Analyzing the Impact of External Factors on HR Activities at Moonpig

This report discusses the functions of human resource management in Moonpig, including estimating manpower requirements, recruitment, selection, placement and orientation, training and development, performance appraisal, promotion and career planning, and coordinating. It also explores the importance of HRM in Moonpig and the evolution of human resource management. Additionally, the report analyzes the impact of external factors such as technological changes, workforce demographics, economic environment, and unpredictable situations like COVID-19 on HR activities at Moonpig.

Managing People

Table of Contents
INTRDOUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................1
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................2

INTRODUCTION
Human Resource is the essential part of every business and plays a crucial role in
conducting all the activities of the business. Human resource management helps an organization
to recruit, hire, select and manage people working in an organization. Its main objective is to
identify wants of people working in an organization and improving their performances to
efficiently achieve organizational objectives. This report covers an understanding of the business
environment and how management of resourcing human resource is influenced by internal and
external factors. The report also inhibits HR functions related to acquiring, recruitment and
training of human resource. At the end the report tells about the external factors to the COVID-
19 that affects HR functions of the business.
MAIN BODY
Definition of Human Resource and HRM
Human resources are the combination set of people who work together in order to
achieve certain goals in particular to an organisation. Management of an organisation performs
five basic functions that are related to the planning, organisation, directing, controlling and
staffing. These functions fits into every department of an organisation. Accordingly, managerial
functions of HRM i.e. planning, organising, staffing, directing, controlling, coordinating and
budgeting are also performed in an organisation.
Functions of HRM in Moonpig:
Moonpig is an internet based business of selling personal greeting cards, it is
headquartered in London Guernsey and established in the year 2000. The organisation has a
workforce of approximately 500 employees, which means that it performs its functions of
planning, organising, staffing, directing, controlling, coordinating and budgeting for HRM.
Human Resource is a much wider concept that is related to manpower management, labour force,
personnel, associates and people around who are involved in various activities. Human resource
department of an organisation functions with the Human resource management. The department
checks various aspects of employment, such as working in synchronisation to the employment
laws and take care of workforce enhancement and recruitment/employment on boarding. To
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control and manage the workforce and manpower Moonpig managerial performs various
function which are given below: Estimating Manpower requirement: When the organisational structure is clear and
departments are also formed then the estimation of man power required for the activities
can be done. For the purpose of estimating the manpower requirement Moonpig goes
through series of steps to create various job positions. The company goes through
workload analysis in order to assess the number and type of employees required for a
accomplishment of organisational objectives. Recruitment: Recruitment is the process of attracting and evaluating the best required
potential and qualified candidate for a particular job position. The process of recruitment
involves searching for prospective employees and simulate them to apply for the vacant
job position. For the recruitment purpose Moonpig management creates job description
and forms candidate profile required by using 'situation vacant' advertisements in online
and offline modes. Selection: Selection is the process of choosing from among the pool of the prospective
candidates who are being selected in the recruitment stage. The selection process in
Moonpig involves the rigorous process of tests and interviews through which the
employees has to go to be selected. The selection process is important in order to ensure
the availability of the best candidate in the organisation. This process also helps to
enhance the self-esteem and prestige of the employees that are selected. Placement and Orientation: It refers to the induction of employees to guide them to
adjust with the work environment of the business. In the orientation programme the
employee is introduced with the organisation's goals and objectives so they can serve
better to achieve long term, short term and medium term goals of the organisation. This
process of familiarising a new employee in Moonpig is done in a month paid orientation
programme so that they could bring everlasting impacts on them. Training and development: Training of the employees should always go in the
coordination to their development functions, this must be indispensable functions of the
human resource management. Moonpig provides opportunities to its employees by
facilitating them with better learning opportunities through various training and
development programmes. The training and development programmes in Mooinpig are
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conducted by various in house training centres or forged alliances with the training and
educational institutes. This helps to raise employee motivation which helps them to
perform better and thus contribute to better organisational performance and efficiency. Performance Appraisal: After the employees have undergone their training duration
there is a need to evaluate and check their performance. All organisations have some
formal or informal means of appraising their employees' performance. Performance
appraisal of Moonpig is based on certain criteria or predetermined standards. The
performance appraisal of the company involves evaluating an employee’s current and/or
past performances with the help of predetermined standards. Promotion and Career Planning: It becomes necessary for all organisations to address
career related opportunities and promotional avenues for their employees. Moonpig
company encourages its employees to grow and realise their full potential with the help
of promotions and giving authority and responsibility at high positions. The company
places its employees to positions with increased responsibility along with high pays,
responsibility and job satisfaction.
 Coordinating: This function of Human Resource involves aligning the self-goals of the
employees towards the organisational goals. The employees tend to work better when
they are working for themselves therefore in today's world. The human resource should
not eliminate the personal goals of the employees, rather should focus on aligning their
goals with the goals of the organisation. The managers of Moonpig provides the benefits
of profit sharing to their employees and gives financial rewards for their incentives.
Importance of Human Resource Management
HRM bridges the gap between the employees' performance and the objectives of the
organisation in long term, medium term and short term durations. HRM contributes to the overall
success of an organisation and brings optimised working of human resource to achieve the
growth of organisation. The importance of the HRM in Moonpig are summed as under - Strategy Management Development: The management of employees does not only help
to estimate manpower but also helps to estimate the places where the performance of the
business is lacking. This helps to bring in new idea in the business to promote the growth
of that functional unit. The strategy of the business improves in regards to the activities of
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Moonpig with the help of well trained and effective employees who could give more to
