Unit 03 - Human Resource Management in Unilever UK

Unit 03– Human Resource Management [pic] Operative HR management involve planning, organisation,recruitment,staffing, directing and controlling the business. It mainly deals in food and beverage, household product and health care product like shampoo, soaps, beauty cream, lotion etc. It deals with number of products like food and beverage, beauty product, home care, personal care etc.

Unit 03– Human Resource
Management

INTRODUCTION
HR management involve planning, organisation, recruitment, staffing, directing and
controlling the business. The effective management of the manpower to achieve goal and
objective of the organisation is the primary function of HR department. Unilever UK is a
multinational company which have more than 400 brands. It mainly deals in food and beverage,
household product and health care product like shampoo, soaps, beauty cream, lotion etc. This
report highlights the mission, purpose and objective of the Unilever UK. It explains the key
approaches of HRM practices and their strength and weakness in the organisation. It also
explains the HR role and responsibilities and HR functions. It highlights the different legislation
related to the Unilever UK. It gives an overview about the interview process, their requirement
and job specification.
LO 1
P1 Purpose and function of HRM
Organisation overview
Unilever UK is founded by lever brothers, in 1890 with the idea of sunlight soap. Their
aim is to make clean environment. Founder of company are William lever, Samuelvan den
Bergh. It is multinational organisation and has branches across the world. Enterprise has
employed 155000 employees and its revenue in the year 2018 was 50.982 Billion. Net income of
business for 2018 was 9.808 billion. Its focuses on demographic segmentation and targets female
people as they have more interest in beauty and personal care products. 2.5 billion people use the
product of Unilever. It deals with number of products like food and beverage, beauty product,
home care, personal care etc.
Mission: there mission of Unilever is to meet daily needs of people, personal care and
home hygiene and use of those band which make the people look good. Purpose of Unilever
UK Unilever has a simple and clear purpose that to make a sustainable living place. There
corporate purpose is to get success, it requires the highest standard behaviour with everyone with
whom they work, the society where they serve their product and services and the business
environment (Noe and et.al 2017).
The core values of Unilever UK are integrity, responsibility, pioneering and respect.
Their purpose is to make positive impact on their employees and customer regarding their goods
and services and continuously improve their product. Objective of Unilever: There main
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objective is to help the people in improving their health and wellbeing to improve the livelihoods
of thousands of people and to halve the carbon footprint in environment. Unilever UK objective
is to increase their sales by satisfy their customer. Their objective is to expand their business by
offering different product and services and to open new units. They also want to increase their
profit and work for the sustainable environment. Their objective is to focus on food product as
well as personal care and household product.
Purpose and function of HRM
The purpose of Human resource management is to staff and control, organise, direct,
plan, the human resource in the organisation (Albrecht and et.al 2015).
Purpose of HRM
Manager of the HR department work as a link between the top management and the
employees. Manager solves the problem of the organisation and improve the organisational
relationship. HR reports the issues of employees to the top management and pass the important
information from top management to employees. Purpose of HR manager is to recruit skilled
people in organisation. HR manager maintain the employees in Unilever. HR maintains the
adequate manpower in the organisation by regulating the work of staff in the organisation. They
give training to the employees who are new to organisation and existing employees to improve
the employee ability. Another purpose is to lead the employees. HR manager lead the employees
of Unilever in proper direction to achieve the objectives. They communicate with the employee
and adopt them to the Unilever UK culture, norms and business environment.
Roles and responsibilities of HR function
HR plays a different role in the organisation. The function of HR is planning, organising,
staffing, directing, controlling, training, procurement, development, compensation, maintenance
and motivation.
Managerial function
 Planning: Its HR responsibility to plan a recruit right people for the organisation. HR
manager recruit the employees by different method like internal and external recruitment.
HR manager designs the job profile, source candidates, conduct interview and select the
candidates. Unilever select those candidates who are highly dedicated toward their work.
