Human Resource Management

In this project report human resource management structure of Waitrose Limited which is a chain of supermarkets and executing its business in UK is going to be discussed which includes different purpose and functions of HRM, strengths and weaknesses of different approaches of recruitment and selection and their example, benefits of HRM practices and importance of employee relations. Application and critical evaluation of HRM practices in a work related context and  employee relations have also been discussed under this report.

TASK 1

1. Explanation of purpose and functions of human resource management

Human resource management is the organisational function that assist managers for recruitment, selection, training and development of employees in company. In Waitrose Limited,  employees are considered as an essential resource. Every employers and workers of organisation maintains policies and employees engagement. Workforce planning is systematic process where enterprises links personnel with their expected results. It ascertains the knowledge, skills and experience needs and link up right people at particular place in specified time period.

Purpose of HRM:

• Effectual use of resources: Resource is an essential part that is to be manage effectively by managers of business. This can be people, materials, finances and so on.  Management of resources includes budgets and schedules for projects, human, supplies and equipments. This HRM purpose is applicable to Workforce  planning and resourcing  of Waitrose Limited as through this they can increase efficiency of resources and minimise the wastages.
• Promote culture of company: Company culture defines environment where employees are working. It is considered as a personality of firm in which various elements are included such as organisation value, expectations, mission, vision, and objectives. This purpose of human resource management is applicable for workforce planning and resourcing of Waitrose Limited. As it bind and retain their employees and assist them for business growth (Ployhart and Moliterno, 2011).
• Employees engagement: Employees engagement is a working approaches that are designed to assure that employees are attached with company's goals, values and objectives. This motivate them to contribute for the success of organisation. This purpose of HRM are applicable by Waitrose Limited. In their workforce planning and resourcing so that involvement of employees increases and planning can be implemented effectively and efficiently.

Functions of HRM

• Recruitment and selection: Recruitment is a process of finding  and choosing skilled and qualified individuals for a particular job. The objectives of this is to hire well qualified candidates. Before this process firm execute personnel plans and rank employees according to their performance at time of interview. Forecasting workers depends on short term and long tern objectives and annual budgets of company. This recruitment and selection function of human resource management is helpful for Waitrose Limited. As it  minimises cost of mistakes like unmotivated and unqualified employees which assist them in workforce planning and resourcing.By using this function they hire talented and skilled employees which help them to achieve their objectives.
• Orientation: Orientation is a systematic introduction of new employees with their co-workers, jobs, procedure  and working environment of company. It is a basic function which assist new workers to adjust themselves in organisation. This function is relevant for workforce planning and resourcing of Waitrose Limited. As it assist them to assign duties to their employees and to achieve their goals.By proving intensive orientation to employees which improve their skills and talents which is used to attain organisational goals.
• Training and development: Training and development are necessary functions of HRM. This is performed by company to improve present and future employees performance by maximizing workers capability through proper instruction and also by increasing their knowledge and skills in particular departments. Which is applicable in workforce planning and resourcing of Waitrose Limited. as it allows them to increase their productivity.  By giving appropriate training to their employees that develops the talents and skills which help them to perform their task effectively and efficiently so that they achieve company's objectives.

2. Strengths and weakness of different approaches to recruitment and selection

Recruitment and selection both are the major tools that are used by a HR managers to hire candidate for the organisation. While selecting individuals for job profiles the interviewer evaluate their capabilities and analyse that they are able to work effectively or not. Recruitment can be defined as the procedure in which job applications are posted by an organisation to attract, shortlist and appoint suitable candidate for a specific job profile. While searching for a suitable person for a job an organisation can invite applications through online media, job advertisements etc.

Selection is the action which is taken by HR managers to select an individual from large number of candidates for the job profile which is offered by the organisation. In Waitrose Limited recruitment and selection process is handled carefully as it is a large company and cannot afford to hire unskilled or uneducated individuals (Werner and DeSimone, 2011).

Recruitment: 

It refers to the process of attracting skilled and talented individuals towards the organisation with the help of job applications. There are various types of recruitment approaches that are used by Waitrose Limited for recruitment:

Internal approaches:

 In such type of recruitment, company recruit existing employees for the job profile. It help to save the cost of hiring individuals from outside of the company. In Waitrose Limited internal recruitment is done with the help of promotions, transfer, employee referrals etc. This is very beneficial for the organisation as well as employees as they get motivated and their work quality get enhanced. Strengths and weaknesses of such approaches are as follows:

Strengths: 

• It is very advantageous for the company as it helps to save cost.
• Employees get motivated and their work quality get enhanced.

Weaknesses:

• It may result in conflicts among employees because it is not possible to promote all the employees.
• When company recruit existing employees than no new talent will be introduced in the organisation.

