2014), the management of union relations involving the employees of a given company or organizations is often used in building a strong relationship between the management and workers. As such, the management at Southwest Airlines strengthens its relations with its employees by striving to foster a workplace culture that embraces efficient operations, efficient communication, employee inclusivity, consideration of the welfare of employees and respectful dialogue among others. 

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