Resource and Talent Planning

This document provides an overview of resource and talent planning, including labour market trends, talent management, and workforce planning. It discusses the labour requirements for different types of work and analyzes the current labour market trends that influence talent management and workforce planning. It also explains the different legislation that the organization considers when workforce planning. The document is divided into three parts: labour market and skills analysis, recruitment and selection documentation, and human resource life cycle.

Resource and Talent
Planning

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................3
PART 1: Labour Market and Skills Analysis.............................................................................4
1. Overview of organisation and types of labour requirements.............................................4
2. Analysis of current labour market trends that influence talent management and
workforce planning................................................................................................................5
3. Explanation of different legislation that the organisation considers when workforce
planning.................................................................................................................................7
4. Analysis of the influence of labour market trends and legal requirements on workforce
planning.................................................................................................................................8
5. Current and anticipated skills requirements based on current trends and legal
requirements........................................................................................................................10
6. Conclusions and recommendations.................................................................................11
PART 2: Recruitment and Selection Documentation...............................................................12
1. Developing a recruitment and selection process flowchart.............................................12
2. Undertaking job analysis.................................................................................................13
3. Creating job descriptions for at least two different jobs..................................................14
4. Producing a person specification for each of the jobs.....................................................15
5. Reviewing and deciding appropriate methods of recruitment and selection applied for
different roles.......................................................................................................................16
6. Recommendations on how to improve processes and documents...................................17
PART 3: Human Resource Life-cycle......................................................................................17
Evaluate stages of HR Life-cycle applied to specific HR contexts.....................................17
Evaluation of how each stage relates to organizational HR strategy..................................19

INTRODUCTION
Resource and talent planning is regarded as critical function which involves
coordination from team of recruitment and organisation in several aspects such as selection &
networking of hiring channel, maintaining talent candidates, forecasting required resources
and so on (Aibieyi and Henry, 2015). It is essential for business to have skilled and capable
candidates who can work for organisation to achieve set goal and objectives. This is essential
for organisation to plan resources for their employees. They should be provided with training
and development programmes so that they improve themselves in best manner. The
organisation selected for given project work is Marks and Spencer which was founded in
1884 at United Kingdom. It is retail multinational business specialised in selling clothes, food
and home products. The given report is divided into three parts such as labour market & skill
analysis, recruitment & selection documentation and human resource life cycle. Purpose of
given report is to discuss about labour market trends and legal requirements that influence
workforce planning along with anticipated and current skills required in different contexts.
For recruitment and selection, relevant documents and process are required which are
discussed in report. There is evaluation to manage human resources life-cycle in context of
HR strategy.

PART 1: Labour Market and Skills Analysis
1. Overview of organisation and types of labour
requirements
The organisation selected for project is Marks and Spencer which was founded by
Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer in 1884. It has headquartered at Leeds, United
Kingdom. This is a multinational retail business selling high quality products such as food,
home and clothing to consumers. In the current scenario, it is operating more than 959 stores
across the UK in 1463 locations. Marks and Spencer is serving their products and services
worldwide to fulfil requirements of consumers. Marks and Spencer have several brands under
its name such as Limited, M&S energy, Per Una and so on. There are more than 80,787
employees working in their respective organisation. Being the HR professional in Marks and
Spencer, several roles have been assigned to complete within the given time period. The main
work is to investigate the current labour requirements needed in business to achieve business
goal and objectives.
Here, labour is defined as physical or manual work performed by people especially
done with help of machines (Armstrong and Taylor, 2020). The HR manager of the
organisation has to identify requirements of labour as per the size and nature of business in
the best possible manner. Labour requirements are defined as a number of people required to
perform particular work within a given time period. It means several types of regulations for
protecting the interest of workers and providing them with benefits in terms of medical,
insurance and so on. The requirements of labour for different work at Marks and Spencer are
as follows:
Labour Requirement For Operational Work- The operational work means
activities and operations done on a regular basis (Carbery and Cross, 2015). As it is ongoing
and repetitive in nature. In order to perform operational work, labour should have adequate
qualification for an overall field so that they give their best. In the context of Marks and
Spencer, operational work includes checking of records, providing instructions to staff and so
on to perform activities in a proper manner. For example, Housekeeping department perform
cleanliness work at respective organisation which comes under operational work. The
respective organisation has to hire skilled and experience for performing operational work so
that they can provide better services to their consumers (Wu, Nurhadi and Zahro, 2016).
Labour Requirement for Technical Work- In order to perform technical work,
labour should have a good understanding if programming language, software proficiency,

