Human Resource Management Practices at ASDA: An In-depth Analysis

This report provides an in-depth analysis of Human Resource Management (HRM) practices at ASDA, a British supermarket retailer. It explores the purpose and functions of HRM, including workforce planning, employee relations, and recruitment and selection. The report assesses the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to recruitment and selection, both internal and external, and examines the benefits of various HRM practices, such as training and development and motivation and rewards, for both employees and employers. It further evaluates the effectiveness of these practices in raising organizational profit and productivity, highlighting issues such as communication and employee relations. The report also emphasizes the importance of employee relations in influencing HRM decision-making and discusses the key elements of employment legislation and their impact on HRM decisions. Finally, it includes a specific example of HRM practice application at ASDA, concluding with key findings and recommendations. This resource is invaluable for students seeking to understand HRM practices in a real-world organizational context.

Human resource
management

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................3
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................3
Purpose and function of HRM...............................................................................................3
Strength and weaknesses of different approaches to recruitment and selection...................4
Task 2...............................................................................................................................................7
Benefit of different HRM practices for both employee and employer..................................7
Effectiveness to different HRM practices raising organisational profit and productivity.....8
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................9
Importance of employee relations in terms of influencing HRM decision making..............9
Key elements of employment legislation and its influence on HRM decision making......10
TASK 4..........................................................................................................................................11
P7. Application of HRM practices using specific example..................................................11
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................14
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................15
Books and journals:..............................................................................................................15

INTRODUCTION
Human resource management define as a most accountable function for an organisation
which include employee engagement through recruitment, interviews, inviting job seekers
towards the organisation (Cheema and Javed, 2017). Organisation aims to fulfil its human
resource requirement by filling vacant position from new talent and skills. HR manager plays
their role in recruiting the right candidate towards the goals of the organisation. HR function
includes function of selecting candidates and provide training and development for their growth.
This report is going to focus on HR function of ASDA, it is a British supermarket retailer across
England. The company was founded in 1949. It renders groceries, household products to the
customers as well as financial services through its separate financial institution. These
supermarkets are in need of large human workforce in order to attain its targeted goals through
workforce contribution. For which, the report going to discuss about various HRM functions by
analysing its benefits and impact of legislation policies to make effective employee relation.
Also, it would be clear through an example of HRM practice.
TASK 1
Purpose and function of HRM
Mission statement: Mission of the organisation is to reach large number of people
through its customer services with the aim to achieve huge profit. By achieving both employee
and customer needs.
Objectives: The objective of ASDA, is to promote huge sales turnover and expansion to
large areas. Also to get competitive advantages towards rivals and and make a stand against
competitor firms.
Purpose: The foremost function of the organisation through human resource
management is to conduct pool of different talents, new ideas and skills into the organisation.
Effective human source leads to strong customer base.
Functions of HRM
Workforce planning: This is the most affirmative function of HRM which aims at
planning the human resource workforce into an organisation by analysing the needs of different
operation and department which have huge requirement to perform effectively. HR manager
identify the appropriate needs of talent which they want in the organisation (Santana and Lopez‐

Cabrales, 2019). For which, they plan to generate vacancies in order to fulfil idol positions and
make them effective and efficient towards healthy productivity. In respect with ASDA, they
require large workforce to achieve their objective of expansion and customer satisfaction.
Employee Relations: As far as concerned about employee engagement through
analysing their talent and skills, it is also essential to maintain good relations with employees in
order to retain them for long term prospective. So that, organisation could not loose an effective
employee because of their unsatisfactory approach towards their relations. It reflects proper
coordination and authority amongst employee and managers both (Al Adresi and Darun, 2017).
These relation helps an organisation to work together for the same objective which make a
motivated environment and a comfort zone which develop affection towards hard working.
ASDA could make fulfil their objectives by maintaining good relations with top and lower
authority.
Recruitment and selection: another function of HRM is to posses recruitment and
selection which consist fill up idol positions of company and department. Human resources
manager play role in selecting the most appropriate candidates which make reliable contribution
achieving companies target (Azlina, and Hasan, 2017)
Strength and weaknesses of different approaches to recruitment and selection
 Recruitment: It is the first and most vital function of HRM in relation to invite applicants
and generate vacancies as per candidates skills and education is the required field. This
process is done by various internal and external factors. Managers of ASDA, require this
function into their organisation to fulfil idol positions in every department. This
approach has two methods which are defined below:
Internal: This method involve recruitment process within the organisation. These methods could
be understood below:
Promotion: This process of recruitment indulge existing employees to opt higher
position and which gives an opportunities to employees for their self development, employees
get benefits of high pay scale and other powers through this way of recruitment. It is an internal
way for employee motivation to work hard (James, 2017).
Transfer: Under this process, the employees gets transfer from one position to others,
the employees gets shift to different department according to their talent and knowledge which
they gain through their existing experience within the organisation. This is also an effective way

