Human Resource Management Literature Review

This assignment provides a list of recommended books and journals on various aspects of human resource management. The resources cover topics like strategic HRM, sustainable HRM, diversity and equal treatment, e-HRM, hospitality HRM, and the impact of HRM on environmental performance. These publications offer insights into current trends and best practices in the field of HR.

HUMAN RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
1.1 Role of HR in Hilton Hotels..................................................................................................1
1.2 Human Resource Plan and factors affecting human resource planning................................3
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................4
2.1 Current state of employment relations in the hospitality industry.........................................4
2.2 Affects of employment laws on HRM of the organisation....................................................6
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................7
3.1 Job description and Person Specification..............................................................................7
3.2 Selection process of Hilton hotel...........................................................................................9
TASK 4..........................................................................................................................................10
4.1 Contribution of training and development for effective operations....................................10
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................12
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................13

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Job Description..................................................................................................................7
Table 2: Person Specification..........................................................................................................8

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Organisational Logo.........................................................................................................1
Figure 2: Structure of the Organisation...........................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
The below report is based on the Human Resource Management (HRM) in a hotel chain
called Hilton Hotels which is a UK based hospitality organisation. The report focuses on the
importance of HRM in the organisation; human resource planning and factors influencing HR
planning along with the employment relations in hospitality industry. Also the Influence of laws
on the organisation along with job description, person specification and selection process have
been discussed in the report. Lastly the report concentrates on the contribution of training in the
organisation.
Figure 1: Organisational Logo
(Source: Hilton Hotels, 2017)
TASK 1
1.1 Role of HR in Hilton Hotels
So as to ensure efficient functioning of Hilton Hotels it is required to appoint skilled staff
and the responsibility of hiring skilled staff is of the HR department of the organisation. The
building of a good team is essential in a hospitality organisation as there is a requirement of
human resources for the provision of every service at the hotel (Armstrong, and Taylor, 2014).
Therefore the team builders of the organisation i.e. HR team members play a major role in the
organisation. The chief functions of the HR managers of Hilton are:
o Performance Appraisal: The HR managers of the organisation perform the functions of
monitoring the employees and also of providing them feedback of their work. There are
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many performance methods that can be utilised by the HR managers in ensuring the
efficiency in the performance of the employees. The major tasks of supervising,
providing feedbacks as well as motivating the employees are carried out with the help of
efficient supervision and communication.
o Recruitment and Training: The recruitment of a suitable candidate is essential as per
the job description. The recruitment has to be as per the relation between the
requirements of the job and the eligibility of the candidate (Sparrow, et al. 2016). Then it
is required to train the employee as per the needs of the job and this has to be done by the
HR team of the organisation. The opportunities of training and development for the staff
members at the workplace will enable both the organisation and the employee in ensuring
growth.
o Planning: The HR team of Hilton Hotel makes sure that the tasks of the employees for
every day are divided in advance. The work of the employees is divided according to the
requirements of the organisation as well as the capabilities of the employees. The HR
managers of the organisation are also responsible for informing the employees regarding
the future planning, organisational objectives as well as business strategies of Hilton
Hotels so as to ensure that the employees have a better understanding of their collective
organisational goals. This develops a healthy environment and increases employee
efficiency.
The HR team of the organisation can follow the following approaches to ensure efficient HR
practices in the organisation:
o Soft HRM: The approach of soft HRM is followed at Hilton Hotels and the major focus
of this approach is the requirements, responsibilities, motivation and rewards of the staff
members. The staff members are considered significant resources for the organisation and
are therefore provided with equal and individual treatment. Democratic leadership styles
as well as two way communication are the major features of this approach (Budhwar, and
Debrah, 2013). Identification of the employee needs is focused on for performance
appraisal in this approach.
o Hard HRM: The major focus of hard HRM is on the autocratic style of leadership i.e.
there is minimum division of authority and there is not much communication among the
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top and bottom levels of hierarchy in the organisation. In this approach the employees
receive the same treatment as any other business resource. The major areas of focus in
this approach are the expenses of hiring the staff and the methods of recruitment. The
performance appraisal in this approach is monitoring and making temporary changes in
the number of members in the staff.
1.2 Human Resource Plan and factors affecting human resource planning
Stages in HR Planning:
o Identification of Organisational Objectives: The HR team has to identify the
organisational objectives so as to ensure efficiency in the work operations and also to
drive the employees towards the organisational goals.
o Listing the current staff members: The details such as number of staff members along
with the records of their performance and qualification should be kept in a storage system
by the HR team of the organisation (Kramar, 2014). This helps in analysing the efficiency
of individual employees of the organisation.
o Estimation of Gaps in Manpower: The supply and demand of labour force in the
market influence the trends in the labour market on a large scale, and it also identifies the
gaps in manpower of the organisation. There is need to hire new employees in the case
of deficit in manpower and a need to dismiss employees in case of a surplus.
o Forecasting supply and demand of the human resource: The job description and
person specification determine the suitability of a candidate for a job position. There are
various departments in Hilton Hotels and all of them require different types of staff
members. The forecasting of demand and generation of supply respectively is the role of
HR managers of the organisation.
o Monitoring, Control and Feedback: The HR managers of the organization are
responsible for monitoring the tasks of the employees controlling the provision of tasks t
the employees and for providing feedbacks for the same (Storey, 2014).
o Making Action Plans: HR department of the organisation has to conduct actions related
to human resources such as transfers, promotions, recruitment as well as training etc. HR
managers formulate action plans to plan these activities.
Reasons for the need of HRM in Hilton Hotels:
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o Internal Reasons: There is a need for HRM in Hilton Hotels due to the gaps in
manpower which make the functioning of the organisation difficult. In case, the potential
and skills of the staff members do not match the job requirements it causes inefficiency in
work.
o External Reasons: There is always a requirement of talented individuals for the survival
of the organisation in the competitive market. The organisation can get competitive
advantage with the help of efficient human resource action plan. The plan should be
better than that of the competitors in the market (Wilton, 2016). The requirement of the
staff will technical skills is also to be fulfilled by HR managers of the organisation so as
to keep with the latest technology in hospitality industry.
o Training: HR managers of the organisation have to identify the training needs of the
employees and fulfil them accordingly to ensure efficiency in work operations.
TASK 2
2.1 Current state of employment relations in the hospitality industry
Organisational structure is very important at Hilton Hotels in order to perform daily work
operations. The organisational structure of Hilton Hotels is as follows:
o Finance Department: The monetary matters of the organisation are looked after by
finance department of the organisation (Aswathappa, 2013). The department keeps cost
control; does financial transactions and cost accounting.
o Food and Beverage department: The areas of the hotels like restaurants, dining halls,
kitchen as well as the bars come under the supervision of this department. The
department is responsible for all the work operations regarding food and beverages in the
organisation.
o Front Office: The employees in the front office are responsible for attending guests and
solving their queries. It involves front desk services along with check-in and check-outs
of the guests.
o Human Resource: The HR department of the organisation is responsible for the
selection, recruitment and training of the employees. Other functions of the department
involve the record keeping of employee attendance, performance, pay packages etc.
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o Logistics and Sales: The department of sales has the responsibility of the sale of
facilities of the organisation to the customers. The rooms, food and beverages along with
other amenities are sold to the customer by this department (Boella, and Goss-Turner,
2013). And the department of logistics maintains daily inventory of the supply and
purchases of the organisation.
Figure 2: Structure of the Organisation
Employee Participation
There is significant participation of the employees in all the activities of the organisation.
They take their roles and responsibilities seriously and finish the given tasks efficiently. The
morning meetings at the hotel determine the daily tasks of the staff members of the organisation.
The employees at the organisation are truly dedicated towards their work and thus the quality of
service provision by the organisation is maintained.
Culture of Hilton Hotel
The culture of Hilton Hotels is developed in such a way that the ambience of the hotel is
always warm and welcoming and the staffs ensure that premium quality services are provided to
all the customers. The staff members of the organisation possess values such as respect honesty
and cooperation that ensure the success of the organisation.
Disciplinary Process:
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StructureOfHiltonFrontOfficeSalesAndLogisticsTheFinanceDepartmentFoodAndBeveragesDepartmentHumanResource

Employees of the organisation are supposed take the disciplinary process of Hilton Hotels
seriously (Tyson, 2014). Their behaviour and tasks should be disciplined and the politeness
towards the customers has to be maintained by the staff members. These processes have to be
consistent as well as corrective in order to maintain the rand image and efficiency in work
operations. The levels of discipline used in the organisation are: counselling orally, written
warning, suspension and dismissal.
2.2 Affects of employment laws on HRM of the organisation
The major effects of the laws on the HRM of the organisation are:
Employment Right Act: The Employment Rights Act was introduced in 1996 in order to update
the existing rights in UK labour law. It involves parental leaves, unfair dismissal, and
redundancy (Shields et al. 2015). And in 1997 UK government passed amendments in the law so
as to support the rights of the employees for suggestions on the flexibility in work shifts. The
major rights involved in the law are:
o Disclosure and Detriment: the employment rights focuses on the privacy of details of
the employees.
o Right to receive particulars of employment: In this act the employees have to be
provided with the particulars regarding their employment in a write form.
o Reason and notice for Dismissal: In this right both employee and employer get rights of
notice period and reason of termination and the amount of notice served depends on the
time period of the service.
Employment Relations Act: This act was introduced in 1999 by the UK government. This act
involves collective employment and family friendly rights; collective rights and packages for
employees set in labour government. The law covered maternity leaves, unfair dismissal,
parental leaves, and industrial action ballots etc.
Equal Opportunity Act: The government of UK always supported equality at the workplace
and hence the commission of Equality and Human Rights was formed in 2007. The commission
is meant for the protection of rights of the employees at the workplace and the focus of the act is
on the provision of equal opportunities for the individuals (Nickson, 2013). The Equality Act of
2010 involved race, gender, pregnancy, disability, marital status as well as religion. This act
allows all the staff members of Hilton Hotel have access to the facilities provided by the
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organisation equally. All the workers have equal chance to apply for jobs in the organization and
if they are eligible they can get recruited by the organisation. All selected staff members have
equal chance for training and development activities provided by the organisation. The
employees receive support regarding gender discrimination, accident claims and equal
opportunities in the organisation. The employees are treated fairly in the organisation without
any discrimination.
TASK 3
3.1 Job description and Person Specification
The meaning of job description is the job related information that supports in the
advertisement of job description for attraction of eligible candidates for the job (Delahaye,
2015). The job description for front office manager of Hilton Hotel:
Table 1: Job Description
JOB DESCRIPTION
Title of the Job: Front Office Manager
Salary: $20,000- $25,000
Work Schedule: 7 days a week
Job purpose: The Front Office Manager has the job of attending the customers of Hilton Hotel in
a professional manner. The front office manager is required to manage the staffs at the front
office desk. Other responsibilities of the individual involve the distribution of mails,
administration, along with attending organisational complaints.
Duties and Responsibilities:
o Resolving employee problems
o Well-informed about the personal profession
o Direction and coordination of the activities of the front office
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o Provision of quality services to the guests
o Earnestly consider the needs of consumer and accomplish them with full satisfaction
o Practical knowledge of greeting and attending the guests.
The specification of individual qualities, knowledge, skills as well as experience is
compulsory for the performance of the job that is advertised is called person specification of the
job role (Purce, 2014). The person specification of the front office manager is as follows:
Table 2: Person Specification
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Title of the Job: Front Office Manager
Department: Front Office
Reporting To: General Manager
Salary: $20,000- $25,000
Work Schedule: 7 days a week
Job purpose: The Front Office Manager has the job of attending the customers of Hilton Hotel in
a professional manner. The front office manager is required to manage the staffs at the front
office desk. Other responsibilities of the individual involve the distribution of mails,
administration, along with attending organisational complaints.
Duties And Responsibilities Of Front Office Manager
o Catering to the requirements of the customers
o Edifice healthy relationship with the customers by providing them quality services
o Overseeing and leading a team
o Inform all guests rightly and properly
o A influential approach towards the consumer and convince them to utilize the excellent
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services and hereby add in generating proceeds for the organisation
o Assessment of own inadequacy and efficiencies to achieve the given target
Required Skills
o Management skills to run the staff of front office
o Degree in Hotel Management
o work experience in other hospitality organisations (Minimum 2 Years)
o Ambitious and Self motivated to survive in the long run
o Potential of surviving in the difficult situations
o Strong communication skills
o Knowledge of hotel industry
o Competent in team and individually
3.2 Selection process of Hilton hotel
Selection process is required in the organization to analyze the capabilities of the
candidates to assist the organization in the attainment of specific goals and objectives. It is
required to structure the systematic set of practices in selection of candidate so that Hilton hotel
can achieve quality staff (Klarsfeld et al. 2014). It also helps to reduce the cost and efforts on the
training and employee development programs. The organization follows the simple but effective
selection process:
o Attract the skills: the first practice is to give words about the job opening in organization.
The human resource management analyzes the vacancies and decides to advertise for the
skills. Inside as well as outside candidates are attracted towards the position in
organization through advertisement in social media, newspaper and public places. The
advertisements include the basic requirements related to skills, qualification and
experience as demands to filter out the candidates but it is assumed that a large number of
candidates apply for a single position in organization.
o Receiving and Scrutiny of applications: the advertisement is entry point so Hilton hotel
needs to filter the applications received from the candidates by considering the
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qualification (Paillé et al. 2014). Manager short list the candidates and call them for
written test and interview.
o Written test: written test is cost effective tool to filter the most of qualified employees for
suitable skills for organization. It helps the managers to understand the written skills and
understanding with specific topic.
o Psychological test: the test series includes the aptitude test and personality test to ensure
that the behavior and logical reasoning of the candidate is effective to represent the
services of organization. Psychological test is required to select the candidate with skills
and personality.
o Personal interview: personal interaction with manager is required to validate the
background, skills and requirements of the candidate to choose the position in
organization. Manager observes the behavior, general knowledge and expectations of the
candidate regarding the position in organization.
o Medical Examination: After the interview is done and candidates have been selected a
medical examination is conducted in order to determine if the candidates are fit for the
job position in terms of their health (Morgeson et al. 2013). The candidates that clear this
test are taken further.
o Final Selection: When a candidate clears all the above tests he/she receives a letter of
appointment from Hilton Hotel that contains all the needed specifications regarding the
employment.
o Placement: The selected candidate is appointed at the given job position and the
allocation of the candidate in the required department is carried out.
TASK 4
4.1 Contribution of training and development for effective operations
Training and development plays very important role in the effective operation and it is
process which prepares the employees to take critical decision in dealing with complex task. In
the hospitality organization, human resource department develop the training plan which
includes various tasks that assist the employees in increasing their skills that are dependent on
their qualification, previous experience and the character of the job that are provided in the
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organization (Heizer, and Barry, 2013). The organization has pre determined benchmark
standards for their quality services and it is important that employees should be trained as per the
standards so that their capabilities are enhanced and polished. Though the process is somewhat
costly in terms of money and other valuable sources but it is necessary for the Hilton hotel to
provide them as it great full in gaining competitive advantage in hospitality industry. Listed
below are the kinds of training and development sessions that Hilton will follow:-
Training programs types
o Quality training: Hospitality industry has set some of the most important quality
standards that the hotel needs to lay down in their policies and procedures. Every
employee in the hotel needs to understand these standards and applied in their jobs. For
this, experts are hired from outside to provide the training to the employees on
maintaining the quality. Training session can be conducted online or in class rooms or
conferences halls as per the suitability of the hotel
o Skill training: This training is offered as per the profile of the employees and it varies
depending on the employee to employee skills.
o Team training: This training is given in respect of the operations to be performed in
groups that show the team efforts. In this, coordinating and communications skills of the
employees are improved to work in team.
Benefits of training:
This program is beneficial for both employers as well for employees. The training is
provided on the relevant subjects that increase efficiencies and also helps in getting promotions
and incentives to the employees. Employer will receive long term retention of employees in hotel
Hilton (Marler, and Fisher, 2013). And further, it helps in bringing the new performance
management system.
Role and evaluation of training and development programs:
Training is given on particular matter in which management is crucial. It is conducted for
old as well for new employees. This approach is important as it allow the testing of operations.
The program is evaluated on the basis of the feedbacks that it receives from the employees.
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Interview, observation and questionnaire can be used by the management for determining the
performance of the employees.
CONCLUSION
The above report has been analyzed on the basis of human resource management of
Hilton Hotels. The report has covered the aspects of HRM such as role of the HR department in
the organization; the HR plan and aspects that influence the hospitality industry along with the
employment relations in hospitality industry. The report has then concentrated on the influence
of legislations on the organization; job description and person specification; selection process of
the organization as well as role of training and development in the organization.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Armstrong, M. and Taylor, S., 2014. Armstrong's handbook of human resource management
practice. Kogan Page Publishers.
Aswathappa, K., 2013. Human resource management: Text and cases. Tata McGraw-Hill
Education.
Boella, M. and Goss-Turner, S., 2013. Human resource management in the hospitality industry:
A guide to best practice. Routledge.
Budhwar, P.S. and Debrah, Y.A. eds., 2013. Human resource management in developing
countries. Routledge.
Delahaye, B., 2015. Human resource development. Tilde Publishing.
Heizer, R. and Barry, R., 2013. Operation Management, Sustainability and Supply Chain
management (Vol. 11). Pearson, UK
Klarsfeld, A., Booysen, L.A., Ng, E., Roper, I. and Tatli, A. eds., 2014. 9.78 E+ 12: Country
Perspectives on Diversity and Equal Treatment. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Kramar, R., 2014. Beyond strategic human resource management: is sustainable human resource
management the next approach?. The International Journal of Human Resource
Management, 25(8), pp.1069-1089
Marler, J.H. and Fisher, S.L., 2013. An evidence-based review of e-HRM and strategic human
resource management. Human Resource Management Review, 23(1), pp.18-36.
Morgeson, F.P., Aguinis, H., Waldman, D.A. and Siegel, D.S., 2013. Extending corporate social
responsibility research to the human resource management and organizational behavior
domains: A look to the future. Personnel Psychology, 66(4), pp.805-824.
Nickson, D., 2013. Human resource management for hospitality, tourism and events. Routledge.
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