Human Resource Development at HSBC Bank of UK

This report focuses on the importance of human resource development at HSBC Bank of UK. It covers designing induction training programs, learning styles, training needs at different managerial levels, evaluation techniques, government's role, and impact of competency assessments.

Human resource development
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Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................4
Task 1.........................................................................................................................................5
A) Design an induction training programme to take into account individual learning styles
and compare different learning styles [P1.1; M1]..................................................................5
B) Explain the role of learning curve outlining the importance of transferring the learning
to workplace environment giving examples of HSBC [P1.2]................................................6
C) Assess how the understanding of learning styles and theories contribute to the designing
of the induction programme for HSBC [P1.3, D1]................................................................7
Task 2.........................................................................................................................................8
A. List and compare the training needs of managerial staff employed at HSBC at different
levels (e.g. junior, mid-level and senior), focussing on the needs of less experienced
managers versus senior managers [P2.1]...............................................................................8
B. Assess the advantages and disadvantages of the training methods you propose to use
during the training course [P2.1, M2]....................................................................................8
C. Based on the areas of training needed, use a systematic approach to plan a training and
development programme for the event [P2.3, D2].................................................................9
Task 3.......................................................................................................................................11
A. Prepare (develop a plan) on evaluation of the induction training programme,
highlighting the evaluation techniques you would use [P3.1].............................................11
B. Carry out an evaluation of the effectiveness of the training event based on the aims and
objectives of the training event and review the success of the evaluation methods used
[P3.2, P3.3, M3]...................................................................................................................11
Task 4.......................................................................................................................................13
A. Explain the role of government in training and development in the UK, including
lifelong learning [P4.1]........................................................................................................13
B. Explain how the need for competency and skills assessments has impacted the public
and private sector organisations [P4.2]................................................................................13
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C. Assess how the contemporary government’s initiatives on training and development
have contributed the human resource development in the UK. [P4.3, D3].........................14
Conclusion................................................................................................................................16
References................................................................................................................................17
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Introduction
The main purpose of this assignment is to provide the reader with the essentials and the need
for human resource development in an organisation. For this purpose, HSBC Bank of UK has
been chosen by the author. The assignment has been divided into various segments which
will help the readers to gain insights on various elements, theories and learning styles of
human resource development.
HSBC is a financial institution operating in the business environment of UK which
commenced their operations the year 1865. The company has been identified as one of the
largest banks of the world which performs various banking activities such as banking and
wealth management, global banking, commercial banking, private and global banking
services etc. the employee pool of the company is huge and it employs around 50000 people
in UK itself. It is important that the company develops their human resource in order to
increase the performance of the bank as well as of their employees for which the company
undertakes various training and learning programmes. For this purpose, it has been identified
that the bank also invests a large sum of money in the human resource development activities.
Image source: Brown (2018)
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Task 1
A) Design an induction training programme to take into account individual
learning styles and compare different learning styles [P1.1; M1].
Day 1 (Attending employee orientation programme on the first day of work)
Time Location Topic Person
9:00 AM- 3:30 PM Training hall Baking Industry of
UK and description
of job roles
Executive Director/
Branch Head
Day 2 (First day in respective departments)
Time Location Topic Person
8:30 AM- 9 AM Training hall  Welcome to the department
 Training schedule
overview
Branch Head
9 AM – 12:00 PM Orientation of department and
company
 Role/ mission of
department
 The function of the
respective department
 Job title and description
 Expectations regarding
performance
 Probation period
 Guidelines and dress code
 Mode of transport for
various destinations to
come to office
 Structure of reporting
(Presentation of
organisational chart)
 Duties and responsibilities
overview
 Overview of the position of
the employee
Supervisor
12:00 PM- 1:00 PM Cafeteria or
nearby
restaurant
Lunch With team
members or
supervisor
1:00 PM- 2:00 PM Similar position overview Friend
2:00 PM- 3:30 PM Request process training Receptionist
4:30 PM- 5:30 PM Recap of the training with the
supervisor
Supervisor
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Comparison of different learning styles: it has been identified that each and every person is
unique in various ways which make it essential to adopt a different learning style for each of
them. Thus in HSBC, the employees are categorised according to their learning patterns with
adoption of styles of learning which might be suited by them. Provided below is the
description of various learning styles of various employees which are used in HSBC. This has
been done by using Henry and Mumford’s model of learning (Stojanovska et. al., 2015).
 Activists: people who learn by doing things.
 Theorists: these people learn by understating the theory and the reasoning behind it.