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 Organising and directing: It is another responsibility of Hr function; Human resource
team has to direct people and must manage them so that they can be profitable for
organisation
Operative function
 Performance appraisal: Total system efficiency is the belief of organisation in
comparison to individual efficiency. To improve the performance of organisation they
have to work on the individual performance. HR manger must evaluate the performance
of each employee and appraise them according to their work and dedication.
 Training and development: Proper training has been provided to the employees of the
organisation in order to improve the skills of the employees. They organise many
development programmes in the company to develop the knowledge of employees. HR
manager has responsibility to find the needs and weakness of employee and give them
training according to the requirement. The training programme helps them to improve
their communication skills and help the customer and serve them in a better way.
Unilever provide future leader programme to their employees. It is design to develop the
leadership among the employees by providing them challenging and purposeful
opportunities. In these programmes they rotate the employees to different functional area.
Its HR responsibility to organise this programme time to time in Unilever UK.
Advisory function
 Human resource department is responsible to give suggestions to top management about
handling of employees and managing them. They time to time discuss with top
management and get to know issues faced by workers. Accordingly, HR function is to
advise them so that managers can deal with staff properly. Furthermore, they play the
role of advisor, as they give suggestions to department head so that overall productivity
can be improved.
P2 Approaches to recruitment and selection
Work force planning:
Work force planning refers to identify the current need of manpower in the organisation
and the future capital. HR is responsible to recruit the right person for right job in the company.
Various approaches for the work force planning are: (Heric 2019).
Quantitative approach
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 Computer simulation
 Analysis of Variance
 Linear programming Constraint programming
Qualitative approach
 Interviews
 Delphi method
 Focus group
Recruitment and selection:
Recruitment
Recruitment process is done in two-way internal recruitment and external recruitment. In
internal recruitment recruiters recruit the candidate by personal contact like family members,
friends and from reference group. In external recruitment recruiters recruit the candidates by
open interview. Unilever recruit the candidates by external recruitment process. It helps to recruit
the new talent in the company.
Advantage and disadvantage of recruitment methods
Internal recruitment supports in filling the vacant post by hiring existing employees,
hence HR needs not to give any additional training to person. It saves time and cost of company.
It also gives benefit of motivating employees, as through promotion vacant post get filled that
aids in encouraging workers. But it also has some disadvantage, as internal recruitment fails to
bring fresh talent into business.
External recruitment supports in hiring new talent in business and brining innovative
ideas within workplace. By this way company come in touch with mass talent and hire most
deserving person for the vacant post. But it is costly and time-consuming process which is the
drawback of this approach.
Selection
Selection is the next part of recruitment process. In selection process they select the
candidates according to the abilities, skills and qualification of employees. HR induces the
employees in the organisation culture and environment. Company takes support of interview
method of selection
Advantage and disadvantage of selection method
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Advantage of selection method
Methods like interview is formal and selection is neutral.
Investigate into a depth range
Inform decision making, strategic planning and resource allocation
Disadvantage
Time consuming
Costly
This is helpful in conducting face to face meeting with individual and Hr can analyse or
evaluate the actual capabilities of candidate before hiring them for the organisation. But major
drawback of this approach is that it is time consuming.
Training and development
Training helps the employees to enhance their skills and learn new things and develop
some new qualities. Training will be given in two ways i.e. on the job training and off the job
training.
On the Job training- On the job training can be defined as the training which is given at
the workplace in order to adopt the business environment. Off the job training is provided away
from the actual workplace. It will be given in form of online video visualizing, lecture, role
playing, management games, case study, etc.
Training sessions- In this session a format is planned and various activities and resources
are planned in order to guide the group toward learning the objective.
Off the job training- In the off-the-job training the employees/workers learn the work
which is different from the actual work floor.
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Unilever use on the job training method to train their employee and help them to serve
the customer. Development programme helps the employee to develop the knowledge and grab
new opportunities to develop themselves.
