Purpose and Functions of HRM in Workforce Planning and Resourcing

This article discusses the purpose and functions of HRM in workforce planning and resourcing. It explores the strengths and weaknesses of different recruitment and selection approaches, the benefits of HRM practices for employers and employees, and the effectiveness of HRM practices in terms of profit and productivity. It also examines the key elements of employee legislation and its impact on decision-making. The content is relevant to the subject of Human Resource Management.

Human Resource
Management

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
P1. Purpose and functions of HRM in respective of workforce planning and resourcing...........3
P2. Strength and weakness related to different approaches of recruitment and selection...........4
P3. Benefits of different HRM practices for employers and employee.......................................5
P4. Effectiveness of different HRM practices in terms of profit and productivity......................7
P5. Key elements of employee legislation and its impact on decision-making...........................8
P6. Importance of employee relations in respect to influencing HRM decision making ...........9
P7. Application of HRM practices in a work-related context....................................................10
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................12
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................13

INTRODUCTION
Human resource management is the process under which managing of people of the
organization are done in the efficient manner which help the company to achieve the goals and
objectives and facilitate the growth and getting competitive advantage. It directly deals with the
workforce of the organization. It manages all the aspects of the employees which include their
recruitment, selection, training and development, benefits, rewards and compensation
management. Marks and Spencer is the multinational retail company having its headquarters in
England. They sell home products, clothes, food products etc. Michael and Thomas founded this
company in 1884. This report will discuss the purpose and functions of HRM and application to
planing and resourcing. Identification of the strengths and weaknesses which are faced in the
recruitment. Benefits of HRM practices are evaluated and how these practices contribute in the
growth and productivity of the company. Further the report will discuss employee relation in
respect to the HR decision-making process and identification of the key components of employee
legislation and its impact. Lastly application of HRM practices are discussed.
P1. Purpose and functions of HRM in respective of workforce planning and resourcing
HRM hire new employees in the organization. HRM have many functions in the organization
and have to focus on these functions.
Human resources planning:
In Marks and Spencer management do the planning of human resource by keeping in mind the
future needs of the company. They calculate that how many employees are needed in each of the
department and what kind of employees are requires on the basis of qualifications and skills.
Company hire efficient employees who can help them to achieve the objectives and also help the
organization to reach towards success. It is the duty of HR to provide the right and skilled
employee to the organization (Žuľová, Švec and Madleňák, 2018).
Recruitment and selection:
Human resource plan about the staffing requirements. They have to select the right candidate
who are having right experience which is required by the company and are willing to work with
the company and will retain in the company for longer period. The HR of marks and Spencer
give attractive advertisement for the vacancy so that more candidates get attracted and apply for
the vacancy and after recruiting, selection is done on the basis of the given interview. Company

take written test to check the writing skills, practical test to examine their practical knowledge
and face to face interview to check the confidence of the candidates.
Training and development:
Training is very important for the employees because it brushes the skills of employees. Marks
and Spencer believe that training will help the employees to know about their role in the
company and how they can deliver the company. Training also reduces the confusion and the
work burden of the employer because employee will not ask again and again about the work to
the employer (Ilea and et.al., 2020).
Personnel research:
HRM collect all the data related to the personnel so that they can do the research and can get
help in building the program. Helping the management in the recruiting and selection
procedures.
Succession planning:
Succession planning is the very important activity done by the HR. under this HR find out the
skilled and hard-working employees of the company and started giving training to them so that
they can be given promotions for the top positions in the company, when there will be vacancy
for that. In this proper allocation of the employees is very essential. Human resource planning
involve strategic decision in the company.
Performance management:
Marks and Spencer timely do the performance management of their employees. HR guide
employees if there is any area for improvement and appreciate them for their good performance
as well.
P2. Strength and weakness related to different approaches of recruitment and selection
Internal recruitment:
This type of recruitment is often used by the company and it can be done by various methods by
internal transfers or promotions to different job positions and given different job responsibilities.
In this employee get the benefit to be the permanent employee of the company from the part-time
employee. This is the cost effective method which saves time as well, as company do not follow
the whole recruitment procedure. By doing this company can retain their skilled and hard-
working employees and employee turnover ratio also got reduced. Workers will get motivated

