Leveraging the Power of Human Resource Management Practices for Workforce Empowerment in SMEs on the Shop Floor: A Study on Exploring and Resolving Issues in Operations Management

Comment 1 -  Overall, I think the work is good as a case study. I think the methodological section has been improved.
I only have one comment. The introduction section needs to be improved to be more succinct; it merges with the theoretical framework.
Also, the paragraph that begins:

The present study consists of eight sections. The first section describes the introduc- (478)

Should be integrated into the introduction.

Authors’ Reply –

The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments. the suitable modification has been included accordingly.

The correction has been shown on page 9, lines 324-335.

Comment 1 - The abstract needs significant improvement to ensure clarity and focus. It should explicitly address the aim, methodology, results, conclusion, and implications of the study. Furthermore, the abstract should incorporate a discussion of the theoretical framework underpinning the study to provide context and support for the research framework. By clearly outlining these elements, the abstract will better summarize the study and its contributions.

Authors’ Reply –

The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments; The suitable modification has been included accordingly.

The correction has been shown on page 1, lines 12-20, lines 26-29, lines 34-39, page 2, lines 40-41.

Comment 2 - The introduction section is overly detailed and lacks clarity, making it challenging to follow the main points. Such as the section discusses general objectives of HRM, such as workforce engagement, skill development, safety, and security, the specific objectives of the current study are not clearly articulated. Additionally, the discussion in the introduction appears abrupt and contains excessive repetition, which diminishes its overall coherence. It is essential to streamline this section by clearly delineating the background, research problem, objectives, and significance of the study. A stronger and more concise introduction is necessary to set a clear and focused context for the research.

Authors’ Reply – The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments, the suitable modification has been included accordingly.

The correction has been shown on page 2, lines 55-65, page 3, lines 68-74, page 4, lines 113-116, page 5, lines 117-135, lines 138-154, page 7, lines 255-258, page 8, lines 259-270, lines 288-302, page 9, lines 303-306.

Comment 3 - The literature review lacks an adequate discussion of the theory that forms the foundation of the study's framework. It is crucial to clearly identify and define the theory being used and to explain how it supports the current study model. This discussion will enhance the theoretical grounding of the research and provide a robust basis for its framework.

Authors’ Reply – The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments, the suitable modification has been included accordingly.

The literature review reported several issues in workforce empowerment in operations management on the shop floor in SMEs. These issues exhaust the workforce and minimize their outcomes. There were several issues recognized in operations management, including phycological conditions, working environment, grievance reporting, inappropriate scheduling, and biased allocation. These issues deteriorate the status of workforce empowerment in the current scenario of SMEs. The problems become severe when operators argue and request improvement in operations and human resource management practices, but the organizations fail to provide suitable solutions. This trauma and failure directly impact the workforce contribution and engagement on the shop floor and cause severe losses to the organization. The present study developed a framework for identifying and tackling the issues responsible for the deterioration of workforce contribution using human resource management practices policy. The developed framework is validated by investigating its feasibility in a real-life electric vehicle manufacturing scenario where the Human Resources team was exhausted and looking to resolve employee-related issues instantly and establish sustainable operations management. The developed framework provides mental and psychological peace for performing the operations on the shop floors. The present study can fulfil the manufacturer's needs within confined constraints with standardized operations management and human resource management personnel protocols.

The following research works have been considered for the development of the present framework.

1.         D. O. R. Oluwatoyin Gbenga Bawalla, “Technological Advancement: Issues, Challenges and Perspectives for Human Resource Practice in Nigeria,” KIU Journal of Social Sciences , vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 47–55, 2021.

2.         B. , & P. R. Sivathanu, “ Smart HR 4.0 – How Industry 4.0 is reshaping the human resource profession. ,” Human Resource Management International Digest, vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 25–32, 2020.

3.         Hauff, S., Guerci, M., Dul, J., & van Rhee, H. (2021). Exploring necessary conditions in HRM research: Fundamental issues and methodological implications. Human Resource Management Journal, 31(1), 18-36.

4.         Yandi, A., & Havidz, H. B. H. (2022). Employee performance model: Work engagement through job satisfaction and organizational commitment (A study of human resource management literature study). Dinasti International Journal of Management Science, 3(3), 547-565.

5.         Wissemann, A. K., Pit, S. W., Serafin, P., & Gebhardt, H. (2022). Strategic guidance and technological solutions for human resources management to sustain an aging workforce: review of international standards, research, and use cases. JMIR Human Factors, 9(3), e27250.

6.         Qin, R., & Nembhard, D. A. (2015). Workforce agility in operations management. Surveys in Operations Research and Management Science, 20(2), 55-69.

7.         Choudhary, P., & Kunte, M. (2023). Is high-performance work system making employees happy? An integrated model and research agenda for sustainable organizational growth. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 1-19.

The literature review reported several issues in workforce empowerment in operations management on the shop floor in SMEs. These issues exhaust the workforce and minimize their outcomes. There were several issues recognized in operations management, including phycological conditions, working environment, grievance reporting, inappropriate scheduling, and biased allocation. These issues deteriorate the status of workforce empowerment in the current scenario of SMEs. The problems become severe when operators argue and request improvement in operations and human resource management practices, but the organizations fail to provide suitable solutions. This trauma and failure directly impact the workforce contribution and engagement on the shop floor and cause severe losses to the organization. The present study developed a framework for identifying and tackling the issues responsible for the deterioration of workforce contribution using human resource management practices policy. The developed framework is validated by investigating its feasibility in a real-life electric vehicle manufacturing scenario where the Human Resources team was exhausted and looking to resolve employee-related issues instantly and establish sustainable operations management. The developed framework provides mental and psychological peace for performing the operations on the shop floors. The present study can fulfil the manufacturer's needs within confined constraints with standardized operations management and human resource management personnel protocols. To boost workplace productivity and reduce the negative impact in the workplace. the market and organizations find it crucial to realize the predictor and employee motivation. According to Herzberg's Two Factor Theory of Motivation, motivation and cleanliness have a significant impact on job satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Since the theory promotes a clear-cut idea, a thorough investigation and study of this theory is necessary to determine and address the productivity of the workforce. Herzberg's two-factor theory identifies and examines the drivers of employee satisfaction or workplace motivation and the drivers of employee dissatisfaction or workplace demotivation.  Herzberg's motivator-hygiene theory inspired researchers to study job satisfaction further. Herzberg, Mausner, and Snyderman introduced motivator-hygiene theory, which challenged the traditional notion of job satisfaction. According to Herzberg's theory, job satisfaction decreases from the presence of motivators such as recognition, work, promotion, responsibility, and achievement. The absence of these factors does not cause job dissatisfaction. Lack of hygiene factors, including working circumstances, compensation, interpersonal relationships, job security, corporate policies, and administration, can lead to job dissatisfaction.

The previous studies reported that the healthy HRM policy can fail in inappropriate operations management, technological advancement, and industry revolution transformations. There were several reasons for workforce deterioration, but few specific solutions for tackling the concerned issues. The solutions cannot provide a universal path for controlling workforce empowerment in a flexible working scenario. The present research developed a hybrid framework using the integration of HRM and operations management approach for identifying and tackling the issues reported in a cutting-edge work scenario. HRM and operations management approaches. The framework is verified by implementing it in a real-life operational scenario where organization is eager to take a valid key for tackling the workforce empowerment-related problems in the flexible working environment. The organization were changing their work setups from Industry 3.0 to 4.0 and was planning for Industry 5.0.

The correction has been shown on page 13, lines 511-518, 525-535.

Comment 4 - The methodology section states that the study "used a five-step methodology." However, there is insufficient justification or support for this approach. The authors need to explain whose methodology is being adopted or provide a rationale for why these specific five steps were chosen. The lack of strong support for the methodology raises questions about the study's validity. Additionally, the section should elaborate on how the study outcomes are implemented, as this is an essential part of the methodology and is currently underexplored.

Authors’ Reply – The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments, the style of writing has been improved. The suitable modification has been included accordingly.

The correction has been shown on page 15, lines 562-566, lines 585-586.

Comment 5 - The discussion section lacks sufficient integration of the study's findings with previous research and the theoretical framework. It is essential to provide a detailed discussion that demonstrates how the findings are supported by earlier studies and the chosen theory. This will strengthen the study's contributions and validate its results.

Authors’ Reply - The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments, the suitable modification has been included accordingly.

 The correction has been shown on page 27, lines 779-781.

Comment 6 - The study fails to adequately discuss its implications for theory and practice. Managerial implications should be provided to demonstrate how the proposed framework can benefit managers and practitioners. Similarly, the theoretical contributions of the study need to be highlighted, explaining how this research advances the existing body of knowledge.

Authors’ Reply –

The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments, The current research developed a framework using the human resource and operations management principles to identify and tackle the issues responsible for deteriorating workforce contribution in SMEs. The developed framework is validated by investigating its feasibility in a real-life electric vehicle manufacturing scenario where the human resources team was exhausted and looking to resolve employee-related issues instantly and establish sustainable operations management. The present study uses suitable action planning and human resource management practices to focus on workforce empowerment in an operational scenario. Organizations work on balanced work planning, and it is not possible to control the workforce's performance on the shop floor without suitable human resource management practice and planning.  The developed framework provides mental and psychological peace for performing the operations on the shop floors.

Figure 10 suggests the decision-making planning for achieving operations and human resource management excellence in the current operations management scenario of SMEs. The decision-making plan consists of guidelines and an action plan for tackling the shop floor performances in terms of workforce and operational factors. The guidelines show the directions for controlling workforce performance efficiently on the shop floor. The authorities can choose a suitable approach for enhancing the workforce performance if they face challenges in performing on the shop floor. The action plan is used for analyzing the operations and workforce performances on the shop floor. The analysis helps in starting suitable traditions and policies for eliminating negative thoughts with a positive work environment within the constraints of the manufacturer.

Figure 11 describes the contribution of the developed framework for the current inherent insights in operations and human resource management for maximizing workforce empowerment in SMEs.  The contribution describes the benefits of the developed framework in tackling the issues in operations and workforce management on the shop floor. The framework helps operations and human resources teams combat issues in flexible work environments within confined constraints. The operations and human resource teams can direct the workforce in achieving operational sustainability by establishing an innovative work platform. Innovative platforms use paperless and cutting-edge technologies to resolve the operations and workforce-related issues in the current SME scenario. The contribution shows that the operations and human resources teams can achieve operational, environmental, economic, and workforce sustainability on the shop floor.

Comment 7 - The conclusion should align more closely with the study's stated objectives and findings. A concise yet comprehensive conclusion will help in summarizing the study’s significance and impact.

Authors’ Reply –

The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments. The developed framework is novel for improving workforce contribution using human resource management practices in the current industrial scenario within the limited constraints of the concerned manufacturers. Organizations are looking to establish a unique key for controlling operations management performance by maximizing workforce contribution on the shop floor. However, they fail to achieve their targets within the limited constraints. As a result, the organization faces severe losses and even the possibility of shutting down. The present study focused on developing a novel framework for enhancing workforce contribution on the shop floor using HRM policies. The developed framework helps achieve workforce sustainability within manufacturers' constraints in the current operations management scenario. The study directs the HRM teams in controlling flexible manufacturing conditions in SMEs within available protocols and guidelines. A few studies have been done on controlling shop floor scenarios through modifications in HRM strategy. The present study developed a novel framework for improving workforce contribution using efficient HRM directions within the limited constraints of the concerned manufacturers. The present research focuses on workforce empowerment for operations management excellence on the shop floor by resolving the issues faced in organizing tasks and assignments in SMEs. The current research works as a booster for organizations where operations teams are looking for a sustainable platform for leveraging the power of human resource management practices for enhancing workforce empowerment within available resources. The developed framework provides workforce and operational sustainability within confined constraints. The study provides the current inherent insights for the human resource management practices and research directions of researchers and industry individuals who are searching for operational excellence and sustainability with maximization of workforce empowerment.