the organisation. This overall process of Human Resource helps to strengthen the
strategic development of the business. Maintain Favourable Working Conditions: The human Resource management helps to
build effective, favourable and moreover healthy working conditions for the employees
so that they like the workplace and the organisation's work culture. The Moonpig has its
managers well equipped with various employee enhancement and infiltration techniques
to maintain favourable work conditions. Effectiveness and Efficiency in Work: Training and development of employees that
helps them to contribute significantly towards the activities of the business. The process
of training and development helps the employees to be more effective in timely
completion of their tasks and efficiency to use products without wastage increases.
Moonpig has the advantages of better work of its employees because of their proper ways
to manage their needs. Improves Employee Relation: The continuous interactions with the employees makes it
easy for the company to develop positive relations with them. This helps to increase the
productivity of employees working in Moonpig and make them more loyal towards the
company and improve their performance. Conflict Management: The human Resource management helps to build effective,
favourable and moreover healthy working conditions for the employees so that they like
the workplace and the organisation's work culture. The employees feel safe and happy to
work at such places where healthy environment exists which means that chances of the
conflicts in the organisation would decline significantly. Expansion and growth: HRM helps in the growth and diversification of an enterprise as
the working of the employees becomes more concentrated towards the achievement of
organisational goal. The human resource is considered to be the most important part in
Moonpig relies on its employees for performing all the activities of the business related to
marketing, production, sales and many other operations.
 Establish a Healthy Work Culture: The human Resource management helps to build
effective, favourable and moreover healthy working conditions for the employees so that
they like the workplace and the organisation's work culture. The Moonpig has its
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managers well equipped with various employee enhancement and infiltration techniques
to maintain favourable work conditions.
Evolution of Human Resource Management
Historical prospective of Human Resource Management was very different than in
today's world. The ancient human resource management witnessed the prevalence of certain
other distinct types of labourers which comprised of the slaves, serfs and indentured labourers.
The description of the manners and the approaches of evolution of managing humans is given
below: Managing Slaves: The slaves comprised of an important source of human resource in
almost all ancient civilisations. The human resources were treated as the commodities
which were the assets for wealthy rulers, landlords and tribal chiefs. The human resource
was subjected to strict supervision and non-compliance could lead to unleash hell on
them. Managing Serfs: Serfdom was widely prevalent in the federal societies of the early
medieval duration. The management of the serves was mainly based on the principle of
authoritarianism. The employees were serving their masters only and their needs were
also satisfied by their employers sometimes. Managing Indentured Labour: There were various categories of workers who enjoyed a
certain amount of freedom in the relationships with their employers. They were mainly
skilled craftsmen and artisans and experienced apprentices.
 Emergence of Modern Employee Management: With the emergence of modern
management styles the employees are at the top of priority where they could get
maximum advantages. The modern day management focuses on motivating employees to
achieve higher performance.
◦ Scientific styles of management
◦ Motivating
◦ Transnational and learning from employee’s needs
◦ Provides growth opportunities
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External Factors that Impacts the HR Activities
The HR activities are affected by various external forces that controls the overall
activities of the business. In order to deal with these changes, HR must keenly observe and study
the external environment factors related to acquiring, enhancing and sustaining their human
resource. Technological Changes: Due to advancement of technology, there has been a drastic
change in business operations. Technology changes Affects Moonpig and its brand
image, resulting in changes in its profitability and generating revenue. Change in
technology after COVID pandemic has changed in recruitment process, selection,
training, education, etc. thus helping managers to make HR process more efficient. Workforce Demographics: The HR department is highly affected by statistics.
Demographics includes factors such as occupation, salary levels, age, gender etc. In order
to tackle these situations of workforce diversity, human resource managers in Moonpig
need to look for various measures to retain, hire, attract new candidates. Economic Environment: There are various factors that an organization has to bear in
terms of economic activity after pandemic. It includes factors such as factors of
production, economic policies, general economic conditions etc. The other factors
including national income, inflation rates, population have created major impact on
operations of organization.
 Unpredictable Situations: Today the world is living in unprecedented times the all-round
uncertainties regarding the COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed a massive
number of employees, who were already facing stress from the health risk itself, to
working from home. Compounding this stressor, many managers had now leaded to
remote management teams for the first time.
◦ The COVID-19 has brought a renewed focus on human capital and employees, from
its impact on pay programmes related to employees wellbeing.
◦ Prioritising and investing in the six areas relating to human capital development can
help organisations to mitigate the negative impacts of the crisis on the business.
◦ Companies like Moonpig with a well-established Human capital and framework to
govern them can consider better investments and create more long term values.
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CONCLUSION
In the following report it had been illustrated that there are various functions in an
organisation. The functions of the business are highly influenced by the activities of human
resource. It had been obtained that human resource function plays important role in overall
improvement of the business and helps in growth activities. The effective management of human
capital is required to carry business activities successfully. Moreover, it has been understood that
evolution of human resource has occurred in long run from the change in business oriented
human management to that of employee related management. At the end it has been understood
that various external factors such as COVID-19 scenario has led to significant impacts on human
resource.
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REFERENCES
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Human Resource System With Employee Performance. Journal of Career Development,
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management. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management.
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resource empowerment perspective. The TQM Journal.
JYOTHI, P. and NAIDU, G.T., 2021. Impact of Human Resource Practices on Employee
Performance-A study on Steel Industry. Design Engineering, pp.108-115.
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management in distributed environment. Personal and Ubiquitous Computing. pp.1-12.
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corruption: Evidence from Mexican municipal governments. Public Administration.
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