because they are promoted and work harder to get higher position in the company (Kianto, Sáenz
and Aramburu, 2017).
The weakness of internal recruitment is company will not be able to higher fresh talents and will
not get innovative and creative ideas which will be brought by young talents. Internal rivalry can
give birth. Some employees may feel jealous with the other employee who got promotion.
External recruitment:
This is the time-consuming and costly procedure. If Marks and Spenser does this then they have
to give training and development to their employees. Have to do all the background checks and
induction programs. This is a complex process. In this company have to give adds on social
media, on print media or on their own websites so that people come to know about the vacancy.
Then candidate will come for the interview, then their assessment is done. From many candidate
only few got selected according to the requirement of the company and others got rejected.
Its strengths are company will get fresh and new talent who are highly enthusiast and motivated.
Who will bring new and innovative ideas in the organization and nowadays company requires
innovation to survive in the market for long run (Michael, 2019).
Employee referrals:
Company had started employee referral programs. In these employees who are already working
are asked to refer candidates who are fit for the vacancy and can join the company. It is the
combination of external and internal recruitment. Its strengths are that it is the cost effective
process which saves time and an easy process and trust level also increase because it is suggested
by their existing employees. And new hiree will have some knowledge about the company as
compare to other.
Selection:
The assessment of the candidate is done before they are given job. Marks and Spencer's HR
conduct a good selection test which include written test, face to face interview in which
questions related to the company or personal questions or about their experience is asked.
Practical skills of the candidates are also checked so that right person can be selected. Its
weakness is candidates can even lie in the interview relating to their skill (Boon and et.al., 2018).
P3. Benefits of different HRM practices for employers and employee.
Training and development:

Employees of the organization are required training whether they are new or old. New
employees are trained to build the skill and become efficient and old employees are trained so
that they can learn some new skill and get updated about the new technology and policies
(Peiseniece, 2019). Marks and Spencer also have training programs for their workers. Training
gives benefit to the employees because they get to learn new things and enhance their skills and
knowledge along with the employees it will give benefit to the organization as well because their
trained employees will work more efficiently which will increase their productivity.
Fair compensation and incentives:
This is the other HRM practices which will reduce the workforce turnover and increase the ratio
of retainment. Company pay compensation and give incentives to the employees according to
their performance and as per company norms. Incentives increase the motivation and morale of
the employees. Company also believes that compensation bring loyalty and trust by the
employees. Company get quality of work and employee do work to achieve the company's
objectives. Employer and employee both will get benefit from this. Employer benefit is that they
get the best results which will increase the profits and revenue of the company and also the
customer loyalty. The benefit for employee is that employee will get appreciation for their
performance and get rewards for their hard work (Ahammad, Glaister and Gomes, 2020).
Resolving conflicts:
It is the main HRM practice to resolve the conflicts in the organization at any level. They resolve
the problems or conflicts which arise between the employer and employee. This will limit the
conflicts and facilitate positive environment in the organization. HR resolves the conflicts as
soon as it arises because they know that conflicts will affect the performance of the employees.
Employer also get help of the HR in solving the problems faced by the employee. Marks and
Spencer also get advantage of this if employee will not face any problem in the organization then
that will increase their efficiency. Proper management of conflicts is very necessary in the
organization.
Improve employee turnover:
HRM check on employee turnover. High turnover is very bad for the company and affect the
reputation of the company. Therefore, Marks and Spencer work to decrease the employee
turnover. Company believe that their employees are the asset form them and recruiting

frequently is the costly and time-consuming procedure. HR should recruit such candidates who is
the best fit for the position. Wrong hiring is very painful.
P4. Effectiveness of different HRM practices in terms of profit and productivity.
Human resource management, manages the workers and its relations in the workplace.
Practices of HRM to upgrade the profits and productivity are:
Employee retention: Marks and Spencer believe that retainment of the employees are very
important for the organization. High turnover can affect the profits of the company adversely.
High costs are there in recruiting and selection of the workforce and apart from this training is
also provided to the employees which is also the costly procedure. That is why HR focuses on
positive working environment in the company. They believe that such environment should be
provided to the workforce under which they enjoy working and continue to work for the long
time.
Selective hiring: it is very important HR cannot hire anybody because hiring incur costs. Such
candidates should be hire who is the best fit for the vacancy (NAYAK and MOHANTY, 2018).
HR take care of every aspect while doing the hiring because their aim is to select the best. High
performer employee will bring the competitive advantage. Ability and commitment check of the
employees are done.
Leadership development: proper leadership is important for the team. Hr helps the team leaders
in solving the problem of team members and HR also resolve the conflicts which arise between
them. It is the work of the leader to make the employees understand the task and give guidance if
required. Company do not want delay in completion of task, so they check on developing
leadership.
Rewards and perks: company launch rewards schemes or give perks to motivate the employees.
Motivation leads to productivity and increment in the profits. Along with rewards company also
appreciate employees for their hard work. Company knows that its their hard work only by
which company's profits are increasing. Appreciation increases the morale of the employees.
Training and development: training and development plays a vital role in the organization.
Training does the skill building of the employees whether employees are new or old but training
is the requirement for both of them. Training increases the productivity of the employees because
in training knowledge is given about their work and how to do it.

Working conditions: marks and Spencer pass the budget for the improvement of working
conditions. The environment under which the employee are working should be good because
good working environment will motivate the employees and poor working environment will
demotivate them and also decrease their productivity. If they are facing any problems then that
should be resolved at the initial stage only. Proper security and safety of the employees should be
taken care of. In this covid situation hygiene should be considered first (Srivastava and
Bhardwaj, 2018).
P5. Key elements of employee legislation and its impact on decision-making.
Guidelines of the employee legislation have to follow by every organization. It protects
the interest of the employees in the organization. Unfair, unethical and discriminatory practices
are controlled by the employee legislation. Employee legislation facilitate that ethical practices
are followed in the organization. Following of employee legislation guidelines will help the
company in building their brand image in the market. Marks and Spencer follows all the
guidelines of the employee legislation. Decision-making process is done by the HR by keeping
in mind the employee legislation guidelines.
Key elements of employee legislation in the company are:
Health and safety: under the safety act, companies have to provide safe and healthy work
culture to the workforce. Locker facility should be provided to the employees if in any
organization it is required. Working conditions influence the performance and productivity of the
employees. Healthy environment improves the morale of the employees. If the employee will
feel secure then only he or she will help in the growth of the organization (Basharat, 2020).
Regulation of working hours: marks and Spencer make their employees work according to the
standard time which is stated by the government. Overburden of the work increase the working
hours and which are unfair for them. Company should understand that employees are having
their personal life also, so they should have given work in such a manner in which they can
finish work on time and can easily balance their personal and professional life.
Data protection: the security of data is the right of the employee. Company have such
protection software in which the personal information of the employees are protected and no one
can access that without the permission of the management. If company wishes to share any
personal data or information of the employees then they have to take their permission before
sharing. If it is shared without their permission then it comes under unethical practice.

Equality: in marks and Spencer every employee considered equal. They ensure that there is no
discrimination on the basis of caste, religion, colour, gender etc. division of work should also be
done in the equal manner. Equality should also be given while sharing ideas and opinions and at
the time of giving appraisal.
Remuneration: it is the right of the employee in getting their salary on time. Company should
avoid delay while giving salary and work should justify their salary. Company should not pile
work on the employees in the same salary.
P6. Importance of employee relations in respect to influencing HRM decision making
There are various importance of employee relations such as:
Reduced employee turnover – The first importance of maintaining employee relation is that it
reduces employee turnover. Good relations with the employees make them feel comfortable and
work more effectively therefore they do not leave the organization and retain which gives HRM
an advantage of cost reduction and helps them take decision regarding hiring of new employees
(Vera, 2018). Harmonious relations between employer an d employee increases the chances of
retention on the part of employee as they get a feeling of belongingness at the workplace.
Reduces chances of conflicts – Maintaining employee relations helps in reducing the chances of
conflicts at the workplace as there is cordial environment and due to healthy relations among
employees and also between employer and employees stimulates them to avoid conflicts and sort
out the issues in a harmonious way. Due to chances of reduction in conflicts the HRM of M&S
can take decision regarding conflict resolution. The HRM can also get to know whether there is
requirement of conflict resolution committee or not.
Communication takes place effectively – If there are good relations between employer and
employee at the workplace then the communication between departments and in hierarchy
becomes smooth. Employees get engaged and are motivated to work and suggests ideas which
can add to growth of M&S. HRM can decide the chain of command and establish the reporting
relationship.
Reduces absenteeism - Good employee relations reduces the chances of absenteeism as
employees feel energetic and motivated to work. Workplace is the space where the employees
spend their maximum time and if there are conflicts and unhealthy relations at the workplace
then the employees will avoid coming at the workplace and also this will reduce their morale and
enthusiasm to do work (Muller, 2020). In this case HRM has to take decision regarding adopting

motivation techniques at the workplace and to determine which factor motivates which
employees.
Ensures better workplace culture – good employees relations at the workplace ensures better
culture at it. A good workplace culture is one in which there is trust and integrity among
employees, teamwork is there growth mindset is there. HRM has to take decision regarding ways
in which workplace can be made a better place to work at and determining techniques to
maintain a high performance work culture.
Enhances productivity – Employee relations at the workplace enhances productivity as good
relations boosts their commitment level and employees get engaged with M&S which ultimately
increases the revenue and adds on to the growth of the company (Beato, 2017). The end result of
this is increased productivity. HRM can take decision regarding increasing or decreasing the
sales and prices of products. It also helps M&S HRM to take decision regarding requirement of
training to certain employees.
Increased motivation – Employees feel motivated when they have good and healthy relations at
the workplace. If the employees are motivated then they make extra efforts and work harder to
achieve the targets and also consider interest of M&S with that of their individual interest. HRM
in this case takes the decision regarding adopting which theory of motivation at the workplace
that can give maximum result and motivate the employees.
Employee participation - Good employee relations increase participation of employees and
employees also take the initiative to suggests solutions and recommend creative ideas (Sahoo.
and Sahoo, 2019). If the relations of employer n employee are good then employee feel
comfortable in participating in the decision making and this helps in building employee loyalty
with M&S. HRM can take decision regarding in which decision employees participation is
required and in which it is not required.
P7. Application of HRM practices in a work-related context
There are various applications of HRM practices such as framing job specification, person
specification, deciding the interview questions, making offer letter and many more.
Advertisement for specified role
Job Vacancy
We are currently looking for a

Sales Assistant
who have 2-3 years of experience in sales and marketing field or customer relationship.
Who can carry out sales target with good communication skills.
Salary – Best in the industry
Interested candidates can submit their resumes to hr.m&[e-mail]
For more information contact at [phone], what's up at [phone].
Job Description
Job Description
Job Position – Sales Assistant
Closing Date – 9-12-2020
Job Responsibilities – The individual should be able to locate products for the customers, greet
and serve customers, handling complaints of the customers, keeping sales floor organize,
assisting store deliveries, keeping the stocks again at place.
Job Requirements – Bachelor's or master's degree in any specialization, minimum 2-3 years of
experience in sales and marketing or customer relationship management.
Additional Skills required – Effective communication skills, numeracy skills, presentation
skills, data entry skills, friendly, polite.
Person Specification
Must have
Honesty
Dress neat and tidy
Communicate politely
friendly
Helpful
Would be good if they have

Be comfortable in every type of shift
IT skills
opening and closing cash handing procedure
Interview Questions
Tell me something about yourself?
Tell me your long-term career goals?
Why are you interested in this position?
How would you deal with a difficult customer?
What do you know about our company?
Are you flexible enough to work weekends and evenings if necessary?
How do you balance your work and life?
Job offer
Job Offer
Dear Jacob,
M&S is pleased to inform you that you have cleared all your interviews and you have been
selected for the role of Sales Assistant. Your date of joining will be from 16-12-2020. looking
forward to see your presence at the store on 16-12-2020.
Mr. George Williams
HR Assistant
CONCLUSION
Through this report it can be concluded that human resource management plays a vital
role in the organization, and they are having number of responsibilities in the company.
Functions of HRM are explained in detail applied the workforce planning, strengths and
weaknesses of approaches to recruitment and selection. Benefits of HR practices in the company
are evaluated for both the employee and for employer. Assessed the effectiveness of HRM
practices in profit and productivity and discuss the importance of employee relations in the terms

of decision-making. Identification of the elements of employee legislation and the impact on
decision-making. In the end application of HR practices are discussed in the company context.
REFERENCES
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Ahammad, M.F., Glaister, K.W. and Gomes, E., 2020. Strategic agility and human resource
management. Human Resource Management Review. 30(1). p.100700.
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Training and Development Function of HRM Functions. International Journal of Service
Science, Management, Engineering, and Technology (IJSSMET). 11(1). pp.46-54.
Beato, A., 2017. Effective strategies employed by retail store leaders to reduce employee
turnover.
Boon, C. and et.al., 2018. Integrating strategic human capital and strategic human resource
management. The International Journal of Human Resource Management. 29(1). pp.34-
67.
Ilea, C.D.N. and et.al., 2020. Sustainable Management, Instable Legislation Regarding Wages,
and Employee Satisfaction/Motivation in Two Romanian Hospitals. Sustainability. 12(3).
p.909.
Kianto, A., Sáenz, J. and Aramburu, N., 2017. Knowledge-based human resource management
practices, intellectual capital and innovation. Journal of Business Research. 81. pp.11-20.
Michael, A., 2019. A handbook of human resource management practice.
Muller, D., 2020. HR is stepping up on employee relations. HR Future, 2020(Aug 2020). pp.20-
21.
NAYAK, A.C. and MOHANTY, B., 2018 A study on the HRM functions in private and public
sector organisations in post acquisitions and disinvestments phases.
Peiseniece, L., 2019, July. The Digitalization of Human Resource Management. In International
Conference at Brno University of Technology, Faculty of Business and Management.
Sahoo, R. and Sahoo, C.K., 2019. Organizational justice, conflict management and employee
relations. International Journal of Manpower.
Srivastava, P. and Bhardwaj, A., 2018. Comparative analysis of effectiveness between E-HRM
and traditional HRM.
Vera, D.A., 2018. Employee-employer relationship and its impact on an
organisation. Экономика и общество. (1). pp.30-37.
Žuľová, J., Švec, M. and Madleňák, A., 2018. Personality aspects of the employee and their
exploration from the GDPR perspective. Central European Journal of Labour Law and
Personnel Management.1(1). pp.68-77.