Performance management
The various approaches for performance management are 360-degree, self-appraisal
approach, trait and group approach. HR manager appraise the employee according to their
performance in the organisation. Unilever UK regularly regulate the performance of each
employee by different way like set the standard or benchmark, quality of their work etc. and
appraise them by different rewards and recognitions.
Rewards system
Rewards are given in two way i.e. monetary and non- monetary reward. Monetary
rewards are incentives, bonus etc and non-monetary rewards are film tickets, free dinner plan,
holiday package etc. Reward encourage the employees to complete their work effectively and
efficiently.
Strength and weaknesses of HR approaches
Strength Weakness
Work force
planning
1. Fill the gap in the
organisation
2. getting new employees
For example, they help in
retaining employees
3. Time and cost consuming
4. Demotivate the existing
employees (Bratton, Gold
2017).
For instance, work force training
at times can be time and cost
consuming
Recruitment and
selection
1. Bring new talent in the
organisation.
2. Bring new skills, knowledge
and techniques.
For example, effective recruitment
methods can hire efficient talent.
3. Decrease the morale of existing
employee in the organisation by
searching the new job seekers.
For instance, it can decrease the
morality and self-esteem of workers
working in the organization.
Training and  Improve the skills of the  Cost consuming process.
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development employees.
 Develop the knowledge and
help in promotion.
 Create discontinuity in work.
LO 2
P3 Benefits which the employer and the employee of the organisation get from different HRM
practices
The HR practices of Unilever UK are recruitment and selection, workforce planning, training
and development, performance management and rewards.
Recruitment and Selection: Liver Brothers use the external method to recruit the employees.
Different agencies work under company as recruiters. They find the candidates and shortlisted
them for the further interviewed process. Firm use some activities and games to induce new
employees in the organisation (Aviso and et.al 2019). Recruitment gives benefit to employees
because they get income sources. By this way they can fulfil their basic financial requirements.
Whereas employer gets skilled people those who contribute well in accomplishment of
organisational goal. Employer gets the advantage of raising productivity through hiring talented
people.
Training and development: liver brothers use both on the job and off the job training method to
train the employees. They create an environment like to the actual workplace and then train the
employees. They organise different development programme to enhance the knowledge of
employees. The main benefit of training practice for employee is to that candidates improves
their capabilities that makes them able to get more carer development opportunities. Skilled
workers perform well and help in raising profitability of business that is the benefit for employer.
Performance management: Liver Brothers evaluates the performance of employees through
different measure like 360-degree method. They evaluate the performance according to the
standard benchmark and feedback. It helps to regulate the performance of each employee and
appreciate according to their work. The main benefit of performance management for employee
is that they get to know their actual potential and work to improve their performance. On other
hand employer measures the performance of employees and analyses their contribution to
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business. That helps in retaining them in business for longer duration and motivating them as
well.
Job Specification
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Job Title Human Resource Manager
Reports to CEO of Unilever UK
Roles & Responsibilities Recruitment, legal knowledge, selection, employee on boarding,
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training and development, performance appraisal of employees,
Organisational development, resolve conflicts, policy
development
Qualification MBA in Human resource management
Title of the job Human Resource Manager
Date: 10/05/2019
Qualification required Essential Desirable Met
MBA
Diploma course or
degree course in
communication/ business
/ leadership /
management /law
YES
Yes
Need of Experience
2 years’ experience in
HR department
know the java script,
HTML5, CSS3 and
code to W3c
experience in version
control like Git
Yes
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Personal characteristics
& conduct
Good communication
skill, leadership skill,
good interpersonal skill,
good negotiation skill,
positive attitude,
leadership, good in
decision-making
Yes
Roles and
Responsibilities
Performance
management
Departmental and
organizational planning
Documentation
employee services and
counseling
Recruitment and
selection
Legal knowledge, payroll
management, reward and
incentives.