 Pragmatists: Pragmatists are the people who understand things by method of
maintaining practical behaviours.
 Reflectors: There are the employees that try to learn things by visualising and
observing and also by thinking about the situation.
It has been identified that the approach that is used by HSBC is theorist’s approach to
learning. The company undertakes a two-day induction programme which enables the
employees to know about the company and their aims and objectives. In this case, theoretical
knowledge has been provided (Stojanovska et. al., 2015).
B) Explain the role of learning curve outlining the importance of transferring the
learning to workplace environment giving examples of HSBC [P1.2].
The concept of learning curve was first explained by Hermann Ebbinghaus. It can be defined
as the graphical representation of the performance of an individual’s learning. The learning
curve is generally used in two important situations i.e. to review the learning of the
employees or to review their productivity in the firm.
Image source: Intropsych.com. (2018)
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Role of learning curve: Learning curve is the representation of the performance of an
individual which can help the employee to gain knowledge on the position of employee in the
learning process. The development of the skills of employees is not merely done by the
method of transferring skills but by effectively monitoring the learning of the employee and
drafting learning points at each step.
Importance of transferring knowledge: Transferring of the knowledge helps the
management of company to make the employee get insights about the organisation which in
later stages help in development of the skills of the employees. The transferring of knowledge
should be done in a systematic manner for which almost every organisation makes use of the
training method. In case of HSBC, it has been identified that the company uses the method of
induction training. This help in forming a strong foundation of the employee (Argote, 2012).
C) Assess how the understanding of learning styles and theories contribute to the
designing of the induction programme for HSBC [P1.3, D1].
According to Riding & Rayner (2013), various styles of learning and theories help the
company to transfer knowledge to employees in different ways and also it helps the
employees to make use of various ways in order to gain knowledge. It is thus important for
the company like HSBC to adopt a learning style as it is not possible for the company to
induce learning in every employee by a single method. It is required by the company to
choose from a varied option of learning styles in order to transfer knowledge to the
employees. The type of learning event is determined by the choice of learning style and
designing of a learning event can only be done after the management has chosen a learning
style. The theories of learning provide assistance in knowing that which learning style is
relevant for a particular event or for a particular purpose. It is important for the trainer to
identify learning style of the employees by the method of observing their behaviours and then
deciding the learning event (Riding & Rayner, 2013).
In this segment, a relationship between the learning theories and models and learning style
has been studied and discussed which will help in identification of the learning style suited
for a specific learning event. If the company chooses pragmatic style of learning then the
method of training chosen should complement that style of learning for which it is essential
to embed learning among the individuals by the method of providing practical experience to
the employees (Entwistle & Ramsden, 2015).
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Task 2
A. List and compare the training needs of managerial staff employed at HSBC at
different levels (e.g. junior, mid-level and senior), focussing on the needs of less
experienced managers versus senior managers [P2.1].
It has been identified that the training of employees differs at each and every level and in
every department. This is because of the needs of the employees in various departments
which is not the same. In this segment, the training needs at different levels of management
and in different departments have been specified:
Senior level managers Junior level managers
Management level As the company is facing
many changes it is essential
that the strategic planning
should be done regarding the
functions of the company.
Training for strategic
planning should be provided
to these employees.
The lower management
employees at this level
should be provided with the
training to develop their
skills and remain committed
to their tasks and duties.
Operational level At the operational level of
the company, HSBC is
recruiting new employees
and it is thus essential that
these employees of the
company should be given the
training regarding the
mission and vision of the
company (Daley, 2012).
For the lower level
employees, training should
be given to enhancing their
technical skills in order to
replace their traditional craft
skills (Daley, 2012).
B. Assess the advantages and disadvantages of the training methods you propose
to use during the training course [P2.1, M2]
Training methods can be defined as the tools and techniques that have been used by the
company in order to provide training to the employees. The assignment has stated that there
are various training methods which are used to various levels of management. In case of
HSBC, the company has provided the employees with induction training in order to embed
them with the culture and strategies of the organisation. In this process, various methods have
been used by the company which have advantages and disadvantages as well. These
advantages and disadvantages have been explained below as follows:
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Method Advantages Disadvantages
Coaching This method has been widely
used to improve the skills of
the employees. This also
helps in motivating the
employees.
In case the coach is biased,
the process of development
of employee skills may get
hampered (Silberman &
Biech, 2015).
Simulation and role play This method helps in proving
real-time experience to the
employees. It is best suited
for pragmatic learners.