The correction has been shown on page 29, lines 838-842, page 30, lines 864-866.

Comment 1 -  The title of the paper is a bit long and may need revision (e.g., Leveraging the Power of Human Resource Management Practices for Workforce Empowerment and operations management issues on SMEs shop floors) or anything shorter than the current version.

Authors’ Reply –

Authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments. The present research developed a framework using the human resource management principle to identify and tackle the issues responsible for deteriorating workforce contribution in operations management. The study reviewed the challenges and issues in the current scenario of SMEs on the shop floor. The current title is concise and shows the precise information of the present research work. The readers can understand the current research work more efficiently. 

Comment 2 - Abstract is well-written.

Authors’ Reply – The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments.

Comment 3 - Introduction: Please see “workforce works” (line 42) and adjust (e.g., workforce acts or other suitable words).

Authors’ Reply – The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments, the suitable modification has been included accordingly.

The correction is shown on pages 2, line 47.

Comment 4 - There are numerous studies on improving HRM activities on shop floors in the given domain on this study. Why is this study needed? The rationale and need of this study is unclear. What is the main research question? In its current form the study looks like a replication of several studies already available on this topic.

Authors’ Reply – The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments, the suitable modification has been included accordingly. The literature review reported several issues in workforce empowerment in operations management on the shop floor in SMEs [145-149]. The issues were in two forms, one of which was the HRM section, and the second was the operations management department. The first HRM issues included unplanned scheduling, biased allocation, unhygienic working, and insecure platforms. Second, operations management issues, including psychological conditions, working environment, grievance reporting, inappropriate scheduling, and biased allocation. These issues exhaust the workforce, minimize their outcomes, and deteriorate the status of workforce empowerment in SMEs. The present study focuses on workforce empowerment in the industrial revolution and a cutting-edge work setup environment. This study helps in bridging the gap between the deployment of advanced technology and its efficient adoption by existing workers. The present study developed an integrated operations and HRM framework for tackling the issues responsible for the deterioration of workforce contribution. A few studies have been reported on workforce empowerment by controlling the shop floor scenarios through modifications in operations and human resource management strategy. The developed framework is novel for improving workforce contribution using human resource management and operations management practices in the current industrial scenario within the limited constraints of the concerned manufacturers. The framework integrated the operations and human resource management practices for tackling the issues in the flexible shop floor environments. The study used smart approaches for the identification of idle activities and grievance theories for improvement in shop floor outcomes. The developed framework is validated by investigating its feasibility in a real-life electric vehicle manufacturing scenario where the Human Resources team was exhausted and looking to resolve employee-related issues instantly and establish sustainable operations management. The study helps in maintaining workforce contribution in industry transformation and revolution scenario, considering Industry 3.0-4.0, 4.0-5.0, and 5.0-6.0.  The study leverages the operations and HRM practices' impact on the shop floor and eliminate the chasm between introducing cutting-edge technologies and their adoption by the existing workforce. 

The correction is shown on page 2, lines 55-65, page 3, lines 68-74, page 4, lines 113-116, page 5, lines 117-135, lines 138-154, page 7, lines 255-258, page 8, lines 259-270, lines 288-302, page 9, lines 303-306, page 13, lines 511-518, 525-535.

Comment 5 - Table 1, column “Reference” should have author names as well.

·          

Authors’ Reply - The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments.  The suitable modification has been included accordingly.

The correction has been shown on pages 3, lines 88-89, page 4, line 90.

Comment 6 -  Section 1.1 is overly stretched with repetition of ideas, it can be a short and concise paragraph to explain what the role of HRM in workforce empowerment is and why. In fact, sections 1.1 and 1.2 can be merged into 1 brief section with a clear description of what theory is being used in this study with a critical reflection to what other similar past studies have done in terms of applying theories.

Authors’ Reply - The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments.  The suitable modification has been included accordingly.

The correction has been shown on pages 5, lines 117-154.

Comment 7 -- Since the purpose of this study is vague and unclear, the methodology used is also unclear. Is this study reviewing past literature on HRM’s role in employee employment, shop floor issues for SMEs on a broader scale or for a specific organization as a case study? Since the following model development stages discusses testing at an SME, it is ambiguous what are the study’s target outcomes?

Authors’ Reply - The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments.  The literature review reported several issues in workforce empowerment in operations management on the shop floor in SMEs. These issues exhaust the workforce and minimize their outcomes. There were several issues recognized in operations management, including phycological conditions, working environment, grievance reporting, inappropriate scheduling, and biased allocation. These issues deteriorate the status of workforce empowerment in the current scenario of SMEs. The problems become severe when operators argue and request improvement in operations and human resource management practices, but the organizations fail to provide suitable solutions. This trauma and failure directly impact the workforce contribution and engagement on the shop floor and cause severe losses to the organization. The present study developed a framework for identifying and tackling the issues responsible for the deterioration of workforce contribution using human resource management practices policy. The developed framework is validated by investigating its feasibility in a real-life electric vehicle manufacturing scenario where the Human Resources team was exhausted and looking to resolve employee-related issues instantly and establish sustainable operations management. The developed framework provides mental and psychological peace for performing the operations on the shop floors. The present study can fulfil the manufacturer's needs within confined constraints with standardized operations management and human resource management personnel protocols. To boost workplace productivity and reduce the negative impact in the workplace. the market and organizations find it crucial to realize the predictor and employee motivation. According to Herzberg's Two Factor Theory of Motivation, motivation and cleanliness have a significant impact on job satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Since the theory promotes a clear-cut idea, a thorough investigation and study of this theory is necessary to determine and address the productivity of the workforce. Herzberg's two-factor theory identifies and examines the drivers of employee satisfaction or workplace motivation and the drivers of employee dissatisfaction or workplace demotivation.  Herzberg's motivator-hygiene theory inspired researchers to study job satisfaction further. Herzberg, Mausner, and Snyderman introduced motivator-hygiene theory, which challenged the traditional notion of job satisfaction. According to Herzberg's theory, job satisfaction decreases from the presence of motivators such as recognition, work, promotion, responsibility, and achievement. The absence of these factors does not cause job dissatisfaction. Lack of hygiene factors, including working circumstances, compensation, interpersonal relationships, job security, corporate policies, and administration, can lead to job dissatisfaction.

The previous studies reported that the healthy HRM policy can fail in inappropriate operations management, technological advancement, and industry revolution transformations. There were several reasons for workforce deterioration, but few specific solutions for tackling the concerned issues. The solutions cannot provide a universal path for controlling workforce empowerment in a flexible working scenario. The present research developed a hybrid framework using the integration of HRM and operations management approach for identifying and tackling the issues reported in a cutting-edge work scenario. The framework is verified by implementing it in a real-life operational scenario where organization is eager to take a valid key for tackling the workforce empowerment-related problems in the flexible working environment. The organization were changing their work setups from Industry 3.0 to 4.0 and was planning for Industry 5.0.

The study takes an industry-oriented viewpoint, concentrating on human resource procedures and how they affect the productivity of shop floor workers. Its principal objective is workforce empowerment, using actual data and structural methodology. The study methodologically investigated and evaluated real-world problems influencing employee contribution, according to scholarly research, rather than merely industry reporting. The research work includes HRM and operations management practices, including Herzberg's Two-Factor theory, McClelland's Acquired Needs theory, Maslow’s theory, lean, and smart approaches. The study integrates the HRM and operations management approaches for workforce empowerment in the current SMEs. The developed framework is verified by implementing it in a real-life operational scenario, and models that bolster the framework and discussion. The suitable modification has been included accordingly. The framework integrated the operations and human resource management practices for tackling the issues in the flexible shop floor environments. The current work includes HRM and operations management practices, including Herzberg's Two-Factor theory, McClelland's Acquired Needs theory, Maslow’s theory, lean, and smart approaches. These approaches help to empower the workforce and solve the problems faced in achieving the desired organization needs. These practices help in addressing the precise problems in the working environment and improve using a suitable strategy and amendments

The result revealed a drastic improvement in workforce empowerment in the existing work environment by reducing absentees, resignations, transfers, and medical issues, 30.35%, 94.44%, 95.65%, and 93.33%, respectively. The operations and HRM teams assured us that the developed framework has proved to be a miracle for their organization. The study also provides a decision-making suggestion plan for controlling and monitoring workforce empowerment in SMEs. It helps in taking appropriate and clever paths for eliminating the issues generated in the negative work environment. The study helps in maintaining workforce contribution in industry transformation and revolution scenario considering Industry 3.0-4.0, 4.0-5.0, and 5.0-6.0. 

Comment 8 - Likewise, the model developed, and solutions proposed are readily available in past studies and seem with no, too little contributions. For instance, the action plans recommended are like a 7-step decision-making process, which is already a standard practice across industries including HR departments. The contributions of this study are insufficiently explained.

Authors’ Reply –

Authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments. The developed framework is novel for the current operational scenario where work setups are changed tremendously, and it has a drastic impact on routine work practice because of rapid industrial modifications. The technological adoption chasm between organizations and the workforce increases in the flexible work environment. These practices affects the operations management outcomes and also challenge the operations and HRM teams in tackling within available resources. The study focuses on industry transformation scenarios from Industry 3.0-4.0, 4.0-5.0, and 5.0-6.0, considering the workforce empowerment on the shop floor with existing HRM and operations management approaches. The developed framework is novel for improving workforce contribution using human resource management and operations management practices in the current industrial scenario . 

The present study focuses on workforce empowerment in the industrial revolution and a cutting-edge work setup environment. This study helps in bridging the gap between the deployment of advanced technology and its efficient adoption by existing workers. The present study developed an integrated operations and HRM framework for tackling the issues responsible for the deterioration of workforce contribution. A few studies have been reported on workforce empowerment by controlling the shop floor scenarios through modifications in operations and human resource management strategy.  

The present study developed a novel framework for improving workforce contribution using efficient HRM directions within the limited constraints of the concerned manufacturers. The present research focuses on workforce empowerment for operations management excellence on the shop floor by resolving the issues faced in organizing tasks and assignments in SMEs. The current research works as a booster for organizations where operations teams are looking for a sustainable platform for leveraging the power of human resource management practices for enhancing workforce empowerment within available resources. The developed framework provides workforce and operational sustainability within confined constraints. The study provides the current inherent insights for the human resource management practices and research directions of researchers and industry individuals who are searching for operational excellence and sustainability with maximization of workforce empowerment on the shop floor.

The present study uses suitable action planning and human resource management practices to focus on workforce empowerment in an operational scenario. Organizations work on a balanced work planning, and it is not possible to control the workforce performances on the shop floor without suitable human resource management practice and planning.  The developed framework provides mental and psychological peace for performing the operations on the shop floors.

Comment 9 - In my humble opinion, the study needs a serious revision with clarity in explaining its aims, research questions, explaining research gaps it addresses, contributions of this study by explaining needs and differences from past studies, why it is needed?

Authors’ Reply - The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments.  The literature review reported several issues in workforce empowerment in operations management on the shop floor in SMEs. These issues exhaust the workforce and minimize their outcomes. There were several issues recognized in operations management, including psychological conditions, working environment, grievance reporting, inappropriate scheduling, and biased allocation. These issues deteriorate the status of workforce empowerment in the current scenario of SMEs. The problems become severe when operators argue and request improvement in operations and human resource management practices, but the organizations fail to provide suitable solutions. This trauma and failure directly impact the workforce contribution and engagement on the shop floor and cause severe losses to the organization. The present research developed a hybrid framework using the integration of HRM and operations management approach for identifying and tackling the issues reported in a cutting-edge work scenario. HRM and operations management approaches. The framework is verified by implementing it in a real-life operational scenario where organization is eager to take a valid key for tackling the workforce empowerment-related problems in the flexible working environment. The organization were changing their work setups from Industry 3.0 to 4.0 and was planning for Industry 5.0.