technical writing, data analysis, project management and many more. This is the requirement
of the respective organisation for performing work related to technical aspects. For example,
maintenance department has to overview maintaining work at M&S which comes under
technical work. They need to perform technical work at stores related with billing, providing
information and so on.
Labour Requirement For Product Designer- Respective organisation is dealing in
the retail sector so it has to design different types of products on a frequent basis which
required labour who is specialised in designing goods (Carbery and Cross, 2018). For this,
the labour required is a designer who has experienced 2 to 3 years in the respective field so
that they can design unique and attractive products. For example, interior designer has to
design products such as ambience, colour of room and many more. This all comes under
product designing department of respective organisation.
Therefore, these are the types of labour requirement for a different field to be
performed at the respective organisation in order to achieve set goal and objectives within a
stipulated time period. They should be provided with training and development on a regular
basis so that they can enhance their knowledge and skills for a particular field (Wiblen,
2016).
2. Analysis of current labour market trends that influence
talent management and workforce planning
Labour market trends are defined as the factors that affect the labour supply (and
demand) in the labour market and influence them. Such trends affect the labour market in
various aspects like demographic factors such as size of the labour market, its geographical
location and many more. The current labour market trends also influence talent management
and workforce planning of Marks and Spencer. Some of them are as follows:
Ageing Population- The developed countries are seeing a drop in the working
population. This is the latest market trends which are followed at the organisation (Collings,
2015). In this context, the U.S, Germany and Japan are predicated to have low labour in the
next 15 years. This happened because of the fast ageing population in the marketplace. It
impacts both countries as well as all types of organisation which is running their activities
and operations at the workplace and create a recruitment problem in the future time period.
Remote working also helps in making easier for employees to work from various parts of the
world. Marks and Spencer is a large organisation which requiresall types of people to conduct
current trends in the marketplace. Therefore, this is the new labour market trends faced by the

organisation in a competitive market. In UK, there are more than 12 million people who are
aged above 65. The respective organisation has more than 60,000 staffs who are over age of
40. They possess experience and knowledge in order to perform work as per requirement of
business in effectual manner (Walford-Wright and Scott-Jackson, 2018).
Improved technology; More Opportunities, Fewer Skills- The employment seeker
has various opportunities to work because of the labour market that has become more talent
oriented. In the current scenario, the organisation views what skills are possessed by
individuals before other qualities. Also, there are few people who possess good opportunities,
skills, talent which is actually required in a particular field. With a rise in technological
advancement, there is high innovation such as the internet of things, robotic automation and
artificial intelligence. In the context of the respective organisation, it has more opportunities
but skills are lacked by employees due to involved more in technological advancements. For
example, it has to launch their own application for selling their products and service through
online mode in proper manner (van Zyl, Mathafena and Ras, 2017). The technology leads to
create opportunities for their business to attain goal and objectives.
Industry 4.0- Another current labour market trend is the industrial revolution which
leads to vanishing many jobs from the marketplace (Current Trends In The Labor Market,
2020). This impact talent management and workforce planning of the organisation to attain
set outcomes. Many jobs are based on a computerised system which is performed through an
online portal. For example, there is a drastic reduction in recording store sales of the
organisation as it is replaced by streaming services. This new trend creates a negative impact
on the life of employees and positive impact in the life of the organisation as they can get
their work to be done on a quick basis. For example many M&S stores have self-service
check outs are offered to customers. This helps the firm to reduce costs for firms and
encourages and convenience for customers; specifically in the Food Hall (Uysal, 2016).
Various locations;Data- In the current scenario, most of the companies are operated
through many locations from different places which creates high chances of the proliferation
of database. This leads hackers and criminals to take advantage of and steal data and
information on the business. It is also current market labour trends which are seen at the
organisation. Marks and Spencer is a large organisation which may face issues of database
records of their organisation. For example, the respective organisation can save their data and
information through cloud computing which helps in easy sharing of data from one to another
without happening of any fraudulent activities (Tajuddin, Ali and Kamaruddin, 2015).

Therefore, these above are the current labour market trends which help in influencing
talent management and workforce planning of the respective organisation. It is important to
analyse their impact at the marketplace for the attainment of goal and objectives in an
effectual manner.
These trends can affect M&S in their workforce planning because the future labour
requirements will need to consider these changes in the market. For instance future staffing
will accommodate people who want to work on a part time basis, allowing them more time
and flexibility for family commitments; young mothers and looking after parents and older
family members. For example, working hour of employees is comply with national law
where everyone should be provided with time off and rest breaks. Working hours should not
exceed 60 hours in one week (Su and Yang, 2015). M&S has a Human resource policy that
reiterates this information in their working practices and talent management.
3. Explanation of different legislation that the organisation
considers when workforce planning
Workforce planning is defined as a procedure that is done to fulfils current as well as
future requirements of the company in order to increase the effectiveness of their
performance (Crumpton, 2015). This is regarded as important functions of business which
helps in retaining and recruiting employees of the organisation. In order to make better
workforce planning, legislation has to be considered by a respective business which is
described below:
Health and Safety Act, 1974- It is defined as an act which is made for the safety of
health of employees working in an organisation. Such an act has been applied by Marks and
Spencer for their employees working at their place. They ensure the occurrence of accidents
at business and focus on eliminating it by providing health and safety equipment to them. It is
very important to provide safety in each and every terms so that business goal and objectives
are achieved in a given time period. For example, employees working in M&S should be
provided with safety while manufacturing products for consumers.
Sex Discrimination Act, 1975- As per this act, local authorities should be required to
prevent discrimination occurring at the workplace on the basis of caste, race, religions and so
on. This act preforms the function of providing and protecting the right of both men and
women and treats them in an equal manner. The respective organisation follows such an act
in their business in order to avoid discrimination among people working at the firm. Such an
act helps in better workforce planning of organisation in order to attain goals and objectives

