Analysis of Human Resource Management Strategies at British Airways

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[HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT]
Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................................1
TASK 1 UNDERSTANDING HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT...................................................................2

1.1 Analyze the role and purpose of Human Resource Management with respect to BA.......................2
1.2 Justify a human resources plan based on an analysis of supply and demand in Airline business......4
TASK 2 UNDERSTANDING THE EFFECT OF EMPLOYEE RELATION AND EMPLOYMENT LAWS ON SERVICE
INDUSTRIES BUSINESS...............................................................................................................................10
2.1 Assess the current state of employment relations in the Airline industry.......................................10
2.2 Discuss how employment law affects the management of human resources in a selected service
industry business...................................................................................................................................12
TASK 3 UNDERSTANDING THE RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION PROCESS.................................................14
3.1 Discuss a job description and person specification for a selected service industry job...................14
3.2 Compare the selection process of different service industries businesses......................................17
TASK 4 UNDERSTANDING TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT IN SERVICE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS.................19
4.1 Assess the contribution of training and development activities to the effective Operation of a
selected service industry business.........................................................................................................19
CONCLUSION.............................................................................................................................................22
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................................23
INTRODUCTION
Human Resource Management is a strategic and comprehensive approach that deals with
issues in the workplace. The function of the organization deals with several aspects of people
such as hiring and recruiting staff, performance management, safety and well-being of
employees, motivation, training and development programs. The report provides the influence
of various practices of Human Resource (Boxall and Purcell, 2011).

The report aims to highlight the long term strategic plans and management strategy with
respect to British Airways. It discusses the implementation of human resource management
practices and other best practices in the organizational system. The application of these
practices will enhance the quality of customer services in the airline industry (Airways, 2017).
BA is the airline company in the United Kingdom. The company operates in flights in more than
169 countries across the globe. The company has more than 1000 air-planes that serve around
95 million passengers across the world. The long term goal of the company is to provide
excellent services to the customer and build a better relationship with them. Thus, the success
of the company is driven by its strongest component that relates to Human Resource
Management.
It is important to analyze the role and purpose of the human resource manager at British
Airways. The report also throws light on the current state of employment in relation to the
airline industry. Moreover, it provides an understanding of the recruitment and selection
process at BA (Boxall and Purcell, 2011).

TASK 1 UNDERSTANDING HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
1.1 Analyze the role and purpose of Human Resource Management with respect to BA
Human resource management (HRM) is responsible to manage and monitor all the activities
with respect to hiring and recruiting the best candidate for the organization. HRM is the
strongest component for BA in order to manage overall performance and keep a track record of
employees in the organization. The ability of a human resource manager to provide effective
training and develop the potential talent of the employees contributes to the growth and
success of the organization (Budhwar and Debrah, 2013).
The key roles and responsibilities of the human resource manager in the context of BA are
elucidated below:
 To develop a strategic workforce planning in order to drive the performance of the
organization.
 To monitor the activities and plan the best strategy in order to recruit potential staff in
the Airline industry.
 To motivate the employees and coordinate their efforts so as to achieve organizational
goals.
 To achieve competitive advantages by managing business partners and other agents.
 To implement effective HRM practices in order to develop a friendly workplace culture
at BA.
 The human resource manager at BA ensures that the manpower requirements are
fulfilled so as to retain talented and skilled employees.
FUNCTION OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

The BA faces lots of disappointing business situations in the past years. Thus, the company
requires improving its operational efficiencies through resource planning. The efficiencies can
be improved by identifying the needs and wants of human resource in the organization (Kelly,
2012).
PLANNING WORKFORCE
It is essential to plan the requirement of the workforce for the organization like BA so as to
achieve a competitive advantage in the market. Thus, the strategic planning to HRM will help to
drive the organizational performance (Morell, 2011).
HIRING AND RECRUITING TALENTED STAFF
The proper recruitment of talented and skilled staff is essential to maintain the efficiencies of
BA. The hiring and recruitment process enables the HR manager to select the right candidate
for the specific job requirements.
TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
It is essential to provide appropriate training in order to develop the level of employability. The
HRM department of BA conducts several training programs in order to shape the skills of the
employees.
For example- The Company provides one-week management programs “Managing People First”
so as to enrich their learning’s.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFIT
The effectiveness of HRM practices can be analyzed in terms of performance measurement.
Furthermore, positive and negative incentives to employees motivate them to achieve
organizational goals (Morell, 2011).

1.2 Justify a human resources plan based on an analysis of supply and demand in Airline
business
The HR plan refers to the process of determining the staffing requirement so as to meet the
demand and expectation of the customer. The HR plan is important to assess the availability of
employees and impending requirements. It further helps to manage the quality of workforce
and enrich their skills by the implementation of various HR policies.
Sometimes, it is difficult to draw accurate HR plans as it is based on human perspective. There
are internal and external factors that affect the human resource planning of BA. The industry in
which BA operates is highly influenced by regulations and policies framed by the government.
The company is further responsible to ensure safety and security to the customers (Grundy and
Moxon, 2013).
Steps to be followed in human resource planning are as follows:
 Analyzing Objectives
The objective of the human resource department is to be defined precisely so as to
ensure that the right number of people is selected for specific job requirements.

