Role of Human Resource Management in Reducing Employee Turnover: A Study on Boots UK Limited

This research focuses on the role of human resource management in reducing employee turnover within UK retail industry with a study on Boots UK Limited. It covers the objectives, research questions, literature review, research methodology and data analysis.

Research Methodologies

INTRODUCTION
Background of research
Human resource management is one of the important function of business as they focuses
on recruiting, selecting, offering training and development opportunity, appraising the
performance of employees, motivating staff, deciding compensation and many other activities.
They generally deal with procurement of human resources, maintaining of human resources and
training and development. Human resource management generally helps in achieving the
individual, societal and organisational objectives (Santhanam and et. al., 2017). The main role of
human resource management within workplace is to manage the employees within workplace so
that they can achieve the organisational mission and reinforce the culture. Human resource
manager generally use skills and abilities of employees and also they build positive working
environment for their staff so that they can contribute their productive outcomes. There are
different roles and responsibilities of human resource management within an organisation such
as human resource planning, job analysis and design, hiring candidate, training and development,
designing workplace policies, monitoring performance and maintaining work culture. These
roles and responsibilities helps in making business successful and competitive (De Clercq and
et. al., 2020). In order to gain competitive advantage, it is important for human resource
management to focus on improving the engagement level of employees due to which they work
with dedication and contributes their best performance in achieving the goals and objective of
business. There are various strategies which can be implemented by human resource
management in order to reduce the turnover rate of employees are hiring right employees,
constant training and team building activities, offering attractive benefits and incentive, open
communication on career development, facilitating collaboration and many others. It is the
responsibility of human resource management to boost the engagement level of employees so
that they feel happy and valuable while working in an organisation. Human resource
management focuses on hiring talented employees within workplace who have an ability to give
their full potential in achieving the task in effective and efficient manner (Kang, Gatling and
Kim, 2015). The chosen organisation for this research is Boots UK Limited, it is a brand which
deals in different industries such as pharmaceuticals, healthcare, beauty and photography.

Organisation was founded in 1849 by John Boot. The brand also have its retail website which
helps in providing varieties of products and services to its customer.
Aim
To determine the role of human resource management in reducing employee turnover
within UK retail industry: A study on Boots UK Limited
Objectives
 To determine the role of human resource management within Boots UK Limited
 To identify the contributions of HRM in reducing the rate of employee turnover in Boots
UK Limited
 To examine the ways that would be used by Boots UK Limited for retaining skilled and
knowledgeable worker at workplace
 To evaluate the benefits of skilled and knowledgeable within Boots UK Limited
Research Questions
 What are the roles played by human resource management within Boots UK Limited?
 How human resource management helps Boots UK Limited in reducing the rate of
employee turnover within a workplace?
 What are the effective ways that Boots UK Limited would be used for retaining skilled
and knowledgeable worker at workplace?
 What are the advantages of retaining skilled and knowledgeable employees within Boots
UK Limited?

LITERATURE REVIEW
Literature review is a tool which helps in providing relevant information related to
specific topic. It is generally demonstrate the knowledge and understanding of academic sources
n order to avail accurate information.
What are the roles played by human resource management within Boots UK Limited?
As per the viewpoint of Gunkel and et. al., (2015), human resource management plays a
vital role within an organisation as they manage the people efficiently and effectively in order to
gain competitive advantage. Human resource management helps in maximising the performance
of employees and also deal with the issues related to the performance management, safety,
employee motivation, organisation development, compensation, etc. There are various benefits
of human resource management within an organisation as they secure top talent, improve
employee retention, helps in saving time and energy, conduct stronger on-boarding, etc. The
motive of human resource management is to define organisational structure, build coordination
between organisational departments, offer employee satisfaction and achieve organisational
goals. Human resource management plays different roles within Boots UK Limited such as
recruitment and employee screening, company benefits and compensation, employee relations,
employee records, provide training and development, developing rewarding company culture and
many others (Frolova and Lapina, 2015). Therefore, human resource department performs
various duties and also they are responsible for helping staff to feel safe, properly supported and
valued.
Recruitment and employee screening:
Recruitment and employee screening is one of the role of human resource management
within Boots UK limited. In order to run business in smooth and effective manner, it is important
for human resource management to acquire new talent. Human resource department focuses on
hiring right talent who can give their productive outcomes in accomplishing the business goals
and objective. They generally use wide range of tools for identifying the suitable candidate for
the vacant job position such as background checks, interviews, digital assessments and checking
references. By using these technique, human resource management focuses on protecting
company culture and also reduces the risk of poor hiring.
Performance evaluation:

Performance evaluation is another role which is played by human resource management
within company. Through performance evaluation, human resource management focuses on
meeting the management and employee needs. For human resource management, assessing the
performance is one of the important task (Memon and et. al., 2018). They generally focus on
implementing the techniques in order to collect the data for analysing and reporting back to
employees. Human resource management ensures that the performance of employees must be
remain on track in order to meet the standards of Boots.
Provide training and development:
Provide training and development is also a role which is played by human resource
management within workplace. They generally provide training and development opportunity to
their employees in order to enhance their skills and knowledge so that they can achieve
competitive edge. By investing in employees, Boots can build loyalty and also reduce turnover
rate of employees. Training and development programs helps in increasing the performance and
productivity of employees due to which they can contribute in making business successful.
Designing workplace policies:
It is another essential role which is played by human resource management within an
organisation. Human resource department generally focus on designing the workplace policies in
order to reduce legal issues, reduce conflicts and and improve employee productivity. Thus, they
design policies for protecting the interest of both employers and employees. The workplace
policies mainly includes standard operating procedures, anti-harassment and non-discrimination,
paid leaves, time tracking, employee attendance and meal & break periods.
How human resource management helps Boots UK Limited in reducing the rate of employee
turnover within a workplace?
As per the opinion of Huang and Su (2016), there are various strategies through which
human resource management can reduce the rate of employee turnover within workplace.
Through implementing these strategies, human resource management can make their employee
feel happy and satisfied. The effective strategies through which human resource management can
reduce the turnover rate of employees are as follows:
Hiring right resources:
Hiring right resources is one of the strategy which is implemented by human resource
manager in order to reduce the turnover rate of employees. For hiring the right resources, human

resource management requires meticulous planning and preparation so that they can accomplish
business project in effective and efficient manner (Ohunakin and et. al., 2019). It also helps in
eliminating last minute hiring cost and maintain quality resource pool for avoiding future project
bottlenecks.
Reward and recognise employees:
It is important for human resource management to reward and recognise the employees as
it helps in reducing the turnover rate of employees. Human resource management of Boots
Limited must focus on rewarding their staff according to their performance and efficiency so that
they feel valued and appreciated within workplace. Reward and recognition helps in increasing
the motivation and morale level of employees due to which they can contribute in making
business successful. This strategy also increases the chances of employees to stay with company
for long run.
Boost employee engagement level:
Boost employee engagement level is another strategy which is used by human resource
management for reducing the turnover rate of employees. The higher engagement level of
employees helps in lowering the turnover rate of staff. In order boost the engagement level,
human resource management focuses on encouraging workers to participate in business activities
and also they conduct social gatherings for building employee relations.
What are the effective ways that Boots UK Limited would be used for retaining skilled and
knowledgeable worker at workplace?
According to Carlson and et. al., (2017), there are effective ways that Boots UK Limited
can use for retaining skilled and knowledgeable worker at workplace. Through these ways,
company can retain skilled and knowledgable employees who have potential to contribute better
output. The effective ways through which Boots can retain highly skilled employees are regular
training and team building activities, open communication on career development, facilitate
collaboration, improving on-boarding experience, prioritising recognition, driving employee
growth and facilitate collaboration.
Regular training and team building activities:
It is one of the strategy which is implemented by human resource management of Boots
in order to retain expertise and knowledgable employees within workplace. Human resource
department is responsible for providing constant training and conducting team building activities

as it helps in facilitating learning and also strengthen the relationship within team. Through
these activities, human resource manager ensures that their employees must remain up-to-date on
latest trends and committed with entire company.
Open communication on career development:
Open communication on career development is another strategy which is implemented by
human resource management for retaining highly skilled workers within workplace. It is the
responsibility of human resource management to schedule open discussion related to the
performance of employees in job, tools require for performing better, how staff can enhance their
efficiency and productivity and also how they can achieve their goals by aligning with the plans
for advancement within an organisation.
Facilitate collaboration:
Facilitate collaboration is also a strategy which can be used by human resource
management in order to retain top performers within workplace. Human resource department
generally encourages collaboration between the employees so that they can collectively work
together for achieving the business goals and objective (Kampkötter and Marggraf, 2015).
Through collaboration, Boots can increase the engagement level of employees and also make
them satisfied while working.
What are the advantages of retaining skilled and knowledgeable employees within Boots UK
Limited?
As per the perspective of van Den Heuvel and et. al., (2017), it is important for human
resource management to highly skilled employees within workplace as it helps in improving the
performance and growth of business. There are various advantages of retaining skilled and
knowledgeable employees within Boots UK limited such as reduce cost, improved company
culture, higher employee engagement, improved revenue and ROI, increase productivity and also
improve customer experience. These are the advantages which can be gained by company while
retaining skilled and knowledgable employees within workplace.
Reduce cost:
Reduce cost is one of the benefit which can availed by Boots while retaining skilled and
knowledgable employees within workplace. Employee turnover is expensive, it is necessary for
HR professionals to make their employees feel happy and engaged while working. For recruiting
and on-boarding new employees, company requires lots of time and huge investment. When the