in an effective and efficient manner. For example, each and every employees working in
M&S should be provided with equal right in terms of their caste and religious.
Equality Act, 2010- This act ensures about providing equal rights to their employees
working in an organisation so that they feel motivated and encourages towards the attainment
of goal and objectives (Gibson, 2017). Marks and Spencer have to follow such an act in their
business to provide equal and fair treatment to each and every performing work at the firm.
There should not be discrimination on the basis of any factors such as caste, race, religions
and so on. For instance, M&S has to follow equality act in their business in order to give
equal as well as fair treatment to them in best possible way.
Working Time Regulation Act, 1988- This act imposes a limit on working hour of
employees. It also provides the right to the worker for a minimum daily rest period among
each working shift and weekly rest. Such an act has to be implemented by the respective
organisation for their employees so that they get proper rest during their shift and work in a
diligent and effective manner. For example, M&S has to put limit on working time as
employees performing work should be provided with weekly test and shift to them.
Thus, it is very essential for the organisation to follow proper legalisation in their
business so that activities and operations are conducted in a better manner. Such legislation is
considered while planning the workforce for the firm which helps in attracting them towards
the organisation (Legal & ethical policies, 2020).
4. Analysis of the influence of labour market trends and
legal requirements on workforce planning
The labour market trends and legal requirements on workforce planning help the
respective organisation in better decision making and achievement of business goal and
objectives in an effective and efficient manner (Ingram and Glod, 2016). It is very important
for the organisation to know about current trends prevailing at marketplace along with legal
legislation to be imposed at the business for better workforce planning. The influence of such
requirements on the planning of the workforce at Marks and Spencer are as follows:
The rise in the ageing population creates a problem for the organisation to plan proper
workforce for business in an effective manner. For instance the effect of an ageing population
means that M&S has to adapt their work environment and working practices to suit an ageing
workforce. For example, M&S has half of their employees i.e. 60,000 who are over age of 40
where they should be treated in fair and equal manner so that they can give best performance.
They all are experienced, skilled and knowledge in their own field.

 May have to change their recruitment strategies
 Training
 Pension schemes
 Work environment
 Inclusive policies
 Positive discrimination
This also fits in well with the Age discrimination act; making it a legal requirement for the
firm to support and encourage people from all age groups including older people. This leads
to attain business goal and objectives in an effective and efficient manner. This fulfils both
their legal and moral obligation (How Ethical Is Marks & Spencer?, 2020).
Each and every individual want good jobs but they lack skills which are actually
required in a particular field (Khilji and Schuler, 2017). The rise in industry revolution can
impact employment opportunities. Also, the rise in new and updated technology leads to
hamper or hack new data and information on the business. These aspects influence market
trends of labour on workforce planning. Similarly, on the other hand, legal requirements also
influence workforce planning of business in an effective and efficient manner. Each and
every legislation has to be followed by business to conduct their activities and functions in a
diligent way. Changing trends in the labour markets affect M&S in the form of redundancies
and adapting their human resource policy. Advanced technology can cause structural
redundancy; as fewer people may be needed to perform the same tasks as machines and
equipment replaces the need for labour. This may cause redundancies and increase the costs
for the firm and or the need to retrain their staff. This is supported by laws as to ensure their
the redundancy supports the person either in the form of a ‘golden handshake’ or be able to
retrain them to find employment within or outside the firm. For example, there are three
different types of technology such as algorithms for hiring, applications for culture, feedback
& engagement and people taking over analytics for easiness of running activities and
operations in an effective and efficient manner.
Equality act, health and safety act, sex discrimination act and working time regulation
act all are important for Marks and Spencer to be followed so that they can hire better
workforce for business to attain goal and objectives in a most appropriate and effective
manner. These both aspects influence workforce planning of business to get skilled and
capable employees for work performance. Therefore, it is essential to analyse the influence of
labour market trends as well as legal requirements on workforce planning. For instance, if