External approaches: 

In this approach employers hire individuals outside of the organisation. College placement, advertisement, consultancy and pool campus, job fair are the major components of external recruitment that can be used by Waitrose Limited. All the strengths and weaknesses of such approaches are as follows:

Strengths:

• It helps to introduce new talent in the organisation.
• Biasness among existing employees will not be created.

Weaknesses:

• External recruitments cost high and require high time for recruitment.
• When new staff members are selected than organisation have to provide them proper training.

Selection: 

It is the process of selecting best suitable candidate for a job profile which is offered by an organisation. The main approaches that are used by Waitrose to hire employees are as follows:

Online screening: 

It is the method in which organisations use job portals to hire employees (Lengnick-Hall, Beck and Lengnick-Hall, 2011). This approach is used by recruiters of Waitrose Limited to receive online applications from individuals to select or shortlist a few persons who are suitable for the job. Strengths and weaknesses for this approach is as follows:

Strengths: 

• It helps to save the cost of putting a job advertisement.
• Time of interviewing each individual can be saved by reviewing their resume online.
• This approach requires technical knowledge of different software that can be used for online screening.

Interview: 

It can be defined as face to face interaction of interviewer and interviewee. Employers of Waitrose Limited use this approach to hire suitable candidates for the jobs that are offered by the company (Kusluvan and et.al., 2010). Strengths and weaknesses of this method are as follows:

Strengths:

• Help to interact with each individual who have applied for the offered job profile.
• A best suitable candidate can be selected for the job.

Weaknesses:

• It is a time taking process of selection.
• The interviewers should be highly trained to take interview.

3. Benefits of different HRM practices

HRM practices are mainly used to enhance performance of the organisation and also guide the managers to formulate strategies so that work quality of the employees can be increased. In Waitrose Limited HR managers use different methods for HRM practices that can help to motivate employees. These are mainly concerned with the development of organisation as well as individuals who are working in the company. All the methods of HRM practices are as follows:

Training and development:

 For all the existing and new employees of a company it is very important to get training of the job responsibilities that are related to the job profile. Training is mainly provided to the new employees who have recently joined the organisation and required professional guidance for the work. Development programs are conducted for existing employees so that they can identify development opportunities and work to be developed. In Waitrose Limited proper training is provided to the new employees and development opportunities are provided to the existing employees to improve their work quality (Hendry, 2012).

Recruitment and selection: 

These are mainly related to the activities in which employers look out, attract and appoint individuals for the job profile that are offered by the company. In Waitrose Limited, employers select and hire skilled and well educated candidates for the job profiles that are offered by them. This method is very beneficial for the company as it can help to increase productivity with the help of new talent who have been selected by the recruiters.

Compensation: 

It is the total amount which is offered by the organisations to the employees. It can be in the monetary or non monetary terms that are provided by the employers to the individuals in exchange of their work. In Waitrose Limited appropriate compensation is given to the workforce so that they can work productively and properly (Kehoe and Wright, 2013).

All the above mentioned HRM practices help Waitrose Limited to increase its profits and enhance productivity because all of them result in motivates and highly satisfied employees. If the workforce of the company is motivated than it will increase their work quality and productivity of the organisation will be enhanced. When workers perform all the activities productively than profits of the organisation will also be increased.

Benefits of HRM practices to employers:

Improve employee turnover: 

Higher employee turnover can affect the bottom line of the organisation and also result negatively by increasing cost hiring employees. HRM practices help the employers of Waitrose Limited to limit its employee turnover by carefully interviewing the candidates and also hiring capable individuals for the job (Flamholtz, 2012).

Conflict resolution: 

While employers provide good growth opportunities to the employees by conducting development programs for them this will help to resolve conflicts among managers and workforce by increasing interaction level among them. HRM practices in Waitrose Limited is advantageous for the employers as this all the conflicts can be resolved with the help of effective communication among staff members and top management with the help of development programs.

Employee satisfaction: 

Employee satisfaction level can be enhanced by providing them development opportunities and promoting them. In Waitrose Limited employers are highly concerned with the concept of employee satisfaction because if they are gratified with their roles in the organisation than they will work more effectively. It is very beneficial for the employers as  highly mitigated employee will put their full efforts to achieve their target (Farndale, Scullion and Sparrow, 2010).

Benefits to the employees:

Attainment of goals:

HRM practices help employees to attain their goals as proper training is provided them to work effectively. In Waitrose Limited employees get opportunity to achieve their personal goals by getting growth opportunities as it guides them throughout the way of success.

Motivate to work hard: 

Workers motivates to work more effectively with the help of development programs because it helps them to be more professional and get long term benefits. IN Waitrose Limited employees work more productively as they get motivated by the monetary as well as non monetary benefits that are provided by the organisation.

