Analysis of Human Resource Management Practices in British Airways

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Human Resource Management
for Service Industries
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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
LO1............................................................................................................................................4
1.1 Analyse the role and purpose of human resource management in a selected service
industry...................................................................................................................................4
1.2 Justify a human resources plan based on an analysis of supply and demand for a
selected service industry business..........................................................................................5
LO2............................................................................................................................................6
2.1 Assess the current state of employment relations in a selected service industry.............6
2.2 Discuss how employment law affects the management of human resources in a selected
service industry business........................................................................................................7
LO3............................................................................................................................................8
3.1 Discuss a job description and person specification for a selected service industry job...8
3.2 Compare the selection process of different service industries businesses.......................9
LO4..........................................................................................................................................10
4.1 Assess the contribution of training and development activities to the effective operation
of a selected service industry business.................................................................................10
Conclusion................................................................................................................................11
References................................................................................................................................12
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Introduction
Human resource department is responsible for conducting a number of functions in the
organization. From recruiting to training and development programmes, HR department plays
an important role in the organization. The assignment is delivering the importance of HR
department in the airline industry. The assignment is constructed in the context of British
Airways which is a renowned organization in the travel and tourism sector. The assignment
helps in delivering the importance of HR managers in the effective functioning of the
organization. The assignment likewise helps in reflecting the importance of employment law
and training and development in the organization. With the help of the assignment the
individuals can learn about the importance of human resource management and can be made
aware of the functions and policies of the HR managers in the organization.
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LO1
1.1 Analyse the role and purpose of human resource management in a selected
service industry
Human resource department is the most crucial part of the management of every
organization. This department is responsible for a number of activities in the organization. It
plays a crucial role in recruiting the employees and to train them for enhancing the potential
and productivity of the organization. British Airways is a renowned Airways service
providing organization. The company is involved in the profession of travel and tourism and
is responsible for providing a variety of travelling services to its customers (Avgousti, 2012).
The organization has likewise stated new flights in Madeira and Heathrow to enhance its
market area. Human resource management is very important in such an organization to
manage all the stakeholders and personnel’s associated with the business. A number of role
and purposes the human resource department plays in British Airways are as follows:
Recruitment services
The primary role that HRM department plays in British Airways is recruiting new and expert
employees. Hiring effective employees play an important role in the organization. It helps in
enhancing the productivity of the organization and likewise helps the organization in seeking
growth. Before recruiting the employees it is essential for the HRM team to go through the
planning process regarding the quality of skill of employees they are admiring for the
respective organization (Lazaroiu, 2015).
Training and development programmes
After the recruitment of the employees, it is important to train them in order to achieve the
goals of the organization. It is the responsibility of the HRM department to train and develop
the new joiners of the organization. They are responsible for directing and guiding the new
subordinates regarding the rules and policies of the organization. With the help of training
programmes, the managers will be able to direct the newly recruited staff about the working
of British Airways (Lazaroiu, 2015). In this particular organization training of employees is
extremely crucial in order to promote the sustainability of the organization.
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Managing the organization
HRM department is responsible for managing the activities of the employees working for the
organization. They are responsible for assigning duties to the employees in order to facilitate
the functioning of the organization in the most effective manner. Aside to this, the department
is likewise responsible for the health and safety of the employees dedicated to the
organization. It is the duty of the department to undertake activities in order to promote the
safety of the employees. They are responsible for motivating the morale of the employees in
order to maintain a healthy and effective business environment in the respective organization
(Avgousti, 2012).
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1.2 Justify a human resources plan based on an analysis of supply and demand
for a selected service industry business
Planning is an essential component of management. It helps in predicting future
requirements. Under human resource planning, the managers try to predict the requirement of
human resource activities that will help in enhancing the productivity and potential of the
organization. The predicted requirements are fulfilled by recruiting more employees and
training them to guide industrial policies. It is the duty of the human resource department to
predict or forecast regarding the demand and supply of British Airways so that an effective
number of employees will be recruited in order to fulfil the requirement (Brewster, Chung
and Sparrow, 2016).
British Airways is currently involved in the activity of arranging flights to Madeira from
Heathrow. The increasing number of flights will help in enhancing the area of the market and
it will likewise help in increasing the number of consumers. This new project will require a
number of more expert employees to serve the new guests and to provide them with all the
quality services. The new employees will be recruited on the basis of the budget planned by
the HR department for their new project. It is essential to prepare the budget and set a mark
of salaries before recruiting new staff in the enterprise. This will help in managing the cash
flow and will likewise help in managing the total labour turnover ratio (Avgousti, 2012). The
HR department will try to recruit new employees with the utilisation of lower cost so that the
revenues of the respective organization can be enhanced. The employees will be recruited on
the basis of their skills and expertise and the salary provided to them by the organization.
After recruiting the employees the organization have to invest in training of the recruited staff
as well. It is essential for the HR managers to plan a cost-effective training plan in order to
train the subordinates with the utilisation of minimum reserves (Brewster, Chung and
Sparrow, 2016). In the British Airways, the employees are trained to welcome the guests and
to provide them with all the quality services.
The human resource department can undertake two activities in order to forecast for the
demand and supply of British Airways. The primary one of them is with the help of internal
sources. Under this activity, the demand and supply are forecasted with the help of the
feedbacks collected from the personals working in the organization. Other than this the
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department can take help of external sources like consumers and competitors to forecast for
future activities (Subramania and Megginson, 2018).
