Human Resource Management - Best Practices at the FedEx Corporation

Since its inception, FedEx's management focused on providing a suitable work environment that encouraged employees to come up with innovative solutions. Employees responded positively to the faith reposed in them and displayed exemplary commitment towards their work. The extent of the commitment of the employees could be gauged from the fact that during the first couple of years, when the company was going through severe financial difficulties, the employees were prepared to sell their personal belongings and use their own credit cards to purchase fuel to deliver the packages to the customers. Even when the employees didn't receive their salary on time, they continued working with FedEx.

FedEx believed in promoting people from within for higher management cadres. The SFA program helped management take decisions regarding promotions, though its utility was confined to evaluating the performance of the managerial cadre employees only. FedEx also provided opportunities to employees from the non-managerial cadres to move up to the managerial level. In order to encourage non-managerial cadre employees to move to the managerial level within the organization, FedEx devised a unique program known as 'Leadership Evaluation and Awareness Process' (LEAP).