The correction has been shown on page 13, lines 511-518, 525-535, pages 27, lines 779-781.

Comment 10 - The introduction is very long with a lot of ideas and explanations with a lack of context on the aim of this study. It makes it hard to understand that is it a review? SLR? Or a literature review? Or what type of examination. I suggest authors to use a standard introduction format to 1) explain the context and hook of the study with the explanation of key outcome variable/s under study, 2) discuss possible/proposed predictors of the outcome variable/s, 3) critically discuss what has been done so far in this domain and what is missing which this study is addressing (stating research question/objectives/aims). 4) explain what this study contributes including key theoretical inclusions, methods used (here clearly explain what kind of study is this quantitative, qualitative, literature review, case study, experimental etc.) along with practical implications, 5) a brief explanation on what the remainder of the paper includes.

Authors’ Reply - The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments.  The introduction section describes the background on HRM and its role in workforce empowerment in operations management on the shop floor. The section thoroughly discussed the prevalent HRM practices, challenges, strategy, and problems faced in the current organizational scenario. The present study developed a framework for identifying and tackling the issues responsible for the deterioration of workforce contribution and engagement in operations management using human resource management policy. A few studies have been reported on workforce empowerment by controlling the shop floor scenarios through modifications in operations and human resource management strategy. The developed framework is novel for improving workforce contribution using human resource management and operations management practices in the current industrial scenario within the limited constraints of the concerned manufacturers. The framework integrated the operations and human resource management practices for tackling the issues in the flexible shop floor environments. The study used smart approaches for the identification of idle activities and grievance theories for improvement in shop floor outcomes. The study helps leverage operations and HRM practices' impact on the shop floor and eliminate the chasm between introducing cutting-edge technologies and their adoption by the existing workforce. The study provides a decision-making planning for maintaining workforce contribution in industry transformation and revolution scenario, considering Industry 3.0-4.0, 4.0-5.0, and 5.0-6.0. The study thoroughly reviewed the literature for the development of a robust framework. The paper shows a case study for the investigation of the developed framework. 

The developed framework is validated by implementing it in a real-life shop floor case where the HRM team was exhausted and looking to resolve employee-related issues instantly and establish sustainable operations management. The case belonged to the automobile industry. The organization was selected by reviewing the market scenario on workforce empowerment on the shop floor in SMEs. The present research selected a chassis manufacturing section of an electric vehicle manufacturing organization. There were 13 departments, and one of the sections was fabrication. Operations and HRM teams collected three months of shop floor data after implementing the developed framework in the chassis manufacturing section. It has been observed that the reported medical issues were 7-8, but according to the analysis, the medical issues reported were 14-15 because there were some individuals who worked in more than one department. The monthly report showed that the medical issues reporting reduced from 15 to 1, but in fact, it reduced 8 to 1. Similarly, absentees were reduced by 18 to 1 out of 56. The resignation applications were reduced by 17, and the transfer requests reduced by 23 to 1. The suitable modification has been included accordingly in the result and discussion section.

The literature review reported several issues in workforce empowerment in operations management on the shop floor in SMEs. These issues exhaust the workforce and minimize their outcomes. There were several issues recognized in operations management, including phycological conditions, working environment, grievance reporting, inappropriate scheduling, and biased allocation. These issues deteriorate the status of workforce empowerment in the current scenario of SMEs. The problems become severe when operators argue and request improvement in operations and human resource management practices, but the organizations fail to provide suitable solutions. This trauma and failure directly impact the workforce contribution and engagement on the shop floor and cause severe losses to the organization. The following research works have been considered for the development of the present framework.

1.         D. O. R. Oluwatoyin Gbenga Bawalla, “Technological Advancement: Issues, Challenges and Perspectives for Human Resource Practice in Nigeria,” KIU Journal of Social Sciences , vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 47–55, 2021.

2.         B. , & P. R. Sivathanu, “ Smart HR 4.0 – How Industry 4.0 is reshaping the human resource profession. ,” Human Resource Management International Digest, vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 25–32, 2020.

3.         Hauff, S., Guerci, M., Dul, J., & van Rhee, H. (2021). Exploring necessary conditions in HRM research: Fundamental issues and methodological implications. Human Resource Management Journal, 31(1), 18-36.

4.         Yandi, A., & Havidz, H. B. H. (2022). Employee performance model: Work engagement through job satisfaction and organizational commitment (A study of human resource management literature study). Dinasti International Journal of Management Science, 3(3), 547-565.

5.         Wissemann, A. K., Pit, S. W., Serafin, P., & Gebhardt, H. (2022). Strategic guidance and technological solutions for human resources management to sustain an aging workforce: review of international standards, research, and use cases. JMIR Human Factors, 9(3), e27250.

6.         Qin, R., & Nembhard, D. A. (2015). Workforce agility in operations management. Surveys in Operations Research and Management Science, 20(2), 55-69.

7.         Choudhary, P., & Kunte, M. (2023). Is high-performance work system making employees happy? An integrated model and research agenda for sustainable organizational growth. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 1-19.

The developed framework is validated by implementing it in a real-life electric vehicle manufacturing organization, where the human resources and operations team were exhausted and looking to resolve employee-related issues instantly and establish a sustainable work environment. Operations and HRM teams collected three months of shop floor data after implementing the developed framework in the chassis manufacturing section. It has been observed that the reported medical issues were 7-8, but according to the analysis, the medical issues reported were 14-15 because there were some individuals who worked in more than one department. The monthly report showed that the medical issues reporting reduced from 15 to 1, but in fact, it reduced 8 to 1. Similarly, absentees were reduced by 18 to 1 out of 56. The resignation applications were reduced by 17, and the transfer requests reduced by 23 to 1.  The result revealed a drastic improvement in workforce empowerment in the existing work environment by reducing absentees, resignations, transfers, and medical issues, 30.35%, 94.44%, 95.65%, and 93.33%, respectively.

page 2, lines 55-65, page 3, lines 68-74, page 4, lines 113-116, page 5, lines 117-135, lines 138-154, page 7, lines 255-258, page 8, lines 259-270, lines 288-302, page 9, lines 303-306.

Comment 11 - The literature review section then should be aligned with the proposed research questions/aims/objectives.

Authors’ Reply - The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments.  The suitable modification has been included accordingly.

The correction has been shown on page 13, lines 511-518, 525-535.

Comment 12 - The methodology section needs to be aligned with the results section, the result section talks about floor issues of a specific organization yet, methods are not aligned, it must be case study analysis/action research.

Authors’ Reply - The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments.  The suitable modification has been included accordingly.

The correction has been shown on page 15, lines 562-566, lines 585-586.

Comment 13 - Results including the developed framework is not something new, as it is widely practiced in all kinds of organizations already. What is new? In what perspective? If this solution is proposed for a specific organization, it must be clarified to understand applicability and scope of the study. Because section 4 “Developed Framework” explain the model designed for shop floor based on the past studies, but for which shop floor? This clarification is needed because the designed framework lack innovation and is something already widely known and practiced. A detailed discussion on the novelty of this study is missing.

Authors’ Reply - The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments.  The study focuses on industry transformation scenarios from Industry 3.0-4.0, 4.0-5.0, and 5.0-6.0, considering the workforce empowerment on the shop floor with existing HRM and operations management approaches. The framework is verified by implementing it in a real-life operational scenario where organization is eager to take a valid key for tackling the workforce empowerment-related problems in the flexible working environment. The organization were changing their work setups from Industry 3.0 to 4.0 and was planning for Industry 5.0. The study focuses on industry transformation scenarios from Industry 3.0-4.0, 4.0-5.0, and 5.0-6.0, considering the workforce empowerment on the shop floor with existing HRM and operations management approaches. The framework is verified by implementing it in a real-life operational scenario where organization is eager to take a valid key for tackling the workforce empowerment-related problems in the flexible working environment. The organization were changing their work setups from Industry 3.0 to 4.0 and was planning for Industry 5.0. The developed framework directs the HRM teams in controlling flexible manufacturing conditions in SMEs within available protocols and guidelines. The developed framework is novel for improving workforce contribution using HRM practices in the current industrial scenario.The developed framework helps achieve workforce sustainability within manufacturers' constraints in the current shop floor scenario. The study helps in maintaining workforce contribution in industry transformation and revolution scenario, considering Industry 3.0-4.0, 4.0-5.0, and 5.0-6.0.  The study leverages the operations and HRM practices' impact on the shop floor and eliminate the chasm between introducing cutting-edge technologies and their adoption by the existing workforce. 

Comment 14 - Finally, the idea of the study is good; however, it lacks a systematic flow, clarifications on research gaps, novelty of the study, contributions of the study, suitability of the chosen methods, and context of results/findings in terms of target population/sample/ or outcome organization which is ambiguous concerning the scope and generalizability of the study.

Authors’ Reply - The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments.  The suitable modification has been included accordingly.

The correction is shown on page 2, lines 55-65, page 3, lines 68-74, page 4, lines 113-116, page 5, lines 117-135, lines 138-154, page 7, lines 255-258, page 8, lines 259-270, lines 288-302, page 9, lines 303-306, page 13, lines 511-518, 525-535, page 15, lines 562-566, lines 585-586, page 27, lines 779-781, page 29, lines 838-842, page 30, lines 864-866.

Comment 1 -  The manuscript contains awkward constructions, repetitive language, and grammatical errors. For instance, sentences such as “Operators focus on finishing the job as quickly as possible rather than being dedicated to doing a good job” should be revised for clarity and academic tone.

Authors’ Reply –

Authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments. The suitable modification has been included accordingly.

The correction has been shown on page 13, lines 520-521,

Comment 2 - Redundant phrasing—particularly regarding “suitable HRM practices” and “contributions on the shop floor”—detracts from conciseness and inflates the manuscript unnecessarily.

Authors’ Reply –

Authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments. The suitable modification has been included accordingly.

Comment 3 - Although numerous sources are cited, the literature review lacks critical engagement. It resembles a catalogue of findings rather than an analytical synthesis that identifies gaps or theoretical opportunities.

·          

Authors’ Reply – The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments, the suitable modification has been included accordingly. The literature review reported several issues in workforce empowerment in operations management on the shop floor in SMEs [145-149]. The issues were in two forms, one of which was the HRM section, and the second was the operations management department. The first HRM issues included unplanned scheduling, biased allocation, unhygienic working, and insecure platforms. Second, operations management issues, including psychological conditions, working environment, grievance reporting, inappropriate scheduling, and biased allocation. These issues exhaust the workforce, minimize their outcomes, and deteriorate the status of workforce empowerment in SMEs. The present study focuses on workforce empowerment in the industrial revolution and a cutting-edge work setup environment. This study helps in bridging the gap between the deployment of advanced technology and its efficient adoption by existing workers. The present study developed an integrated operations and HRM framework for tackling the issues responsible for the deterioration of workforce contribution. A few studies have been reported on workforce empowerment by controlling the shop floor scenarios through modifications in operations and human resource management strategy. The developed framework is novel for improving workforce contribution using human resource management and operations management practices in the current industrial scenario within the limited constraints of the concerned manufacturers. The framework integrated the operations and human resource management practices for tackling the issues in the flexible shop floor environments. The study used smart approaches for the identification of idle activities and grievance theories for improvement in shop floor outcomes. The developed framework is validated by investigating its feasibility in a real-life electric vehicle manufacturing scenario where the Human Resources team was exhausted and looking to resolve employee-related issues instantly and establish sustainable operations management. The study helps in maintaining workforce contribution in industry transformation and revolution scenario, considering Industry 3.0-4.0, 4.0-5.0, and 5.0-6.0.  The study leverages the operations and HRM practices' impact on the shop floor and eliminate the chasm between introducing cutting-edge technologies and their adoption by the existing workforce. 

