HR Planning Strategies for Marks and Spencer Post-COVID-19

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of human resource (HR) planning in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a specific focus on the challenges and strategies related to recruitment and selection. The report begins with an introduction to HR management, emphasizing the role of HR departments in addressing the needs of a business entity. It then outlines the aims and objectives of the study, which include identifying challenges faced by HR departments, particularly in recruitment and selection practices, with a case study on Marks and Spencer. Secondary research explores the concepts of recruitment and selection, internal and external recruitment techniques, and the advantages and disadvantages of each. The report highlights the impact of the pandemic on recruitment cycles, supply chains, and HR practices. The report also emphasizes the need for organizations to adapt to the new normal by addressing challenges in employee management, and talent acquisition. The report concludes by summarizing the key findings and implications for HR planning in a post-COVID-19 world.

HR PLANNING AFTER
COVID-19
Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................................3
WBL Aim and Objectives.................................................................................................................3
Secondary research............................................................................................................................4
Primary Research..................................................................................................................................8
covid pandemic negative affected human resource planning at organisations...................................8
Challenges of covid pandemic for human resource department.........................................................9
REFERENCES....................................................................................................................................11
Appendic.............................................................................................................................................13
INTRODUCTION
Human resources are all about managing the different needs and requirements
associated with the human resources part of the company. The basic aim of the human

resource team is to deliver all different needs and requirements associated with the business
entity. This report is based on the case study of Marks and Spencer Company in regards to its
human resource practices. The organisation has been established in the year 1884 by the
founders Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer in regards to its human resource practices.
Company is currently associated with its business operations at a global level. The
organisation belongs to the retail sector and contains business operations at approximately
15000 locations at a global level. Headquarter of the company is located in London, United
Kingdom. The company contain a proper hierarchy that involve multiple departments
(Polonskaya, 2018). Human resource department is the one that overlook at various human
resources related issues and areas. The department provide all types of support related to
human resources such as recruitment, selection, conducting interview, promotions and many
such practices that can mitigate all different designated requirements of the business entity.
The current time is covid has been very challenging for the human resource professionals.
The time is very tough as even if the world is seeing and experiencing post covid time the
situation is still not normal at global level. This entire pandemic could completely restrict the
overall operational area of the human resource team. The rules, regulations become stricter
that could also imposed more vigilance and action to ensure the health safety of all
employees associated with the company.
WBL Aim and Objectives
The aim of the study is to analysis different issues human resources department are
facing post covid time. The aim and objectives of this study is to understand the different
issues that human resource department face in against to delivering different business
practices.
Aim
 To identify different challenges associated with the human resource department in
post covid time for recruitment and selection practices at the Marks and Spencer
Company.
Objectives
 To specifically evaluate the recruitment and selection concept.
 To identify different methods of recruitment and selection practices.
 To evaluate the challenges associated to recruitment and selection post covid time.

Question
 What does it mean by recruitment and selection?
 What are the different methods of recruitment and selection adopted by the Marks and
Spencer Company?
 What are the different challenges human resource team faced at Marks and Spencer
Company to recruit human resources at the organisation?
The covid 19 pandemic has been cruel for this entire world. The pandemic could
imposed to many challenges over business entities that could restrict the business entities in
channelizing various business operations (Turro and et.al., 2020). Human resource
management has been seen as one of the major challenge that companies faced in the pos
covid time. Since the covid pandemic has started the management of human resources at the
work place become a huge challenge for all business entites.
Secondary research
Pathak, McDermot and Savic (2017), has researched over the concept of recruitment
and selection. This is about to analysis the requirements of the organisation and hire work
force to mitigate such expected need and demand of the employees in company. Recruitment
and selection is a practice where company try to appoint different human resources required
at various designated position role in company. The practice of the recruitment and selection
has been followed by company from many years at a professional level and many companies
own a separate department call as human resource department for appointing employees over
different designated position role at work place. The aim of the recruitment and selection is to
hire work force at all different designated position role in company so that all functional areas
and responsibilities associated with the company could have been meet by the organisation.
As per the views given by Maksymowych and et.al.,(2018), human resource
management is a practice denoted as managing different needs and requirements of the
organisation in context to the employees and human resources and also to manage the needs
and requirements of the employee itself in regard to its channelizing business practices. There
are various methods that human resource department adopted in companies for recruiting and
selecting different candidates over various designated position role in company. There are
majorly two methods or approaches that companies face such as internal recruitment and
external recruitment technique. Internal recruitment technique is a process involves
promoting the existing employees of company at senior position role in the organisation. This

