MY TRAVEL MERGER

Thomas Cook, My Travel Merger



Table of Contents

Introduction2

Human Resources Policy3

Flex Time and Telecommuting6

Effective Leadership8

Traditional vs. Mediation Grievance Process9

Code of Conduct11

Conclusion14

References16

Executive Summary

In the midst of a merger/acquisition transition, it is important to assess the theoretical and practical dimensions of effective decision. Utilizing these theories can develop a plan to effectively avoid the negative impact of mergers in organizations. The several aspects of Human Resources' policies from the merger/acquisition in organizations will be discussed in this paper, which help managers to resolve variety of communicational, and empowerment issues that may surface during the mergers. In addition, the potentially conflicting policies will then be discussed in this paper and methods will be proposed for merging or synthesizing identified.

Thomas Cook, My Travel Merger

Introduction

The challenges inherent in any organizational change can be viewed as problems to overcome or as opportunities for enhancing success. Mergers/Acquisitions are complex but this is a common and accepted strategy in businesses today. One of the most important functions for the transition team is the task of merging different sets of human resource (HR) policies from the two companies involved in the merger/acquisition(Actenhagen, Melin, 2008, 29).

This paper will provide a plan to help create a strategy for leaderships to address the needs of the group and will provide organized information to help make the right decisions, simplify the integration process, provide business information, processes and identify expectations (Actenhagen, et al., 2008, 84). The implementation of the plan will benefit the organization by integrating efforts to reduce the companies' risk, help organize the integration of the merger, and stabilize the workplace managed and cross- functional.

Human Resources Policy

No matter the breadth or depth of an organization, it will always have the inherent need for human resources. It is safe to say that without manpower, no organization in the world would exist. Shared values are expressed through an organization's policies (Leitch, et al., 1996, 36). When merging policies of multiple organizations, previous policies must be tailored to fit the new organization. Leitch, et al., suggests the following steps when merging policies of two different companies:

1- Perform an audit of the HR functions of both organizations before the merger to analyze the existing policies. The audit will reveal what both companies have to bring to the table.

2- Choose HR leadership. These people need to have the competence and skills to effectively integrate the policies so that they correspond to the staff, demands, culture, and expectations of the new organization.

3- Select the best in all areas of HR practice. The chosen leadership should assess the policies of both organizations and create a comprehensive system that will add value to the new organization(Jaramillo, 2006, 138). They should also correct any flaws that existed in the policies of the pre-merged organizations.

4- Audit and review on a regular basis. Once the policies have been merged, they should be reviewed to ensure the initial decisions make sense, are being effectively implemented, and are working successfully.

According to Cook, the "Individuals" of organizations, today's HR professionals work in a wide ...