respective organisation can work by following of different laws and regulation then they can
attain positive outcomes in an appropriate manner (Legal & ethical policies, 2020).
5. Current and anticipated skills requirements based on
current trends and legal requirements
Skills are defined as the ability to performing well in an organisation. It is very
important for an individual to possess skills in order to work at the organisation for
attainment of goal and objectives (Khilji, Tarique and Schuler, 2015). There are some current
and anticipated skills that are needed for legal as well as current trends. They are as follows:
Current Skills
The current skills which are required by employees to perform work in an
organisation are as follows:
Communication Skill- The market trends keeps on changing which requires the
respective organisation to interact with each and every employee working in business
(Mathew, 2015). This skill is required in each and every sector for the attainment of positive
outcomes by working force. For example, if Marks and Spencer want to sell their products at
outlets then manager as well as employees both should possess effective communication
skills to know about current market trends and following all legal requirements (Personal
development of employees within marks and spencer, 2020). Similarly, on the other hand, if
TESCO wants to adopt new technology in their business as current market trends then the
manager should be expertise in communication so that they can communicate with their
employees for work performance (Sparrow and Makram, 2015).
Decision Making- It is also the most important and current skill required at the
workplace by the manager and employees to attain set outcomes in a given time period. There
are various decisions which are required to be made at the business for positive results which
is possible through decision making skills. As market current trends keep on changing where
the respective organisation has to make a decision on an instant basis to grab opportunities
and cope up with changes taken place at the marketplace. Decision making also influences
the legal requirements of the business to gain results. For example, if a market trend changes
from trendy clothes to ethnic or traditional then senior manager of TESCO need to make
instant decision to cope up with change by considering legal requirements in the best possible
manner.
Anticipated Skills

The anticipated skills that are required by the organisation for better work
performance are as follows:
Innovative Skill- This is the most important skill which is anticipated by the
organisation within their working force due to change in market trends and perception of
consumers towards business (Nosh Abadi, Khadem and Sadeghnia, 2015). This can cope up
with new and innovative skills to survive and sustain at the marketplace. As there are more
opportunities for employment available at the marketplace but skills are lacked which is
possible by developing such skills along with following legal requirement in a proper way.
For instance, if Next Plc requires young generation for running their business as market
trends then they have to hire skilled and capable employees who possess good innovative
skills.
Therefore, the above are current as well as anticipated skills required for different
organisations which are based on current trends and legal requirements that directly influence
business activities and operations.
The current job requirements in the company are auditors and retail manager and
future requirement will be logistics, design, finance and many more (Personal development of
employees within marks and spencer, 2020).
6. Conclusions and recommendations
From the above project, it has concluded that there are various types of labour
requirements for different work as Operational, Technical and Product Designer. Each work
required different skills and capabilities for better performance. The respective organisation
has to analyse current labour market trends and accordingly they have to plan skilled and
talent workforce for their business in order to attain goal and objectives in the best possible
manner. Moreover, different types of legislations which are formed by the government of the
UK has to be considered by them to ensure the proper working of each and every functions
and operation in the company. The skills which are required in current time are
communication, decision making and in future time leadership, innovative will be required
for the attainment of positive outcomes. The management team of Marks and Spencer has to
ensure all the above aspects to raise their profitability and productivity in order to achieve set
goals and objectives in the best possible manner.
With the analysis of the above report, there is some recommendation which is
provided to the HR manager of Marks and Spencer so that they can cope with changes taken
place at the market.

 It is recommended to the HR manager of Marks and Spencer, to analyse current
market trends and focus to adopt them in a better manner for the attainment of goal
and objectives.
 They have to identify types of work which has to be performed at business and
accordingly hire labour for performing it in a positive way for best results.
 It is also recommended to follow all types of legislation at the workplace for both
employer and employees along with planning workforce for business to gain effective
outcomes in less time period.
 The employee's skills and capabilities should be upgraded on a frequent basis by
conducting training and development session for them.
Moreover, the organisation has to conduct research work for the market and know
about happening things in the business environment and accordingly make a plan to achieve
goal and objectives. Therefore, all these provided recommendations should be effectively
improved by the respective organisation for positive outcomes.
PART 2: Recruitment and Selection Documentation
1. Developing a recruitment and selection process flowchart
Recruitment and selection are one of the main function performed by HR manager of
a company (Nzewi, Chiekezie and Ogbeta, 2015). Recruitment is considered as a process in
which manager will find and attract potential candidates for the vacant job profile. On the
other hand selection is procedure of picking the right candidate who is most suitable for the
vacant job position. There is a flowchart of recruitment and selection process that is
developed by M&S for recruiting Marketing Manager and HR Manager. In which at first
stage HR will identify vacant position and develop selection criteria accordingly. Then they
will advertise about position through which they receive applications for the job after that HR
manager will filter some applicants who fulfil criteria of selection. Then telephonic interview
will be conducted and at that stage some applicants will be removed/screened from list after
then selected candidates get a call for face to face interview. While interview HR manager
and other seniors of departments will select appropriate candidate for the vacant job profile.

