Human Resource Management: A Comprehensive Analysis of HRM Practices in Marks & Spencer

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................4
LO1.............................................................................................................................................4
P1: Explain the purpose and the functions of HRM, applicable to workforce planning and
resourcing an organization…………………………………………………………………….4
P2: Explain the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to recruitment and
selection………………………………………………………………………………………..8
LO2…………………………………………………………………………………………...11
P3: Explain the benefits of different HRM practices within an organization for both employer
and employee…………………………………………………………………………………11
P4: Evaluate the effectiveness of different HRM practices in term of raising organizational
profit and productivity………………………………………………………………………..18
LO3..........................................................................................................................................21
P5: Analyze the importance of employee relations in respect to influencing HRM decision
making......................................................................................................................................21
P6: Identify the key elements of employement legislation and the impact it has upon HRM
decision making………………………………………………………………………………23
LO4..........................................................................................................................................29
P7: Illustrate the application of HRM practices in a work related context, using specific
examples...................................................................................................................................29
Conclusion................................................................................................................................31
Reference..................................................................................................................................32
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Introduction
Human Resource management is a strategic approach that helps the organization to manage
well and to develop the business. It helps to develop an employee performance for the growth
of an organization. HR focuses on the people rather than the business therefore; it includes
employee benefits, recruitment, training and development, performance appraisal and others.
HR helps the organization to achieve its goal through the help of the people. HR manages the
human capital and implements the policies and processes of the organization. In this
assignment, it covers the topic functions of HRM, strengths and weaknesses of different
approaches to recruitment and selection, benefits of HRM for employee and employer,
different HRM practices for raising profit, HRM decision making and its impact and
application of HRM practices. The chosen company in this assignment is Marks & Spencer.
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LO1
P1: Explain the purpose and the functions of HRM, applicable to workforce planning
and resourcing an organization.
Human resource management is unit where the recruitment and managing the entire
organisation is done. Their responsibility is also to see the policies of the organisation and
keep knowledge about how the employees within the organisation are behaving with each
other in order to maintain the company’s work culture. Human resource management in
Marks and Spencer aims to make effective use of employees such that the risk regarding the
products and work process is reduced. As Marks and Spencer is a leading company in this
competitive world lead by TESCO and ASDA its human resource management is very
efficient and manages excellently (Kew and Stredwick, 2017).
The policies followed by this organisation include promoting of free environment for the
employees that is no discrimination is done on basis of colour, sex and caste. All employees
are treated well and equally. The organisation does not do any kind of partiality and believes
that every individual must receive equal respect. Next is the training program that is also
looked after as without proper training the employees will not know how to work accordingly
and will not be able to organise themselves in the working units of the organisation.
Rewarding the employees is also one important inclusion in their policy that is giving
incentives and promotion as per their working merits. Also beneficial schemes are provided
to the employees in order to encourage them and boost them up so that they work more
efficiently and dedicatedly. The other policy is quality check that is the products before
getting launched in the market needs to be checked by the quality check department
(Banerjee and Sarkar, 2015)
Whether the quality check department has done their work properly is examined by the
human resource department. Maintaining employee integrity and checking whether the
communication between the employees, employee to customer and management to employee
is clear and accurate. Organising the schedules for the business involvement that is BIG
constitution which provides the opportunity to employees where they share and discuss their
ideas and planning with other leading companies. For The organisation to prosper the human
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resource management have to keep in mind about the health issues faced by the employees
and for that health care services are to be organised.
Proper workforce planning is done so that the M&S fulfils all the terms and clauses to
achieve the peak of success. A company to be more demanding and popular needs to have
high number of customers and also has the best ways of dealing with them. For this proper
structuring and planning is very important (De et al., 2015).
Best fit approach is about following of such strategies that are dealing with the competitive
world and implementing of such objectives that will result in employees, and quality of
products enhancement. It is said that designing of appropriate reward system for the resources
that are being arranged by the organisation in such a way that it fits the company’s strategies
is important (Hsieh, 2011). Whereas the “Best Practice” approach is taking up and using
those strategies by the company that have been derived from the past history and experiences.
The “Best Practice” oaths to follow those technology and knowledge that have been already
used and disposed.
There are two broad approaches of human resource one is Hard HR and other is Soft HR.
These two approaches are somewhat academic. Hard HRM treats the employees within an
organisation just as another resource like the way buildings and machines are treated. There
is a strong link with other corporation and all the resources that is collected are chosen based
on the priority of their requirement and their costs.