The literature review reported several issues in workforce empowerment in operations management on the shop floor in SMEs. These issues exhaust the workforce and minimize their outcomes. There were several issues recognized in operations management, including phycological conditions, working environment, grievance reporting, inappropriate scheduling, and biased allocation. These issues deteriorate the status of workforce empowerment in the current scenario of SMEs. The problems become severe when operators argue and request improvement in operations and human resource management practices, but the organizations fail to provide suitable solutions. This trauma and failure directly impact the workforce contribution and engagement on the shop floor and cause severe losses to the organization. The present study developed a framework for identifying and tackling the issues responsible for the deterioration of workforce contribution using human resource management practices policy. The developed framework is validated by investigating its feasibility in a real-life electric vehicle manufacturing scenario where the Human Resources team was exhausted and looking to resolve employee-related issues instantly and establish sustainable operations management. The developed framework provides mental and psychological peace for performing the operations on the shop floors. The present study can fulfil the manufacturer's needs within confined constraints with standardized operations management and human resource management personnel protocols.

Comment 4 - The framework consolidates existing best practices without offering significant theoretical innovation or novel methodological approaches.

Authors’ Reply – The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments.

 The study takes an industry-oriented viewpoint, concentrating on human resource procedures and how they affect the productivity of shop floor workers. Its principal objective is workforce empowerment, using actual data and structural methodology. The study methodologically investigated and evaluated real-world problems influencing employee contribution, according to scholarly research, rather than merely industry reporting. The research work includes HRM and operations management practices, including Herzberg's Two-Factor theory, McClelland's Acquired Needs theory, Maslow’s theory, lean, and smart approaches. The study integrates the HRM and operations management approaches for workforce empowerment in the current SMEs. The developed framework is verified by implementing it in a real-life operational scenario, and models that bolster the framework and discussion. The suitable modification has been included accordingly. The framework integrated the operations and human resource management practices for tackling the issues in the flexible shop floor environments. The current work includes HRM and operations management practices, including Herzberg's Two-Factor theory, McClelland's Acquired Needs theory, Maslow’s theory, lean, and smart approaches. These approaches help to empower the workforce and solve the problems faced in achieving the desired organization needs. These practices help in addressing the precise problems in the working environment and improve using a suitable strategy and amendments

Comment 5 - The manuscript provides limited information on data collection methods (e.g., interviews, observations), and omits specifics about instruments used or data analysis techniques.

Authors’ Reply - The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments.  The data was collected by reviewing the current organisation by observation, visits, interviews, and conversations with operators of the concerned departments. The operations and human resource teams helped in the collection and observation of the suitable information. Table 3 shows the details of the real-life case example.

The correction has been shown on pages 20, lines 662-663.

Comment 6 -  Clearly articulate the data collection and analysis process, including the specific tools, statistical techniques, and any ethical protocols applied to ensure research validity.

Authors’ Reply – The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments, Operations and HRM teams collected three months of shop floor data after implementing the developed framework in the chassis manufacturing section. Table 8 shows the comparison between previous results and the present study outcomes. This research did not involve any ethical review, and approval was not required. 

The correction is shown on pages 2, line 47.

Comment 7 -- Shift focus from an extensive listing of studies to a synthesized discussion that highlights theoretical gaps addressed by the proposed framework.

Authors’ Reply – The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments, The literature review reported several issues in workforce empowerment in operations management on the shop floor in SMEs. These issues exhaust the workforce and minimize their outcomes. There were several issues recognized in operations management, including phycological conditions, working environment, grievance reporting, inappropriate scheduling, and biased allocation. These issues deteriorate the status of workforce empowerment in the current scenario of SMEs. The problems become severe when operators argue and request improvement in operations and human resource management practices, but the organizations fail to provide suitable solutions. This trauma and failure directly impact the workforce contribution and engagement on the shop floor and cause severe losses to the organization. The following research works have been considered for the development of the present framework.

1.         D. O. R. Oluwatoyin Gbenga Bawalla, “Technological Advancement: Issues, Challenges and Perspectives for Human Resource Practice in Nigeria,” KIU Journal of Social Sciences , vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 47–55, 2021.

2.         B. , & P. R. Sivathanu, “ Smart HR 4.0 – How Industry 4.0 is reshaping the human resource profession. ,” Human Resource Management International Digest, vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 25–32, 2020.

3.         Hauff, S., Guerci, M., Dul, J., & van Rhee, H. (2021). Exploring necessary conditions in HRM research: Fundamental issues and methodological implications. Human Resource Management Journal, 31(1), 18-36.

4.         Yandi, A., & Havidz, H. B. H. (2022). Employee performance model: Work engagement through job satisfaction and organizational commitment (A study of human resource management literature study). Dinasti International Journal of Management Science, 3(3), 547-565.

5.         Wissemann, A. K., Pit, S. W., Serafin, P., & Gebhardt, H. (2022). Strategic guidance and technological solutions for human resources management to sustain an aging workforce: review of international standards, research, and use cases. JMIR Human Factors, 9(3), e27250.

6.         Qin, R., & Nembhard, D. A. (2015). Workforce agility in operations management. Surveys in Operations Research and Management Science, 20(2), 55-69.

7.         Choudhary, P., & Kunte, M. (2023). Is high-performance work system making employees happy? An integrated model and research agenda for sustainable organizational growth. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 1-19.

The literature review reported several issues in workforce empowerment in operations management on the shop floor in SMEs [145-149]. The issues were in two forms, one of which was the HRM section, and the second was the operations management department. The first HRM issues included unplanned scheduling, biased allocation, unhygienic working, and insecure platforms. Second, operations management issues, including psychological conditions, working environment, grievance reporting, inappropriate scheduling, and biased allocation. These issues exhaust the workforce and minimize their outcomes, and deteriorate the status of workforce empowerment in SMEs.

Comment 8 - Improve conceptual rigor by aligning or contrasting the proposed model with established frameworks that integrate HRM and operations.

Authors’ Reply – The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments, the suitable modification has been included accordingly.

The correction is shown on pages 13, lines 523-526, page 16, line 587-594.

Comment 9 - Clearly delineate how the proposed framework advances beyond conventional HRM best practices, emphasizing its novel elements and unique value.

Authors’ Reply – The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments. The literature review reported several issues in workforce empowerment in operations management on the shop floor in SMEs. These issues exhaust the workforce and minimize their outcomes. There were several issues recognized in operations management, including phycological conditions, working environment, grievance reporting, inappropriate scheduling, and biased allocation. These issues deteriorate the status of workforce empowerment in the current scenario of SMEs. The problems become severe when operators argue and request improvement in operations and human resource management practices, but the organizations fail to provide suitable solutions. This trauma and failure directly impact the workforce contribution and engagement on the shop floor and cause severe losses to the organization. The present study developed a framework for identifying and tackling the issues responsible for the deterioration of workforce contribution using human resource management practices policy. The study focuses on industry transformation scenarios from Industry 3.0-4.0, 4.0-5.0, and 5.0-6.0, considering the workforce empowerment on the shop floor with existing HRM and operations management approaches. The framework is verified by implementing it in a real-life operational scenario where organization is eager to take a valid key for tackling the workforce empowerment-related problems in the flexible working environment. The organization were changing their work setups from Industry 3.0 to 4.0 and was planning for Industry 5.0. The study focuses on industry transformation scenarios from Industry 3.0-4.0, 4.0-5.0, and 5.0-6.0, considering the workforce empowerment on the shop floor with existing HRM and operations management approaches. The framework is verified by implementing it in a real-life operational scenario where organization is eager to take a valid key for tackling the workforce empowerment-related problems in the flexible working environment. The organization were changing their work setups from Industry 3.0 to 4.0 and was planning for Industry 5.0. The developed framework directs the HRM teams in controlling flexible manufacturing conditions in SMEs within available protocols and guidelines. The developed framework is novel for improving workforce contribution using HRM practices in the current industrial scenario.The developed framework helps achieve workforce sustainability within manufacturers' constraints in the current shop floor scenario. The study helps in maintaining workforce contribution in industry transformation and revolution scenario, considering Industry 3.0-4.0, 4.0-5.0, and 5.0-6.0.  The study leverages the operations and HRM practices' impact on the shop floor and eliminate the chasm between introducing cutting-edge technologies and their adoption by the existing workforce. 

Comment 10 - The abstract is overly detailed and reads more like an introduction than a concise summary of the study. It should be streamlined to focus on key objectives, methods, findings, and contributions.

Authors’ Reply – The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments, the suitable modification has been included accordingly.

The correction has been shown on page 1, lines 12-20, lines 26-29, lines 34-39, page 2, lines 40-41.

Comment 11 - Figure 5: Is the developed framework named? Its purpose and unique contribution should be clearly stated to enhance clarity and impact.

Authors’ Reply – The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments. The present research developed a hybrid framework using the integration of HRM and operations management approach for identifying and tackling the issues reported in a cutting-edge work scenario. The study focuses on workforce empowerment in the industrial revolution and a cutting-edge work setup environment. This study helps in bridging the gap between the deployment of advanced technology and its efficient adoption by existing workers. The present study developed an integrated operations and HRM framework for tackling the issues responsible for the deterioration of workforce contribution. A few studies have been reported on workforce empowerment by controlling the shop floor scenarios through modifications in operations and human resource management strategy. The developed framework is novel for improving workforce contribution using human resource management and operations management practices in the current industrial scenario within the limited constraints of the concerned manufacturers. The framework integrated the operations and human resource management practices for tackling the issues in the flexible shop floor environments. The study used smart approaches for the identification of idle activities and grievance theories for improvement in shop floor outcomes. The developed framework is validated by investigating its feasibility in a real-life electric vehicle manufacturing scenario where the Human Resources team was exhausted and looking to resolve employee-related issues instantly and establish sustainable operations management. The study helps in maintaining workforce contribution in industry transformation and revolution scenario, considering Industry 3.0-4.0, 4.0-5.0, and 5.0-6.0.  The study leverages the operations and HRM practices' impact on the shop floor and eliminate the chasm between introducing cutting-edge technologies and their adoption by the existing workforce. 

Comment 1 -  The abstract requires the inclusion of an underpinning theory to strengthen its foundation. This element was previously recommended, but the current study still lacks clarity on which theory supports its model. Identifying and incorporating an appropriate theoretical framework is critical to providing robust support for the research.

Authors’ Reply –

Authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments. The suitable modification has been included accordingly.

The correction is shown on pages 1, line 14-23, 27,30, 33-35.

Comment 2 - For the introduction section, it is advised to refine the content to ensure clarity and logical flow rather than comprehensiveness. This section should follow a structured approach that begins with the study's background, proceeds to a clear problem statement, and then outlines the aim, objectives, and significance of the study.