2. Undertaking job analysis
Job analysis is considered as a procedure which is used to collect proper information
about responsibilities, duties, outcomes, necessary skills and workplace environment of a
specific job (Orlova, Afonin and Voronin, 2015). This will also help in proving information
through that organisation can determine which candidate is best for vacant position. Marks
and Spencer is conducting recruitment and selection procedure for hiring appropriate
candidates for HR manager as well as Marketing Manager Position. Job analysis of both
positions are given below:-
Job Analysis of Human Resource manager
Company Marks and Spencer
Task and Duties  Conduct recruitment and selection process for hiring
appropriate candidates.
 Develop HR strategies, policies and training activities.
Education  Bachelor Degree in HR
 Masters in HR
Experience required Required at least work experience of 3 years in respective
profile.
Required Skills, Knowledge
and Characteristics
 Expertise knowledge of HR laws and activities.
 High teamwork
 Communication skills
 Leadership skills
 Decision making skills
Job Analysis of Marketing Manager
Company Marks and Spencer
Task and Duties  Identify new customers to whom company can target.
 Develop effective pricing strategies according to target
customers.
Education  Bachelor Degree in Marketing
 Masters in Marketing
Experience required Required minimum work experience of 2 years in marketing
sector.
Required Skills, Knowledge  Required good communication skills.

and Characteristics  Required proper knowledge of Marketing concepts and
practices.
 Requires good personality
3. Creating job descriptions for at least two different jobs
Job description is consider as written which provide proper information about the job
role for which a company is conducting hiring procedure (Pyszka and Gajda, 2015). Job
description of two different job profile is given below:-
Job Description for Marketing Executive
Company Marks and Spencer
Designation Marketing Manager
Working Hours 9 am to 6 pm
Location London, United Kingdom
Salary £ 30,186 per annum
Responsibilities  Need to identify new customers.
 Develop pricing strategy which help in maximizing profits as well
as market shares.
 Create promotional and advertisement activities.
 Develop and understand budget that include expenditures, return on
investment, development opportunities and profit and loss
prediction.
 Creating brand awareness as well as positioning.
 Evaluate marketing strategies and communicate marketing plan.
Job Description for Human resource
manager
Company Marks and Spencer
Designation Human resource manager
Working Hours 9 am to 6 pm
Location London, United Kingdom
Salary £ 30,186 per annum
Responsibilities  Develop as well as implement HR strategies based on overall

business strategies.
 Create management and employees relation at the workplace.
 Manage recruitment as well as selection procedure.
 Develop and monitor HR strategies, tactics, process and system
within company.
 Create and maintain positive and motivated working environment.
 Develop and maintain pay plan as well as benefits programs.
 Design training and development activities according to staffs’
requirement.
4. Producing a person specification for each of the jobs
Person specification is defined as personal attributes that are desired in a candidate for
a specific job role (Ratten and Ferreira, 2016). It is generally considered as similar to job
description. Marks and Spencer is hiring for HR manager and Marketing manager whose
personal specification is given below:-
Personal Specification for Human resource
manager
Company Marks and Spencer
Designation Human resource manager
Qualification  Bachelor Degree in Human Resource
 Masters Degree in Human resource management
Experience Minimum 3 years in similar field.
Techniques knowledge  Strong knowledge of employment law
 Payroll knowledge
 HR system understanding
Skills and competencies  Strong IT skills
 Ability to work under pressure
 Excellent communication and team working skills
 Excellent understanding of attention to detail
Personal Specification for Marketing
Manager

Company Marks and Spencer
Designation Marketing Manager
Qualification  Bachelor Degree in Marketing
 Masters Degree in Marketing
Experience At least having 2 years in marketing sector.
Techniques knowledge  Strong knowledge of marketing software.
 Advertisement and promotional knowledge.
 Ability to use MS office (word, power point, excel etc.)
Skills and competencies  Excellent communication skills
 Organisation as well as project management skills
 Time management skills
5. Reviewing and deciding appropriate methods of
recruitment and selection applied for different roles
The employees has applied for two different roles such as human resource manager
and marketing manager which requires appropriate methods of recruitment and selection
(Rudhumbu and Maphosa, 2015). They are described below:
Different Roles Recruitment Selection
Human Resource
Manager
The most suitable method for human
resource manager is to use external
recruitment method in order to
recruit for respective position. Under
this, organisation can provide
advertisement at newspaper to create
awareness about jobs and conduct
interview to select them (Types of
Recruitment, 2020). Those candidate
are eligible for promotion who
possess good knowledge, experience
and skill.
They can select candidates
by conducting various
interviews and online test so
that they can know about
their skills and capabilities
in best possible manner.
Marketing Manager For recruiting marketing manager,
respective organisation has to use
They can select their
candidates by using