 Inventory of present resources
It refers to the current number of pilots, cabin crew, engineer and admin staff. Their
potential, capabilities and performance are analyzed by the human resource storage
system.
 Estimating manpower gap
The manpower gap can be analyzed with the help of demand and supply forces. For
Example- If demand is more than supply than it requires more hiring of candidates.
 Formulating Action Plan
The action plan includes new hiring and recruitment, inter-departmental transfers,
termination or voluntary requirement schemes.
 Monitoring control and feedback
The plan should be monitored on a continuous basis and deficiencies are identified to
ensure availability of employees.
Thus, HR planning is a continuous process that starts with objectives and ends with appraisal or
feedback. The monitoring and control of plan lead to the success of the organization (Brewster
et al., 2016).
Factors affecting Human Resource Planning-
Demand Forecasting
Demand forecasting is a process of identifying the future needs of employees from the external
market. Such forecasting will help the manager at BA to assess the human resource.
Supply Forecasting
The HR planning also identifies the source of supply in the organization in order to meet the
demand of the customer.
Technical Changes
The development of upgraded technology and technological changes is growing at a higher
rate. This requires BA to hire new employees as per the changing requirements.

Employment
The current employment situation in the country affects the human resource planning of BA.
For example- the rise in the unemployment rate will put pressure on the airline industry to
employ more and more people.

HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNING MODEL
This is a strategic planning model that manages the demand-supply for the business of BA.
Human resource manager forecast the demand based on the strategic goals of the company.
The plan provides the strategy to the company to provide services to Madeira within effective
time duration. The various aspects of human resource with respect to BA are described below:
Figure: Human Resource Plan for BA
[Source: Kelly, 2012]
Resource allocation strategy
The strategy comprises to achieve competitive advantage by developing skills of employees. BA
provides appropriate services to Madeira flights by developing intellectual capital. The company
operates Madeira flights at the cheapest rate and thereby enhancing the productivity of the
company (Banfield et al., 2018).
STRATEGIC
PLAN
DEMAND/
SUPPLY
FORECASTING
LABOUR
TURNOVER
ANALYSIS
WORKING
ENVIRONMENT
HUMAN
RESOURCE
PLAN
RESOURCES FLEXIBILTY PRODUCTIVITY REWARD AND
PAY SYSTEM

Scenario planning
The scenario planning covers the aspect of various environmental issues for human resource.
The plane might face turbulence in the journey of travelling to Madeira. Thus, it is important to
plan the overall scenario so as to deliver the new services effectively.
Supply and Demand forecasting
The forecasting of demand and supply will enable the company to project the human resource
needs in order to accommodate the external challenges (Kelly, 2012).
Rate of Labour Turnover
The analysis with respect to labour turnover will provide an effective measure to develop cost
strategy. It has its association with the generation of revenue. Thus, a plan is required to reduce
labour turnover in the Airline Industry.
Environmental Analysis
This refers to monitoring and controlling organizational staff so as to deliver high –quality
performance. BA is an active player in the market to deliver high performance in the market.
Productivity
The productivity of BA can be enhanced by implementing the plan and utilizing human
resources to improve performance.
Flexibility
The flexible hours of working for staff and working conditions will act as an important measure
to achieve the strategic goals of BA.
Reward and payment of employees
The monetary benefits and non-monetary rewards will motivate the employees of BA to
perform better and align their goals with the company’s goals.

TASK 2 UNDERSTANDING THE EFFECT OF EMPLOYEE RELATION AND EMPLOYMENT LAWS ON
SERVICE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS
2.1 Assess the current state of employment relations in the Airline industry
Employee relation refers to the relationship exist between the employer and employee so as to
provide services in exchange for remuneration. The healthy relation between the employer and
employees enhances the quality of work. The meeting of certain standards in the Airline
Industry leads to develop effective relation so as to do better. The service sector like airline
industry needs good communication and sound relation so as to increase the morale of
teammates in the organization (Bailey et al., 2018).
The use of different concepts, policies and standards helps in managing the service industry.
Also, the workplace culture will become more pleasant by effectively maintaining a balance
between the needs of employer and employees. This, in turn, will increase productivity and
provides an opportunity for employees to enrich their potential skills.
A Trade union in the organization represents the group of employees that seeks to regulate
employment relationship. In the context of BA, there are various trade unions that represent
Pilots, Crew members and another representative of the company. For example- BALPA is a
representative of pilot whereas BASSA represents trade union of crew members. The manager
has to cooperate with all the trade unions in the organization and make efforts to resolve their
queries. Trade union provides a faster solution to the employee’s queries and provides
protection to all the rights of the employees (Snell et al., 2015).
Additionally, the company set up a management committee in order to monitor the different
aspects of employment relations. The committee monitors the performance of the plan and
develops the best possible strategy with respect to the employment relations issues.
In respect of the current scenario of BA, there have been disagreements between the
management and employees. Furthermore, the company relation with uniting has been
disrupted on account of several changes in the staff contract. Therefore, the company requires

developing work practices in order to develop a healthy workplace culture and sustain their
brand name (Airways, 2017).
The following aspects need to consider in order maintaining adequate employee’s relations:
 Culture
BA adopts unique cultural practices that influence the behaviour of the member in the
organization. The cultural force is depicted in terms of values, practices and beliefs
shared among the employees. Therefore, workplace flexibility increases productivity
and boosts the morale of the employees in terms of generating quality services.
 Employees participation
Employee’s participation could be achieved through adequate training and development
programs. Also, the methods of promotions and incentives will provide job satisfaction
to employees.
 Disciplinary approach
The approach adopted by BA to solve the employee's grievances and issues can help to
build better employee's relation.
 Organizational structure
The formal and hierarchical structure followed by BA is a flat organizational structure. It
follows one level of hierarchy separated by managing director and employees.