Human Resource Management Practices at Harrods: A Case Study

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HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction......................................................................................................................................1
Task 1...............................................................................................................................................2
1. An explanation of purpose of HR function and key roles and responsibilities of HR
function, highlighting the significance that HR plays in acquiring talent to meet business
objectives.....................................................................................................................................2
2. An assessment of approach to workforce planning, recruitment and selection, development
and training, performance management and reward system.......................................................4
3. Inclusion of case study examples to examine the different methods used in HR practises.....6
4. The approach to and effectiveness of employee relation and employee engagement with
mention of the flexible organisation and flexible working practises and ‘employer of choice’. 8
5. Key aspects of employment legislation within which the organisation must work..............10
6. An evaluation of how employee relations and employment legislation inform decision
making and meets business objectives......................................................................................11
Task 2.............................................................................................................................................12
7. Illustrate the applications of HRM practises in work related context using specific examples
from Harrods..............................................................................................................................12
8. Evaluate the use of technology, online resources one of the interviewed, digital platforms
and social networking on improving recruitment and selection process...................................16
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................17
References......................................................................................................................................18

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: HRM functions.................................................................................................................2
Figure 2: Process of recruiting and selecting...................................................................................4
Figure 3: Training benefits..............................................................................................................5
Figure 4: Employee performance management plans.....................................................................6

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Job description.................................................................................................................12
Table 2: Person specification.........................................................................................................12
Table 3: Job offer letter..................................................................................................................14

Introduction
Human resource management is refers to organising employees towards the certain direction for
achieving desired goals that are recruited from HR manager of organisation. The current study
will focus on HR functions, roles and responsibilities for business aims in reference to Harrods.
It will assess workforce planning, selection and recruitment and several HR practises essential
for organisational growth. Further, effective approach will be followed for explaining employee
relations and engagement by flexible working practises and aspects of employment legislation
for achieving business goals. At last, HRM applications will be discussed by job description as
well as person specification by four interview questions that will focus on methods of improving
process of recruitment and selection.

Task 1
1. An explanation of purpose of HR function and key roles and responsibilities of HR
function, highlighting the significance that HR plays in acquiring talent to meet business
objectives
Harrods is known as the departmental store situated in London that deals in luxury and quality
goods including children, men, infants, women, jewellery, electronics, pet accessories, drinks,
beauty, stationary, home appliances etc. The retail organisation occupies 330 departments that
earn £2 billion that employs 12000 people. Different activities are performed by HR manager in
organisation for achieving organisational objectives by planning workforce effectively. Human
resource management is defined as formal process that helps in managing people using benefits,
staffing, compensation, designing employee tasks. The targets of organisation are achieved by
dedicated and flexible policies of HR that helps in benefitting performance, office rules, training,
and employment contract (Noe, et. al., 2017). Following are responsibilities that are essential for
HR managers in Harrods for achieving business goals which are as follows:
Figure 1: HRM functions
(Source: Rasel, 2015)
Planning and Forecasting – The employee efforts are high if duties and tasks are assigned and
planned properly. The HR manager needs to identify consumer and market preferences to give

services according to their requirements that can be maintained by organisational employees. It is
essential to plan activities for forecasting future functioning in business. The managers need to
identify employee needs for recruitment and selection process that should be done by promoting
job vacancies at different levels.
Maintaining Employee Relations – The HR manager should carry interpersonal skills that help
in increasing friendly relations with employees to initiate flexible working situations for worker
in which problems will be easily discussed to HR managers (Reilly and Williams, 2016). The
HR head must have nature to build trust and confidence within employees by becoming advocate
and expert to bring problems to top management of organisation.
Maintains Working Culture – The duty of manager is to establish environment that carry safe,
fun and healthy working culture. It helps in creating friendly and stress free working culture that
increases employee interest and motivation towards assigned projects and tasks. The friendly
personality with open attribute helps in increasing employee morale that also boost interaction
path between superior and subordinates. The employees in such culture are highly engaged in the
work that provides high job satisfaction.

2. An assessment of approach to workforce planning, recruitment and selection,
development and training, performance management and reward system
Workforce planning is defined as process initiated for amalgamating firm’s needs and priorities
to ensure objectives are achieved by maintaining regulatory, legislative, service and production
framework that helps in establishing strategies for developing organisation workforce. It plays
essential part predictions of human resource helps in filling vacancies and impact positively on
productivity (De Bruecker, et. al., 2015). Human resource planning plays important role in
recruiting and selecting required candidates for achieving organisational objectives.
Figure 2: Process of recruiting and selecting
(Source: Recruitment and Selection Process, 2018)
Recruitment and Selection – Recruitment is method that shortlist, attracts, appoints and selects
candidates for filling job position in organisation. The candidates are recruited through resource,
recruitment agencies, specialists or consultancies. The two types of recruitment are internal and
external method in which internal candidates are hired for filling job position using promotion or
transfers and external method finds resource outside business by factory gates, former joiners,
labour unions etc. The HR manager’s duty is search best candidate that fits in position with best
talents to achieve organisational goals of Harrods.
On contrary, selection is process to find suitable person for filling job vacancy by focusing on
candidate’s qualifications and capabilities by hiring through application forms, interviews, test