first internal recruitment method. In
this they can use promotion method
for marketing executive to promote
to higher post which helps business
to save cost and time to hire new
employees. In case if they lack in
first method then they should go for
external method that is hiring
through external agency to recruit as
well as hire candidates.
observation method in
proper manner within
organisation which leads
them to be aware of their
skills and knowledge so
they have to provide them
with training and
development programs.
6. Recommendations on how to improve processes and documents
For improving recruitment, selection process and various HR documents of Marks
and Spencer, some recommendations has been provided in an effective and efficient manner.
These should be considered by organisation which are as follows:
 It is recommended to manager of respective organisation to create proper awareness about
job vacancy at website, portals so that candidates can apply for given position. For
example, if M&S want to hire marketing manager then they can create job vacancy and
suitable candidates will only apply for it which provide benefits in saving time and cost.
 This is recommended to provide positive and profitable feedback to those candidates who
are not selected for given position so that they can improve themselves.
 It is recommended to adopt several platforms to hire employees like consultancy, walk-
ins, job portal and so on. For example, different platforms assist business in hiring
suitable candidates in most appropriate manner.
 It is recommended to HR manager for developing as well as formulating appropriate
design and pre-forma for person and job specification to vacant position at their
organisation in an effective and efficient manner. For example, M&S follows proper
forma for person as well as job specification which makes clear to them.
 Moreover, HR manager has to develop simple and innovative procedure to recruit and
select suitable candidates for their business.
Therefore, these are the recommendation provided to improve process and documents
in an effective and efficient manner.

PART 3: Human Resource Life-cycle
Evaluate stages of HR Life-cycle applied to specific HR
contexts
HR life-cycle is defined as concept in management of human resources which helps in
describing stages of employee's time within organisation and responsibilities of department at
each and every stages (Saadat and Eskandari, 2016). All stages of HR life-cycle present with
their own opportunities and challenges. It is also called as employee life cycle which is
systematic and continuous process of HRM. The evaluation of stages of HR life cycle with
their practices at each phase are as follows:
Attraction, Recruitment, Selection- This is primary level of life cycle of HR that
includes several activities which are to be conducted in proper manner. The attraction starts
before business is looking forward new employee (5 Stages of the HR Life Cycle, 2019). This
includes brand of organisation and perception of employees regarding company. Brand
marketing, word of mouth plays an effective role in shaping opinion of public and act as
detractor and motivator. Recruitment is way of ensuring that business has best people for
each and every role and then selection is done on basis of their skills and knowledge. The
respective organisation can use internal as well as external recruitment and selection method
to select capable and skilled employees. For example, M&S wants to hire HR manager and
marketing executive for which they need to conduct attraction, recruitment and selection in
which they has to consider fair evaluation system that is part of legal obligations (Saadat and
Eskandari, 2016). The respective organisation is hiring for two different roles so they should
provide assistance in positive way.
Induction, Orientation, On-boarding- This is second phase where HR manager of
Marks and Spencer where employee and employer put their expectation to each other. In this
phase, orientation is conducted for new and skilled employees to build and develop them with
new environment of business. HR manager has to maintain relationship with their working
force though providing them knowledge about mission, vision, goal and objectives. The Open
management style HR practices need to be used for induction, orientation and on-boarding
phase. For example, M&S is hiring HR manager and Marketing executive for which they
have to conduct proper induction, orientation and on-boarding practices by following open
management style which is legal obligation for them. Induction, orientation should be

conducted on regular basis by following legal obligation (Orlova, Afonin and Voronin,
2015).
Career Planning and Development- It is third phase of HR life cycle, where
employees focus on opportunities to grow at marketplace. Main part of such phase is how to
deal with performance management. The respective organisation has to focus on their
employees career planning and development in an effective and efficient manner. When
employee perform work, then they should be rewarded and recognised in best way. Marks
and Spencer can also provide with incentives to team for attainment of new goal and
objectives. This is the responsibility of HR to identify weak areas of their employees and
accordingly provide them with training and development. Knowledge sharing is regarded as
best HR practices for better career planning. Both HR manager and Marketing executive
should be provided with career planning and development options by following knowledge
as legal obligation in an effective and efficient manner. This leads them to make better
options for their career and enhancement of their skills and knowledge.
Retention- As business spend lots of money and time to train their each and every
employees working in an organisation (Sparrow and Makram, 2015). If they lose them then
the process need to be start from beginning which requires time and cost. The respective
organisation has to retain their employees by providing them with environment, tools and
skill set for better work performance. If they lack such then they are frustrated and loses
interest in business and organisation to perform better work. The respective organisation has
to create good culture where their working force feel confident and motivated. In order to
retain employees, rewards and 360 degree performance management feedback system as HR
practices has to be used at business. For example, retention is conducted for both job role that
are marketing executive and HR manager of M&S by following of 360 degree performance
management feedback system so that they will not leave organisation.
Separation and Termination Phase- This is the last phase of HR life cycle in which
they have to understand reason behind leaving of employees and way to retain them from
moving forward. Marks and Spencer has to do perform conversation with employees about
choices in early phases of exit and promoting good atmosphere to them and helping to leave
door to be open for better employees to return to business. The feedback and conversation
with working force helps to rectify problems quickly. This is possible by adopting HR
practices of Open house discussion and feedback mechanism to know about reason behind
separation and termination phase. For example, marketing and HR manager of Marks and