This method is very
expensive in nature.
Mentoring This is the method in which
mentor teaches employees
redrawing development of a
learning attitude. This helps
the mentor to closely study
and develop the employee.
In cases of bias, employees
may not listen to the mentor
(Haff & Triplett, 2015).
C. Based on the areas of training needed, use a systematic approach to plan a
training and development programme for the event [P2.3, D2].
In order to train and develop the employees of company, it is required that a systematic
process should be followed which has been explained below as follows:
 Analysis of the need: This is the first step in which it has been identified that in
which area the employee would require training. This is done by the method of
observation of the employee performance.
 Design: In this process, the action plan is created in which critical decisions like date
and time of event, learning cycle and training cycle is specified.
 Development: In this stage the development if the practical initiation of the training
process is done.
 Delivery: Here the training is delivered to the employees.
 Evaluation: This is the last step in which the critical evaluation of the effectiveness
of the training session is done by the means of observation, questionnaire, survey etc.
(Leu et. al., 2013).
After the completion and following these methods, the company would be effectively able to
plan and deliver induction training to the employee which is stated below as follows:
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Day 1 (Attending employee orientation programme on the first day of work)
Time Location Topic Person
9:00 AM- 3:30 PM Training hall Baking Industry of
UK and description
of job roles
Executive Director/
Branch Head
Day 2 (First day in respective departments)
Time Location Topic Person
8:30 AM- 9 AM Training hall  Welcome to the department
 Training schedule
overview
Branch Head
9 AM – 12:00 PM Orientation of department and
company
 Role/ mission of
department
 The function of the
respective department
 Job title and description
 Expectations regarding
performance
 Probation period
 Guidelines and dress code
 Mode of transport for
various destinations to
come to office
 Structure of reporting
(Presentation of
organisational chart)
 Duties and responsibilities
overview
 Overview of the position of
the employee
Supervisor
12:00 PM- 1:00 PM Cafeteria or
nearby
restaurant
Lunch With team
members or
supervisor
1:00 PM- 2:00 PM Similar position overview Friend
2:00 PM- 3:30 PM Request process training Receptionist
4:30 PM- 5:30 PM Recap of the training with the
supervisor
Supervisor
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Task 3
A. Prepare (develop a plan) on evaluation of the induction training programme,
highlighting the evaluation techniques you would use [P3.1].
In order to identify that if the training was appropriate and understandable by the employee, it
is essential that the festiveness of the training program should be evaluated. This is done by
evaluating the methods, approach and the need of the training program. The essential of the
evaluation plan has been described below as follows:
 Approach: The five-tier approach has been used by the author.
 Need assessment: In this stage, it has been identified that if the training programme
was required to not which is done by the method of meeting.
 Clarification of programme: This is the stage in which it is identified that in what
areas the programme can be improved.
 Progress: this is the stage in which it is identified that if the employee is learning
with the progress of the programme (Bleach, 2013).
Method of evaluation of training programme:
 Observation: It is essential that the performance of the employees should evaluate in
order to determine their performance after the event. Their performance determines
the festiveness of training event.
 Feedback: The feedback received from the trainers and trainee determine the impact
and position of the training event that if it was worth conducting or not.
 Comparison: this is the last step in which the managers compare the performance of
various employees in a different department in order to identify the effectiveness of
the training event (Basarab & Root, 2012).
B. Carry out an evaluation of the effectiveness of the training event based on the
aims and objectives of the training event and review the success of the evaluation
methods used [P3.2, P3.3, M3].
In order to identify the success of the training method, a fiver tier evaluation approach is used
by HSBC bank. In the case of HSBC, this five-tier approach helps the manager to identify the
requirement and importance of the induction programme. The training has been conducted in
order to make the new employees familiar with the mission, aims, vision, policies and
organisational structure of HSBC. It has been identified that the programme conducted by the
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company has effectively trained the employees of the company regarding their roles and
responsibilities.
HSBC uses different methods in this concern such as comparison, observation and feedback
received from the employees and the trainers. This help in deterring the actual performance
of the employees after the training has been provided to them. It also helps in gaining insights
into the loopholes in the event which can be filled in the next session or event. Apart from
this, observing the employees also help the trainer to identify their learning styles which can
further be used in order to enhance their performance (Basarab & Root, 2012).
In the training event that was conducted n HSBC, it has been identified that the event was
appropriate and overall rating of the event stood at 8.2 and the only problem that was faced
by the trainees in the event was the long duration which at times become hectic for the
employees and they felt exhausted to attend another lecture.