based on mental and physical ability, etc that determines calibre and competencies of person for
job vacancy (Farndale, et. al., 2018). The process is practises when organisation feels shortage of
human resource that needs responsible personality to drive business growth based on skills. For
example – South wood school from UK selects teachers and professors by publishing in
newspaper by including method for applying, brochure, application form etc that makes easier
for candidates to identify capabilities and applies according to needs and qualifications.
Training and Development – Training refers to develop individual personality based on person
skills for fulfilling project requirements and development of employee aims at establishing based
on personal grooming. It is HR duty to determine training and development needs of employee
that plays essential part in planning for effective workforce. This function is applied in firm to
employees that helps in coping with environment change, consumer trends and technologies. The
productivity of Harrods will get boosted that will also empower employee morale and positive
confidence towards work. For example – Heinz in UK always invest in external training. The
graduates are provided with training for short term occurs at internal premises by assigning them
various sites and sessions of training were known as “Lunch and Learn” that increased the pool
of talent from employees (Pollock, et. al., 2015).
Figure 3: Training benefits
(Source: Training and Development, 2017)

3. Inclusion of case study examples to examine the different methods used in HR practises
Human resource management aims at achieving needs and requirement of vacancies by selecting
best and suitable candidates and empowering workforce planning with different methods. The
HR manager is Harrods must aim at selecting best methods for increasing effectiveness of task
quality. The selected candidates require positive encouragement and motivation from manager
and leaders to commence their work according to planned norms (Becker and Smidt, 2015). The
HR practises and style of maintaining effectiveness in productivity can be done by following
methods that are as follows:
Performance Management – It refers to process that boost communication within superior and
subordinates related to task objectives and qualities. The managers of organisation aims at setting
performance standards for identifying productive quality by methods such as peer review, self
evaluation, competency scale and quantitative evaluation. For example – Accenture is identified
as largest organisations of world that conducts evaluation process and former ranking methods. It
aims at deciding frequent conversations and feedback in process for developing performance by
eliminating factor of raising performance from employees. It will help in increasing progress and
growth of employees according to the skills that eventually helps in improving performances of
workforce (Buckingham and Goodall, 2015). The HR managers in Harrods are regularly setting
parameters of getting better results by providing appraisal, promotion, incentives, high
responsibilities etc and candidates with low results will be provided with mentoring and training.
Figure 4: Employee performance management plans

(Source; Effective performance Management, 2017)
Reward Systems – The strategy is aimed to formulate and implement rewards for employees that
performed equitability, consistently and fairly for achieving business goals. It helps in motivation
to employees that strengthens mind for dealing with market and international competition. The
rewards provided to best performers might be given in form of salaries, wages, bonuses, pension
plans etc that are determined as financial beneficial benefits and providing flexible working
condition is benefit in non-financial ways. For example – GASCO is aimed at treating employees
in fair and honest manner by providing safety and health working environment. The reward
systems are already prepared and shown in firm’s booklet that consists of competitive salary
level, rewarding best performers, extra earnings etc. It also provides allowances related to care,
housing, education, health etc that increases productivity and impact on organisational result.
Hence, management of compensation in Harrods is directly connected to employee performance
that is dispensed to boost productivity and motivation (Felin and Powell, 2016).

4. The approach to and effectiveness of employee relation and employee engagement with
mention of the flexible organisation and flexible working practises and ‘employer of choice’
Employee relation is defined as contribution of consultation, facilitation and resolution strategies
for resolving conflicts taking place in organisation. It enhances communication path among the
employees and superiors for preparing action plans according to firm’s policies and procedures
for obtaining desired success. It is important for employees to increase their friendly relations
with working partners that is highly promoted by HR managers to develop positive growth and
motivation. The productivity is highly impacted by employee relations as better understanding
with colleagues helps in driving positive results assigned by team leaders (Johnson and Szamosi,
2018). The daily activities or task create negative impact on workforce that weakens positive
thoughts in team that directly affects decision making of HR managers. The key points that
changes decision of HR managers from employee behaviour includes following points:
 Stress – The goals are not completed by employees that brings stress from peer pressure,
low promotional opportunities, excess workloads, etc that gives impact on HR decision
making as such candidate must have be replaced by skilled person.
 Indiscipline – It is essential for employees to work according to organisational policies
and norms. It aims at positive behaviour of employees towards working culture that needs
to be properly followed by avoiding grievances, absenteeism, slow work that promotes
indiscipline at workplace (Meijerink, et. al., 2016). The manager highly feels insecure
about task completion as all responsibilities of hiring such candidate have impacted its
decision in negative manner.
 Grievances - There are several factors liked by employees that include safe conditions of
working, better decisions, high incentives, satisfactory levels, equal treatment etc that
retains employee in organisation. The decision is highly affected if employee constantly
complains about such factors that lowers the productivity results too.
In reference to Harrods, organisational managers should aim at creating bets working conditions
that increase employee morale and engagement in task by avoiding such issues. The issues will
be solved without impacting decision making by focusing on strategies to engage employees in
work that are as follows: