Managing Human Resources, the Fedex Way

Abstract

Federal Express Corporation (FedEx) invented the express transportation and logistics industry in 1973. The company offered a service to ship packages of many sizes over both short and long distances. Speed and reliability were the core strengths of the company. Frederick Smith, the founder believed right from the inception that in order to stay ahead of competition and to deliver value to customers, he had to create a stimulating workplace and encourage his employees to give their best. FedEx encouraged employees to come out with innovative solutions apart from delivering documents and packages on time. It followed the people first policy at all times and shared the benefits of progress with employees. There was clear communication at all levels. There were sincere and genuine efforts to upgrade skills and competencies of employees through constant training sessions. Employee development was given top priority. The company had put excellent reward programs in place. It went out of the way to attract and retain talent through excellent HR practices. The case study throws light on how those HR best practices have helped the company to outwit competition and deliver unmatched value to customers all over the globe consistently.

Keywords: FedEx, HR practices, People-Service-Profit Philosophy