Yes
Yes
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Preparatory notes for interview:
5. Tell me about yourself?
6. Why do you want to work with us?
7. Do you consider yourself successful?
8. What motivates you?
9. What are your strength and weakness?
10. Why do you think you will do well at this job?
11. Describe your management style?
12. Do you know anyone who works in our company?
13. What is your salary expectation?
14. Are you willing to travel?
Selection Criteria:
 Qualification relevant to the job or have an experience in the same field
 Should have capacity to manage the time and meet the deadline
 Should have good communication and negotiation skill
 Should have proficiency in computer.
 Should be good in team work and good in dealing with people.
 The knowledge of the person related to the field
Position: -
Candidate Name: - …...........................
Category 1
(Poor)
2
(Average)
3
(Good)
Comments
Applicable
Education
Applicable Work
Experience
Customer Service
/People Skills
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Supervisory
Skills and
Experience (if
applicable)
Other
Overall Score
Offer letter for the human resource manager
Offer letter
May 10, 2019
Carlos Smith
North Korea
email: [e-mail]
Dear Carlos Smith
This is the offer letter of our company we will be grateful if you join our organisation. I am
presenting this letter to you on behalf of our company. We welcome you to our organisation We
think that you are fit for the job and be bested suited in our team.
The date of joining will be 25 May 2019. The salary offered to you will be $ 60,000 per year
and will be paid on weekly basis.
Benefits:
Medical coverage will be provided to you and your family.
You will be given a 12 leave annually, 20 holidays annually, benefits and other allowances
according to the rules of the company (Glaister and et.al 2018).
Code of conduct:
 It is required maintaining discipline in the organisation and follow the rules and
regulation in the workplace.
 You are required to update the company regarding any changes in the personal data
within 3 days.
 You cannot be in a dual profession means that you should not apply for other job
without the permission from the management in written.
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 Your remuneration will be confidential it is the purely a matter between you and the
company and the salary is provided to you according to your calibre. If any changes is
made in it, the information should be kept strictly confidential.
We all welcome you heartedly and wish you all the best in your career.
HR Manager
Smith Jonas
Various HR practices and the evaluation of a process
Process of conducting HR practice: Employees are the key of the organisation. They are the
reason for the proper working in the organisation. The proper planning is required for any
organisation to achieve their goal (Keegan and et.al 2018). This is possible only through proper
planning (Baker 2017). Thus, the HR department plays an important role in success of the
organisation.
Job specification:
 Job specification is important as it helps the candidates who are applying for the job to
understand what type of person the company is looking for.
 It clarifies that the company does not believe in discrimination it provides equal
opportunities to all the employees and follow a fair selection process.
 It helps to clear the thoughts of candidate that whether they should apply for the job or
not.
Need for CV:
 CV is required by the HR to have an idea about the candidate, their work experience,
academic qualification, knowledge, certification and skills.
 It helps the employer to know about the candidate interests
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P4. Contribution of HRM practices in the business in order to raise profit and productivity
Training and development- The preliminary function of HR department is training and
development. Training of the employees are necessary for the organisation as it provide them
the knowledge such as technical knowledge related to their job.
Recruitment and selection- The process of identifying the vacancy in the organisation and
analysing the requirement of the particular job, and further shortlisting and finalising
the candidate for the organisation.
Performance management and reward system is considered as essential HRM practice that
helps in attracting employees and retaining them in business for longer duration. By this way
skilled people work in organisation for longer duration and they contribute well in raising
productivity of organisation. Apart from this training is another HRM practice that supports
business in developing employees, by this way they perform better. This minimises mistakes and
reduces operational cost of organisation to great extent. Training and development is helpful for
the organisation in overall development of individual and giving them more career development
opportunities. By this way person feel satisfied and work better in the organisation.
LO3
P5 Importance of employee relationship
Employee management is a workplace approach which provides a right condition to the
employees to give their best performance each day and remain loyal to the organisation, and
respect the beliefs and values of the organisation.