Authors’ Reply – The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments. Previous studies have reported that researchers have developed several approaches for workforce empowerment on the shop floor for a specified work environment. The developed approaches provide improvement in employees' performances and the current operational scenario in organizations. Operations and human resource management faced a dilemma in controlling workforce performance in an advanced working environment. The present study developed innovative operations and human resource management for tracking employees' performances in a flexible environment. The approach helps identify the workforce's idleness and resolve by integrating leading-edge technology with existing practices.    The strategy focuses on empowering the workforce for operations management excellence on the shop floor by resolving the issues faced in organizing tasks and assignments in small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The issues include unplanned, biased, unhygienic, insecure, and exerting in completing tasks on the work floors. The study developed a framework for workforce empowerment in SMEs by leveraging the power of human resource practice. A few studies have been done on workforce empowerment by controlling the shop floor scenarios through modifications in HRM strategy. The developed framework is novel in improving workforce contribution through HRM practices in the current industrial scenario, considering the limited constraints of the concerned manufacturers. The developed framework eliminates the challenges and issues faced by HRM teams and enhances the operations management outcomes by maximizing workforce contribution. The framework encompasses HRM and operations management practices, including Herzberg's Two-Factor theory, Maslow’s theory, and lean and smart approaches. The framework offers an innovative platform for harnessing the power of HRM practices in motivating employees in cutting-edge work environments.  The developed framework was validated by the improvement achieved in workforce empowerment in a real-life shop floor scenario. The results showed that the operations and HRM teams can establish workforce-empowered platforms and achieve the desired outcomes on the shop floor.

 The suitable modification has been included accordingly.

The correction is shown on pages 2-9.

Comment 3 - The literature review must integrate a discussion of the theory or theories forming the basis of the study's framework. It is crucial to clearly identify and define the selected theory and explain its relevance in supporting the study model. While theories such as Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory, McClelland's Acquired Needs Theory, and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs have been mentioned, their inclusion in the methodology seems misplaced. Instead, choose one or two theories that align closely with the study model and position them at the conclusion of the literature review. Provide a detailed explanation of how these theories underpin and justify the current framework.

Authors’ Reply – The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments. The previous study reported various roadmaps and methods for employee performance excellence.

In the Era of globalization and increased competition, organizations need to enhance their performance in a way that is both efficient and effective. Human resource management (HRM) is essential in this changing global environment, not only for recruiting and training but also for strategically aligning staff competencies with long-term company objectives. In this current operational context, motivational theories provide a solid foundation for understanding how HRM can empower the workforce in operations management. Several human resource management practices, including McClelland's acquired needs theory, Herzberg's two-factor theory, and Maslow's hierarchy of needs, are available for addressing workforce-related issues. According to Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory of Motivation, motivation and cleanliness have a significant impact on job satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Since the theory promotes a clear-cut idea, a thorough investigation and study of this theory is necessary to determine and address the productivity of the workforce. Herzberg's two-factor theory identifies and examines the factors that drive employee satisfaction and motivation in the workplace, as well as those that drive employee dissatisfaction and demotivation.  Herzberg's motivator-hygiene theory inspired researchers to study job satisfaction further. In 1959, Herzberg, Mausner, and Snyderman introduced the motivator-hygiene theory, which challenged the traditional notion of job satisfaction. According to Herzberg's theory, job satisfaction decreases from the presence of motivators such as recognition, work, promotion, responsibility, and achievement. The absence of these factors does not cause job dissatisfaction. Lack of hygiene factors, including working circumstances, compensation, interpersonal relationships, job security, corporate policies, and administration, can lead to job dissatisfaction.

The literature review identified several issues related to workforce empowerment in operations management on the shop floor of SMEs. These issues exhaust the workforce and minimize their outcomes. Several issues were recognized in operations management, including psychological conditions, working environment, grievance reporting, inappropriate scheduling, and biased allocation. These issues deteriorate the status of workforce empowerment in the current scenario of SMEs. The problems become severe when operators argue and request improvement in operations and human resource management practices, but the organizations fail to provide suitable solutions. This trauma and failure directly impact workforce contribution and engagement on the shop floor, causing severe losses to the organization. The present study developed a framework for identifying and tackling the issues responsible for the deterioration of workforce contribution using human resource management practices policy. The developed framework is validated by investigating its feasibility in a real-life electric vehicle manufacturing scenario, where the Human Resources team was exhausted and sought to resolve employee-related issues promptly and establish sustainable operations management. The developed framework provides mental and psychological peace for performing the operations on the shop floors. The present study can fulfill the manufacturer's needs within confined constraints by utilizing standardized operations management and human resource management protocols.

The studies employed motivational Human Resource Management (HRM) theories, including McClelland's acquired needs theory, Herzberg's two-factor theory, and Maslow's hierarchy of needs. The theories help in enhancement of workforce contributions. The human resource management teams provide suitable amenities for boosting the workforce's performance. It has been observed that HRM teams have struggled to maintain operational excellence in management when organizations seek to transform their work environment from Industry 3.0 to 4.0 or 4.0 to 5.0. Organizations are concerned about improving their operations management performance due to the complexity of managing workforce contributions. Employees feared what might happen to them, including the potential loss of facilities or the introduction of unfavourable working conditions, which could result in a reduction of their contributions. The present study developed an HRM and operations management approach for tracking workforce performance and providing suitable amenities according to their needs. The framework encompasses HRM and operations management practices, including Herzberg's Two-Factor theory, Maslow’s theory, and lean and smart approaches. The framework offers an innovative platform for harnessing the power of HRM practices in motivating employees in cutting-edge work environments. 

The suitable modification has been included accordingly.

The correction is shown on pages 13, lines 523-524, lines 529-545, page 14, lines 546-547.

Comment 4 - The methodology section requires further development to systematically outline the steps undertaken in the study. Adopting Saunders et al.'s Research Onion framework is recommended to provide a comprehensive explanation of the research design, including philosophical underpinnings, methodological choices, strategies, and data collection and analysis methods.

Authors’ Reply – The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments, to maintain clarity and logical flow. The methodological section has been revised and reframed. The suitable modification has been included accordingly.

The correction is shown on page 16, lines 607-615.

Comment 5 - The discussion section should incorporate a more detailed integration of the study's findings with previous research and the theoretical framework. To achieve this, a strong grasp of the underpinning theory is necessary, enabling a cohesive connection between the literature review and discussion.

·        

Authors’ Reply - The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments.  The suitable modification has been included accordingly.

The correction has been shown on page 28, lines 812-823, page 29, lines 827-858.

Comment 6 -  Focus on refining the framework and methodology systematically, ensuring a cohesive alignment between theory, research design, and findings.

Authors’ Reply - The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments.  The suitable modification has been included accordingly.

The correction has been shown on pages 2-9, 13-14, 16, 28-29,

Comment 1 -  First, the authors should explicitly state the research philosophy underpinning the study, such as pragmatism or another relevant paradigm, to help readers understand the foundational perspective guiding the research approach.

Authors’ Reply –

Authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments. The research philosophy adopted in this study is pragmatism. The study focuses on human resources and operations management on the shop floor.  The aim is to address real-life challenges and provide suitable solutions for resolving issues in a flexible working environment. The study developed a framework for operational and workforce sustainability on the shop floor.  HRM and operations management approaches for workforce empowerment in the current SMEs. The developed framework was verified by implementing it in a real-life operational scenario.  The framework integrates operations and human resource management practices to tackle issues in flexible shop floor environments. The study helps empower the workforce by resolving the problems faced in achieving the desired organisational goals. The results revealed a drastic improvement in workforce empowerment within the existing work environment, characterised by reduced absenteeism, increased productivity, fewer malfunctions, fewer resignations, fewer transfers, and fewer medical issues.

Comment 2 - Second, the research strategy must be clearly described, specifying whether the study follows a framework development approach, case study analysis, or a combination of strategies, so that the overall research design becomes transparent and easier to follow.

Authors’ Reply – The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments. The present research developed a framework for identifying and addressing the issues responsible for the deterioration of workforce performance and engagement by integrating operations and human resource management practices. The developed framework has been verified by implementing it in a shop floor case study, where the operations and human resource management teams were facing challenges in controlling workforce contribution in a flexible work environment. The industry was rapidly changing the work setups and emphasis on using leading-edge technologies for operations management. The current study selected an electric vehicle manufacturing organization for a case study. The organisation was eager to find an innovative approach to resolve the challenges and issues faced in maintaining workforce engagement, contribution, and empowerment. The manufacturer was concerned about the chassis manufacturing section because the industry personnel consistently failed to meet their goals due to incompetent workforce management. The applicability of the developed framework was verified by analyzing the reports for the relevant shop floor section over the next three months. The HRM and operations management teams developed a grievance section for reporting any discrepancies encountered in operations management. Also, developed a paperless system for reporting challenges and issues on the shop floor. The study analyzed the developed framework adaptability by reviewing three-month orgnization shop floor perfprmance report considering workforce empowerment in the existing work environment, absenteeism, resignations, and transfer applications. The results revealed a drastic improvement in workforce empowerment within the existing work environment, with reductions in absentees, resignations, transfers, and medical issues of 30.35%, 94.44%, 95.65%, and 93.33%, respectively. The results concluded that the developed framework provides mental and psychological peace, enhancing workforce performance excellence. The framework helps tackle shop floor-related issues by integrating operations and human resource management practices. The operations and HR teams can establish a healthy work environment, ensure all employees feel entirely safe, and encourage them to commit to delivering the best possible results. The operations and HRM teams assured that the developed framework has proved to be a miracle for their organisation. The study provides key planning for decision-making to enhance workforce empowerment on the shop floor in SMEs. 

Comment 3 - Third, it is important to define the inclusion and exclusion criteria used when selecting secondary data sources, improving transparency and replicability by clarifying how and why certain studies or data were chosen or omitted.

Authors’ Reply – The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments. The current research developed a framework using the human resource management principle to identify and tackle the issues responsible for deteriorating workforce contribution in operations management. The authors implemented the framework with the help of the operations and human resource management department in the automobile industry. Both departments formed a team to help in collecting the suitable data. The team helped in assessing the improvement achieved after the implementation of the developed framework. The improvement was verified by analyzing examined and upgraded work conditions on the shop floor.  The investigation showed that the Human resource and operations management teams established a grievance section for reporting any type of discrepancies faced in operations management, and also generated an online and paperless system for reporting awkward and challenging conditions on the shop floor. The team helped in analyzing the reports and categorising them according to issues and challenges for precise remedies. The report showed the improvement in operational and workforce sustainability in a flexible shop floor working environment. The authors enlisted the help of industry individuals from the concerned departments in investigation of report, which belonged to the Human resource and Operations management department. The data were collected through observation and previous records of the chassis manufacturing section. The allocated team helped in data collection after implementing the developed framework in the chassis manufacturing section. The authors verified the developed framework feasibility by analyzing three months' outcomes. The analysis report involves the production time, medical issues, malfunctioning, manufacturing defects, occupational safety, resignation, excess leaves, and idle time, like major factors for assessing the applicability of the developed framework. The reports showed that the developed framework provides a healthy work environment, assures all employees that they are completely safe, and encourages them to commit to delivering the best possible results. The result revealed a drastic improvement in workforce empowerment in the existing work environment by reducing absentees, resignations, transfers, and medical issues.

Comment 4 - Additionally, the methodology should clearly mention which databases were used to collect the literature data, especially since on page 15, line 589, it is stated that the first step involves a review of literature on operations and HRM frameworks. Specifying these databases, along with the keywords or search terms applied, is essential to demonstrate the comprehensiveness and reliability of the literature review process.

Authors’ Reply – The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments, the study reviews the literature on operations and HRM frameworks used to enhance workforce empowerment in SMEs. The review examines approaches, methods, platforms, and advancements in maintaining standardized workforce contributions on the shop floor. The study utilized various databases, including Elsevier, Wiley, MDPI, Taylor & Francis, Springer, Sage, conference proceedings, and books, to review the literature. The study employed various keywords to ensure the comprehensiveness of the literature review. The keywords include challenges in operations and human resource management, advancement in operations and human resource management approaches, integration of approaches for workforce excellence, Workforce sustainability, operational sustainability, Human resource management practices, and workforce empowerment in an advanced work environment.