Spencer give their termination letter to business if they are uncomfortable with firm. In this
case, legal law such as open discussion as well as feedback should be conducted.
Evaluation of how each stage relates to organizational HR
strategy
All the phase of HR life-cycle has developed with advantage, strengths, opportunities,
weaknesses, threats and challenges (Su and Yang, 2015). The manager of respective
organisation has to convert responsibility stages into effective actions. These are align in
proper sequence with use of HR strategy. The evaluation of each stages which are relates to
organisational HR strategy for Marks and Spencer are as follows:
 In first stage, HR manager has to focus on implementing as well as developing
innovative practice, policies and plans that helps to formulate appropriate selection
and recruitment process for respective organisation. The respective organisation has
to hire marketing manager and HR manager by following equality and fair law which
assist them to make best decisions. Failure to adopt such leads to creation of problem
at business place.
 In case of second stage, HR manager has to create, build and develop healthy, safe
and happy working environment for working force so that they would be familiar with
business goal, mission, vision, objectives. This is possible for M&S to build and
develop safe conditions for their HR and marketing manager by following
discrimination act, working conditions. In case of following of such law leads to
impose penalty and fine on organisation.
 In third phase, manager has to focus on evaluating as well as analysing performance
of every working force with assistance of approaches (Tajuddin, Ali and Kamaruddin,
2015). This helps Marks and Spencer to identify various forms of training as well as
development methods which are needed at current working environment. Both HR
and marketing manager performance should be analysed by providing them bonus,
equal wages laws and many more. Failure to this leads employees to quit their jobs.
 In fourth phase of HR life-cycle, manager has to formulate and develop innovative
HR plans, policies, strategies, law, practices which are beneficial for management and
employees in appropriate manner. The top management provide rewards, benefits to
best performer to retain them for long time period.The both role such as marketing
and HR manager working at M&S should follow proper law, strategies and policies to
conduct business operation and functions.

 In the last stage, HR manager of Marks and Spencer has to concentrate on
maintaining as well as managing appropriate database and record of each and every
employees in best possible manner (Uysal, 2016). Therefore, this helps in completing
various functions during joining as well as terminating stage of employees. Moreover,
it also assist HR department of Marks and Spencer to hire, recruit and select best
candidate for given job profile of business in an appropriate manner. For example,
both manager should work as per norms and regulation of business in effectual
manner.
CONCLUSION
From the above report, it has summarised that resourcing and talent planning is significant in
managing workforce which plays effective function in development and growth of business.
Current labour market trends are occurred and influenced through workforce planning and
talent management. This can be lack of qualified and skilled employees for work
performance. In order to run business activities and operations in effectual manner, it is
important to follow legislation like equal pay, minimum wages act and so on. As per nature
and size of organisation, employees should be selected on basis of their skill so that they can
perform work in an organisation. With change in need and demand of consumer, organisation
has to accept changes so that they can attain desired goal and objectives in appropriate
manner. The recruitment and selection process are used in order to hire skilled and capable
employees for assigned work so that they can achieve business goal and objectives in best
possible manner. It is very important to analyse job and accordingly capabilities and skilled
has to be developed for positive results. Human Resource (HR) life cycle is regarded as
significant procedure which is used by organisation in order to follow HR practices in
business.

