Verified Document

Human Resources Best Practices: The Hershey Company Essay

Human Resources Best Practices: The Hershey Company The Hershey Company (Hershey) is a world leader, not only in the manufacture of chocolate, but also in ethical behavior. Employing approximately 13,600 people worldwide, Hershey markets its products in 50 countries, with key markets in the United States, Canada, Mexico, India, China and Brazil (The Hershey Company, n.d.). Realizing the importance of ethics in its worldwide operations, Hershey is pointedly: "committed to being all-inclusive" (The Hershey Company, n.d.), deliberately courting prospective employees across the arrays of age, gender, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation; dedicated to mentoring as a means of enhancing the lives of its mentor/protege teams, their families, neighborhoods and beyond. As a result, Hershey has created a thriving organizational culture benefitting everyone it touches.

Diversity

Hershey's values and the Company's actions to support those values are clearly stated:

"We are committed to being all-inclusive and to realizing our vision of 'Great People Building Great Brands.' Our story of diversity is told through our Great People of diverse backgrounds, ideas and interests. We provide opportunities for our employees to learn, grow and shine in both the work environment and the community. Our Diversity Councils and Affinity Groups provide a forum through which employees may provide and discuss recommendations on increasing productivity as well as the quality of our work environment"(The Hershey Company, n.d.).

Since diversity involves the area of gender, age, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation, that issue theoretically encompasses billions of people across the globe. Furthermore, Hershey manufactures its products in 17 countries and markets those products in 50 countries (The Hershey Company, n.d.); consequently, the company cuts a wide swath across globally possible employees and distributors of every gender, age, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation. Operating in countries as different as Mexico and China, for example, Hershey must learn and embrace widely differing values, customs and languages in order to operate as effectively as possible,...

Hershey also sponsors affinity groups for Asians, African-Americans and Hispanics, a network for young professionals, "Prism" -- "a resource for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) employees and an alliance for all employees of The Hershey Company," the Women's Council and a Sales Diversity Council (The Hershey Company, n.d.). Through its workplace policies, Inclusion Days, 'Lunch and Learn' speakers, in-depth diversity-rich website, diversity e-mail newsletters, and widespread sponsorships, Hershey captures a huge share of the world's market while benefitting every community in which it operates.
Through its many programs and sponsorships, Hershey encourages its employees to interpret those values and apply them to his/her own function within the company (Denecke & McGuire, 2005). Ideally, an employee should interpret those values to require excellent job performance, not only in the employee's individual performance but also in the employee's dealings with the diverse employee groups encountered in the workplace. Hershey's values should also be interpreted to mean that the employee does not merely value achievement; rather, the employee values achievement with diversity. Hershey's values should also be interpreted to mean that each employee is personally accountable for furthering and strengthening Hershey's values by the employee's actions and speech, both on the job and in the employee's personal life.

3. Mentoring

Mentoring is "usually…

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

Authenticity Consulting, LLC. (n.d.). Mentoring. Retrieved from Managementhelp.org Web site: http://managementhelp.org/leadingpeople/mentoring.htm#anchor4294744861

Denecke, A., & McGuire, P. (2005, May 8). Six steps for implementing diversity programs . Retrieved from Portland Business Journal: http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2005/05/09/focus8.html

The Hershey Company. (n.d.). Hershey's | workforce diversity at the Hershey Company | careers. Retrieved from The Hershey Coimpany Web site: http://www.thehersheycompany.com/careers/workforce-diversity.aspx

The Hershey Company. (n.d.). Our values. Retrieved from The Hershey Company Web site: http://www.thehersheycompany.com/careers/values.aspx
The Hershey Company. (n.d.). Success factors. Retrieved from The Hershey Company web site: https://performancemanager4.successfactors.com/career?company=Hersheys&site=ZnExdTduOUNmQkE9
U.S. Office of Personnel Management. (n.d.). Mentoring. Retrieved from U.S. Office of Personnel Management Web site: http://www.opm.gov/hrd/lead/mentoring.asp
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Human Resources It Is Very Important for
Words: 1028 Length: 3 Document Type: Research Paper

Human Resources It is very important for an human resources director in the modern age of human resources and internet technology to understand that while paper-based resumes and applications as well as face-to-face-only contacts are not dead and gone as a common practice, the advent and advancement of the Internet as a job seeking and hiring mechanism cannot be denied and the phenomenon is never going to go away. It will

Trends and Best Practices in HR
Words: 1767 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

Business, Legal and Financial Environment SEIIC is in a technical insurance business. While the business has changed from its traditional characteristics since 9/11, those changes were not outlined in the case so we actually know very little about the challenges that the company is facing in the industry today, just that they are struggling. The business environment is getting more competitive. This could mean that there is competitive from foreign

Proctor and Gamble Strategic Case Study Company
Words: 2097 Length: 6 Document Type: Essay

Proctor and Gamble Strategic Case Study Company Overview P&G is an American multinational consumer goods corporation founded in 1837, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. It manufactures and distributes food and beverages, cleaning supplies and personal care products. In 2011, it showed almost $83 billion in sales, making it 5th in the "World's Most Admired Companies." P&G has about 130,000 employees globally (P&G Information, 2012). Bob McDonald is the current CEO, and worked for

People Management Is Basically Making Sure That
Words: 1622 Length: 6 Document Type: Essay

People management is basically making sure that all the employees of an organization are able to effectively coordinate themselves and carry out their duties to the highest possible standards. People management forms the highest part of any firm by ensuring that functions and duties are performed accurately and consistently at the highest standards (Purcell, 2008). The approaches and leadership stances employed by managers in people management field has been noted

Organization Diversity HR Organization Education Programs Organization...
Words: 3491 Length: 11 Document Type: Essay

Organization Diversity (HR) Organization education programs Organization Education Programs (OEPs) are employee benefit projects offered by numerous employers. OEPs are expected to assist employees manage personal or work related issues that may unfavorably affect their work performance, well-being or health. These programs usually incorporate temporary counseling, career growth and development and referral courses for employees. Numerous organizations are confronted with the issue of employer retention. It is costly to replace an employer who

Leadership Assessment, and Kodak and Fujifilm
Words: 4930 Length: 18 Document Type: Essay

Kodak and Fujifilm, And Leadership Assessment Kodak and Fujifilm The History and Core Business of Each Company Eastman Kodak, in the words of Hill and Jones (2007, p. 482), "was incorporated in new jersey on October 24, 1901, as a successor to the Eastman Dry Plate Co., the business originally established by George Eastman in September 1880." It is important to note that as the authors further point out, the Dry Plate Company

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now