Human Resource Management: A Case Study of 'Say It With Chocolate' and Microsoft

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT – “SAY IT WITH CHOCOLATE”

INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this assignment is to make readers understand the principles of human resource
management. The assignment will be made into two parts in which the first part will highlight
the purpose and scope of HRM in context of recruitment and selection and in the next part
factors influencing HRM decision making like employee performance, development and reward
will be critically analyzed and explained. With the help of two organizational examples ‘Say it
with Chocolate’ and ‘Microsoft’ the assignment will explain various aspects and key principles
and scope of HRM in recruitment and selection.
CASE STUDY
‘Say it with Chocolate’ is an organization based in North Yorkshire, UK which provides a variety
of chocolate-based greeting cards to the customers all across the UK. The company is primarily
into designing and making the gift orders for the customers. As the company is new in the
market it does not have any experience of hiring skilled workforce for its organization.
Moreover, the company is facing a lot of complaints regarding the quality of its product and is
struggling to recruit skilled workforce in the business. Therefore this assignment will analyze the
factors that contribute to successful recruitment and selection strategies that when applied
within the organization will ensure continuous development and future growth in the business.
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LO1
P1 & M1 EXPLAIN THE PURPOSE AND THE FUNCTIONS OF HRM, APPLICABLE
TO WORKFORCE PLANNING AND RESOURCING IN ‘SAY IT WITH CHOCOLATE’
As the organization is based in a high unemployment area it is evident that company will
struggle to recruit skilled candidates for the growth and development of the company.
Therefore the role of an HR Manager is crucial in the development of the company and the
following functions of HRM should be applied within the company as discussed below (Obeidat,
2012).
PURPOSE AND FUNCTIONS OF AN HRM IN ‘SAY IT WITH CHOCOLATE’
 The primary role of an HR manager is to recruit skilled employees by captivating and
screening the candidates based on the aims and objectives of the company.
 Training and Development are the most indispensable functions in the human resource
management. After selecting a candidate it is essential to make the employee familiar
with the rules and regulations of the company. It is their duty to make an attempt at
increasing the performance of employees through skill improvement programs like
seminars, workshops etc. (Foster, 2014).
Figure 1: HRM Functions
Source: [Surbhi, 2015]
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 The HR managers must support the employees for being innovative that can increase
productivity and help a company gain a competitive position in the market.
 The HR managers are responsible for payroll management and resolving the conflict
between employees in the workplace environment through collaboration and
engagement (Bratton and Gold, 2017).
 The HR managers should monitor the performance of employees and provide them with
rewards for achieving excellence in their work.
WORKFORCE PLANNING IN ‘SAY IT WITH CHOCOLATE’
Workplace planning in the organization is the process of analyzing what the business needs in
terms of experience, skills, knowledge and quality so that organizations can achieve continuous
development and growth in the business (Cascio, 2018). In the context of ‘Say It with Chocolate'
company is struggling to recruit a skilled candidate, therefore, it is essential for the HR
department to recruit a skilled candidate for the company.
EFFECTIVENESS OF WORKFORCE PLANNING IN ‘SAY IT WITH CHOCOLATE’
Workforce planning in the company can be achieved by accomplishing the below factors.
o Identifying the skill gap in the existing workforce and providing them training or
recruiting new employees for bridging the skill gap
o Providing a suitable working atmosphere and ensuring that employee legislation laws
are strictly followed for example equal pay act, No gender biasing, No sexual harassment
etc. (De, et al. 2015).
o Ensuring that the employees are satisfied with their work and responding to their issues
and concerns on a priority basis.
ASSESSING OWN ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES AS A HR OFFICER
As an HR officer, it is my responsibility to follow the employee legislation laws for protecting the
employment of employees and governing it within the workplace environment. It is my
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responsibility to ensure the availability of skilled, eligible and willing workforce in the company
by putting the right candidate for the right job (De, et al. 2015).
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P2 & M2 EXPLAIN THE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF DIFFERENT
APPROACHES TO RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION
There are many approaches that can be used for selecting a candidate for the business for
example personal interviews, group discussions, online interviews etc. However there are two
types of methods of sourcing one is internal sourcing and other is external sourcing (Farndale,
et al. 2010).
INTERNAL SOURCING EXTERNAL SOURCING
Promotion Advertisements
Employee Referral Management Consultant
Transfer Newspaper advertisement
Departmental Exam Campus Recruitment
Retirement Walk-in Interview
Former Employees Internet
CURRENT RECRUITMENT AND SELECTING APPROACHES
In order to recruit the candidate, the company is using an assessment test based on English and
math subjects and the candidate securing more than 50% in both the tests move for a
background check and interview process (Berman, et al. 2012). This approach is suitable and is
being followed in most organizations as a selection method. However, there can be some
improvements that can be made in order to recruit more skilled and qualified candidates in the
business.
ADVANTAGE
The advantage of the current approach is that it is based on pre-employment testing and the
tests are more objective as compared to any other form of assessment (Wilden, et al. 2010).
These tests take less time in the interview round as many questions have already been asked in
tests that check the knowledge and aptitude of the candidate (Treweek, et al. 2010). These tests
are strictly job-related and other tests like online assessment and unstructured interviews are
could be unfair.
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DISADVANTAGE
These tests rarely give the whole picture as many important details like how willing or keen a
person is to take up the job responsibility in the organization. Test only assesses job-specific
knowledge of the candidate and these tests alone would not help the company in assessing who
would be the most suitable candidate for the company (Treweek, et al. 2010).
IMPROVEMENTS TO BE MADE IN RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION APPROACHES
Figure 2: Recruitment Process
Source: [Insperity, 2018]
In order to hire skilled candidates, it is essential for the company to assess the following factors
in the recruitment and selection process (Treweek, et al. 2010).
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Structure
The first step is to access and evaluate the organization based on identifying the skill gap in the
organization. Analyze the specific job requirements to be performed across all departments of
the organization. It is essential to identify the right type of personality that would fit with the
culture and then identify the recruitment sources for staffing needs (Costen, 2012).
Advertisement Plan
The next step is to adopt a suitable advertisement plan for example job advertisement and
publishing these advertisements on the internet so that potential candidates can be attracted
for vacant job positions in the company.
Selection
The next approach is to review the resumes of the candidates and select those candidates
having relevant experience of the job role being advertised. There is no requirement for
conducting tests for smaller job roles like an assistant, administrator etc. But if the position is of
a manager then tests can be conducted. Then comes the process of checking the background of
the candidate, for example, past record, criminal misconduct or any legal implications (Zhao and
Liden, 2011).
The Right Hire
The candidate gets finally selected bypassing all the criteria and is given recruitment in the
company by giving the offer letter and joining date.
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