Human Resource Management: A Comprehensive Analysis of HR Practices in Say It with Chocolate

This report delves into the crucial role of Human Resource Management (HRM) in the success of Say It with Chocolate, a growing organization. It examines the purpose and importance of the HR function, the roles and responsibilities of the HR Manager, and analyzes the current selection methods used by the company. The report also explores potential improvements to these methods, including the creation of a person specification for the role of Receptionist. Furthermore, it discusses the benefits of apprenticeship and graduate training programs for both employees and employers, highlighting the approach taken by Microsoft in terms of flexible working practices and employee motivation. The report concludes by examining the concept of employee engagement and its importance in employee relations, outlining key approaches to engaging workers and identifying the main pieces of employment legislation in the UK and their influence on HR decision-making.

Human Resource Management
Contents
1

Introduction......................................................................................................................................4
Task 1...............................................................................................................................................5
a) The purpose of the HR function and its importance to the organization.................................5
b) Roles and responsibilities of HR Manager..............................................................................5
c) Advantages and disadvantages of the current selection methods used by the organization
and compare it to other approaches of selection methods...........................................................6
d) Potential improvements that could be made to the current selection methods.......................7
Task 2...............................................................................................................................................9
a) Create a person specification for the role................................................................................9
b) Provide a rationale for a suitable medium for placing the advertisement.............................10
c) Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the previous methods of advertising jobs in the
organization...............................................................................................................................11
d) Produce a minimum of 6 questions which could be asked in the interview for the
Receptionist, which would help to improve the selection decision-making process................12
Task 3.............................................................................................................................................13
a) Benefits of apprenticeship and graduate training programmes to employees and employers
...................................................................................................................................................13
b) Development opportunities for staff after they have a permanent job role...........................14
c) Explain the benefits of the approach Microsoft has taken in respect of flexible working
practices.....................................................................................................................................14
d) Explain how Microsoft motivates its workers through its job design and systems of reward
...................................................................................................................................................15
Task 4.............................................................................................................................................16
a) What is meant by the term employee engagement?..............................................................16
b) Why is employee engagement an integral strategy of employee relations?..........................16
c) Key approaches of engaging workers discussed in the summit and explain their importance
in terms of improving communication in the workplace...........................................................16
2

d) Identify the main pieces of employment legislation in the UK and explain how they
influence human resource decision making...............................................................................17
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................18
References......................................................................................................................................19
3

Introduction
The main aim of the management report provided below is to help the reader gain an
understanding of the principle that is applied in the human resource management. The report will
present a discussion about various essentials of HR management and will also present a
discussion on the role of HR manager in the company. In order to present this information, the
report has been divided into various tasks and scenarios. The report presented is also inclusive of
the impact of effective human resource management on the functioning of an organization. It
should be noted that there are various tools for HR management that can help in motivating
employees and increasing their performance as well. These tools and techniques have also been
discussed in this report.
4

