Southwest Airlines Human Resources Department

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT
From SBR 1993 SWA HR Case Study

Analysis
The human resources (HR) department was renamed the “People Department” to change the overall company perspective of HR. Ann Rhoades was worried that the group was seen as an oversight and regulatory department, the corporate handbook was thrown away and they started from scratch. Bringing in new people with marketing backgrounds provided the capability to transform the existing view of HR. Since an employee ahs to have line experience to join the department, they have first hand knowledge of worker needs. The current charter of the people department is through informal teamwork, become information providers for the employees and to do whatever it takes to make the customer happy. As a result, the department now treats employees as internal customers and has aligned their image with the company culture.

Current Human Resources Strategy
Southwest’s hiring policy is conservative, b...