The correction is shown on page 15, lines 584-605, and page 16, lines 606-620.

·         Comment 5 - By addressing these points in greater detail, the methodology section will be clearer, more comprehensive, and better aligned with academic standards, thereby strengthening the overall quality and credibility of the research.

Authors’ Reply - The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments.  The suitable modification has been included accordingly.

The correction is shown on page 15, lines 584-605, and page 16, lines 606-620.

Comment 1 -  Is this a study case? How the methodological intervention was guided?

Authors’ Reply –

The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments. The present study developed a framework for identifying and tackling the issues responsible for the deterioration of workforce contribution and engagement using HRM practices. The developed framework is validated by investigating its suitability in a real-life shop floor scenario where the HRM team was exhausted and looking to resolve employee-related issues instantly and establish sustainable operations management. The research provides mental and psychological peace for performing the operations on the shop floors. The study fulfills the manufacturer's needs within confined constraints with standardized operations management and human resource management personnel protocols. The operations and HR teams can establish a healthy work environment, assure all employees that they are entirely safe, and encourage them to commit to delivering the best possible results. HRM teams can perform high-quality work in flexible work environments and achieve the goals of SMEs. The developed framework suggests a decision-making plan for maintaining shop floor standardization within limited constraints. The result revealed a drastic improvement in workforce empowerment in the existing work environment by reducing absentees, resignations, transfers, and medical issues by 30.35%, 94.44%, 95.65%, and 93.33%, respectively. The operations and HRM teams assured that the developed framework has proved to be a miracle for their organization. The study provides key planning for decision-making to enhance workforce empowerment in SMEs.

Comment 2 - How this organization was selected?

Authors’ Reply – The present study focused on workforce empowerment by resolving the issues faced on the shop floor by collaborating with Human resource management teams. The study developed a framework for tackling workforce engagement and contribution-related issues in real-life scenarios by implementing it. The organization was selected by reviewing the market scenario on workforce empowerment on the shop floor in SMEs. The study considers those manufacturers who were encouraging the advancement and promoting workforce empowerment in their workplaces but failed to achieve the desired goals. The present research selects an electric vehicle manufacturing organization because they were eagerly searching for a framework to resolve the challenges and issues faced in maintaining needed workforce engagement, contribution, and empowerment for operations management on the shop floor. The selected manufacturer used HRM practices in resolving the problems given by the workforce but received failure in operations management. The chosen manufacturer identified that the Chassis Manufacturing section faced severe problematic conditions because of negligence, resignation, transfer application, lack of collaboration, and absentees. The present study resolved the issues by tackling them in a real-life scenario and leveraging the power of HRM practices. The developed framework suggests an innovative decision-making plan for maintaining shop floor standardization within confined and available constraints.

Comment 3 - Could you please describe the participants (edges, ages, studies, experience, tenure)

Authors’ Reply—The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments. The current research developed a framework using the human resource management principle to identify and tackle the issues responsible for deteriorating workforce contribution in operations management. The authors implemented the framework with the help of industry individuals from the concerned department. The individuals belonged to the Human resource and Operations management department. The applicability of the developed framework was verified by analyzing the reports for the concerned shop floor section in the next three months. HRM and operations management teams established a grievance section for reporting any type of discrepancies faced in operations management and also generated an online and paperless system for reporting awkward and challenging conditions on the shop floor. The HRM and operations management teams analyse the reports and categorize them according to issues and challenges for precise remedies. The three-month report showed workforce empowerment in the existing work environment by drastically reducing absentees, resignations, transfer applications, and absentees. These reports were revealed by selected individuals of the Human resource and Operations management department.  The individuals were reliable and had more experience in the same expertise. They didn’t disclose the reports because of manufacturer guidelines.  

Comment 4 - Since this is an electrical car manufacturing, the technology is an important issue. Could you please describe what kind of resources are used (manufacturing 4.0, 5.0?)

Authors’ Reply – The selected electric vehicle manufacturers were transforming from Industry 3.0 to 4.0. They were establishing innovative platforms for operations management on the shop floor and planning for Industry 5.0. They were planning for Industry 5.0 because of the adaptation issue and opposition of the workforce. The manufacturer was using Industry 4.0 technologies to perform operations and control the performance of resources on the shop floor. They were in the transforming stage and using both Industry 3.0 and 4.0 technologies for operations management on the shop floor. They used cutting-edge technology-based transactions, communication, conversations, scheduling, and allocation. But they were facing challenges in setting up such platforms within the available resources.   

Comment 5 - Is this plant planning to be qualified as manufacturing 5.0?

Authors’ Reply—The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments. The manufacturer was planning to establish Industry 5.0 because of the challenges reported in Industry 4.0.

Comment 1 -  I find the english language and the style of writing suboptimal. There are many grammatical and syntax errors. Many sentences are quite short and thus hard to understand the point of the whole text, for example on lines 151 and 152: "Operation management concentrates on optimum utilization of resources, workflow and output. Which directly benefits from empowered and Trained employee.". I suggest thorough professional proofing of the manuscript at the latter stages. 

Authors’ Reply –

The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments; the English language has been improved. The suitable modification has been included accordingly.

The correction has been shown on page 8, lines 314-315.

Comment 2 - Figures 1 and 2 lack proper referencing - 1 is without a reference, and 2 mentions five references as its source. 

Authors’ Reply – The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments, the suitable modification has been included accordingly.

The correction has been shown on page 1, lines 46-47.

Comment 3 - I found section 1. Introduction to be underdeveloped and superficial. The authors should have briefly described the research gap, motivation for this research, the need for the framework that was developed and contribution of this paper. 

Authors’ Reply – The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments, the suitable modification has been included accordingly.

The correction has been shown on pages 3-7, lines 72-233.

Comment 4 - Section 2. Literature review thoroughly presentes previous research in four distinct parts. Still, the style of writing is suboptimal and requires significant improvements with the help of a linguistics professional. 

Authors’ Reply – The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments, the style of writing has been improved. The suitable modification has been included accordingly.

Comment 5 - Figure 3 should not consist of three different figures, rather, these should be three separate figures. 

Authors’ Reply - The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments, the suitable modification has been included accordingly.

 The correction has been shown on page 10, lines 391-392, and page 11, lines 393-397.

Comment 6 - I found Section 3. Methodology with few relevant information and without proper arguments for such a methodology, Besides that, I doubt that the presented five steps constitute a proper methodology at all, as methodology  postulates a particular procedure or set of procedures that are inherently related, while here I find a number of actions that have little connection between themselves other than chronological order. For example, the fifth step is merely the conclusion of the paper

Authors’ Reply –

The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments, the suitable modification has been included accordingly.

The correction has been shown on page 10, lines 371-375, and lines 382-388.

Comment 7 - Section 4. presents the developed framework, but without any relevance to the text before. There are no arguments for the proposed framework and no clear rationale that the literature review possibly implied. The authors should explain how the framework was developed with regards to the previous literature, and provide more information about the presented framework and what underpins it. Appropriate literature relevant for framework development should have been consulted and cited here. 

Authors’ Reply –

The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments. The literature review reported several issues in workforce empowerment in operations management on the shop floor in SMEs. These issues exhaust the workforce and minimize their outcomes. There were several issues recognized in operations management, including phycological conditions, working environment, grievance reporting, inappropriate scheduling, and biased allocation. These issues deteriorate the status of workforce empowerment in the current scenario of SMEs. The problems become severe when operators argue and request improvement in operations and human resource management practices, but the organizations fail to provide suitable solutions. This trauma and failure directly impact the workforce contribution and engagement on the shop floor and cause severe losses to the organization. The present study developed a framework for identifying and tackling the issues responsible for the deterioration of workforce contribution using human resource management practices policy. The developed framework is validated by investigating its feasibility in a real-life electric vehicle manufacturing scenario where the Human Resources team was exhausted and looking to resolve employee-related issues instantly and establish sustainable operations management. The developed framework provides mental and psychological peace for performing the operations on the shop floors. The present study can fulfil the manufacturer's needs within confined constraints with standardized operations management and human resource management personnel protocols.

The following research works have been considered for the development of the present framework.

1.         D. O. R. Oluwatoyin Gbenga Bawalla, “Technological Advancement: Issues, Challenges and Perspectives for Human Resource Practice in Nigeria,” KIU Journal of Social Sciences , vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 47–55, 2021.

2.         B. , & P. R. Sivathanu, “ Smart HR 4.0 – How Industry 4.0 is reshaping the human resource profession. ,” Human Resource Management International Digest, vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 25–32, 2020.

3.         Hauff, S., Guerci, M., Dul, J., & van Rhee, H. (2021). Exploring necessary conditions in HRM research: Fundamental issues and methodological implications. Human Resource Management Journal, 31(1), 18-36.

4.         Yandi, A., & Havidz, H. B. H. (2022). Employee performance model: Work engagement through job satisfaction and organizational commitment (A study of human resource management literature study). Dinasti International Journal of Management Science, 3(3), 547-565.

5.         Wissemann, A. K., Pit, S. W., Serafin, P., & Gebhardt, H. (2022). Strategic guidance and technological solutions for human resources management to sustain an aging workforce: review of international standards, research, and use cases. JMIR Human Factors, 9(3), e27250.

6.         Qin, R., & Nembhard, D. A. (2015). Workforce agility in operations management. Surveys in Operations Research and Management Science, 20(2), 55-69.

7.         Choudhary, P., & Kunte, M. (2023). Is high-performance work system making employees happy? An integrated model and research agenda for sustainable organizational growth. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 1-19.

Comment 8 - Section 5. provides some information about a specific case in the automobile industry, but it is hard to find any connection with the framework presented in the previous section. This section presents details of the current shop floor section, illustration of the current fabrication section, and details of strategy implemented considering attributes, but without relevance to the prior work, or without meaningful presentation. This section appears to be stitched together from different unrelated tables and a figure. 

Authors’ Reply –

The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments. The present study developed a framework for identifying and tackling the issues responsible for the deterioration of workforce contribution and engagement using human resource management practices practices. The developed framework is validated by investigating its suitability in a real-life shop floor scenario where the human resource management practices team was exhausted and looking to resolve employee-related issues instantly and establish sustainable operations management. The organization was selected by reviewing the market scenario on workforce empowerment on the shop floor in SMEs. The study considers that manufacturer who were encouraging the advancement and promoting workforce empowerment in their workplaces but failed to achieve the desired goals. The present research selects an electric vehicle manufacturing organization because they were eagerly searching for a framework to resolve the challenges and issues faced in maintaining needed workforce engagement, contribution, and empowerment for operations management on the shop floor. The manufacturer was worried about their Chassis Manufacturing section because they were continuously failing in achieving the goals because of negligence and incompletion reports in the same section.  The selected manufacturer used human resource management practices practices in resolving the problems given by the workforce but received failure in operations management. The chosen manufacturer identified that the Chassis Manufacturing section faced severe problematic conditions because of negligence, resignation, transfer application, lack of collaboration, and absentees. The present study resolved the issues by tackling them in a real-life scenario and leveraging the power of HRM practices. The developed framework suggests an innovative decision-making plan for maintaining shop floor standardization within confined and available constraints.

Comment 9 - Section 6. Results and discussion presents improvements reported by HRM and operations management teams, but it is unclear where this data came from and how it relates to the rest of the paper. FIgure 6. provides some data, but it is not explained how this data was obtained. In particular, I cannot find any connection to the framework developed earlier, which is a serious issue. The decision-making planning presented in Figure 7. also appears to come out of nothing. Figure 8. was not mentioned anywhere in the text, it is not easy to understand what it came from and what is its purpose, and it does not provide meaningful contribution to the rest of the paper. 