Task 1
a) The purpose of the HR function and its importance to the organization
1. Ensuring compliance with labour laws: This is one of the most important functions of
the HR department of the company. It is important that a company must ensure that all of
its operations are being conducted by taking into consideration the rules of employment
and regulations which have been imposed by the laws of the states. In case of Say It with
Chocolate, it is important for the company to ensure that all the laws have been followed
or this might have a bad impact on the reputation of the company.
2. Training and recruitment of employees: Recruitment and training of the employees is
the primary function of the HR management at the company. In this constraint, the
company is required to email and advertise the available position and interview the
candidates (Armstrong & Taylor, 2014). Apart from this, it is also important for the HR
function of the company to publish the training materials as well and detail all the
essential aspects of the job.
b) Roles and responsibilities of HR Manager
HR manager is the most important person of the Human Resource department of the company.
For the HR manager, it is important that they should fulfil all the essential duties as well. This
helps in facilitating the growth of the company. Stated below are some of the essential duties that
are required to be fulfilled by the HR manager of Say it with Chocolate:
 Recruitment: Recruiting the required and talented personnel in accordance with the
requirements of the job is the first and the foremost duty of HR manager of a growing
organisation like Say it with Chocolate. It is important for the HR manager of the
company to attract the talent in such a manner so that the manpower requirements of the
organisation can be effectively and efficiently fulfilled (Bratton & Gold, 2016).
 Personal and professional development: After recruiting and training the employees of
the company, the HR manager of the organisation is required to ensure professional
development of the employees as well. This would not only help in increasing the
productivity and embed a sense of confidence among the employees, but this would also
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help them in feeling like an essential part of the organisation. This would also help the
employees to enhance their skills as well which would be beneficial for the working of
the organisation.
 Appraisals: Appraising the efforts of the employees is also one of the important duties of
the HR manager of the company. In order to ensure that the employees keep on working
in the company at the same pace, it is important that the company should make sure that
effective appraisal of the employees is done in cash or in kinds (Reilley & Williams,
2016) .
c) Advantages and disadvantages of the current selection methods used by the
organization and compare it to other approaches of selection methods.
It should be noted that the method that is currently being used by the company is the method of
ability and aptitude testing. In order to be selected as the employee of Say it with Chocolate, the
new recruits are required to pass through a basic selection and aptitude test. In such a test, they
are required to answer various questions which are based on the general reasoning and basic
knowledge. Followed by this, the candidate has to pass through an informal interview. There are
various flaws identified in this method which is causing issues in the recruitment of the
employees of the company. Though sceptical, the management has also identified various
advantages of this method the comparison of which has been stated below as follows:
Ability and aptitude testing
Advantages
 It helps the management to know that
the employee has the basic knowledge
and understanding.
 It helps in analysis of the mental
aptitude and understanding of the
employees.
 Informal interview helps the company
to make sure that the employee is at
ease (Dipboye, 2017).
Disadvantages
 This method is a mere test of mental
aptitude of the employee without
properly knowing that if the employee
is fit for the job.
 It is important for the company to also
consider formal interview where the
company might be able to know about
the actual skills of employees.
 The test can be passed by anyone
irrespective of their area of
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specialisation (Shailashrre & Shenoy,
2016).
It is important that the company should go for the method of preliminary screening in which the
organisation might be able to select the best employees from the plethora of the existing ones.
The advantages and disadvantages of this method have been stated below as follows:
Preliminary Screening
Advantages
 Helps in the analysis of the true
potential of employees.
 Help in analysing the past records of
the candidates.
 It is a rigorous process of candidate
selection which helps in ensuring that
the best candidate is selected. This also
saves time and resources of the
company.
Disadvantages
 At times the experienced and potential
candidates might get lost due to the
experience or the academic
requirements of the company.
 In order to get selected, at times the
candidates might fake their credentials
and their identity (Gibbs et. al., 2015)
d) Potential improvements that could be made to the current selection methods
There are various improvements that can be made to the current selection model of the company
such that the organisation might be able to reduce their employee turnover ratio and ensure that
the best candidates are selected in accordance with the needs of the job. These improvement
recommendations have been stated below as follows:
 It is important to ensure that the aptitude test is industry specific rather than being
general.
 It is important for the HR manager of the company to conduct a formal interview to
identify the true strengths and weaknesses of the employees of the company.
 It is also important that the manager must ensure that the personnel with right capabilities
get right positions according to their skills.
7