to boost employees motivation and which benefits employee through rewards and opportunities
to get involve with new things and people.
External:
Under this method, recruitment done by external or outside sources which have its
enamours benefits into the organisation. ASD acquire external methods to involve new and fresh
talent into their organisation. These methods are described below.
Advertisement : This method is a well known and most attractive one in order to attract
candidates towards the organisational requirement. Through this method, ASDA could reach to
large number of candidates and make them aware about their vacancies. This method is cost
consuming and as it cost digital marketing requirement by connecting through social apps which
provide job offer to job seekers (Fahim, 2018).
Campus recruitment: It is also a required method for an organisation by visiting
colleges or universities campus and hire most appropriate candidates by taking interviews and
make a call for their comeback for other rounds.
strength weaknesses
Internal: internal methods are significant to
boost employees morale and promotes them to
work hard in ASDA
External: This method is significant for
organisation expansion as it creates
opportunities to engage fresh talent
(Rawashdeh, 2018).
Internal: This method hinders the
requirement of fresh talent as it involve
existing employees and a situation of disputes
for other employees.
External: This method is prove to take huge
cost and extra efforts to invite applicants via
campus, and advertisement.
Selection:
This method applies after applicant has been selected for the other rounds for final
selection in to the organisation. This method has several approaches which are followed by
ASDA. These are described below:
Online screening:
First process of this approach is to invite required candidates via digital platforms like
mails and company websites. Through which candidates get to know about their recruitment for
further rounds. It provides information about whole job description and their required document

that need to be carried with them. Candidate supposed to reply to the job offer with the
respective answers for their salary expectation and acceptance of job conditions.
Interview:
After the process of online screening, candidates are applicable for face to face interview
rounds so that HR manger could get to about the whole perspective of candidates knowledge and
skills (Iqbal, 2020).
Ability and aptitude round:
After the interview process, candidates move further for their aptitude rounds through
which HR could results with candidates IQ and critical abilities to think in extra ordinary
situations. ASDA conduct reasoning and judgemental test to check their abilities to perform as
per organisation operation.
Personality profiling:
This method involves a manger to go through with candidates personal behaviour and
nature towards work as well as environment of working.
Strength Weaknesses
These selection procedure is are very efficient
and effective for ASDA through which it could
easily attain objectives with the help of right
candidates.
This method promotes coordination and good
working environment within chosen
organisation (Haak-Saheem and Festing,
2020).
ASDA is in need for professional n expertise
candidates, which creates feeling of fear
amongst them and leads to failure of selection.
Personal profiling is set to be weakness for
ASDA as no person could not be jugged by
one or two interactions.
These approaches have some benefits as well and disadvantages for both employer and
employee:
Benefit to employee: through these approaches, employees will get satisfied with the equality
organisation maintain on regular basis, no other candidate recruit without above process.
Benefit to employer: these process are beneficial for employer to maintain work relation with
fresh candidates that would be easy to them to work more innovatively

Demerits for employee: Though internal approach, it is a matter of employee approaches as
they want to get transfer or not. They will give them feeling of leaving out rather than moving
one place to another.
Demerits for employer: employers will get affect by a lot time taking procedure of selections
and recruitment which may impact on other operational work and creates work presser (Saksida,
Alfes, and Shantz, 2017).
Task 2
Benefit of different HRM practices for both employee and employer.
Training and development: Training and development is the procedure which requires
in every organisation to enhance abilities and experience of employees within the organisation
which results to be benefits for organisation growth and expansion. ASDA must conduct several
training and development programmes for their existing and new employees in order to develop
effective strategy for production and customer satisfaction. This will lead to make the
employees more significant in their work abilities under surveillance of professional experts.
Higher the efficiency leads to higher growth.
Motivation and rewards: HRM practices consist the function of making motivated
environment which HR manager will regulate into organisation. This practises help the
employers to serve more towards goals and objectives. ASDA provide some elements which give
motivation to their employees in terms of bonus, incentives, rewards for extra work and
achieving target on time (Geldenhuys, and Henn, 2017).
Benefits to employee:
In the context with ASDA, employee have many benefits working with this organisation,
they get motivated by receiving appreciation and rewards for their good performance and
achievement of specified targets. By conducting training and development programme
employees employees could see their future in the organisation which fulfil their future
expectation and career planning (Becker and Smidt, 2016).
Benefit to employer: Through proper training and development, managers could remain free by
dividing their work to employees and feel relax in terms of responsibility and authority. ASDA
wants to expand their organisation for which managers need to focus on building complex