REFERENCES
Aibieyi, S. and Henry, O. I., 2015. Talent Management and Employees Retention in Nigerian
Universities. NG-Journal of Social Development. 417(3868). pp.1-9.
Armstrong, M. and Taylor, S., 2020. Armstrong's handbook of human resource management
practice. Kogan Page Publishers.
Carbery, R. and Cross, C. eds., 2015. Human resource development: A concise introduction.
Palgrave.
Carbery, R. and Cross, C. eds., 2018. Human resource management. Macmillan International
Higher Education.
Collings, D. G., 2015. The contribution of talent management to organization success. The
Wiley Blackwell Handbook of the Psychology of Training, Development, and
Performance Improvement, p.247.
Crumpton, M. A., 2015. Strategic human resource planning for academic libraries:
information, technology and organization. Chandos Publishing.
Gibson, P., 2017. 10 Talent Management and the Cruise Industry. Cruise Ship Tourism,
p.161.
Ingram, T. and Glod, W., 2016. Talent management in healthcare organizations-qualitative
research results. Procedia Economics and Finance. 39. pp.339-346.
Khilji, S. E. and Schuler, R. S., 2017. Talent management in the global context. The Oxford
handbook of talent management, p.399.
Khilji, S. E., Tarique, I. and Schuler, R. S., 2015. Incorporating the macro view in global
talent management. Human Resource Management Review. 25(3). pp.236-248.
Mathew, A., 2015. Talent management practices in select organizations in India. Global
Business Review. 16(1). pp.137-150.
Nosh Abadi, M. F., Khadem, S. M. and Sadeghnia, A., 2015. Talent management and
maintaining talented human resource: a case study in Kashan University of Medical
Sciences. European Online Journal of Natural and Social Sciences: Proceedings.
2(3 (s). pp.pp-3446.
Nzewi, H., Chiekezie, O. and Ogbeta, M., 2015. Talent management and employee
performance in selected commercial banks in Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria. European
journal of business and social sciences, 4(09).
Orlova, L. V., Afonin, Y. A. and Voronin, V. V., 2015. Talent management and knowledge:
theory, methodology, models. Rev. Eur. Stud. 7. p.75.
Pyszka, A. and Gajda, D., 2015. Successful talent management through positive CSR-driven
transactions. Journal of Positive Management. 6(2). pp.3-19.
Ratten, V. and Ferreira, J., 2016. Global talent management and corporate entrepreneurship
strategy. Global talent management and staffing in MNEs, pp.151-165.
Rudhumbu, N. and Maphosa, C., 2015. Implementation of talent management strategies in
higher education: Evidence from Botswana. Journal of Human Ecology. 49(1-2).
pp.21-32.
Saadat, V. and Eskandari, Z., 2016. Talent management: The great challenge of leading
organizations. International Journal of Organizational Leadership. 5. pp.103-109.
Sparrow, P. R. and Makram, H., 2015. What is the value of talent management? Building
value-driven processes within a talent management architecture. Human resource
management review. 25(3). pp.249-263.
Su, C. T. and Yang, T. M., 2015. Hoshin Kanri planning process in human resource
management: recruitment in a high-tech firm. Total Quality Management & Business
Excellence. 26(1-2). pp.140-156.

Tajuddin, D., Ali, R. and Kamaruddin, B. H., 2015. Developing talent management crisis
model for quality life of bank employees in Malaysia. Procedia-Social and
Behavioral Sciences. 201. pp.80-84.
Uysal, G., 2016. Cognitive placement theory for performance appraisal: Talent management
and individual performance. Gürhan Uysal (2016). Cognitive Placement: Talent
Management and Individual Performance. Journal of Modern Accounting and
Auditing. 12(1). pp.60-63.
van Zyl, E. S., Mathafena, R. B. and Ras, J., 2017. The development of a talent management
framework for the private sector. SA Journal of Human Resource Management.
15(1). pp.1-19.
Walford-Wright, G. and Scott-Jackson, W., 2018. Talent Rising; people analytics and
technology driving talent acquisition strategy. Strategic HR Review.
Wiblen, S., 2016. Framing the usefulness of eHRM in talent management: A case study of
talent identification in a professional services firm. Canadian Journal of
Administrative Sciences/Revue Canadienne des Sciences de l'Administration. 33(2).
pp.95-107.
Wu, M. C., Nurhadi, D. and Zahro, S., 2016. Integrating the talent management program as a
new concept to develop a sustainable human resource at higher educational
institutions. International Journal of Organizational Innovation (Online). 8(4).
p.146.
5 Stages of the HR Life Cycle. 2019. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.strategicpay.co.nz/News/x_post/5-stages-of-the-hr-life-cycle-
00178.html>.
Current Trends In The Labor Market. 2020. [Online]. Available through:
<https://newtohr.com/current-trends-in-the-labor-market/>.
How Ethical Is Marks & Spencer?. 2020. [Online]. Available through:
<https://goodonyou.eco/how-ethical-is-marks-spencer/>.
Legal & ethical policies. 2020. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.marksandspencer.com/c/help/legal-and-ethical-policies/what-are-the-
websites-terms-and-conditions>.
Personal development of employees within marks and spencer. 2020. [Online]. Available
through: <https://www.ukessays.com/essays/business/personal-development-of-
employees-within-marks-and-spencer-business-essay.php>.
Recruitment Process Flowchart ( Flowchart). 2020. [Online]. Available through:
<https://creately.com/diagram/example/gsy8pdq4f/Recruitment+Process+Flowchart>.
Top 10 HR Best Practices. 2020. [Online]. Available through:
<https://empxtrack.com/blog/top-10-hr-best-practices/>.
Types of Recruitment. 2020. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.tutorialspoint.com/recruitment_and_selection/types_of_recruitment.ht
m>.