 The company is also required to give proper and effective training to the employees
before determining their job roles. The training provided should be of their area of
specialisation or interests (Gibbs et. al., 2015).
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Task 2
a) Create a person specification for the role
A persona specification is given below according to the job description for a receptionist in the
“Say it with Chocolate” company:
Person Specification
Essential criteria Desirable criteria
Education  Graduation  Graduation in A grade
marks in any stream
Experience  Minimum experience one
year
 Minimum One year
experience as a receptionist
 Communication with new
people face to face or on the
telephone
Skills and
knowledge
 Time management
 IT skills
 Communication
 Telephone etiquettes
 Self-analysing
 Time management skills to
arrange meetings and
schedules
 IT skills to manage excel
sheets
 Formal and informal
communication
 Telephonic speaking
etiquettes in formal manner
 Self-analysing for
refreshment orders
Special
requirement
 Attractive personality
 Positive influence on
others
 Attractive body language
 Attractive physique
 Know how to use body
language
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 Confident
 Polite
 Ability to learn
This person specification document is effective to use in the recruitment and selection of a
receptionist in the “Say it with Chocolate”. It is effective for the company as well to develop
recruitment and selection process for long-term perspectives (McPherson, 2016).
b) Provide a rationale for a suitable medium for placing the advertisement.
It is essential for the “Say it with Chocolate” company to use an appropriate medium to place a
job advertisement on an effective platform. Some of the rationales are given below to select a
suitable medium according to the job role and organisation:
 It is an emerging organisation so it is essential for the company to use a cost-effective
medium to place the advertisement.
 It is essential to use an effective platform to place the job advertisement for the role of
receptionist where from the organisation can get better reverts according to skills.
Some of the platforms are given below where “Say it with Chocolate” company can place this
job advertisement for the role of receptionist.
Online job portals: It is a contemporary platform where job advertisement can place and
organisation can get better results. It is effective “Say it with chocolate” company to get talented
people because these job portals support to classify the jobs according to the education, skills,
and experience criteria. This platform is cost effective also which is essential for the company to
use. Most of the graduates and unemployed people used these online job portals and having their
account on these which helps the companies and applicants as well as to get better job
opportunities (Kapse, et. al. 2012).
Newspaper: It is a traditional platform to place a job advertisement which can help the company
to communicate the organisational requirement in the community and society. Most of the people
who are looking for the jobs use these also to find out the new job opportunities so it is effective
for the company to communicate about their needs within the targeted audience.
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Social media platforms: The Company can place their job advertisement on their social media
account which can help to advertise this job requirement in their followers. It is cost effective
and fast process for external recruitment and it is effective to communicate their needs in the
large community (Yuan, et. al. 2014).
c) Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the previous methods of advertising
jobs in the organization
The company “Say it with Chocolate” has used their internal source to communicate about the job
roles. Information regarding the job vacancies is circulated to the employees to get referrals from
them. Either this, the company has also used the jobs board to mention their job requirements on it.
Advantages and disadvantages of these advertising methods are given below;
Advantages
 Cost effective method: It is a cost-effective method as per the organisation to advertise their
vacanciesto the targeted audience (Kroft and Pope, 2014).
 Reliable: It helps to develop reliable recruitment and selection in the company which is
essential.
Disadvantages
 Slower process: It is a slower process to recruit and select employees in the company.
 Limited area: These job advertisements have a limited area to communicate about the job
opportunities in the company (Kroft and Pope, 2014).
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d) Produce a minimum of 6 questions which could be asked in the interview for the
Receptionist, which would help to improve the selection decision-making process.
Some of the questions are given below which can be asked by the interviewee with interviewers
for the job role of a “receptionist” :
1. How will you handle a person on the desk who is really upset? What will you do in the
particular situation?
2. What will you do when a person is unable to understand English on the phone call?
3. How will you manage meeting schedules of your senior in the company?
4. How will you manage the office environment if a person is getting angry at the reception area?
5. How will you arrange multiple couriers at a time to send and receive?
6. What types of software’s will you require to manage your duties?
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Task 3
a) Benefits of apprenticeship and graduate training programmes to employees and
employers
It should be noted that the apprenticeship and graduate training programmes have various
benefits for the employers and the employees that can help the company in achieving various
strategic benefits in the industry. These programmes are beneficial to both the employees and
employers. In the report, the advantages have been discussed taking into consideration the
working environment of Microsoft. The advantages of these programmes have been stated below
as follows:
Advantages to employees:
 Apprenticeship and graduate training programmes are structured and this would help the
employees to work towards the qualifications as well. This programme further helps in
the development of skills and knowledge that are required to excel in the industry.
 The apprenticeship programmes also give the employees an opportunity to work in the
real-time and also present skills in order to impress the employers as well. This also helps
the employees of Microsoft to gain more confidence while working (Bishop et. al., 2017).
Advantages to Microsoft:
 One of the most essential advantages that are gained by Microsoft after the
implementation of the apprenticeship programmes is the selection of candidates based on
their skills. This helps the company to not only identify but also enhance their skills and
place them in the departments of their area of specialisation.
 Another advantage that the apprenticeship and graduate training programmes have for the
company is that they allow the organisation to train the employees in accordance with
their needs and fulfil the vacant places in the company accordingly (Woessmann, 2017).
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b) Development opportunities for staff after they have a permanent job role
In comparison to the temporary job role, the permanent job role is the main focus of each and
every candidate that is training with a company. This not only guarantees the job satisfaction and
safety, but this also provides the employees with certain perks which can be used by them to
their effective advantage. The development opportunities and perks that are enjoyed by the
employees of the company after getting a permanent job role have been discussed below as
follows:
 One of the major advantages that are enjoyed by the staff of the company after getting a
permanent job role is that this allows them to gain the experience which is required in
order to excel in the industry. After getting the permanent job, the experience gained is
reflected in the CV of the employees which might help them in getting better jobs and
advance in the industry as well (Parmenter, 2015).
 Another advantage that is gained after getting a permanent job is the entitlement to the
perks that are offered by the company like Microsoft. These perks help the employees in
their professional as well as personal development. The perks that are being offered by
Microsoft include sick pay, vacations, insurance, retirement benefits etc.
 It should also be noted that another advantage that is gained by the employees after
getting a permanent job role is the development of self-esteem and confidence (Bishop et.
al., 2017). This can help them to excel in the company as well.
c) Explain the benefits of the approach Microsoft has taken in respect of flexible
working practices
The approaches that have been taken into consideration by Microsoft in the respect of flexible
working practices have been stated below as follows:
 Flexible working hours: This is one of the most commonly used flexible working
practices that has been deployed by many firms across the globe. In this technique, the
Microsoft allows the employees to work in accordance with their convenience; the
condition that has been applied by the company is that the workers have to give a
minimum of 8 working hours to the organisation (Galea et. al., 2014).
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 BYOD: BYOD stands for Bring Your Own Device. Microsoft allows the employees to
bring their own devices such as Laptops, Phones etc. to the company and work on the
same (Galea et. al., 2014). This enhances the privacy of the employees and by working
on their own systems their effectiveness and efficiency also increase significantly.
d) Explain how Microsoft motivates its workers through its job design and systems
of reward
The job design that has been implemented by Microsoft is task-based work. In such a work
environment, the rewards are based on the quality and the quantity of the work done by the
employees in the company. This helps in keeping the competition fair within the organisation
and also helps the employees to compare their actual performance with that of their colleague’s.
The rewards and recognition in the organisation are provided on the basis of the same. It should
be noted that it is important for the organisation to make sure that the workers are motivated
which ensures increment in their productivity as well. Microsoft uses the merit pay system in
which the employees of the company are given their salaries and extra benefits according to their
performance. It is important that the company should keep in mind that the interests of
employees who were not able to perform do not get hampered (Chang, 2016). In order to
motivate them the company uses non-monetary techniques such as appraisal and employee
recognition.
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Task 4
a) What is meant by the term employee engagement?
Employee engagement can be defined as the workplace approach in which the organisation is
allowed to develop the right conditions for all the members of the company such that they might
be able to give their best each day. It helps the company to commit the employees to the goals
and objectives of the organisation and this motivation helps them to enhance their sense of own
well-being (Bailey et. al., 2017). The conditions offered by Microsoft are targeted towards
increasing the potential and capability of the employees.
b) Why is employee engagement an integral strategy of employee relations?
Unlike the structural capital, it should be kept in mind that the human capital provides an
intangible contribution to the success of the company and this also promotes innovation and
intelligence which are not reflected in the final statements of the company. The contribution that
is made by the human resource of the company can be stated as the ladders which can be used by
the organisation to achieve its strategic objectives and goals. Thus the well-being of the
employees becomes one of the most essential and integral constraints for the company. In order
to ensure the well-being of the employees, the organisation is required to make sure that the
work environment provided is effective and also promotes productive outcomes as well (Mone &
London, 2018). In order to achieve this goal, the employee engagement can play an integral role.
c) Key approaches of engaging workers discussed in the summit and explain their
importance in terms of improving communication in the workplace.
The approaches that can be used in order to ensure maximum engagement of the employees in
the company would be discussed in this part of the report. It should be noted that the employee
engagement techniques that have been stated below have been extracted from the employee
engagement summit conducted by Microsoft. The techniques are as follows:
 Think about the needs of the employees: This strategy can also be stated as the
“Bottom Up” strategy. In this strategy, the organisation is required to think about the
needs and expectations of the employees of the company and make efforts to fulfil them.
This would lead the employee to get connected with the organisation which will increase
16