strategies and needs time for solving operational problems. So for this reference, they can
delegate their work to trained employees and give them opportunities to explore more (Das and
Kodwani, 2018).
Effectiveness to different HRM practices raising organisational profit and productivity
HRM works for organisations overall development and enhance potential to earn more
which are explained below:
Raising organisational productivity: HRM function plays an important and crucial role
for organisation profits as it focus on various aspects of HRM which eventually motivate
employee to work with their full potential and take organisation to the height of success.
Training and development programmes are best way to train employees skills and prepare them
towards high productivity. In context with ASDA, they have their efficient strategy and high
qualified workforce, that is the reason behind their positive growth in the market. Along with
this, in order to achieve more customer base and satisfaction, ASDA needs to develop effective
strategies so the output will be sufficient and so that no customer will left empty handed. HRM
practices make have advantages and disadvantage both, ASDA facing a lot of productivity issue
because of improper communication and employee relation within the departments due to
unstable organisational structure that needs to be flow properly (Bakker, and Demerouti, 2018).
Raising organisational profit: The first and most required aim of every organisation is to
gain profit over their cost of production and services. For which various effective strategies are
need to be use in raising organisational profitability. Effective workforce will easily adopt the
cost affective strategy and cost reduction procedure through which they would work in
according to the organisational profitability structure. ASDA requires to contribute cost
effective techniques which results in less expenses and high profit margins. The more profit
organisation would earn, the more they could benefit to employees in terms of extra bonus and
rewards. Also, it has demerits in context of ASDA, the company could not maintain shareholders
contribution by only influencing on internal employee that will not beneficial for long term
profitability into organisation (Kaushal, and Srivastava, 2021).
HRM practices has its significance in organisational profitability and productivity with
the view from above discussion. ASDA could adopt these practices into effective manner so that,
it could easily attain large market share.

TASK 3
Importance of employee relations in terms of influencing HRM decision making.
HRM practices promotes employee relations, as it influence not only engaging employees
into organisation but also focus on their well being. How the environment affects them, how
their inter personal relations results in their performance. Employee relation are need to be
maintained so that organisation would left free from conflicts, disputes and their politics.
Effective decision making can be done by indulging employees towards group activities, team
task and strategical working policies (Alzola, 2018). In relation with ASDS, the organisation
must have to focus on their employees by analysing their behaviour and terms with other
employee as these factors causes serious impact on organisational objectives. In this respect,
manger needs to focus on below mentioned points:
Elimination of conflict: conflicts create unhealthy environment into organisation, with
the fact that everyone has to work under single premises for single goal, so that employees must
have good terms between them for effective decision making. Conflicts needs to solve on early
basis within the organisational zone. In recent years, ASDA has been facing bad employee
relations because of miss happening and disputes regarding positions and power. in that respect,
ASDA mangers have to valued equally to each and every e,employee and identify the reasons
behind the situation, also, must provide effective solution through which employees will get
satisfied and engage in work with the same dedication. ASDA is focusing on eliminating conflict
as it as important to maintain within particular period of time. They provide employees better
treatment, be supportive at workplace and engaging in every activity of celebration into
organisation so that any miss happening will get sorted out (Lauring, Selmer, and Kubovcikova,
2019).
Improving engagement level: Employee engagement would be encouraged by proper
division of work amongst every employee so that no work will be left vacant. Every employee
have to be indulge in any of task so that they would contribute their required efforts. Remaining
idol over the work will lead to make their habits of less working conditions which would leads to
less productivity and less engagement of employees. ASDA mangers has to divide their work
with proper instructions and guidance so that clear communication and employee interest will be
increase towards work performance.

