CASE STUDY/SCENARIO . Answer comprehensively. 10 points

One example of combining national and organizational cultures is the health

promotion program in IKEAs Glasgow store. There are 480 co-workers there,

two-thirds of them part-time and two-thirds femalealthough the women are not

concentrated disproportionately in part-time work. When applying to work at IKEA

Glasgow, all applicants are asked to state their preference for full-time or part-time

work. Another characteristic of the workforce is that it is mainly composed of staff

who bring enthusiasm, commitment and energy, according to Burgess. In a newly

opened store, a health promotion program may not be expected to be a particular

priority. Nevertheless, in addition to subsidized healthy meals from the large and

popular public cafeteria, all employees can take advantage of free podiatry (medical

foot care) and massage sessions during work time. Burgess believes it is important

that co-workers generally see IKEA as investing a lot in themand the feedback

we get suggests they do. Offering podiatry and massages relates in particular to

the physical nature of much of the work, with staff often working on their feet and

wearing protective boots. Doing physical work is not the exclusive preserve of shop

floor staff; departmental and senior managers all help when needed.

Business Controller David Montgomerie has taken advantage of the chiropody

service. This was a new experience for him and although his initial motivation was

the novelty value and curiosity, he now believes promotion of health awareness and

general fitness is very important. One of Montgomeries team is Abigail Jones, an

IT specialist. Jones has also used the chiropody service, a first for her. Its a good

perkIKEA is obviously interested in the well-being of staff and are very people

oriented. Stephanie Miller, a young part-time employee who works on the shop

floor, believes that health promotion to encourage a healthy lifestyle is a good idea

and fun as well. She did not expect such services, but can see that they are valuable.

The most recent initiative in IKEAs health promotion program is an upcoming Fit

for Work week. IKEA will offer a range of fitness and occupational health activities

during that week. The high rates of staff participation for previous Fit to Work weeks

indicate that this program has been well-received by staff.

Question: If you are the HR consultant, will you do the same HR strategy? Why or Why not? 10 points