Training Needs at Marks & Spencer

This assignment analyzes the diverse training needs of employees across various levels within Marks & Spencer. It delves into various training methodologies, highlighting their respective advantages and disadvantages to determine the most effective approaches for the organization. The report emphasizes the importance of well-defined training objectives, expert guidance, and practical execution for maximizing both individual and organizational success.

HUMAN RESOURCE
DEVELOPMENT
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
2.1 Comparison of training needs for staff at different levels in Marks and Spencer................3
Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................4
References........................................................................................................................................5
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INTRODUCTION
In the current scenario, human resource development plays very important role in overall
growth and success of an organization. It directly assists businesses in getting competitive
advantage over other market player in the industry. The present report is based on Marks and
Spencer which a UK based fashion and food retailer. It highlights the training needs of employee
of organization along with advantage and disadvantages of different training methods. On the
other side of this, this report also reflects training event for employee of Marks and Spencer.
2.1
In order to survive and earn adequate profits in long run, every business is required to
determine training need of employees working at different level. Further it assists businesses to
identify the areas where workers are lacking (Cardon and Stevens, 2004). On the basis of this
identification effective training plans are developed in order to enhance skills set and knowledge
of people in organization. In order to attract customer and enhance profitability, every businesses
needs to provide training and development session to all its workers. Comparison of training
needs for staff at different levels in Marks and Spencer are explained below as; Top management- Employees working in top management of Marks and Spencer are
required to develop aim and objective of the organization. In addition to this, they are
also responsible for decision making and strategic formulation (Bach and Claydon,
2012). It has been identified that people working at this level needs training and
development sessions which will enhance decision making skills and also supports in
forming effective strategies. Middle management- Employees working in middle level of management are the one
which are responsible to follow and implement the strategies developed by top
management of Marks and Spencer. In addition to this, these individuals are also
responsible for managing people working in lower level management (Afiouni, 2013). It
can be stated that training sessions to these people should focus on enhancing their
communication skills and managerial skills.
 Lower management- People in this level of management are the one which are required
to carry out production of goods and services in Marks and Spencer. It can be also stated
that lower level employees plays very important role in getting high degree of customer
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satisfaction and loyalty. The workers in this level are required to provide with training
sessions which focuses on improving communication skills and tactical skills.
2.2
Looking at the present competitive environment of retail industry it is essential for Marks
& Spencer to make use of on the job training methods as it will help in managing employees as
well as maintains the financial balance. In this method, employees are given suitable course and
methods for improvement in different areas so that they can enhance their level of efficiency
(Bach and Claydon, 2012). On the job training method for an organization is considered less
disruptive and helps employees to perform given tasks in better way. Further, couching,
mentoring, job rotation etc. are the methods of on the job training.
Advantages of the method:
 Encourages fast learning.
 Less costly
 Enhances productivity (Delahaye, , 2015) Economic way of training staff
Disadvantages of the method:
 May increase workload
 Create obstacles in different areas
 Leads to low productivity during the training period.
Off the job training is method in which employees are trained after finishing their daily
routine work or responsibilities (Horton, Hondeghem and Farnham, 2002). There are several
methods of off the job training method such as transactional training, simulation exercises
lectures and conferences.
Advantages of the method:
 Encouraging self-development of employees
 Brush-up the performances of staff (Werner and DeSimone, 2011)
Provide adequate knowledge to the employees Better crowd can be attracted.
Disadvantage of the method:
 Leads to increase the absence of staff members from their respective job roles.
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 It may increase the burden over individuals (Knowles, Holton III and Swanson, 2014).
 May be hectic for the person if he is asked to stay longer within the office for training
purpose.
2.3
Once the need and importance of training is identified it is important for the top level
management of Marks & Spencer to undertake proper planning in organizing a training event so
that its execution can lead to generate desired results and outcomes. The main purpose of having
proper planning for training event is that it assist in identifying the needs and wants of employees
so that trainers can accordingly mold the session and train people in effective way so that they
can enhance their skills and abilities (O’Grady, 2013). However, trainers are responsible for
identifying and evaluating the number of participants so that acquiring and allocation of
resources can be made in optimum manner. Following are the varied steps that training manager
of Marks & Spencer should consider while planning and organizing the training event:
 Firstly, area of concern should be identified and accessed so that varied suitable and
reliable methods can be employed simultaneously and the best possible outcomes can be
generated.
 Secondly, it is the responsibility of trainers to employ appropriate methods of training so
that efficiency level of employees can be enhanced in effective way (Silhanek and
DeCenzo, 2001).
 Senior authority of Marks & Spencer should define aim and objectives of training
sessions so that on the basis of which success criteria can be made and outcomes of
training can be evaluated.
 Marks & Spencer should call experts and professional trainers from the industry so that
they can provide suitable and reliable guidance to the employees which leads them to
attain desired success (Skok and Dolinsek, 2013).
Training process should be executed practically for ensuring that action convert into desired
results and outcomes for both firm and individual.
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CONCLUSION
From the above report it can be concluded that employees working at different level in
Marks and Spencer have different needs regarding training. It can be also asserted that there are
different methods of training available in front of organization and it can choose any one of
them. Further every method has its own set of advantage and disadvantage which needs to be
taken care of by Marks and Spencer.
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REFERENCES
Books and journals
Afiouni, F., 2013. Human capital management: a new name for HRM. International Journal of
Learning and Intellectual Capital. 1(10). pp.18-34.
Bach, J. and Claydon, A., 2012. Human Resource Management: A Contemporary Approach. 6th
Ed. Harlow; FT/Prentice Hall.
Cardon, M. S., and Stevens, C., 2004. Managing human resources in small organizations: What
do we know?. Human Resource Management Review. 20(3). pp.295- 323.
Delahaye, B., 2015. Human resource development. Tilde Publishing.
Horton, S., Hondeghem, A. and Farnham, D., 2002. Competency Management in the Public
Sector. IOS press.
Knowles, M. S., Holton III, E. F. and Swanson, R. A., 2014. The adult learner: The definitive
classic in adult education and human resource development. Routledge.
O’Grady, A., 2013. Lifelong Learning. Routledge.
Silhanek, B. and DeCenzo, A. D., 2001. Human Relations: Personal and Professonal
Development. Prentice Hall PTR.
Skok, M. M. and Dolinsek, T., 2013. Some findings on career counseling in higher education.
Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy. 7(1).
pp.81-94.
Werner, J. M. and DeSimone, R. L., 2011. Human resource development. Cengage Learning.
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