Authors’ Reply –

The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments. The current research developed a framework using the human resource management principle to identify and tackle the issues responsible for deteriorating workforce contribution in operations management. The authors implemented the framework with the help of industry individuals from the concerned department. The individuals belonged to the Human resource and Operations management department. The applicability of the developed framework was verified by analyzing the reports for the concerned shop floor section in the next three months. Human resource management practices and operations management teams established a grievance section for reporting any type of discrepancies faced in operations management and also generated an online and paperless system for reporting awkward and challenging conditions on the shop floor. The human resource management practices and operations management teams analyze the reports and categorize them according to issues and challenges for precise remedies. The three-month report showed workforce empowerment in the existing work environment by drastically reducing absentees, resignations, transfer applications, and absentees. These reports were revealed by selected individuals of the Human resource and Operations management department.  The authors enlisted the help of industry individuals from the concerned department, which belonged to the Human resource and Operations management department. The data were collected through observation and previous records of the same section.

Figure 7 suggests the decision-making planning for achieving operations and human resource management excellence in the current operations management scenario of SMEs. The decision-making plan consists of guidelines and an action plan for tackling the shop floor performances in terms of workforce and operational factors. The guidelines show the directions for controlling workforce performance efficiently on the shop floor. The authorities can choose a suitable approach for enhancing the workforce performance if they face challenges in performing on the shop floor. The action plan is used for analyzing the operations and workforce performances on the shop floor. The analysis helps in starting suitable traditions and policies for eliminating negative thoughts with a positive work environment within the constraints of the manufacturer.

Figure 9 describes the contribution of the developed framework for the current inherent insights in operations and human resource management for maximizing workforce empowerment in SMEs.  The contribution describes the benefits of the developed framework in tackling the issues in operations and workforce management on the shop floor. The framework helps operations and human resources teams combat issues in flexible work environments within confined constraints. The operations and human resource teams can direct the workforce in achieving operational sustainability by establishing an innovative work platform. Innovative platforms use paperless and cutting-edge technologies to resolve the operations and workforce-related issues in the current SME scenario. The contribution shows that the operations and human resources teams can achieve operational, environmental, economic, and workforce sustainability on the shop floor.

Comment 10 - Section 7. Conclusion is rather short and trivial. The authors should provide more insight into the proposed framework and connect their results with previous literature. The authors should also provide specific academic and managerial implications of their work and propose further research. 

Authors’ Reply –

The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments, suitable amendments have been included accordingly.

The correction has been shown on pages 23, lines 607-608, lines 615-618, lines 620-627, page 24 lines 630-640.

Comment 11 - In conclusion, I am sorry to state that I find this paper significantly underdeveloped and without meaningful contribution to the research field. 

Authors’ Reply –

The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments. The developed framework is novel for improving workforce contribution using human resource management practices in the current industrial scenario within the limited constraints of the concerned manufacturers. Organizations are looking to establish a unique key for controlling operations management performance by maximizing workforce contribution on the shop floor. However, they fail to achieve their targets within the limited constraints. As a result, the organization faces severe losses and even the possibility of shutting down. The present study focused on developing a novel framework for enhancing workforce contribution on the shop floor using HRM policies. The developed framework helps achieve workforce sustainability within manufacturers' constraints in the current operations management scenario. The study directs the HRM teams in controlling flexible manufacturing conditions in SMEs within available protocols and guidelines. A few studies have been done on controlling shop floor scenarios through modifications in HRM strategy. The present study developed a novel framework for improving workforce contribution using efficient HRM directions within the limited constraints of the concerned manufacturers. The present research focuses on workforce empowerment for operations management excellence on the shop floor by resolving the issues faced in organizing tasks and assignments in SMEs. The current research works as a booster for organizations where operations teams are looking for a sustainable platform for leveraging the power of human resource management practices for enhancing workforce empowerment within available resources. The developed framework provides workforce and operational sustainability within confined constraints. The study provides the current inherent insights for the human resource management practices and research directions of researchers and industry individuals who are searching for operational excellence and sustainability with maximization of workforce empowerment on the shop floor.

Comment 1 -  Abstract:

·         This section lacks clarity and connection to the main themes. It seems like HR has been forced into this paper. There are a lot of motivational theories that would nicely connect into a manufacturing labor based study. In fact many were birthed from studying manufacturing lines.

Authors’ Reply –

Authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments. In the Era of globalization and increased competition, organizations need to enhance their performance in a way that is both efficient and effective. Human resource management (HRM) is essential in this changing global environment, not just for recruiting and training but also for strategically matching staff competencies with long-term company objectives. In this current operational condition, motivational theories offer a solid basis for comprehending how HRM may empower the workforce in operations management. There are several human resource management practices available for tackling workforce-related issues. These issues can be resolved by human resource management theories. The literature review reported several issues in workforce empowerment in operations management. These issues are related to operations-related problems that can only be tackled by operations management teams. The current research developed a framework using the human resource management principle to identify and tackle the issues responsible for deteriorating workforce contribution in operations management. The developed framework is validated by investigating its feasibility in a real-life electric vehicle manufacturing scenario where the human resources team was exhausted and looking to resolve employee-related issues instantly and establish sustainable operations management. The present study uses suitable action planning and human resource management practices to focus on workforce empowerment in an operational scenario. Organizations work on a balanced work planning, and it is not possible to control the workforce performances on the shop floor without suitable human resource management practice and planning.  The developed framework provides mental and psychological peace for performing the operations on the shop floors.

Comment 2 - Introduction:This section is a bit more clear, but the idea that this is a novel framework when many motivational theories are manufacturing and widget output based is not well supported. For example, how is this contribution different from Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory? The uniqueness of this researches contribution is still unclear and the purpose of this study compared to foundational theories would be helpful. Were are a lot of great resources available that connect productivity and employee satisfaction. They could be better represented to define the relevancy and importance of the subject.

·         The grammar and writing needs correction.

·         Continue to focus on motivating the reader to continue with the paper.

·         Some of the graphics seem overly complicated for the obvious information provided.

Authors’ Reply – The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments. To boost workplace productivity and reduce the negative impact in the workplace. the market and organizations find it crucial to realize the predictor and employee motivation. According to Herzberg's Two Factor Theory of Motivation, motivation and cleanliness have a significant impact on job satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Since the theory promotes a clear-cut idea, a thorough investigation and study of this theory is necessary to determine and address the productivity of the workforce. Herzberg's two-factor theory identifies and examines the drivers of employee satisfaction or workplace motivation and the drivers of employee dissatisfaction or workplace demotivation.  Herzberg's motivator-hygiene theory inspired researchers to study job satisfaction further. In 1959, Herzberg, Mausner, and Snyderman introduced motivator-hygiene theory, which challenged the traditional notion of job satisfaction. According to Herzberg's theory, job satisfaction decreases from the presence of motivators such as recognition, work, promotion, responsibility, and achievement. The absence of these factors does not cause job dissatisfaction. Lack of hygiene factors, including working circumstances, compensation, interpersonal relationships, job security, corporate policies, and administration, can lead to job dissatisfaction.

The literature review reported several issues in workforce empowerment in operations management on the shop floor in SMEs. These issues exhaust the workforce and minimize their outcomes. There were several issues recognized in operations management, including phycological conditions, working environment, grievance reporting, inappropriate scheduling, and biased allocation. These issues deteriorate the status of workforce empowerment in the current scenario of SMEs. The problems become severe when operators argue and request improvement in operations and human resource management practices, but the organizations fail to provide suitable solutions. This trauma and failure directly impact the workforce contribution and engagement on the shop floor and cause severe losses to the organization. The present study developed a framework for identifying and tackling the issues responsible for the deterioration of workforce contribution using human resource management practices policy. The developed framework is validated by investigating its feasibility in a real-life electric vehicle manufacturing scenario where the Human Resources team was exhausted and looking to resolve employee-related issues instantly and establish sustainable operations management. The developed framework provides mental and psychological peace for performing the operations on the shop floors. The present study can fulfil the manufacturer's needs within confined constraints with standardized operations management and human resource management personnel protocols.

The correction is shown on pages 3, lines 88-95, 4, lines 96-139, 5, lines 140-184, 6, lines 185-229, and 7, lines 230-249.

Comment 3 - Literature:

·         New themes are introduced in the LR section without much connection to the earlier part of the paper. For example, AI, technology, and Sustainability.

·         Main centers of existing literature including productivity and motivation are not well represented in this section.

·         The tone tends towards industry practice rather than scholarly.

Theory, Research Questions, and Method:

·         This section makes major leaps to the framework without a rigid method. I am not nearly a methods expert, but this seems more like a section dedicated to the proposed framework rather than a true methodology with validity.

Authors’ Reply – The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments, the suitable modification has been included accordingly.

The correction is shown on pages 3, lines 88-95, 4, lines 96-139, 5, lines 140-184, 6, lines 185-229, page 7, lines 230-249; page 9 lines 365-373.

Comment 4 - Results & Contributions

The results provided read in a KPI like way but don’t explain how the metric is calculated and how the author(s) can validate it is resultant of the framework.

·         There are many alternative explanations for the results and how are these controlled?

·         I am not convinced this is a unique contribution.

·         The graphics still seem overly complicated.

Authors’ Reply – The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments, the suitable modification has been included accordingly.

The correction is shown on pages 17, lines 504-509, page 18, lines 514-526, page 19 , lines 529-530, page 20 lines 543-545, page 21 line 546.

Comment 5 - Other notes:

·         While the references are current (last 5 years) there seems to be missing much of the foundational research that would help build the academic baseline.

·         I am not certain emerging technologies is an appropriate keyword for this paper.

·         The paper reads more like and industry finding white paper or KPI metric reporting than an academic paper

Authors’ Reply - The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments.  The suitable modification has been included accordingly. The present study takes an industry-oriented viewpoint, concentrating on human resource procedures and how they affect the productivity of shop floor workers. Its principal objective is academic, using actual data and structural methodology. The study methodologically investigated and evaluated real-world problems influencing employee contribution, according to scholarly research, rather than merely industry reporting. In light of this, the manuscript will include non-theories and models that bolster the framework and discussion. The result will ensure that it complies with academic writing standards.

The correction has been shown on pages 3-7, lines 72-233, page 10, lines 371-375, and lines 382-388, page 17 lines 291, page 21 lines 365, pages 23, lines 607-608, lines 615-618, lines 620-627, page 24 lines 630-640.

Comment 1 -  I find this paper without significant contribution to the HRM literature, since the methods used are quite arbitrary and lack both reliability and validity. There is no clear research gap being addressed, nor a solution that is original or coherent.

Authors’ Reply –

The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments. The suitable modification has been included accordingly.

The correction has been shown on pages 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12.

Comment 2 - Below are some specific comments, but please be advised that addressing the next comments further will only provide certain incremental improvements. 

Section 1., although heavily edited, still fails short of what it should be. The authors should have briefly described the research gap, motivation for this research, the need for the framework that was developed and contribution of this paper - all of these important points are still not presented clearly. What are the "issues faced in organizing tasks and assignments in SMEs" mentioned on line 226? What was the rationalle and method for developing a framework for workforce empowerment?

Authors’ Reply – The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments, the suitable modification has been included accordingly.

The literature review reported several issues in workforce empowerment in operations management on the shop floor in SMEs. Industry individuals showed their heartburn because of unplanned, biased, unhygienic, insecure, and exerting in completing tasks on the work floors. These issues exhaust the workforce and minimize their outcomes. There were several issues recognized in operations management, including phycological conditions, working environment, grievance reporting, inappropriate scheduling, and biased allocation. These issues deteriorate the status of workforce empowerment in SMEs. Organizations set their targets without discussion and analysis with limited resource availability. This practice hampers workforce engagement and contribution on the shop floor. Operators focus on finishing the job as quickly as possible rather than being dedicated to doing a good job.  The problems become severe when operators argue and request improvement in operations and HRM practices, but the organizations fail to provide suitable solutions. This trauma and failure directly impact the workforce contribution and engagement on the shop floor and cause severe losses to the organization.