Employee management is important and it is the role of the HR department to generate
new ideas and motivate the employees in order to increase the performance and productivity of
the employee.
Employee relationship and engagement is beneficial in developing trust of workers and
creating openness among them. By this way they share their feeling that develops friendly
atmosphere at workplace. Employee relationship is helpful in raising cooperation among all
employees, as it raises willingness to cooperate each other. By this way conflicts gets minimised
at workplace.
Human relation approach: According to this theory the people want to be a part of
supportive team that helps them to grow and develop. The employees should be given extra
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attention and should be encouraged to take part in every decision and activities of an
organisation.
Aon Hewitt's employee engagement model: There are six main drivers which helps in shaping
the experience within the company which are known as engagement drivers. The engagement
drivers are opportunities, company practices, work, people and quality of life.
(Source: Aon Hewitt's employee engagement model, 2014)
Unilever UK support the learning and development of employees it provides
opportunities to the employee to travel at different places and know the international business, it
supports employees for the further education and professional qualification, the employees learns
about various development models 70% through the practical, 20% through mentoring and 10%
through formal training. The company also provides a annual bonus based on the employees'
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Illustration 1: Aon Hewwitt's employee engagement model

performance. Loan of about sterling 5,000 for the period of 3 year is given to the employees.
Relocation support is given to the employees.
P6. The various laws which affect the HR decision
The HR department is responsible for the recruitment of employees and HR manager is
responsible for training and development of the employees. There are various law which affect
the decision of HR are discrimination, employment opportunities, and medical leaves of absence,
etc. (Collings and et.al 2018).
Occupational health and safety act: Human resource department is required to keep the
document of all hazardous materials in the workplace, the no. of deaths that is occurred and give
proper training to the employees engaged in dangerous job. Now it is essential for business to
provide health insurance to employees and provide them safety gloves. This helps them in
providing safety to employees. Hence fund allocation decision, operational decision of business
get changed by this law.
The fair labour standard act 1938: according to this law the employee should be paid
minimum wages, living pay if the employee works overtime in 40 hours in one week. This has
affected HR decisions of organisation, as now company is required to pay salaries to staff asper
these standards.
Family medical leave act 1993: it was enacted in 1993 which allows employees for 12 month or
ability to take 12 weeks of leave, without pay, during any 12-month period for a valid reason.
After the leaves when the employee returns to workplace then the employee should be given the
same position as well as same pay to the employee. This impacts on leave decision of company,
as now firm must provide necessary leaves to its workers so that they can make balance between
personal and professional lives.
LO 4
P7 Application of HR practices in the organisation
The HR should manage the employees in such a way as they remain motivated and give the
better results it can be done through strategically align the company mission and values.
Maintaining adequate staff, maximize employee performance, ensuring effective administration
the HR must make the policies according to law for the proper functioning of the organisation
and to avoid any type of future problems, the steps discussed will help the organisation to reach
its objectives. For example, Argos is the multinational firm that always hires talented and
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passionate people. HR team develops communication among employees so that workers can
perform their job effectively. It creates friendly atmosphere at workplace and help in keeping
staff happy. Furthermore, effective communication develops relationship among management
and employees which supports in retaining the skilled people in business for longer duration and
motivating them. This has helped in accomplishment of organisational goal successfully Google
is another example where HRM practices have given amazing results to business. Google has
system in which if the person is giving 20% time extra to organisation then individual can take
one leave in a week. That makes the person more creative and productive as well. Hence
individual contribute well in achieving the goal of firm to great extent.
CONCLUSION
HR department is essential for every organisation. The HR department plays an important
role in proper functioning of the organisation. The HR plays an important role in the working of
the organisation. It explains the importance of the human resource in an organisation. The HR
should provide the good working environment and make the policies according to the law. The
study shows why it is important for an organisation to manage the good relationship with the
employees. The various human resource practices help the organisation to select best out of
many for their organisation. It also explains the various approaches which can be implemented in
the organisation.
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