Human Resource Management in British Airways: A Case Study

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HUMAN RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT IN SERVICE
INDUSTRY

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction......................................................................................................................................1
Task 1...............................................................................................................................................2
(AC 1.1) An analysis of the role and purpose of human resource management in a selected
service industry with reference to British Airways.....................................................................2
(AC 1.2) The creation of an HR plan, based on an analysis of supply and demand, with
justification of the staff roles and numbers of staff and hours of work required to deliver the
new flight service to Madeira......................................................................................................4
Task 2...............................................................................................................................................7
(AC 2.1) assesses the current state of employment relations in the airline industry...................7
(AC 2.2) discusses how employment law affects the management of human resources within
British Airways............................................................................................................................8
Task 3.............................................................................................................................................10
(AC 3.1) Discuss a job description and person specification for a selected service industry job
...................................................................................................................................................10
(AC 3.2) Compare the selection process of different service industries businesses.................11
Task 4.............................................................................................................................................14
(AC 4.1) Assess the contribution of training and development activities to the effective
operation of a selected service industry business......................................................................14
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................16
References......................................................................................................................................17

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: HR Plan.............................................................................................................................4
Table 2: Job Description of Cabin Crew.......................................................................................10
Table 3: Person Specification of Cabin Crew................................................................................10
Table 4: Comparison of Selection Process....................................................................................11

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Hard and Soft HRM.........................................................................................................3
Figure 2: Conflict Management.......................................................................................................8

Introduction
Human resource department of any firm is responsible to manage the relations within the firm to
increase the efficiency of business. The current report will be discussed in the context of British
Airways firm which is a leading airline industry founded in 1974. The subsidiary of the firm is
BA City Flyer and the firm is covering around 183 locations. In this report the importance of
skilled staff for achieving effective business outcomes will be discussed. British Airways is
introducing a new flight service from Heathrow and for this purpose the firm is required to
identify the supply and demands of the staff members related to the new service. The comparison
of selection process for the job role of Cabin Crew in British Airways and the job role of
Customer Service Assistant will be discussed. Along with this, the contribution of training and
development activities for the success of the airline industry will also be mentioned in this report.
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Task 1
(AC 1.1) An analysis of the role and purpose of human resource management in a selected
service industry with reference to British Airways
Definition of HRM
Human resource management in any firm performs the recruitment, training, performance
management and appraisal and employment relation function so that they can gain the trust and
loyalty of the employees for attaining the business goals. The HR manager of British Airways
ensures selecting qualified staff to fulfil the objectives and achieving growth by formulating
effective plans and strategies (Bannò and Sgobbi, 2016).
Purpose of HRM
British Airways is introducing a new flight from Heathrow to Madeira including four hours
duration. The purpose of HRM regarding this situation is to conduct an effective recruitment and
selection process so that they can have competent and skilled staff as per the need and
requirement of the firm. This will help the firm to gain competitive advantage and increase its
profitability. The HR manager is also required to plan training sessions to provide a better
understanding of the selected employees about their job roles.
Role of HRM
Planning and forecasting: HRM function of British Airways is responsible for forecasting the
activities related to the attainment of business goals and the success of the new flight to Madeira.
HR plans must be coordinated with the business goals so that the employees can perform their
tasks and activities as per the pre-determined plans by the HR manager (Wilson and Breault,
2018).
Recruitment: to select the right candidate for the jobs available in British Airways, the HR
manager is responsible to implement appropriate recruitment and selection process. This will
help the firm to match the job requirement according to the skills and abilities of the candidate
selected in the process.
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Training: the candidates selected with the help of the recruitment process in British Airways are
further provided training and development sessions. This will help them to gain knowledge
about their job roles and their confidence and motivation can be enhanced. Training is beneficial
for both employers and employees of the firm.
Monitoring budget: HR manager of British Airways is required to set the budget as per the
forecasted plan so that the resources can be made available at right time and the activities can be
performed in an efficient manner. The budget should be monitored so that the risk related to the
business budget can be minimized (Mayne, 2017).
Employee relationship: by providing appropriate rewards, benefits and incentives by the HR
manager, the motivation of employees can be enhanced and their relation with the firm and
employees can be improved.
Hard and Soft HRM
In concern with Soft HRM, the employees of British Airways are treated as the most important
valuable resources and provided appropriate motivational activities so that the firm can increase
efficiency. On the other hand, the employees selected for new flights are required to perform
their work to attain effective outcomes. HR manager directs and controls the HR activities of the
organization.
(AC 1.2) The creation of an HR plan, based on an analysis of supply and demand, with
justification of the staff roles and numbers of staff and hours of work required to deliver the new
flight service to
Madeira.
Meaning
of HRP
Human resource
planning
done by HR
manager
will help the
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Figure 1: Hard and Soft HRM
(Source: www.slideshare.net, 2012)

firm to analyse the supply and demand needs of the staff so that the firm can manage the HR
activities which are responsible and helpful in the success and profits attainment of the business.
HRP is an important function of British Airways as the staff required for a new flight can be
managed (Soto-García, 2018).
HR plan in British Airways
British Airways is starting a new flight from Heathrow to Madeira which is for four hours to
expand their business. A Proper plan is needed to be formulated by the HR manager so that the
requirement of staff can be identified and fulfilled for the successful implementation of the new
services. The HR manager must manage the negative effects of the internal and external factors
to minimize the business risk.
Table 1: HR Plan
Staff roles/ job
roles
Knowledge and skills
needed
Part
time/Full
time
Working
hours per
week
Number
of current
staff
Employee
turnover
percentage
Staff
needs or
demand
Admin staff Appropriate skill and
knowledge required are
related to handling of
various equipments,
communication with
other staff and
motivational skills.
Full Time 28 hours 100 18% 200
Flight
attendant
Candidates are required
to have appropriate
communication,
interactive and problem
solving skills to attain
customer satisfaction
(Hill and Brierley,
2017).
Part time 32 hours 140 24% 170
Cabin Crew The skills required for
Cabin Crew are
leadership skills,
Full Time 33 hours 160 22% 170
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interpersonal skills and
problem handling skills.
Pilots Appropriate knowledge
about the functioning
and flight operations
along with having an
attractive personality.
Full Time 30 hours 110 28% 80
Baggage
Handlers
Effective
communication skills to
handle the customer
quires and be able to
perform their work
quickly.
Full time 31 hours 150 32% 280
Cleaning staff Candidate is required to
have appropriate
knowledge about the
health and safety
principle to perform
their job role
effectively.
Part time 29 hours 210 35% 190
Engineering Required knowledge
about the functioning
and operations related to
the flight and the
understanding of
various issues of flight
(Pazourek and Václavík,
2017).
Part Time 27 hours 190 14% 140
The HR Plan is prepared to analyse the staff requirement and their working hours per week
required in the new flight service from Heathrow to Madeira. British Airways is planning to
expand their business so that they increase the productivity and profitability of business along
with gaining the satisfaction of their customers (Jekiel, 2016).
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Task 2
(AC 2.1) assesses the current state of employment relations in the airline industry
Employment relations meaning
An employment relationship between the staff members and employers for effective
communication within the firm is an essential responsibility of HR managers. British Airways
must implement efficient plans and policies so that the employees of the firm can feel motivated.
Engagement of the firm’s employees in decision making can lead to improving employment
relations (Kim and Bae, 2017).
Employment Relations in British Airways
British Airways is one of the leading Airline service industry founded in 1974 and covering 184
destinations globally. As they are employing a large number of employees in the firm, they are
required to manage the employment relations for gaining satisfaction. Employment relations in
British Airways should be managed as there is the adoption of new and advanced technology in
the firm. The employees of the firm must conduct training programs to make them familiar with
the use of such technologies to attain success. This will also help the firm to decrease the
employee turnover that can have a massive impact on the success of the organization and its
operational activities. There must be a good link between the employees and the firm with the
help of an effective communication system. Positive link can also be attained with the help of a
positive working environment.
If British Airways will manage healthy relations with their staff members by fulfilling their
needs and requirements, the chance of strikes can be increased which can affect the brand image
of the organization. The firm is also planning to make changes in their staff which can affect
their relationship with the existing staff members. To manage the relations, the HR manager can
encourage the participation of employees in the decision-making activity so that they can gain
more confidence in performing their jobs. Effective and healthy relations can also be developed
with the help of trade unions, collective bargaining, grievance handling, and employee’s
engagement and also with the help of other significant factors (Saville, 2017). Two of them are
discussed below:
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Grievance Handling: there are a number of employees in British Airways so the chances of
problems and differences among them can be more. Thus, the HR manager can adopt a grievance
handling procedure in their firm to help the employees in solving their issues and problems. This
will help in managing their relations with employers.
Conflict Management: to manage the conflicts among the employers and employee, British
Airways can use collective bargaining and negotiation so that they can get the right to resolve
their disputes by discussing with the employers. This will help them to gain a mutual agreement
and their issues can be resolved (Nicholas and Steyn, 2017).
Figure 2: Conflict Management
(Source: www.peopleandprocess.ie, 2019)
(AC 2.2) discusses how employment law affects the management of human resources within
British Airways.
Government of UK has developed the employment laws to be applied in the British Airways so
that their rights and interest can be secured and protected from the unfair practices faced by the
employees. These laws and legislations can have huge influence on the human resource
management and operations of business.
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Employment Relation Act and Employment Rights Act
Employment contracts in British Airways for their employees help to manage their relations with
the employers. This can be possible with the application of the employment relation act in the
firm. Firms are required to resolve conflicts and disputes. With the help of factors and laws like
mediation, conciliation and arbitration, the conflicts among the organization employees can be
managed. The collective relationships of the airline industries can get affected by factors like
industrial actions, collective bargaining, information, consultation, etc. By adopting the
employment rights act, the employees of British Airways can get equal opportunities for their
personal and professional development. The discrimination within the workplace can be
minimized by such acts and laws.
Health and Safety Act of 1974
As per this act, the HR department of British Airways is required to implement various training
and development activities in their organization so that the rate of accidents included in working
with hazardous technology can be minimized. This will ensure the health and safety of
employees using technical machines and equipment (Holt and Allen, 2015). Along with health
security, the firm is also responsible for providing other essential facilities so that their
relationships within the workplace can be improved.
Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service: (ACAS)
Human resources management function in British Airways can be affected by adopting the
independent body called ACAS. This is because it can help the firm to manage healthy and
positive employee relations in the organization. ACAS includes the services like conciliation,
mediation, advisory and arbitration for resolving the conflicts and other critical issues between
the employees and employers of the firm. The firm can also use other methods included in this
body like data establishments, appeal makings, employee meetings etc. Grievance handling in
British Airways is also a part of ACAS which can take place with the help of following various
steps and process. But this method only takes place when the grievance is related to only two or
fewer workers (Urwin, 2018). Thus, for managing effective relations within the firm and
protecting the rights of British Airway employees, ACAS is considered as an essential body.
With this, the organization will be able to accomplish their goals along with gaining profits.
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