their loyalty towards the firm. This technique is used by Microsoft to increase the
productivity of the employees (Albrecht et. al., 2015).
 Address the grievances of the employees: Addressing the needs of the employees
would not ensure successful employee engagement. It is important for the organisation to
make sure that the management of the company also listens to the issues and grievances
faced by them. It is important that necessary actions should be taken accordingly. In the
company like Microsoft, grievance handling is essential as this directly impacts the
productivity and image of the company in the market. Thus it is important that the
employees remain satisfied (Breevaart et. al., 2014).
d) Identify the main pieces of employment legislation in the UK and explain how
they influence human resource decision making
The main employment legislation that are currently being followed in the UK have been stated
below as follows:
 Equality Act, 2010: According to the equality act, there can be no discrimination among
the employees based on their gender, caste, religion etc. This legislation is governed by
the Equality Act 2010. This act makes it important for the HR of the company to make
sure that no discrimination is done with the employees on the grounds stated by the act.
 Data Protection Act, 1998: According to the Data Protection Act, it is the duty of the
HR of the company to make sure that the private data of the employees of the company
remains secured. It is not legal for the HR to distribute the private and personal
information of the employees except for sharing it with the senior management (Taylor &
Emir, 2015).
 Health and Safety Act, 1974: This is one of the most important legislation that have
been implemented by the legal system of UK. It should be noted that according to this
act, it is the duty of the HR of the company to provide safe and hassle-free working
environment for the employees. Such an environment would help the organisation to
increase their productivity as well as also help them in ensuring that their satisfaction is
also increased. This also makes their work easy and makes them effective as well (Peters,
2015).
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Conclusion
The assignment is based on the human resource activities. There are two parts in which it is
completed. Part one gives the understanding of the scope and purposes of the HRM and the
functions of recruitment and selection. The second part of the report has covered the practices of
employee performance, factors that contributes in the development of the skills of the employees
and how the various legal and statutory requirements affects the decision making by the human
resources department in the company. Thus the case studies have been discussed in relation to
the HRM practices that had to be covered as per the given case studies. Assignment covers all
aspects that are connected to the human resource decision making. Various factors influencing
decision making are also covered under this and the report will give the reader to understand
impact of various aspects that are necessary to be carried out in relation to human resource
practices in organisation.
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