Key features of the Hard HRM are:
 Short time appointments of the employees that is hire and fire jobs.
 Minimum communication from the top management. This means the management
hardly gets in touch with the employees working, the minimum amount of that is
required to be shared are passed, nothing irrelevant are shared.
 Minimum wage is payed to the company employees and benefits are less.
 Very little empowerment is given and the employees are strictly tackled. The leisure
hours are cut down and limited break from work is given.
 Feedback system is created depending upon the way the employees are working
whether good or bad.
Soft HR is just the opposite of Hard HR as it treats the employees as an important resource of
the organisation. Employees are treated well and their needs are also looked after. Proper
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motivation and rewards are also given to the employees so that their working is boosted up
and they end up as a committed worker (Shields ,2015)
Key features of the Soft HRM are:
 Long term appointments of the employees are carried that is they are appointed for a
long term planning and definitely not a hire and fire job.
 Communication is very frequent among the employees as well as top down
(management to employees).All the difficulties that are faced by each working unit or
by the employee are reported on time and cleared. They are also given suggestions
from top management regarding their work.
 Adequate wage is given to the employees so that they are satisfied and benefits are
also provided.
 Feedback is given about the working of the employees so that within the safe time
they can rectify their shortcomings and improve.
The subset of workforce management is workforce planning. M&S deals with the software
requirements of the labours and the human resources required for the development of the
products manufacturing.
The PESTLE analysis is about marketing principles where P is for political, E for economics,
S for social, T for technological, L for legal and E for environmental.
Elements of PESTEL Analysis
Political Factors The political conditions in UK have led to
higher cost schemes. Due to the energy
efficiency scheme that has been newly
introduced by the UK, government has put
negative effect on this organization. This
factor is very much influential in the context
of business because every business functions
on certain policies (M&S, 2018). As per the
recent report of political condition of U.K,
the company faced lots of challenges because
the policies were made for the existing
political parties. Some disturbances occurred
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when different political parties affected
negatively.
Economics Factors M&S has faced problem with the economic
condition as the other organizations have
reduced their cost of products. People of UK
look for both products as well as their value.
Falling of oil prices also had negative effect
on the organization due to it being a retailer
company. These factors mainly highlight the
economic factors of Marks & Spencer which
includes the employment growth and
unemployment rate at the time of inflation
and recession (M&S, 2018). However,
economic factors are very much interrelated
with the social and political factor. As per the
recent report, the economic condition of UK
is facing huge inflation problem including the
previous economical misbalances.
Social Factors As there is always a change from previous
generation to new generation regarding the
country culture, M&S has also adapted with
it.
Technological Factors As this organization has strong social media,
it remains easy for it to reach to the
customers. With the changing generations
newer technologies are being invented every
time and M&S copes up with technologies as
well as upgraded employees to run them. The
development of the other companies proving
the same service to the industries with a
lower rate and it is affecting negatively in the
business process (M&S, 2018).
Environmental Factors Whenever there is change in the social
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culture of the country there is also an overall
environment change. It can be both internal
and external that is within the organization
and other is outside the company which
mainly deals with the customers.
Legal Factors It has legal improvements for opening
physical stores and also home deliveries.
This gives a greater expansion to the
company.
Table 1: Pestle analysis
(Source: Created by the learner)
P2: Explain the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to recruitment and
selection.
The retention of employees in M&S is internal and external. In case of internal as the
recruitment is done from within the company the employees are already habituated with the
work processes. The internal can either formal or informal recruitment. As a result they are
more efficient and dependable. Also another advantage is the time and cost for internal
recruitment is much less as to evaluate already existing employees the process to recruit is
less and no travelling is required. It can also make the employee more attractive. It gives
M&S more opportunity to change their position and get appointed to other one where they
get something newer task to do. This also makes them get rid of the monotonous work
schedule and type.
Disadvantage of internal recruitment is the overall no gain in the number of employees as the
employees are selected and appointed from within the organisation. The vacancy caused as a
result of this is not filled up and thus that particular section remains lacking in workforce. It
often creates conflicts among the co-workers as they may assume that the organisation has
been partial towards them by overlooking their working abilities and not giving them a
chance to prove themselves (Keep, 2014). In addition, there lies a issue with respect among
the employees as everyone as assumes themselves to be equal as long as they are within the
same unit.
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