The authors reviewed the literature and discussed with operations and human resource individuals for recognition of the specified path for resolving the issues. The industry personnel information helped in the alignment of suitable action and navigation for balanced guidelines for the controlling the operational and workforce performances on the shop floor. The discussion, review, and conversations supported in the development of the framework for workforce empowerment on the shop floor.

The correction has been shown on pages 7 , 11, and 12.

Comment 3 -I am afraid that I do not understand Figure 2. at all, this should have been a table. 

Authors’ Reply – The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments, the suitable modification has been included accordingly.

The correction has been shown on pages 3, lines 71-73.

Comment 4 - Part 1.1 is not necessary - mentioning motivational theories in this way is not needed in a scientific journal, as the targeted readers are surely informed about them already. Part 1.2 is too trivial and backed with only 1 reference, which is not acceptable for a theory review. Part 1.3 is also too trivial and backed with only two references. Part 1.4 is irrelevant for the presented framework. Together, all of these four added parts are too lengthy and not informative enough for an introduction. 

Authors’ Reply – The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments, the suitable modification has been included accordingly. Part 1.1 showed the background of the human resource management theories in organizational scenario. The section describes the prevalent human resource management theories used in workforce contribution. The readers can understand the necessity of related theories for workforce empowerment. References have been included in Part 1.2 and Part 1.3. Part 1.4 describes the emerging human resource management practices for tackling the shop floor issues. Emerging human resource management helps in establishing a productive and flexible workplace environment by real-time decision-making, information flow and minor communication gap reporting. This section is important because the current organizations are looking for an extension in technologies, including 4.0, 5.0, and 6.0. The selected electric vehicle manufacturers were transforming from Industry 3.0 to 4.0. They were establishing innovative platforms for operations management on the shop floor and planning for Industry 5.0. Part 1.4 also provides the current organizational conditions considering emerging human resource management conditions and the necessity of controlling workforce outcomes in operations management on the shop floor. Emerging human resource management helps in rectifying the operational and human resource management issues on the shop floor.    

The correction has been shown on pages 4, 5, 6, and 7.

Comment 5 - In section 2. I witness significant linguistic improvement, but no substantial improvements regarding the literature review. 

Authors’ Reply - The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments, the suitable modification has been included accordingly.

 The correction has been shown on page 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12.

Comment 6 - I still find Section 3. to appear with few relevant information and without proper arguments for such a methodology. The authors have not provided me any significant arguments to conclude otherwise in the revised manuscript or in the letter. This revision still leaves me in doubt that the presented five steps constitute a proper methodology at all. Here I still find a number of actions that have little connection between themselves other than chronological order. There is no reference to provide a precedent. I still find the fifth step to be merely the conclusion of the paper, and it should not be presented as a step in the methodology. 

Authors’ Reply –

The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments, the suitable modification has been included accordingly.

The correction has been shown on pages 12, 13 and 14.

Comment 7 - Section 4. provides three separate figures at the start, but I find the firt two redundant, while the figure 3 (c) lacks context and meaning, and it also lacks transparent presentation methods. The authors have provided Table 1. with the details of the action plan, but this table comes out of nowhere and without any ideas about where it came from. I copy my earlier comment as it is still not addressed properly in the paper itself: "Section 4. presents the developed framework, but without any relevance to the text before. There are no arguments for the proposed framework and no clear rationale that the literature review possibly implied. The authors should explain how the framework was developed with regards to the previous literature, and provide more information about the presented framework and what underpins it. Appropriate literature relevant for framework development should have been consulted and cited here.".

Authors’ Reply –

The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments. the suitable modification has been included accordingly. Table 1 shows the details of the action plan for workforce empowerment in SMEs on the shop floor. The action plan helps in directing the implementation of the phases in an operations management scenario, considering appropriate factors for the shop floor scenario. The present study has developed a framework for workforce empowerment by tackling the operations and human resource management issues on the shop floor. The developed framework can resolve the issues reported by industry personnel and literature in real-life scenarios. Table 1 describes the action plan considering phases of the developed framework. The action plan illustrates the action considered in five different phases. It describes the phases' directions by considering various factors necessary for achieving the manufacturers' desired goals within available resources.  The following research works have been considered for the development of the present framework.

1.         Tortorella, G. L., Giglio, R., & Van Dun, D. H. (2019). Industry 4.0 adoption as a moderator of the impact of lean production practices on operational performance improvement. International journal of operations & production management, 39(6/7/8), 860-886.

2.         Murray, W. C., & Holmes, M. R. (2021). Impacts of employee empowerment and organizational commitment on workforce sustainability. Sustainability, 13(6), 3163.

3.         Salvadorinho, J., & Teixeira, L. (2023). Happy and engaged workforce in industry 4.0: a new concept of digital tool for HR based on theoretical and practical trends. Sustainability, 15(3), 2781.

4.         Signoretti, A., & Sacchetti, S. (2020). Lean HRM practices in work integration social enterprises: Moving towards social lean production. Evidence from Italian case studies. Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, 91(4), 545-563.

5.         JH Coun, M., Peters, P., Blomme, R. J., & Schaveling, J. (2022). ‘To empower or not to empower, that’s the question’. Using an empowerment process approach to explain employees’ workplace proactivity. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 33(14), 2829-2855.

6.         Alkhazali, Z., Abu-Rumman, A., Khdour, N., & Al-Daoud, K. (2020). Empowerment, HRM practices and organizational performance: a case study of Jordanian commercial banks. Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues, 7(4), 2991.

7.         Afram, J., Manresa, A., & Mas Machuca, M. (2022). The impact of employee empowerment on organisational performance: The mediating role of employee engagement and organisational citizenship behaviour. Intangible Capital, 18(1), 96-119.

8.         Martínez-Falcó, J., Sánchez-García, E., Marco-Lajara, B., & Millán-Tudela, L. A. (2024). Enhancing employee wellbeing and happiness management in the wine industry: unveiling the role of green human resource management. BMC psychology, 12(1), 203.

9.         Salvadorinho, J., & Teixeira, L. (2023). Happy and engaged workforce in industry 4.0: a new concept of digital tool for HR based on theoretical and practical trends. Sustainability, 15(3), 2781.

10.      Islami, X., & Mulolli, E. (2021, June). Linking HRM practices to operational performance in the emerging economy. In Proceedings of FEB Zagreb International Odyssey Conference on Economics and Business (Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 890-900). University of Zagreb, Faculty of Economics and Business.

11.      Anwar, G., & Abdullah, N. N. (2021). The impact of Human resource management practice on Organizational performance. International journal of Engineering, Business and Management (IJEBM), 5.

The correction has been shown on pages 14, 15 and 16.

Comment 8 - The authors did not address my comments: "Section 5. provides some information about a specific case in the automobile industry, but it is hard to find any connection with the framework presented in the previous section. This section presents details of the current shop floor section, illustration of the current fabrication section, and details of strategy implemented considering attributes, but without relevance to the prior work, or without meaningful presentation. This section appears to be stitched together from different unrelated tables and a figure." The authors did insert two new paragraphs in this section, but still it does not present much valuable information to the reader. I wish that the authors put more effort in improving this section and not in writing me an explanation about it in the letter - the manuscript is an important place to put your improvements, and the letter to the reviewer should only inform you about that. 

Authors’ Reply –

The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments. The developed framework is validated by implementing it in a real-life shop floor case where the HRM team was exhausted and looking to resolve employee-related issues instantly and establish sustainable operations management. The case belonged to the automobile industry. The organization was selected by reviewing the market scenario on workforce empowerment on the shop floor in SMEs. The present research selected a chassis manufacturing section of an electric vehicle manufacturing organization. There were 13 departments, and one of the sections was fabrication. Section 5 describes the implementation of the developed framework in a real-life case study. In addition, phase 1, described by Table 2 on page 17, Phase 2 is shown on page 18 in Figure 6. Phase 3 is detailed on page 19 in Table 3. Section 5 describes the current operational and human resource management scenario on the work floor, considering attributes, parameters, and factors discussed in the framework developed in the previous section. Both added paragraphs showed the description of the case study.

The correction has been shown on pages 17, 18 and 19.

Comment 9 - All of a sudden, Section 6. starts with mentioning the cleanliness of the workplace, although it was barely mentioned earlier in the paper. This is not acceptable. Tables 4. 5. and 6. appear without any explanation, which is also not acceptable. The authors should provide information on what these metrics are, how they were obtained, and to what extent are they reliable and valid? How should the readers be convinced that the reported effects were consequences of the presented framework, and not some other factors?

Authors’ Reply –

The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments. Table 4 describes the details of the modification given by industry individuals of all 13 departments. These modifications help in achieving improvement in operational and workforce outcomes on the shop floor. Table 5 shows the details of the parameters and factors improved after implementing the suitable amendments given in Table 4. Table 6 shows the analysis description done after receiving the next three months' report after the implementation of the developed framework. These tables provide structured information for understanding how the developed framework worked in the selected case study. The data has been assessed by the operations and human resource teams of the selected organizations. The teams assured that the developed framework is innovative and efficient for achieving operational and workforce sustainability on the shop floor in SMEs.

The correction has been shown on pages 21, 23, 24 and 25.

Comment 10 - Although Section 7. provides some improvements, they are still incremental, and without enough relevant information and conclusions.

Authors’ Reply –

The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments, Operations and HRM teams collected three months of shop floor data after implementing the developed framework in the chassis manufacturing section. It has been observed that the reported medical issues were 7-8, but according to the analysis, the medical issues reported were 14-15 because there were some individuals who worked in more than one department. The monthly report showed that the medical issues reporting reduced from 15 to 1, but in fact, it reduced 8 to 1. Similarly, absentees were reduced by 18 to 1 out of 56. The resignation applications were reduced by 17, and the transfer requests reduced by 23 to 1. The suitable modification has been included accordingly in the result and discussion section

The correction has been shown on pages 25.

Comment 11 - Although I see some improvements in the English language, the sentences are still short and not appropriate for academic readers.  

Authors’ Reply –

The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments. The suitable modification has been included accordingly in the result and discussion section

Comment 1 -  Introduction:

Author’s included great updates for the introduction with the intent to connect HRM and Workplace Empowerment to the shop floor environment and recognition of existing motivational theories. 1.2 & 1.3 would be great additions to complete this connection. Unfortunately, these sections are supported with only 1 relevant citation each, require grammar edits, and read as the author(s) responses to the theories rather than academic research. Section 1.4 has more support, but could still be improved. Overall the addition of these sections moves the manuscript in the right direction.

Authors’ Reply –

The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments; the suitable modification has been included accordingly.

The correction has been shown on pages 4, 5, 6, and 7.

Comment 2

 Literature Review: 

While I note the updates and see the removal of new themes from the manuscript, citations still exist without any use. (example: Chowdhury et al. 2023). Productivity and motivation while better represented in the Introduction, little was done to address the representation of existing research in this section.

Authors’ Reply – The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments, the suitable modification has been included accordingly.

The correction has been shown on pages 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12.

Comment 3 -Results and Other:

The improvements support the paper well!

Some grammar improvements still needed, but improvements in this area are also noted. 

Authors’ Reply – The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments, the suitable modification has been included accordingly.

The correction has been shown on pages 21, 23, 24, and 25.

Comment 4 - Some grammar improvements still needed, but improvements in this area are also noted. 

Authors’ Reply – The authors are thankful to the reviewer for giving constructive comments, the style of writing has been improved. The suitable modification has been included accordingly.