Key elements of employment legislation and its influence on HRM decision making.
Employment legislation puts highlight on the facts and right of employees which they
need to gain while working in the organisation. As these legislations are build by government
and every organisations are bound to work within these legislations. Government made some
rules and regulation regarding employee welfare and their benefits so that no employee will face
the exploitation (Hosain and Rahman, 2016). These legislations include various acts and laws
such as retirement policies, health and welfare act, pensions and leaves regarding entitlement.
These legislation also includes socio-cultural environment, economic factors and internal
discipline and decorum. In this regards, HRM decisions involves employment acts, right to pay
act, and right to workers. In relation with ASDA, it is bound by all the provisions under UK
legislations and it has to work according to these provisions. These are mentioned below:
Equality Act: This act evaluates the fact that every employee should get equal and fair
amount of benefits. No employee want discrimination in their shares as they all work towards
same goal and objectives. Any act of discrimination leads to act of demotivation and worse
image of organisation will create in the society. These rights would entitled the employees to get
benefits without getting judged by their caste, religion, colour and background. In terms with
ASDA, they have several legislations imposed on them like Discrimination Act 1975, The
Disability Act 1995, and The Race Relation Act 1976, these act describes their fair treatment
towards their salary and power into the organisation. Also, according to these act, employees are
entitled to get special benefits for any kind of disability. Organisation working under these act
and provide required benefits have good market image toward society and communities in which
they are working (Song, Shi and Song, 2019).
Health and Safety Act: This act has been get into consideration for the purpose of
ensuring health and safety of employees. under which, an organisation must have to provide
them with health benefits in case of any miss happening or other medical insurance policies.
Organisations which follows these acts are enjoy high employee engagement because
employees shows interest in working into the organisation. UK legislation has imposed The
Healthy And Safety Act 1974. which bound the employers and employee towards each other
duty regarding health concerns. Employees feel part of the organisation by showing concerns
towards them and make their effective contribution in organisations favour. due to which every
organisation need s to follow while working into the society. Health and safety is an important

element towards humanity and culture of society beliefs. ASDA must invent several tools and
technique in order to prevent any of miss happening with employees and must take serious
actions.
Data protection: it vis also a most vital concern that organisation need to focus on
employer behalf. UK government put influence on employer privacy and maintaining secrecy of
their information they serve with organisation. For example, ASDA manager is not allowed to
regulate any employees address, bank details, phone number or other information with anyone
whether employees is existing worker or not (Sunarsi, 2018).
The above discussed legislation are effectively and efficiently focus on employee rights
and Make them aware about their safety and concerns while working with operational tools and
organisations mechanism. For which both employees and employers need to evaluate effective
strategy regarding working potential and condition which creates healthy environment (Meena
and Vanka, 2017).
TASK 4
P7. Application of HRM practices using specific example.
As per the companies requirement of workforce, ASDA providing job vacancy for the
post of Receptionist for their newly opened stores which require below mentioned criteria:
JOB SPECIFICATION
Job post: Receptionist
Direct to: Branch Manager
Job description: To attend the customer by solving their queries and guide them towards their
finding into the organisation.
Responsibilities:
 welcome the customers in proffesional way
 attend client calls and listens to their quaries
 provide best solution for what they are searching for
 be confident nad attebtive while taking customers. Be patient and dedicated towards job sitautions.
Qualifications:

 Good skills to convince customers.
 Polite behaviours and and managerial skills
 Excellent communication skills Higher secondary qualification
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Essential skills:
 knowledge of atleast two languages
 Affection towards working extra
 Good computer skills
 behaviour of handling work.
Desired skills:
 Should have flexible working potential
 Understanding of operational crises and handling complex situation
 attitude towards other well being.
JOB ADVERTISEMENT
Open Hiring !!
Receptionist (Full-Time or Part Time)
ASDA is providing opportunities to be a part of ASDA family and make your reliable
contribution for mutual development
Working days of 5 with flexible timing and other incentives. Last date for the hiring will be 15
December 2020
Pay and Benefits
-London Living Wage
-Annual leave as per leave
compensation
Contact us today
Any interested candidate could contact us throug below
mentioned details:

- Salary would be Negotiate send you CV to 587 Muffin Lane, W45 WXC
or email it to www.asda.com
Preparatory notes of interview
HR of every organisation commence the process of interview rounds to check candidates ability
and potential foe which candidates have to prepare with some necessary questions (Chaudhary,
2019).
Q1. How does a receptionist welcomes the customers in the first impression.
Q2. Introduce yourself with your major skills.
Q3. Past working experience
Q4. how would be handle the complex situations like conflicts and unwanted calls.
OFFER LETTER
ASDA Plc.
NOVEMBER 30th, 2020
LMN
Dear LMN,
Congratulations, for your selection as a post of Receptionist in our organisation as you
have nicely pass your interview rounds, Now the last background check and references are to
be done for cross verification.
As per our discussion, you can join from 1/December 2020, please acknowledge this
mail as a sign of your acceptance. In case of quarries feel free to contact.
Sincerely,
HR Manager

CONCLUSION
From the above report, it is well concluded that HRM functions and its practices has
significant impact or organisation well being. HR managers play their vital role in choose the
best one for their organisations favour. ASDA has good workforce and needs to evaluate
requirement of qualified and professional employees for which they have to work under all the
discussed legislations. This report is a well structure of HRM practices that every organisation
must perform in a well and effective manner.

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