Answer 3:

As the HR head I would focus on the following strategies:

a) Flexible and positive work environment:

Design is a field which has a group of individuals who are given the freedom to work in their creative
space. They should feel trusted by their colleagues. Hence, we can provide multiple options like
flexible work hours and remote/hybrid working culture. This will build a sense of trust and
independence among them which can be an attractive option for them to join the team.
b) Diversity:
The company has around 100 employees. These 100 employees would be from different ethnicity and
cultural background. This quality can be leveraged in a positive way to showcase that we as a
company are inclusive of diverse cultures. This would make the potential designers feel welcomed
and positive about joining the team.
c) Learning opportunities:
The company can work on allocating a budget to each of the employee for training and development.
They can tie up with some other big brands and give employees a opportunity to attend workshops
and networking events with other designers as well. This will help them in their personal and
professional development. They would feel cared for and would be a potential factor for them to join
the team.
d) Collaboration:
The company can collaborate with different colleges. They can conduct workshops to let students
know about their brand and organize internship opportunities as well. These internships can be
converted to full time jobs too. This information can be passed on to students in top fashion
institutes. This will also help attract a talented and passion driven set of individuals to work with the
company.
e) Brand awareness:
Since this is a start-up, there are high chances that people would not be aware of the company and its
work. In such situations it is important to market the company efficiently on various socials and talk
about the work/achievements of the company. In any field, individuals tend to look at the company
and its goals/work before joining the team hence it is crucial to build a brand awareness, think of
some goal that set you company apart. This will help drive potential candidates to work with your
team.

Answer 2:
a) Before the training
- Nick should have spoken to Mary to understand her needs/ requirements for the training.
Mary would have probably shared her concerns and needs with Nick based on which he
could plan out a training schedule for her.
- If Nick decided on adding Mary to a training, he could have communicated the same with her
before adding her name to the list. He could have probably shared the benefits of the
training with Mary. This would have helped Mary be in alignment of her expectations as well.
- It is important to curate trainings for employees with utmost care to ensure that it aligns
with their work as well. If the training is not in alignment with the employees requirement it
would be a loss of time and money. This seemed to be an issue here where Nick simply
 added Mary to the training without a thorough research of whether it would be beneficial for
her or not.

b) During the training

- Nick should have supported Mary during the training period. That seemed to lack as Nick
dismissed off the topic whenever Mary tried to speak to him about the training and her
learnings. He should have shown signs of interest and probably guided Mary to best utilise it
in her day to day work.
- Nick should have checked with her post training on how the training was and collect
feedback from her to understand its effectiveness.
- Nick was the person who assigned the training however he showed signs of disinterest and
dismissed any work related to training as homework. This decreased the importance of the
training for the employee as well and develop a sense of taking the training casually.

c) After the training

- Nick should have checked with Mary on the feedback regarding the training. He could have
had a thorough discussion with her to understand if it benefitted her or not. Also, he could
have guided her to utilize this training in the best way possible in her day to day role as well.
- Mary seemed positive about the training even though she was never checked with or briefed
about the training, yet she took the training positively and she was thinking of ways to
implement them however Nick dismissed her quite a number of times when she came to
discuss about it rather he should have appreciated her for her efforts.

As an HR, my viewpoint:

- Nick should have shown some positivity towards the efforts taken by Mary rather than
dismissing her. Like it is said every action has a opposite reaction hence Nicks negative action
was not taken in a positive way by Mary as well and made her more agitated.
- Mary seemed to have a lot on the plate. She had a couple of submissions down the line, Nick
did not seem mindful of that. He assigned the training and added a sense of pressure to
submit the work in the stipulated time. He could have rather helped her plan this out. Mary
would have made to feel valued and cared for.

Answer 1:
As a HR consultant I would follow the below:
a) Conduct surveys:
Conducting anonymous surveys for the employees would be beneficial in understanding some of
the internal issues that employees are facing among them and is contributing to the negativity in
the environment within the organization. If we understand these factors , we can work on
policies/solutions to resolve them internally. There can also be a one on one connect with them
to dig deeper and build a sense of trust/care for them. Additionally, this will also help us
understand which department and manager are not doing well.
The end goal of the survey would be to improve their mental health. A healthy mind = A happy
individual = Happy employee. Hence, this activity needs to be conducted with utmost care and
sensitivity.

b) Cultural sensitivity:
As shared in the case let, this company has a diverse cultural. There are people from different
ethnicity and culture. To have a healthy environment, it is important to have each employee
understand and be sensitive to different cultures. The best way to go about the same would be
via employee trainings. These trainings can be done on a monthly basis. This will help employees
understand different cultures, be sensitive towards their colleagues and respect them. There was
an example shared, where a French chef was shouting at the other employees however since the
others were from a different culture they were unable to understand him and vice versa , it might
be normal for the French chef to behave this way. We might be unaware hence such activities
should take place in the organization to build cultural sensitivity.

c) Managerial Training:
There should be leadership training conducted for the managers of different departments in the
organization. This is important as managers are like the roots of a tree. And the employees are
the branches. The tree and its branches stem out of the roots. If the root is weak the tree will fall
apart likewise if a manager is not skilled enough then the department and its employees would
fall apart. The manager should have the necessary skills like the ability to solve disagreements
within the team, understanding different cultures and ensuring their team does too and effective
communication with the employees is a must. They should build a sense of trust and care within
their team, this will contribute towards the happiness of the employee and add on to having a
positive workspace.