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LO2
2.1 Assess the current state of employment relations in a selected service industry
The airline industry is a part of travel and tourism. It is responsible for providing a number of
services to its consumers like charter service, business class services, carriage related services
and so forth. The industry is very popular among the citizens as travelling has become a part
of the life of the people in this era (Brewster, Chung and Sparrow, 2016). British Airways is a
part of Airline service and hence is also applicable for providing such services to its
consumers. It is the objective of the company to provide quality service to its consumers in
order to enhance the level of revenues and turnover ratio.
In regards to the human resource department of British Airways, it is important for them to
maintain industrial relationships. Industrial relationship basically refers to the relationship
between the employee and the employers working in the organization. Healthy industrial
relationship helps in maximizing the level of output and will likewise help in enhancing the
potential of the employees. Healthy employee relationship is very important for a company
like British Airways as it will help in motivating the employees and likewise helps in
enhancing their efficiency in the organization. Misunderstand among the employees can
influence their behaviour in the organization. It can even accelerate the feelings of fraud
among them (Kehoe and Wright, 2013).
For marinating the healthy employee and employer relationship it is important to set the most
effective working hours for the employees. The employees should be told to work for 8 hours
in the organization with an additional 1-hour lunch break. The proper working hour will help
in boosting the potential of the employees and will help in getting the best out of them. Aside
to this, it is the duty of the HR team to care about the health and safety of the employees of
the organization. It is the duty of the department to undertake activities in order to promote
the safety of the employees. They are responsible for motivating the morale of the employees
in order to maintain a healthy and effective business environment in the respective
organization (Brewster, Chung and Sparrow, 2016). It is the responsibility of the HR manager
to ensure the growth of the employees and to provide them with a platform to put forward
their thoughts in front of the senior level of management. They must be allowed to form
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unions for undertaking the major decision regarding the employees of the organization
(Kehoe and Wright, 2013).
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2.2 Discuss how employment law affects the management of human resources in
a selected service industry business
Laws and policies help in maintain decorum in the country and likewise assist in conducting
the activities in a precise and accurate manner. Similarly, policies and low in the organization
promotes efficiency. With the help of these laws, the managers will be able to monitor the
activities of their subordinates and guide them to function in an accurate manner. The
organization needs to follow an act known as the Employment Rights Act 1996 (Kehoe and
Wright, 2013). As per the act, there are a number of rights available to the employees of
every company. The act reflects a number of law regarding the working hours, proficiency,
salary and weekly holidays available to the employees of the companies. It is compulsory for
the human resource department to follow these policies while framing policies for their
organization (Avgousti, 2012).
The respective law affects the management and operations of British Airways. There are a
number of laws mentioned in the employment law in the concern of the Airline industry. In
the respective industry, there is different law regarding the salaries of the employees,
minimum wage rates for the labours and the overtime rules regarding the employees of the
organization. Aside to this, the organization is even bound to secure the private information
related to their employees. It is compulsory for the HR department to secure the private
identity or information of the employees working in their organization (Bratton and Gold,
2017).
In the presence of such employment law, the management of British Airways is responsible
for protecting the rights of the employees. It becomes compulsory for the HR managers to
frame policies after going through all the rights of employees. There should be equality in the
organization. No discrimination against cast, creed, colour or sex should be done in the
premises of the organization. It becomes the responsibility of the managers to monitor the
activities of the employees and punish the employees which are found guilty for such
practices. With the help of such laws in the organization, the managers will be able to
motivate then morale of the subordinates (Kehoe and Wright, 2013). This will likewise help
in providing freedom to employees to undertake initiatives in the organization and enhance
the quality of interaction and communication. This, in turn, assists in enhancing the efficiency
and potential of the employees.
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LO3
3.1 Discuss a job description and person specification for a selected service
industry job
British Airways is accommodated with a number of operational activities that promote the
growth of the company (Bratton and Gold, 2017). For managing the different departments it
is essential for the HR team to recruit employees who have the quality of managing the
operations of the business in a most effective manner. The job profile for which there is an
urgent need of hiring in British Airways is as follows:
Job Description
The British Airways is recruiting for BA CityFlyer which is a subsidiary of the respective
firm. The job will allow the employee to join the Cabin Crew team of London where they
will be able to interact with the consumers directly. The HR manager is looking forward to
a manger that can monitor the activities of the cabin crew member. The Job profile is
completely based upon the personality of the employee and their communication skills. The
employees will be hired for interacting with the consumers and serving them the best possible
services (Avgousti, 2012). They are likewise required to assist the consumer in their activities
and helping them during their journey with British Airways. The employees will be able
responsible for the health and safety of the consumers travelling with them (Brewster, Chung
and Sparrow, 2016).
Person Specifications
For holding the responsibility of a cabin crew member it is essential for personnel to exhibit
the following skills, expertise and experiences:
Qualifications
 The individuals must be an adult i.e., he or she must be above 18 years of age
 The individual must be able to understand for than 3 languages among which Hindi
and English are compulsory.
 The employee must be willing to work in multiple shifts and timing
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Skills and expertise
 The employee must be holding effective communication and interaction skills
 The employee must be understanding and should try to understand the culture of
different individuals.
 The employee must be polite towards its subordinates and with the consumers
 The employee must possess good managing and leadership skills in order to direct
and guide the employees working under them
 The employee must possess good negotiating skills
 They should have an impressive personality and an interactive behaviour
 The employee must be flexible as per the new trends and policies.
 The employee should be a quick learner and a good listener
 The employee should be punctual and should work in a scheduled manner (Avgousti,
2012).
Aside to all of these qualities the candidate must have an experience of the same criteria for
about and year and should not be physically challenged in any manner. It is essential for the
candidate to be mentally and physically fit (Buller and McEvoy 2012).
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