is an important process where organisation promotes human resources at different designated
position role in the organisation.
On the basis of the views projected by the Gustafson, Weyand and Goronzy (2018),
internal recruitment is a process involve monitoring the work efficiency of the human
resources and promote employees over senior position or designated role in the organisation
hierarchy. Growth at the internal level of the organisation play significant role for the human
resources as this motivate the work force to deliver better functional responsibilities and also
to sustain at organisation level. Internal recruitment is processes that involve evaluating the
work efficiency and productivity of the human resources and based on that promote
employees at senor position role in company. Grandemange and et.al. (2017), has given
emphasis over the external recruitment technique as another prominent method of recruitment
and selection. This practice involve issuing job advertisement, conduct interviews and select
the best level of candidate over different designated position role in the company. Eternal
recruitment is a traditional technique or practice belongs to the recruitment and selection at
work place. This practice allows the company to introduce new employees at work place.
As per the views illustrated by the Ngoc Su and et.al. (2021), recruitment and
selection hold different techniques. Internal recruitment technique involves certain
advantages that can demonstrate as this recruitment practice allow the company to hire
employees over higher designated job role. The total time needed to channelize the internal
recruitment practice is less than the other respective practices. As this is about to promote the
existing employees over senior position role in company. This makes it more significant for
the company to effectively approach the potential candidate that already a part of the
organisation. This practice contain a significant advantage is such that this allow the business
entity to motivate the existing human resources associated with the business entity. Employee
motivation play a huge role in the company as this allows the business entity to achieve all
different growth objectives set behind the operations. Mao Aand et.al. (2020), has conveyed
its view in the study conducted that internal recruitment approach is more preferable way of
recruiting employees at senior position role. Every time company look at the employee over
the senior position it always need trust in the candidate on the basis of knowledge and
experience of the candidate. The existing employees in company already hold the trust and
faith of senior management that allow the company to ensure the productivity of the position
role in the company. This can be stated that in term of cost related advantage internal
recruitment is the cheapest way or approach to recruit employees in the company. As for this

practice company or human resource department d not invest massively to entertain the
recruitment benefits. This is channelizes with support of the existing employees part of the
company. This can be stated that internal recruitment is among the most favourable and
beneficial way to deliver the internal recruitment practice at the organisation level.
The criticism has been done by the Lotta and et.al., (2021), of the internal recruitment
is that this practice do not allow the management and company to introduce new talent in the
organisation. This practice is all about promoting employees over the senior position role to
appreciate all the efforts of the individual employee at the organisation. Another demerit is
that fast growing companies cannot always look for this option of hiring employees. This
technique also creates conflict between the colleagues at the work place. There are many
instances has been reported where the issues between the human resources coul arise out of
the internal recruitment practice. Internal politics also damage the significance of the internal
recruitment at the work place.
On the basis of the views projected by the Yu, Park and Hyun (2021), external
recruitment is a technique where company hire professionals not being already a part of the
organisation. There are many advantage related to the external recruitment technique. This
practice does not allow the business entity to influence the internal politics of company ruin
the recruitment practice like internal recruitment practice. On the other hand this motivate the
company to introduce new employees that are more experienced and skilled so that overall
business objectives of company could be meet in more better way. These practices allow the
human resource team to deliver talent management practice in more significant way. Talent
management is one of the major driven practice human resource team cannulises at the
organisation and the external recruitment practice strengthens the talent management
programs of the company.
There are various disadvantage has been reported related to the external recruitment
practice. This is a costly technique to introduce new employees at the organisation. In case of
company hiring fresh graduate this technique found very costly i respect to the business
entity. This has been clearly stated that external recruitment practice is the one that involve
hiring employees not already a part of the company. Murphy (2020), has already projected in
its study that this technique is very time consuming process. As it involves various stages that
consume extra time to recruit or hire the potential candidate over different designated
position role in company. This is significant that company go for such techniques or process

that consume less time to recruit or hire the potential employee or candidate over different
designated position role in company. This has been specifically demonstrated that the
external recruitment practice contain other disadvantages like this practice in many instances
could lead to internal politics. This completely ruins the entire process of recruitment and
hiring.
As per the views projected by the Akingbola (2020), post covid time has been very
challenging for the business operations of every single business entity across the globe. The
world has seen a significant downfall due to the covid situation as lockdown could impose in
many areas; spread of virus could damage the health of the human resources part of the
organisation. The operation of the organisation also gets stopped due to the covid pandemic.
This has been projected that the pandemic could imposed lockdown like situation at a global
level. This has been conducted that covid pandemic could completely stop all operations of
the business entity. All recruitment channels get stopped of the business entity that become
one of the key barrier that organisation could face. The recruitment cycles could completely
stopped due to the work from home kind of situation at a global level. This has been a major
impact pandemic could imposed over the companies at a global level. The supply chain of the
human resources also gets stopped in the covid time. This could completely demolish all the
recruitment practices earlier adopted by the business entities.
The views illustrated by the Dirani and et.al. (2020), along with the recruitment and
selection practices covid pandemic could completely spoil all the various practices adopted
by the human resource team in regards to the management of human resources at the
organisation level. This is demonstrated that human resource department channelizes and
follow talent management practice that involves overall growth and development of the
company employee base. This involve recruitment, selection, training, employee
development campaign and other such practices that favour the best level of overall growth
and development of the human resources associated with company. The impact of the covid
pandemic is that all operations of companies went through work from hoe like situation this
could completely stop all different talent management operations human resource team
channelizes in process to overall advancement of the employee base of company. As per the
views stated by the Adikaram, Naotunna and Priyankara (2021), covid 19 pandemic as
created a negative impact over all different practices human resource team used to adopt in
against to deliver the talent management practices. All training and employee development
campaign has completely stop that could restrict the business entity to gain competitive

advantage in the market. The training and employee development campaign also involve
developed of the new skills in the work force along with the existing skills and abilities they
own. The work from home practice could entertain trainings of new employees as it is
required at some level through distance learning campaigns. It can be stated that there are
only a limited scope is available for the company to improvise all its previous polices. This
can certainly demonstrate that all the negative aspects tat could arise due to the covid
pandemic could also harm the overall growth possibility of the business entities at a global
level (Ekpo and et.al., 2021). Company could not drive its practices in respect to
advancement the overall growth of the work force along with the skill development campaign
that could not allow the business entity to restrict the growth possibility. Competitive
advantage is a fundamental; element that motivate and guide the company to achieve better
growth possibility in the respective market. All the impacts of the covid pandemic could
completely demolish the business entity plans of taking up the competitive advantage in
respective market. This can certainly demonstrate that work from home practice could only
limit the total working capability of the human resources associated with the business entity.
The low growth possibility and profitability could further limit the business ability or
potential to meet its all different business objectives.
Primary Research
covid pandemic negative affected human resource planning at organisations
Q.1) Do you feel covid pandemic could negatively affected the human resurce planning at
your organisation?
Yes 22
No 8

73%
27%
Yes
No
Interpretation:
This has been analysed and interpreted that the covid 19 pandemic has negatively
affected the business operations of company. 73% of the respondents took part in the
interview process agreed to the fact that the pandemic has negatively influenced the human
resource related planning of the business enterprises. There are remaining 27% of the total
respondents agreed to the fact that the pandemic has need affected in a negative manner to the
human resource related planning of the business entity. On the basis of the views suggested
by the majority of respondents it can be demonstrate that the covid 19 situation has a negative
impact over the human resource planning of the business enterprises (Ngoc Su and et.al.,
2021). This has been occurred certainly over the business operations of company as this
pandemic has stopped all operation and functional flow of the business enterprises. This can
certainly demonstrated that the influence of the pandemic is such that it could affect the
human resource planning in a negative manner.
Challenges of covid pandemic for human resource department
Q.2) What are the key challenge that human resource department faced in post covid time?
Communication related challenges 6
Recruitment practices related challenges 5
Training and development related practices 8
All the above 11

Communication related challenges
Recruitment practices related challenges
Training and development related practices
All the above
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
20% 17%
27%
37%
Series1
Interpretation:
The above graph projected that the coivd 19 created a different challenges over the
business entity especially in regards to the planning of the human resources for the business
entity. The graph clearly show that 20% of the respondents took part in the interview round
agreed to the fact that communication was the major challenge covid pandemic has faced.
17% respondents stated that recruitment was the biggest challenge for the human resource
team as a part of the challenges associated with the post covid time. Training and
development of employees is also a major challenge agreed by the 27?% of the employees.
The remaining 37% respondents favoured that all the mentioned above are the key challenges
that company is facing especially in regards to the human resource planning at the
organisation (Przytuła, Strzelec and Krysińska-Kościańska, 2020). This can be stated that the
pandemic has certainly stopped the flow of operations that could not favour the business
entity to channelizes all different human resource related practices in the best way possible.

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