Reference no: EM132962235

Case Study

Benford Apparel ("Benford") is a large Canadian retailer specializing in high-end menswear. Their clothing consists primarily of suits, sports jackets and a variety of formalwear. Benford's first store location opened in Toronto in 1989. Since then, they have expanded operations to Calgary and Vancouver and currently employ ~1000 employees nationally. The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted sales across all offices. Benford does not have any online retail presence and sales come exclusively from store locations. As a result, revenue is down 80% since 2019. They have had to lay off and terminate a large percentage of the workforce throughout the pandemic, and as a result, morale is extremely low across all three locations.

In addition to its financial burdens, Benford is facing the following HR related issues:

1. A retail employee in the Ontario office has notified the HR manager that her supervisor is bullying her and others in the department and that this has been ongoing for a year. HR is unsure what to do about the claim and is not even sure whether it is true.

2. Turnover among new employees is at an all-time high in the Vancouver office, with 85% of new employees leaving Benford in the first 6 months. Exit interviews suggest that employees are leaving because they feel isolated from colleagues and managers, are unfamiliar with company norms and policies, and generally feel unsupported in their first weeks as new employees. Pre COVID, onboarding for new employees was highly collaborative and interactive, consisting of:

• A full week of in-person training with a technical trainer
• In-person sessions with IT, HR and other functions to assist with on boarding
• A welcome lunch at a local restaurant with the department manager and teammate
• A 1:1 meeting with the CEO of Benford to welcome the new employee to the company

Since COVID, none of this has been taking place and onboarding is fully virtual. 3. An employee in the Calgary office has come forward claiming they are being paid less than minimum wage. The claim is true. Benford has hired you, an external consultant, to provide them with counsel on how to address these issues. Answer the following questions: (Please Answer The Following 3 Questions Only) 1. Benford's CEO wants to fire both employees engaged in the alleged bullying issue (the victim and perpetrator) in order to make this issue go away. As the external consultant, you disagree that this is the right approach. Make a recommendation on what you would suggest to the HR Manager instead as a next step.

2. Outline two recommendations to improve the virtual onboarding experience for Vancouver new hires. Explain how they would help increase morale, collaboration and a sense of belonging.

3. Research what the "general minimum wage" currently is in Calgary (ie: the current hourly rate), and the name of the Canadian legislation in Calgary that covers minimum wage requirements (ie name of Act, Code, etc). How do you recommend Benford determine if there are others in the organization being underpaid?