Name:
Training Date
Training Subject:
Rate according to your experience:
Criteria Rating from 0-10
Training session was relevant and beneficial
The language used in the session as
understandable
Duration of training was appropriate
Trainers were good enough in delivering
knowledge
Content provided in the training was
sufficient
Signature of Candidate
___________________
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Task 4
A. Explain the role of government in training and development in the UK,
including lifelong learning [P4.1].
It has been identified that the government of UK plays a very crucial role in the training and
development of the employees of individuals working within geographical boundaries of the
country. The government apart from the public entities also help the private organisations to
conduct training in an effective and efficient manner. This is done by the government of the
country through arrangement of the training programs for the companies and they also
provide them with expert trainers such that such that they may provide expert knowledge to
the employees. The government of UK aims at providing basic levels of knowledge to the
employees such that they not only excel in the organisation but on personal levels too. HSBC
has been identified as the company with high potential to excel in the market and the
company with the assistance of the government organises and provides apprenticeship
programs. The government has started national apprenticeship services in order to help the
employers to provide apprenticeship training to the employees.
It should be noted that lifelong learning is an important issue and it is required that the
employers should provide necessary education to the employees at every stage. In the
business environment of UK, it has been identified that lifelong learning is an important
aspect in Sector Skills Council of UK which assist the employees in their personal and
professional development. The main aim of this committee is to increase the participation of
the employees and the employers in the area of educational development and training (Moser,
2012).
B. Explain how the need for competency and skills assessments has impacted the
public and private sector organisations [P4.2].
Competency can be defined as the efforts that are put up by an organisation in order to get a
competitive advantage over other companies. This is the trend that has affected many
business environments around the world including that of UK. In this trend, the companies
are forced to train and develop their employees in order to gain a competitive advantage over
other businesses. For the companies to develop their employees in an effective manner it is
essential that the companies must provide employees with proper job description such that
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they are able to understand the roles and responsibilities in a better way. In job description,
there is a provision of all the roles and duties that are required to be fulfilled by the employee.
Apart from this, it is also important that the companies should provide effective and efficient
training to the employees for their overall development and increment in their efficiency.
It has been found that this trend has majorly affected private companies as they are more
focused on the market for their sustainability for which it is important for these companies to
attain competitive advantage in the marketplace. The companies like HSBC, identify the fall
in their performance with insufficient production, poor quality of service etc. this forces the
companies to conduct training and development programmes. on the other hand, after
reviewing the performance of the private companies, the public sector companies are also
getting motivation to increase their performance by the means of implementing training and
developing practices and events. This has been majorly done to improve the performance of
employees thus improving the performance of the company (Warner & Sullivan, 2017).
C. Assess how the contemporary government’s initiatives on training and
development have contributed the human resource development in the UK.
[P4.3, D3]
It has been identified that in the business environment of UK there are various initiatives
taken by the government of the country in order to increase the efficiency of the employees
thus improving the performance of the economy of the country some of these initiatives and
programmes implemented by the government have been specified below as follows:
 Apprenticeships: these are the programmes initiated to train the fresher’s in the
industry.
 National Vocational Qualifications: This is the ward that is achieved by the
company for efficient performance and working in accordance with the standards of
the industry.
 Investors in People: Investors in people is a framework that is provided by the
government to the industries which are required to be followed. This is related to the
management of the employees.
 Train to gain: This is the programme that has been initiated by the government of
UK in order to train the employees of the company in order to increase the
performance and also for their personal and professional development (Armstrong &
Taylor, 2014).
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The main aim of starting these programmes is to increase the performance of the individuals
working in various sectors which also adds to the performance of the economy. Also, it has
been aimed by the government to provide employees with the minimum standards of working
for effective and smooth management.
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Conclusion
Thus from the management report provided above it can be concluded that there are various
individuals for which it is required that various styles of learning should be analysed and then
implemented. The training events organised by the companies is mainly based on the learning
styles that the employees are comfortable with. Training has been identified as a planned
process which should be conducted in a proper manner in order to get effective results. HSBC
conducts a deep analysis of the situation and then applies the training method to provide the
employee with required training and skills. It is also important for the company to evaluate
the efficiency of the training programme in order to fill the loopholes and to increase the
performance of the event. This evaluation can be done by using various methods such as
performance check, feedback, observation etc. the role of government has also been
identified in the report which is crucial in order to train and develop employee and thus
increasing the performance of the economy of the country.
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References
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