employees are inexperienced they can reduce the quality of customer experience due to which
Boots can face severe loss.
Improved culture of organisation:
Improve culture of organisation is another benefit which can be gained by company in
order to retain highly skilled employees. The culture of the company generally affects when staff
leaves. The high retention rate can influence the performance and productivity of business. Thus,
it is important for human resource management to engage and retain top performers so that they
feel connected to their team, work and company culture. The positive company culture helps in
celebrating employees, prioritise inclusivity and also leverage great benefits.
Increase customer experiences:
Increase customer experience is also a benefit which is gained by Boots while retaining
top performers and knowledgeable employees within workplace. When company focuses on
retaining highly skilled employees they makes them feel happy and dedicated towards the work
(Karatepe and Kilic, 2015). The happy customer generally correlates with high engagement
which leads to better customer service. Thus, the employees who stay with organisation for long
run can also helps in solving the complicated problems which boost customer satisfaction.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research methodology is a technique which is used by researcher in order to analyse the
information and achieve the aims and objective of research. Through these tool, researcher can
collect the relevant data as per their needs and requirements. The different tools of research
methodologies are as follows:
Research Philosophy:
Research philosophy is one of the tool of research methodology gives certain set of
beliefs and principles for gathering and analysing the data. There are mainly two types of
research philosophy such as positivism and interpretivism. In this research, researcher will
choose positivism philosophy as it helps in gathering numerical data which can be measured
easily. The reason behind choosing positivism philosophy is that it focuses on evaluating
quantitative information which can be easily compared and measured. It also helps in giving in-
depth knowledge related to the particular topic.
Research Approach:
Research approach is another tool of research methodology which includes procedure and
plans for connecting with investigation. Through using this tool, researcher can conduct testing
on hypothesis and theories of particular research topic. Research approach helps researcher to
make effective decision and also investigator can achieve the goals and objective in efficient
manner. There are two forms of research approach such as inductive and deductive approach.
Within this research, researcher will choose deductive approach as it used to evaluate and test the
existing hypothesis and theories which are based on statistical data (VanKooten,2019). The
motive behind choosing deductive approach is that it helps in using existing theories for
analysing quantitative piece of data.
Research Strategy:
Research strategy is a technique through which relevant data is collected on specific
topic. There are different kinds of research strategy such as case study, experimental, action
research, observation, systematic literature review, etc. Under this research, the researcher will
choose survey strategy as it helps in collecting the data according to the requirements of
research. The reason behind choosing survey technique is that researcher can collect numerical
and primary information and analyse the data in significant time period. A questionnaire will be
designed in which close ended questions will be asked in order to carry out apt findings.

Research Choice:
Research choice is other tool which is used by researcher to determine the type of data
required for completing the research. It is categorised into two parts such as qualitative and
quantitative research choice. In this research, researcher will choose quantitative research choice
as it helps in availing numerical and statistical information (Park, 2017). The motive behind
choosing quantitative data is that it helps in collecting statistical information in less time. Thus,
through choosing this research choice, investigator can assemble the numerical data in short
period of time.
Time Horizon:
Time Horizon is a technique through which researcher can chive research aims and
objective in shorter span of time. It is generally classified into two types such as longitudinal and
cross sectional time horizon. In this research, researcher will choose cross sectional time horizon
as it helps in accomplishing the aims and objective in effective and efficient manner. Therefore,
time horizon tool helps in completing the research in real time situation.
Sampling:
Sampling is a tool in which few number of respondents are selected on the basis of
random sampling method. There are mainly two types of sampling such as probability sampling
and non-probability sampling (Rodrigues and Rosa, 2019). Under this research, the chosen
sampling method is probability sampling as it helps in choosing right number of participant as
per the needs and requirements of research. 30 participants will be selected from Boots Limited
in order to collect the information.
Data collection method:
Data collection is another tool of research methodology that helps in facilitating the
information according to the requirement of research. There are two types of data collection
method such as primary data and secondary data. In this research, researcher will choose both the
data collection method. Primary method will be choose by researcher for gathering raw
information related to specific topic. Secondary data collection method is used for collecting
second hand information. In primary data collection method, researcher will choose
questionnaire for collecting the information whereas for gathering secondary data information,
researcher will use newspapers, publications, books, articles, journals, etc.
Data analysis:

Data analysis is a technique through which researcher can evaluate and analyse the
information in significant manner. It is mainly divided into two types such as thematic analysis
and frequency distribution method. Under this research, researcher will choose frequency
distribution analysis in order to collect numerical data. Through choosing this analysis,
researcher can identify relevancy and accuracy of numerical and statistical data.
Ethical consideration:
While conducting research, ethics plays an important role as it helps in accomplishing the
aims and objective of research in ethical manner. There are various ethical principles which must
be followed by researcher such as not harming any selected respondent, confidentiality of
personal information, informed consent and giving equal chance to each respondent (Flick,
2020).
Validity and reliability:
In order to conduct research in significant manner, it is important to maintain validity and
reliability. For maintaining reliability and validity, researcher is conducting questionnaire in
systematic manner. It helps in maintaining validity of the research by including various questions
that helps in gathering numerical information. Reliability is maintained by the researcher by
making participants aware about the benefits of conducting this research and determining the
importance of each questions.
Limitation:
While conducting this research, researcher has faced various issues such as they face
difficulty in formulating research aims and objective, implementing data collection method and
also a difficulty is faced by researcher while collecting data related to previous studies in
research area.

TIMESCALE
Gantt Chart: It is a tool through which researcher can plan work so that they can meet deadlines
and allocate the resources properly. For the current research, the Gantt chart is shown below:

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