Improve performance:

 HRM practices improve the performance level of employees so that they can grab growth opportunities. In Waitrose Limited workers improve their performance with the help of training and development programs that are conducted to provide them effective training about the job responsibilities (CHUANG and Liao, 2010).

4. Critical evaluation of strengths and weaknesses of different approaches of recruitment and selection

There are various approaches that are used by the HR managers of Waitrose Limited in order to operate the business effectively. These approaches are affect the organisation positively and negatively. For example internal recruitment method can be used by the recruiters of Waitrose Limited to promote the employees and if one employee is get promoted then this will help to save the cost of recruiting another person outside of the organisation. This step of recruiters can also affect the organisation negatively because only one employee will be promoted and another employees may get demoralised as they don't get promotion this can affect their work quality which is not good for the company.

Another example of positive and negative impact of recruitment and selection method is, if HR managers of Waitrose Limited select employees with the help of online screening method than it will result positively and negatively for the organisation. When individuals are hired online then it will help to save time and cost of recruitment which is positive impact and if the selected individuals are not able to work effectively for the organisation than it will result negatively because at the time of selection employers were not able to analyse their actual skills and capabilities (Bloom and Van Reenen, 2011).

TASK 2

5. Importance of employee relations in respect to influencing HRM decision making

Good employee relations are very important for the HR managers of the companies as it may help to execute the business in an appropriate manner. If the employees are not cooperating with the other manager than it may create difficulties for the organisations. In Waitrose Limited managers always try to maintain good relations with the workforce so that decisions making can be influenced and higher productivity can be generated for the company ( Bamberger, Biron and Meshoulam, 2014). There are various situations in which employees do not work productively due to conflicts with the managers it will affect the overall profitability of the company. The managers are suggested to establish healthy relations and a positive work environment at work place so that all the workers get motivated and work hard to attain organisational goals.

The HR managers of Waitrose Limited should formulate effective strategies so that they can maintain their relations with employees and than they can make appropriate decisions for the work forces. There are three major importance of employee relations that are required to form proper decisions. All of them are as follows:

Better communication: 

Good employee relations are mainly required for effective communication among workforce and the managers so that all the strategies can be communicated with the employees before implementation. In Waitrose Limited manager are concerned with effective connection within the organisation because this may help to find solutions for all the critical problems that can may occur in future ( Armstrong, 2011).

Employee engagement in organisational activities: 

When managers establish good relations with their subordinates and other staff members than it can help the organisation to get the success because they can enhance employee engagement in the organisational activities. Top executives of Waitrose Limited are responsible to make decisions that are mainly related to the betterment of the company hence it is very important for them to maintain good relations with the employees so that they can be more involved in their work. This will help the company nto be more profitable.

Key elements of employment legislation and their impacts:

Employment legislations are the rules and regulations that are imposed by the legal authority of UK for all the organisations and it is very important for all the companies to follow them so that business can be operated effectively. Main purpose of these laws are to provide appropriate opportunities to the employees according to their capabilities, reduce the possibility of child labour and guide the organisations to find solutions for the employment related problems. All the employment legislation that are required to be followed by Waitrose Limited  as follows:

Equality act, 2010:

According to this act it is very important for the managers of Waitrose Limited to treat all the employees equally so that they can work efetcively. If the managers are not equal with all the workers than it is an illegal activity which is performed by the organisation. It is also very important to provide equal benefits to male and female employees.

Data protection: 

This act guide the companies to secure their confidential data and record them properly so that it can be analysed that organisation is not performing any illegal activity. This is very important for Waitrose Limited  to maintain it data appropriately (Anderson, 2013).

Health and safety act:

 Under this act management of Waitrose Limited should assure that they are providing security to its staff members and create a good working environment for them so that they can perform all the tasks appropriately.

Employment contracts: 

For all the organisations like Waitrose Limited it is very important to create employment contract with every employee so that employees issue related to wages and salaries can be resolved appropriately.

For Waitrose Limited it is very important to follow all the employment legislations and maintain good relations with employees so that effective decisions can be formulated for the betterment of the organisation. The aspects that may affect decisions making of HRM are employee safety, their performance and organisational data because all of them are related to effective decision making and employees.

6. Application of HRM practices

Decision-making is totally based on internal skills that help in development and growth of company. Employees of company must cooperate with each other and build relationship with each other so that effective decision are made in order to improve the performance of company during an accounting year. HR are focused to make effective relation with team member by applying various ways such as better communication, employee engagement activities etc. There are various rules and standard that formed by governance body that might affect the decision-making process in company. The main importance of employment law that cover all relevant employment aspect. The main purpose of employment laws are it gives equal chance to all worker, develop better conditions for working (Albrech, 2011).

7. Critical evaluation of employee relations and the application of HRM practices that influence decision making

While managers of an organisation are willing to hire individuals for specific job profiles than there are various factors that are considered under recruitment process, all of them are described below:

Job analysis:

It can be defined as the process in which details of a particular job profile is identified and determined. Individuals can gather information about the organisation with the help of job analysis (Job analysis. 2018). The analyst needs to evaluate the important tasks of a job profile and than select such candidates who have effective qualities so that they can carry out all the critical tasks.

Job description: 

It can be defined as a detailed document that carry all the information about the job. A detailed job description can aware a candidate about the responsibilities and duties that are related to the desired job.

Job specifications:

It is the set of expectations that are desired by an employers in the candidates who are coming for the interview. It is same as the job description but it is made in more specific manner. A job specification for a particular job in Waitrose Limited is as follows:

Job specification

1. Job information Job Title: Human Resource Managers Related department: HR

2. Job Intention · Manage all the business related activities. · Formulate strategies to increase profits and profitability of the organisation. · Recruit individuals to fill vacant job profiles

3. Duties and Responsibilities · Motivate and influence workforce of the organisation. · Implement strategies to enhance profitability. · Monitor and control each action of individuals who are working in the company

Description of CV: It is a transparent description of an individual that provides detailed information about academic and other qualifications. A C.V> for the job profile of HR manaegrs is as follows:

1. General information Name: Harry Samson Mobile number: 9856471252 E-mail id: samsonharry@gamil.com

2. Qualification   MBA University of London 78.56% BBA University of London 75.42% Higher education St. Mary's private school 80.00% Secondary education St. Mary's private school 82.74%

5. Personal details: Father name: Christian Samson Mothers name: Maggi Samson Date of birth: 18 September 1995

Achievement: Winner in the debate competition. Volunteer in the cultural fest of the college. Got 2nd position in Badminton tournament.

In Waitrose there are various vacant job profiles that requires skilled and talented individuals for the profile. The organisation can invite the individuals with the help of job advert or online invitations in job portal. For all the recruiters it is very important to select the best suitable candidate for the job profile so that it may result positively and can enhance profitability of the organisation.

VACANCY Waitrose Limited is recruiting individuals for the job profile of customer assistance Post: Customer Assistance Qualification: Masters of Business administration in marketing Experience: At least 2.5 years experience in the same field Interested candidates who are wiling to acquire the job can contact on the below provided number. The candidates can leave their C.V. on the email ID of HR managers of the company Last data for the application is 25 December 2018 Address: South bank, Jackson St, Leeds 5 SK Email: HR.whiteroselimited@gmail.com Contact number: 654745893623

When the organisation give the advertisement for the job various candidates will apply for the job through web portals, email or phone calls. The HR managers or the interviewer have to ask them a few questions so that information about them can be gathered. Some of the important questions that can be asked by the recruiter of Waitrose Limited to the candidates are as follows:

Interview Question Q1. Brief introduction about yourself. Q2.  What strengths and weakness are you having? Q3.  In what way you deal with your weaknesses? Q4. Explain me about the convening power of you self. Q5. How you will handle pressure at work place? Q6. Why should we hire you?

All the above described questions can be asked by a recruiter to the individuals who are coming to the organisation for the job profile of HR managers.

Conclusion

From the above project report it has been concluded that human resource management in an organisation is very important because it may help to improve productivity of employee and increase profits by motivating and influencing employees. There are various HRM practices methods that can be used by recruiters of a company in order to manage the work force and reduce employee turnover. These methods are recruitment and selection, training and development and compensation that results positively as well as negatively. Employee and employers both get benefits with the help of HRM practices because workers can identify development and growth opportunities and recruiter can control the employee turnover.

References

• Albrech, S. L., 2011. Handbook of employee engagement: Perspectives, issues, research and practice. Human Resource Management International Digest. 19(7).
• Anderson, V., 2013. Research methods in human resource management: investigating a business issue. Kogan Page Publishers.
• Armstrong, M., 2011. Armstrong's handbook of strategic human resource management. Kogan Page Publishers.
• Bamberger, P. A., Biron, M. and Meshoulam, I., 2014. Human resource strategy: Formulation, implementation, and impact. Routledge.
• Bloom, N. and Van Reenen, J., 2011. Human resource management and productivity. Handbook of labor economics. 4. pp.1697-1767.
• CHUANG, C. H. and Liao, H. U. I., 2010. Strategic human resource management in service context: Taking care of business by taking care of employees and customers. Personnel Psychology. 63(1). pp.153-196.